Archive footage of the creation of Matlock Bath cable car passenger system 40 years ago.
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00:00 [Music]
00:13 High above the Derwent Valley, gondolas gracefully glide towards the heights of Abraham.
00:19 It's the only way to travel, a feeling of soaring like a bird.
00:24 Our cable cars are a remarkable engineering achievement, which have opened up our shared dramatic landscape to everyone.
00:33 People in the village have talked about it, visitors have talked about it, but I think I can claim to be the one person who said, "Why don't we do it?"
00:41 This is the story of an idea which took flight.
00:45 Local tourism industry was in decline. I think it was a huge gamble.
00:49 Changed a whole town and thrilled millions of people along the way.
00:54 [Music]
00:58 [Applause]
01:02 Let's turn back the clock to the 1980s, when tourism in Matlock Bath was in decline.
01:07 The future looked bleak.
01:10 The hillside gardens of the heights of Abraham had been open to visitors since the late 1700s.
01:16 But the climb to the top was as breathtaking as the view.
01:21 Something new was needed. Something to get people talking.
01:26 The modern visitor has walked up and most of them have thought, "Hmm, if I was in Europe, I'd come up by cable car."
01:35 That's exactly what motivated me.
01:37 And we set out by looking around the village and working out the right route.
01:42 And the route we had chosen came over the railway, the river, the A6 trunk road.
01:47 Quite challenging, but in actual fact it linked up to the railway station, the coach park and the car parks.
01:53 So it was the place to start.
01:56 Planning permission was granted in late 1983 and work started immediately.
02:02 By December, the visitor centre had a roof on.
02:05 Meanwhile, the cable cars themselves were being designed and built in France by a company called Poma.
02:12 By January 1984, the components were on their way to Matlock Bath.
02:17 Everything seemed to be going well.
02:20 But when the French construction team arrived, it soon became apparent the hills of the Derbyshire Dales would not be easy to tame.
02:29 They began to drift out of their time frame, which I had to open on time and on budget.
02:35 And that's when we had to introduce a helicopter to make the final construction.
02:40 The helicopter would help deliver parts of one of the pylons that support the cable.
02:46 In the Alps, this is specialist work.
02:49 A British pilot had never done it before.
02:52 A short wire made the dangling piece of metal easier to guide.
02:57 But that meant the helicopter needed to fly closer to the trees.
03:01 Delivering tons of steel to the top of a 23.5-metre-high tower called for great skill.
03:10 More daring was required to deliver the bracket for the pylon.
03:14 Suddenly, hearts were in mouths.
03:17 Thinking it was in place, the pilot released the heavy load too soon.
03:22 The steelwork was left precariously balancing.
03:26 As darkness fell, it had to be winched into place by hand.
03:31 For the French team, it was a moment of triumph.
03:37 They had won the day and the project was back on track.
03:41 Next, the cable had to be carefully wound over the railway, river and road.
03:49 It was spliced together, tightened up and the gondolas attached.
03:54 With days to spare, the system was tested.
03:57 Finally, Britain's first Alpine-style cable car was ready for take-off.
04:03 Opening day was just an unbelievable experience.
04:08 We had a representative from every member of the media and obviously a lot of people as well.
04:16 The investment paid off. An iconic new attraction had been created.
04:21 Pre-cable car, everything was very quiet here.
04:24 After the cable car, we were full to capacity really from day one.
04:29 But that's not the end of the story. Things are always on the move at the Heights of Abraham.
04:34 In 2004, after travelling almost 120,000 miles, the original gondolas finally came into land for the last time.
04:45 When new advancements have come out, we've been very quick to invest.
04:50 The new cabins in particular give fantastic views and for the engineering team are much easier to service.
04:57 In fact, there's very little left of the original cable car system.
05:02 You can see behind me the very modern control system.
05:05 That is a relatively recent investment, so it is ongoing.
05:09 One thing remains the same though. The cable cars are a truly remarkable achievement.
05:15 With 12 gondolas arranged in four trains of three, they can handle up to 500 passengers per hour.
05:22 It's a 360 horsepower motor moving the cable at up to 11 miles per hour with a single journey taking six minutes.
05:30 You travel 568 meters forward and climb 169.
05:38 Quite a saving of leg power walking up the hill. No wonder they are so popular.
05:43 And when you're high in the sky, spare a thought for our engineers who inspect every part of the system regularly to keep it in perfect and safe working order.
05:55 Now, having enjoyed the flight, you're part of the story too.
06:00 Thank you for soaring over Derbyshire and visiting us here at the Heights of Abraham.
06:06 We hope to see you again soon.
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