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The story
so far...
1.
The
Gradbach story started when Mr W
Percival Williams, the late
President of the Buxton Scout
Association died in 1949 and
left a legacy to form a nucleus
of a fund for the provision of a
memorial to Peter Watson.
Peter was a local
Scout and an active member of the
1st Buxton Scout Group. At the age
of twelve Peter contracted a
terminal illness that lead to many
months of pain and suffering.
Despite the illness Peter showed
great cheerfulness and  courage,
and up to the time of his death
shortly before his 13th Birthday,
carried on with lessons and
continued to study Scouting as he
lay in bed.
Peter was
posthumously awarded, by the Chief
Scout, The Cornwell Badge which is
the Scout's Victoria Cross, 'For
pre-eminently high character and
devotion to duty; his great
courage and endurance of pain and
suffering through a long and
severe illness'. A picture and
tribute to Peter Watson can be
seen on display in the Camp
Providore.
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2. The
local Scout Committee decided that a camp
site and training ground would be the
ideal memorial. They looked for a suitable
site and ultimately found that the Harpur
and Crewe North Staffordshire Estate was
being sold in lots by auction. Members of
the Committee and some Scouters decided
that the Gradbach Old Hall Farm and land
of 23 acres together with a plantation of
25 acres would be ideal. Enquiries were
made and it was decided that about £800
would be required to purchase the lot if
there were no other bidders. Fortunately
there were no other bidders and Gradbach
became the property of the Buxton Scouts
for £800.
Mr
Williams bequeathed £90, large firms,
local tradesmen and private individuals
were circularised and subscriptions and
gifts were generously donated. The Mayor
of Buxton, Councillor H.Hartley offered
the proceeds of The Mayoral Ball to the
local scouts. This was followed by the
Mayor's personal appeal and over £200 was
raised before he left office.
At
this time the farmhouse was lived in by
an elderly farmer, Mr Downs and his
wife, so the scouts and many helpers
began to recondition completely the old
barn which for many years had been used
as a cowshed and general storage place
for junk, and was in a terrible state of
repair.
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3. The
barn had been thoroughly
cleaned out and
reconstruction work
started, when in November
1952, the roof was blown
off in a whirlwind,
ruining months of hard
work. To save the building
it was decided to have it
be re-roofed by a Buxton
builder who was engaged to
do the work. In Spring of
1953 the work started
again and a kitchen range
installed by one of the
scouters, a gift from the
contractor who repaired
the roof. One of the
scouters built a stone
fireplace in the other
downstairs room and a lay
member put in a floor for
an upstairs room. A sink
was installed and many
other jobs such as fitting
new windows, gutters,
pathways etc were
completed and slowly a
dirty, derelict place
assumed a different
appearance.
Whilst all
this was being done the
boys made a camp fire
arena, erected a flag pole
and cleared camp sites and
shifted hundreds of barrow
loads of rubbish which was
dumped in holes and
buried.
In May
1954 the site was
officially opened by the
Duke of Devonshire who
fittingly handed a key
of the barn to Peter
Watson's mother.
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