DERBYSHIRE

 

I was born in Derbyshire, but have had little opportunity to go back there since, and explore. It's a county of contrasts. In the south, you have the industrial city of Derby, and further north, Chesterfield with its' twisted spire. To the east you have Sheffield and Nottingham. To the very north, the High Peaks give way to the Yorkshire Dales, and to the west lie Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent with yet more industry. In the middle of this is the beautiful Peak District National Park, and the Derbyshire Dales.

ASHBOURNE

ASHFORD-IN-THE-WATER

BAKEWELL

BASLOW

BRASSINGTON

BUXTON

CASTLETON

CAT & FIDDLE PASS

CHATSWORTH HOUSE

CHEE DALE

CROMFORD CANAL & AQUADUCT COTTAGE

DERWENT VALLEY MILLS UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

EDENSOR

EYAM

HARTINGTON

LOVER'S LEAP

MAM TOR

MONSALDALE

NEW MILLS

RIBER CASTLE

TIDESWELL

TISSINGTON

UPPER DERWENT VALLEY

WINSTER

YOULGRAVE

ASHBOURNE

Ashbourne is such a pretty little town, and very well placed to get to from Matlock, Buxton, Bakewell, in fact, anywhere in Derbyshire.
These are the old Alms Houses in Church Street. Originally single storey dwellings, a plaque above the central ground floor windows in the centre of the building reads:"The Lower Story [sic] of these houses erected A.D. 1640. Repaired and the Upper Floor Added A.D. 1848".

Almshouses have sheltered elderly and poor parishioners, often at a peppercorn rent, since the founding of the first recorded almshouse by King Athelstan in York in the 10th century.

One of the most important buildings is St. Oswald's Church, widely said to be Derbyshire's finest parish church (Grade I listed), and one of the most important features is the Boothby Monument. The Boothbys are buried together in one area of the church. The Boothby family bought Ashbourne Hall in 1671.

This monument is to Penelope Boothby, who died in 1791 at the age of 5. It was carved in Carrera marble by Thomas Banks, and is so lifelike, she appears to be sleeping. She had already been immortalised whilst alive, by Sir Joshua Reynolds.

 

Her epitaph reads 'She was in form and intellect most exquisite; The unfortunate parents ventured their all on this frail bark and the wreck was total.'

It is believed that Penelope's parents separated at the child's grave and never spoke again. After Penelope's funeral, her mother, Susanna returned to her parents' home in Hampshire, and later settled in Dover. Her death was recorded under her maiden name, Bristoe.

There are many other worthwhile monuments in St. Oswald's Church, in particular those to the Cockane and Bradbourne families. This is the Cockane Memorial.

The Royal Shrovetide Football Match is a "medieval football" game played annually on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday in Ashbourne. Shrovetide ball games have been played in England since at least the 12th century from the reign of Henry II (1154–89). The Ashbourne game also known as "hugball" has been played from at least c.1667 although the exact origins of the game are unknown due to a fire at the Royal Shrovetide Committee office in the 1890s which destroyed the earliest records. One of the most popular origin theories suggests the macabre notion that the 'ball' was originally a severed head tossed into the waiting crowd following an execution. Although this may have happened, it is more likely that games such as the Winchelsea Streete Game, reputedly played during the Hundred Years' War with France, were adaptations of an original ball game intended to show contempt for the enemy.

I also managed to find an exquisite antiques shop.............................which just happened to be displaying my favourite kind of antiques

ASHFORD-IN-THE-WATER

Ashford lies just off a main road and you only catch a glimpse of it unless you deliberately turn into the village and stop to take a look
The prettiest spot is the Sheepwash Bridge, which spans the River Wye.
It was originally a medieval packhorse bridge and it is only until recently, that sheep were washed here prior to shearing. The lambs would be penned within the stone-walled pen on one side of the river, whilst the mothers would be thrown in at the other side. They would naturally swim across to their offspring, thus ensuring a good soaking. The bridge has been closed to traffic for a number of years now.

BAKEWELL

Very nice market town, on the main A6 road from Nottingham to Buxton and beyond. Bakewell is, of course, famous for the Bakewell Pudding and Bakewell Tart. Legend has it that the town's famous Bakewell Pudding was created by mistake by a local cook in the mid-19th century. Today her delectable 'jam tart that went wrong' can be sampled at various bakeries and cafés and posted virtually anywhere in the world!

It's the biggest town in the Peak District National Park, but that doesn't by any means mean it is big! It was thinly disguised as 'Lambton' in Jane Austen's literary classic Pride and Prejudice

There's a very pretty walk along the river Wye, which is crossed on the very edge of the town centre, by a beautiful bridge originally built c.1300.

Several Bakewell bakeries claim to produce the original Bakewell Pudding. Perhaps none has a better claim than The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop on The Square, which has been selling the puddings since 1865.
The shop was founded by Mrs Wilson, wife of a tallow candle maker, who bought the original recipe and launched the shop from the 17th-century building her family rented from the Dukes of Rutland. All puddings are hand-made, using the still-secret recipe. There is also a traditional Bakewell Tart, made with cake crumbs.

BASLOW

Quite close to the Chatsworth Estate, is Baslow, which suffers a bit from heavy traffic on the main road passing through it, but nevertheless, has a very attractive church, St. Anne's, which features this unusual clock:

It was made to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. Just inside the church, is an old whipping stick, which was used to keep dogs under control.
Like Bakewell, Baslow has a very pretty 17th. century bridge across the River Derwent.

Standing alone on the bridge, is this tiny guard or toll house.

BRASSINGTON

A tiny mining village, lying not far from Cromford, Brassington is small and quaint. St. James' church stands on the highest point of the village, and is the oldest building in the village, dating back to Norman times. But a carved figure on a stone inside the clock chamber indicates that worship may have been carried out here in Saxon times, or earlier. There are some interesting gravestones in the churchyard one of which bears the inscription: 

‘Remember this as you pass by

As you are now so once was I.

As I am now, so you will be,

Therefore prepare to follow me.’ 

The village has two public houses; the Miner's Arms, which dates from the mid- 18th. Century, (A surprising number of the present day houses are over 300 years old, with the whole village seeming to be dominated by its Norman Church.),

and the Gate, built in 1616, and which is reputed to be haunted. The Gate was on a turnpike road and provided stabling for horses and refreshment for coachmen. On the opposite side of the road, was the last tollhouse before the limestone uplands. The gate across the road probably gave its name to the public house. The Inn is supposed to have been the haunt of highwaymen when coaches to Manchester passed through the village, the hilly countryside affording good cover for the robbers. The interior is remarkably well-preserved with a wealth of period features - and the food is superb! Brassington prospered when lead mining was at its height and it stood on the main London to Manchester road. There were 14 public houses in the village at the time, serving both travellers and thirsty lead miners. 

BUXTON

Buxton is a beautiful spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England, sited at some 1,000 feet above sea level. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park". The name comes from the old 'Bucks Town', a reminder that it was part of the Royal Peak Forest - the King's deer hunting ground.

The Romans discovered the warm-water springs that later turned Buxton into a fashionable spa town.

It's certainly the place to refresh your body and your mind. It's certainly renowned for its' bottled mineral water, and there's no seagulls, so you get to eat your chips in peace! There are many pictures on the web of the beautiful buildings, but I spent a sunny couple of hours walking around the beautiful Pavilion Gardens, behind the Opera House.

The Pavilion Gardens is a Grade-II listed, historic venue which superbly shows off the Victorian splendour of Buxton. There are 23 acres of gardens, with a boating lake, miniature train, play areas, fountains and wildlife.

The Pavilion itself, has a Winter conservatory with botanical garden and fishpond, retail area, art gallery, cafes, tearooms, a cinema and an octagonal venue and theatre.

Opened on 1st. June 1903, and lovingly restored to its former glory in 2001, Buxton Opera House is an exquisitely beautiful Edwardian theatre and one of the country's finest examples of Frank Matcham theatre design.

CASTLETON

My husband's family originate in the Castleton/Hope/Edale area, so a visit to Castleton held specific interest for me, and sure enough, in the local museum in the Heritage Centre, I found a photograph of one of his distant relations, who still farm in the area.
From the North-East, you can, if you're brave enough, approach the town via the awesome Winnats Pass. This is a mile-long 'hole in the ground' which easily rivals the Cheddar Gorge in its' spectacle. The road is narrow, and drops down a 1 in 5 incline for its entire length. It is so bad, they attempted to bypass it with a new road, but due to its proximity to Mam Tor, the 'shivering mountain', the new road kept slipping and in the 1970s was abandoned to its fate.

The town itself is overlooked by the impressive ruin of Peveril Castle, which is said to stand over one of the gateways to the underworld (the Peak Cavern, which at one time sheltered an underground village). Shortly after 1066, William The Conqueror started building castles all over the country and the one at Castleton was given to his illegitimate son, William Peveril in 1086, and so became Peveril Castle. The keep was added later, in 1176. It never saw battle and was occupied as a dwelling until 1480. The village grew up under the protection of the castle.

There was possibly an Anglo Saxon settlement on the east side of the village near Hope as there is an embankment running through the village, and s shaped strip fields on the east side, known as furlongs. The village developed under the protection of the garrison and grew and prospered from this period. The population was made up of farmers, retailers, men at arms and others. The village was on the main packhorse routes and an important stopover in coaching days in later centuries. It was also an important lead mining and market village. The oldest part of the village is by the river, Peakshole Water near Cavern Walk. Along Back Street can be seen several folds where houses were built around 3 sides of the courtyard, which had a narrow opening onto the street, where animals were penned at night.

CAT & FIDDLE PASS

The pass is named after the Cat & Fiddle pub, which stands at the top of the pass. It's a marvellous road to ride, but sadly, there have been a lot of fatalities over the years, of people who haven't treated it with the respect it deserves. The road runs between Buxton in Derbyshire, and Macclesfield in Cheshire and is famous for its scenic views across the Greater Manchester conurbation, the Peak District National Park and the Cheshire Plain, and for its many bends.

The Cat & Fiddle is the 2nd highest pub in England

CHATSWORTH HOUSE

I usually prefer castles to stately homes, but Chatsworth, both the house and the grounds, are truly enchanting. The web abounds with pictures of the house, so I thought I'd put up some pictures of the beautiful gardens.
As well as paying to do the whole place, you can buy a cheap day ticket, just to go and picnic in the grounds.

Chatsworth House is home to the Duke of Devonshire and his family, and has been passed down for 16 generations. A former Duchess of Devonshire was Deborah Mitford before her marriage. She was an English aristocrat, writer, memoirist, and socialite. She was the youngest and last-surviving of the six Mitford sisters, who were prominent members of British society in the 1930s and 1940s.

When her  husband died, and her son inherited the title, Deborah, Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, moved into a smaller residence in Edensor village, where she delighted in keeping chickens. Apparently, it was nothing after a grand ball at the 'big house', to see her in ballgown and Wellington boots walking home across the park at dawn, and going to feed her fowl! You think I jest? (copyright Bruce Weber)

Can't be many stately homes of such grandeur, that have a busy road (B6012 from Baslow to Beeley) running through the grounds within metres of the house

The gardens - including the 260ft. spout of water known as the Emperor Fountain (above) - were designed by the great Victorian engineer Joseph Paxton. He was employed as head gardener at Chatsworth as a young man, and went on to become architect of the Crystal Palace.

The friendliest thing is, you are welcome to paddle in the cascade, as it tumbles down the hillside towards the house.

As to the picture of the tree, look closer. This is the 'Weeping Tree'. It is hollowed out, and water is pumped through it, to replace the truncated branches. It's a magical effect.

You wander about the grounds, and come across sculptures in all sorts of odd places. It's a real voyage of discovery.

CHEE DALE

Chee Dale is an absolute gem, secreted in the deep folds and curves of the Upper Wye Valley. You could drive along the A6 between Bakewell and Buxton any number of times, and have no knowledge of the delights of the river, hidden as it is from the A6 passing over Taddington Moor. 

Funny, but I'd ridden past this point a couple of times, without realising what a treat was in store. Anyhow, I stopped in a layby to rest my wrists after a particularly hard ride, and meanwhile I idly looked over the stone wall. What I saw took my breath away.

The valley lay below me, bathed in late afternoon sunshine, with a cute row of four cottages nestled at the bottom.

CROMFORD CANAL

This is an exception for me, in that the photos aren't mine, but the property of the Aquaduct Cottage Restoration Group. Let me explain................

The Cromford Canal is an important part of the industrial heritage of Derbyshire. If you walk along it, you will come to the Lea Valley Pump House, built to pump water from the River Derwent into the canal. A little further along, the canal is carried on an aquaduct over the river, and thence to where a narrow canal arm joins the main one. This is the area we are interested in. The land and the woods at this point once belonged to Florence Nightingale's family, but are now a public nature reserve. The arm goes off here, to connect the Cromford Canal to mills on the far side of the Nightingale estate.

Where they meet, stood Aquaduct Cottage. 

It was inhabited until the1950s, but then allowed to fall into disrepair because, with no services at all, it was considered uninhabitable. 

(For the full story, you will need to follow the Restoration Group on Facebook.)

Friends of Aquaduct Cottage 

Anyway, to cut a long story short, along came Mr. Ron Common, who found the cottage in a very sorry state

He realised the importance of both its' history and the importance to the protected area. He fundraised, Lottery Grant raised, volunteer encouraged and organised the project to rebuild the cottage, its' outbuildings and its gardens, with the whole to be used as a local resource and information building.

A few years down the line, the cottage is able now to be visited when the team are working on site and when events are being held. 

The Grade II listed cottage is complete, as is the wash-house. The walk-in pantry is almost finished, the steps up into the woods are done. The North garden is full of flowering plants, the south garden has a lower flower bed, and the upper one is now a picnic area.

The toilet, pig-sty and small forge are still untouched. A paved footpath has been laid, and today, the team started clearing a path along the canal to where the vegetable garden used to be. So there is plenty of work left to do.

Personally, having followed the project from the beginning, I can't wait to visit it next summer to see it for myself and to take my own memories for this site.

Update Christmas 2023: The cottage, wash-house, pantry and gardens are complete, and the building is now in use as an information and creativity centre. There have been 'artists in residence' and various other events held there.

Mean while, work is continuing. There is work ongoing on the smithy area at the end of the south garden, to convert it to a log store for the wood burner in the cottage. The privy and pigsty are to be rebuilt, and a path is being built to the upper, walled garden, where the wall will be repaired, and the garden will be cleared and become a nursery for young trees to be used in a re-wilding project for the reserve. 

So: the work continues, and next year will see:

• Restoration of the pigsty/privy
• Re-instating a lock gate on the Leawood arm
• Rejuvenating the top garden into a tree nursery, orchard and re-wilding project area for visitors to explore
• Installation of wildlife videocams at the cottage
• Cottage/wildlife photo competition
• Art & craft exhibitions/courses from Spring to Autumn 2024

And to finish this update, the project, the volunteers, Ron Common (project leader) and Andrew Churchman (building expert) have all received well-deserved awards from the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust. 

Why am I so invested in this cottage?

Well, all my life I've been an avid reader, and when I was about 11 I was given a book called 'Ambush of Young Days' by Alison Uttley, who was famous for her Little Grey Rabbit books that I so loved when I was very young. 

She grew up in Derbyshire, and this book was based on her own childhood in Derbyshire, and it had some beautiful illustrations by C.F. Tunnicliffe. One of these pictures has always stuck in my mind - it was of a small cottage on the banks of a canal, and as soon as I saw a photo of Aquaduct Cottage, I recognised it. 

The book was written in the 1930s I think, when the cottage was still a family home, and it made me sad to see it so derelict.

If nothing else, its restoration is a tribute to the skill of Mr. Tunnicliffe.

Sadly, I no longer have the book, and it is out of print and out of fashion, but one day..........

DERWENT VALLEY MILLS UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE

In December 2001, the Derwent Valley Mills in Derbyshire became inscribed as a World Heritage Site. This international designation confirms the outstanding importance of the area as the birthplace of the factory system where in the 18th Century water power was successfully harnessed for textile production.
Stretching 15 miles down the river valley from Matlock Bath to Derby, the World Heritage Site contains a fascinating series of historic mill complexes, including some of the world's first 'modern' factories.

The centrepiece is the North mill at Belper

EDENSOR

pronounced 'Enser' by the locals, this is the village that the 6th. Duke of Devonshire built for his estate workers in 1839, complete with school and church. This was to move the estate workers' village, because he preferred not to see it from his house. Apparently only one house, Park Cottage was spared, because the Duke didn't want to uproot the very elderly man who lived there.

The village was laid out by Joseph Paxton, when he was the Duke's Gardener. The story goes that he invited an architect, John Robertson, from London to submit plans for the houses and the architect came up with several different designs. The Duke was so impressed he told him to go ahead and build one of each design, which is why the houses are all different. The church dates from 1867 and was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott. Joseph Paxton is buried in the churchyard. There is also the grave of Kathleen, Marchioness of Hartington, the sister of John F Kennedy and widow of William Cavendish, eldest son and heir of the 10th Duke. 

EYAM (pronounced E'Em)

We have just gone through almost 2 years of 'lockdown' due to a modern global plague, and when people said that quarantine doesn't work, I pointed them towards the story of Eyam.

The plague, which was a highly infectious and very unpleasant disease, widely known and experienced in Britain and Europe, came to Eyam in the summer of 1665, possibly in a bale of cloth brought up from London. The people in the house where it came to, caught the disease and died in a short space of time. Before long, others had caught the disease and also died, after a short and very painful illness. It spread rapidly.

 

The local rector, The Rev. William Mompesson and his predecessor, led a campaign to prevent the disease spreading outside the village to the surrounding area. This involved the people of the village remaining in the village and being supplied with necessary provisions by people outside. There is still on the outskirts of the village a location called the Boundary stone, where traditionally, money was placed in small holes filled with vinegar for the provisions which those from the local area brought for the villagers. As a result of this action, the disease did not spread but almost a third of the villagers died.

 

Interestingly some of the villagers who were in contact with those who caught the plague, did not catch it. This was because they had a chromosome which gave them protection. This same chromosome has been shown to still exist in those who are direct descendants of those who survived the plague, and who are still living in the village at the present time. The action of the villagers in staying in the village is almost unique and makes the village the place of significance that it is.

Walking down the main road and reading the boards outside every cottage, is very sobering. Combine that with a visit to the graves on the hill outside the village, and you can appreciate what these people went through to try and protect the rest of Derbyshire

Every September, they roast a whole sheep in the centre of the village, to celebrate the survivors of the plague

The village stocks outside the old market hall

In the parish church of St. Lawrence, the terrible effects of the plague at Eyam are quickly brought home by the Plague Register in the south aisle. This was copied from the parish register of the time and gives the names of all the people who died during the fourteen months of the plague in 1665 and 1666. In all, 260 people died out of a population of approximately 350.

The unusual sundial on Eyam church was built by William Shaw and is dated 1775. On a sunny day it not only shows the time quite accurately in half hours, but it also indicates the time in places worldwide.

HARTINGTON

This tiny village lies down a spectacular lane off the main road, that is so deep, it can almost be termed a gorge. The houses are clustered around a tiny green and a beautifully well-kept duckpond. 

It also has a lovely tearooms and a great cheese shop!

LOVER'S LEAP

Lovers Leap acquired its name after an incident in 1762, when a young woman by the name of Hannah Baddeley, daughter of William Baddeley and his wife Joan née Townsend. She was baptised 22 Feb 1738/9 and at the age of 24/5 attempted to commit suicide by throwing herself over the cliff top. Her lover, William Barnsley, had jilted her, and she had decided to end it all. Miraculously her billowing petticoats acted like a parachute on the way down, until they were caught in brambles protruding from a ledge. This saved her life and all she suffered were a few cuts and bruises. However, this story does not have a happy ending: Hannah died two years later of natural causes, still unmarried. She was buried 12 Dec 1764. Her father William died in 1758, and mother Joan in 1766, and they were survived by just one grandchild. The details of this event are recorded on an information board outside the Restaurant that marks the location of the leap.

MAM TOR

Mam Tor, meaning ‘Mother Hill’, is a 517 metre high hill near Castleton in the High Peak area of Derbyshire. It lies at the top of the Winnats Pass. Known locally as 'the Shivering Mountain', the Tor is gradually slipping down into the valley. The powers-that-be decided at one point to build a road around the base of it, to bypass the Winnats Pass and help larger vehicles to get from Castleton to points north and east without having to take the longer route through the Hope Valley and Edale. The outcome was almost predictable, and after spending more to repair the road than it originally cost to build, it was abandoned to its' fate. You can still walk the route, but a large portion of the road has now almost gone.

Mam Tor has a number of caverns just below it, such as: Treak Cliff Cavern, Blue John Cavern, Speedwell Cavern and Peak Cavern.

The view over the Hope Valley from here is stunning

MONSALDALE

If you go up through Ashford-in-the-Water, and stay on that road, you come to a car park called Monsal Head. There's a bar and a lovely little cafe there, and the views over Monsaldale are spectacular.
There's a walk down from there, through the dale, over a disused railway viaduct, which has been tarmacced over, and the tunnel at the end has been lit. If you're into walking, it's one of the prettiest walks anywhere.

The Monsal Trail follows the line of the former Midland Railway between Bakewell and Buxton, which closed in 1968 and was subsequently bought by the National Park Authority and turned into a walking and cycling trail.

Alternatively, descend to the valley floor, and there  is a charming walk along the Wye river, complete with a little waterfall

NEW MILLS

New Mills dates back to the 14th century, when the corn mills known as the ‘New Milne’ were built. New Mills was first noted for coal mining, then for cotton spinning, bleaching and calico printing. It was served by the Peak Forest Canal, three railway lines and the A6 trunk road. Redundant mills were bought up in the mid-twentieth century by sweet manufacturer Swizzels Matlow.

The town itself is nothing out of the ordinary, although pretty enough, but the Torrs Riverside park and the Millennium Walkway are something else!

The Torrs Riverside Park, deep below the town was, until the opening of the aerial walkway, divided by an impasse between the historic Torr Vale Mill and the equally imposing railway retaining wall. Dramatically described by The Guardian as the last inaccessible place in England. The aerial Walkway provided an innovative and futuristic solution to this age old problem of access. Described as ’a steel spiders web,' the walkway clings to the vertical gritstone rock face and spans the enormous railway retaining wall, cantilevered out over the River Goyt.

Completed in 1999, the walkway provides a link in Europe's premier walking route, E2 which passes through New Mills on its way from Stranraer in Scotland, via Dover, to Nice in France.

RIBER CASTLE

Riber Castle is a mid- 19th Century Grade II listed edifice overlooking Matlock. It was built by John Smedley, a local textile manufacturer and founder of the Smedley's Hydro in Matlock itself. Once owned by a group of Zoologists, who set up a wild animal park there in the 1960s. It is built of gritstone from a local quarry which was pulled up the 200-metre hill by a series of pulleys. 

In 2016, planning permission was granted to turn it into apartments. However, the work was not completed and the complex is up for sale again.

TIDESWELL

Another of the little villages that seem to abound in this area. The large 14th. century church is known as 'the Cathedral of the Peaks' 

Tideswell was once important for its' markets and was also a centre for a variety of local industries including quarrying, lead mining, cotton and velvet mills. Today it continues to be a focal point for surrounding communities with a small industrial estate, craftwork, furniture and piano manufacture providing employment.

This is the War Memorial, in the centre of the village.

TISSINGTON

Tissington is most famous for its' annual Well-Dressings. This ancient Derbyshire custom possibly had its earliest origins in Celtic earth-worship, when votive offerings were made to water spirits. The Romans, too, looked on certain water sources as shrines, decorating them with greenery and flowers. Nowadays, the newly-dressed wells receive a Christian blessing as the basis of this unique floral tradition, which brightens up many villages.
In Tissington, it was revived in 1349 after the village escaped a terrible outbreak of the Black Death that wiped out almost half the population of Britain. Today, it serves as a means to raise money for local charities.

There are several wells in the village, which clusters around the lovely Tissington Hall. The village has been the home of the FitzHerbert family for over 400 years and it is their splendid Jacobean residence at the Hall that forms the centrepiece of the beautiful picture that is Tissington. The church of St Mary is raised up above the village and has a splendid Norman tower and has many fine memorials to the FitzHerbert family. Most of the village is still part of the Tissington Hall estate.

UPPER DERWENT VALLEY

The Ladybower, Howden and Derwentwater reservoirs run into each other. They lie amidst beautiful scenery, and there's a good car park and visitors centre. These are the reservoirs and dams made famous as the training ground of the  Lancaster bombers of 617 Squadron (the Dam Busters) before their attack on the Ruhr dams. The world-famous Dam Busters film was subsequently filmed here, and the area  sees regular commemorative flypasts by the Lancaster bomber of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

One of the newest attractions at Ladybower, is a children's nature trail, where all the trees are named, and the woodland is full of charming characters like these:

The real wildlife are very friendly too:

WINSTER

Years ago, Arthur Mee said that 'Winster hides itself from the world' - and nowadays, that is largely true. But there are several fine houses that point to its' former prosperity as a lead-mining centre.

Historically, Winster was a main crossing point for many roads and trackways, one of the most important being The Portway, an ancient trading route that passes close to the village. Salt routes from Cheshire came through the village, as did the main turnpike from Nottingham to Newhaven in later years.

The village has one of the most impressive street scenes in the area and the main street is an array of attractive buildings which merge with a jumble of cottages up the bank on the southern side; foremost being the Old Market Hall, dating from the 17th century, together with The Old Hall and Dower House. There are 69 listed buildings in the parish, and the entire village centre has been declared a conservation area in an effort to maintain its architectural heritage. 

The old Market Hall, which stands in the middle of the main street of this ancient lead mining village, was the first property acquired by the National Trust in Derbyshire, back in 1906. The lower arches of stone are thought to be about 500 years old, whilst the upper portion of brick and stone was rebuilt in 1905 using old material. Some of the arches had to be filled in to strengthen the building.

YOULGRAVE

(sometimes called Youlgreave) This is the village where I stayed, in the George Hotel, which is a large friendly pub in the centre of the village, next to the beautiful All Saints’ Church, which dates from 1130.  It has an unusual Norman font, carved with a salamander, and a stained glass window made by William Morris to a design by Edward Burne-Jones.

The village actually has 3 pubs, 2 chapels and a church! I chose this village because it sits halfway between Matlock and Bakewell, roughly level with Chatsworth, so it's pretty central to the area I like most

The church has some impressive, almost friendly looking gargoyles all around the top of the tower

Youlgreave is one of very few villages in the UK to get most of its water supplies from a private water company, the Youlgreave Waterworks Ltd.  In 1829 the Youlgreave Friendly Society for Women funded a scheme to pipe water from a local spring into a conduit head in the village, which involved the laying of over 1,000 metres of pipes.  

Prior to this, water had to be brought up to the village from the River Bradford every day.  Not only was this an arduous task, but contaminated river water in the summer led to the deaths of many villagers, often children, every year.

The conduit head, known as the ‘Fountain’, was a huge circular tank that held 1,500 gallons of water.  It filled each night, and at 6.00am every day a village ‘Waterkeeper’ unlocked the tap and allowed the people of the village to collect their daily supplies.  This daily ritual of collecting water made the Fountain a necessary meeting place and focal point for the village, and a small market built up around the area in the 19th Century.  The Fountain was improved in 1869 and water fed to stand pipes throughout the village. 

The Fountain is still evident in the centre of Youlgreave, opposite the Bull’s Head pub.  Youlgreave Waterworks Ltd is still a successful, not-for-profit company. It extracts 22 million gallons of water every year and supplies 500 households and businesses in the village. Its board of 12 Directors do not receive fees or salaries, and it is run solely for the benefit of its members – each property supplied in the village.

 Youlgrave is one of the villages renowned for their annual well-dressing displays, and it is not just wells that are dressed, but pumps and more up-to-date sources of water.

the quaint Thimble Hall (c 1650), listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s smallest detached house.  Each room is less than 8 feet square and there is a fixed ladder up to the bedroom.  It was home to a family of eight people 100 years ago and was last inhabited in the 1930s. It has since been restored

The Youlgrave Co-operative Society was formed in 1870, operating from this elegant, three-storey stone building.  The building housed various departments on its upper floors, with storage below.  The Co-operative Society supplied electricity to the village from 1910 until the electricity industry was nationalised. . Although now a Youth Hostel, the gold leaf labelling on the window still exists, and the magnificence of the building points to the former wealth of this village