Ale People have been drinking ale for thousands of years. Prehistoric beakers excavated from burial sites in the Peak are believed to have contained ale. Ale was an everyday drink, far safer than water which was so often polluted. It was drunk in large quantities by Peakland lead miners. They believed that it gave them protection against the belland, lead poisoning. This explains why some villages had rather a lot of pubs. Even the ropemakers who lived in the subterranean village inside Peak Cavern had their own pub. When a massive feast was held at Haddon Hall in 1799, guests got through 40 hogsheads (over 9,000 litres) of ale. The cost was £135, which would be many thousands of pounds today. The Duke’s steward declared afterwards: ‘I believe all who wished to be drunk were so, which comprised a considerable number!’ Read More >> More Pictures Food & Drink