Grinlow above Buxton saw an extensive limeburning industry develop in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. By the second half of the latter century the kilns were leased by the Duke of Devonshire to the Brock family who continued to operate them until 1789. From then on into the first quarter of the nineteenth century the Duke appears to have managed the limeworks directly as part of his estates. The hill is covered in the remains of the industry and one of these 18th century earthen kilns is prominent in the foreground of this view. On average these kilns would have been operated for seven months each year.

In the background stands Grin Low Tower, or Solomon’s Temple as it is locally known, a distinctive landmark crowning the skyline above Buxton at 437m (1,434ft) above sea level. Built in 1896, I believe by out-of-work quarrymen and paid for by the Duke of Devonshire, (and restored in 1988), this Grade II-listed folly replaced the ruins of a previous tower which was built by Solomon Mycock, a local farmer and landowner, and after whom it is still named.