You could be forgiven for thinking that south
Derbyshire was essentially a place of trains, planes and
automobiles, but its role in the industrial life of the
British Isles has much greater significance.
And it’s a tribute to the far-sighted leaders
of this region that they have successfully turned such an
important utilitarian heritage into a vibrant, living ‘museum’
for visitors who wish to see more than the locality’s rural
scenery and stately homes.
While the north of Derbyshire is dominated by
Britain’s first national park in the Peak District, the
southern reaches are not only characterised by farms,
picturesque villages and old fashioned inns but also memories
of a sometimes dark yet prosperous past.
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It was here, among the hills and dales, that
a handful of enterprising pioneers invented the modern factory
system, a system that would eventually conquer the world.
The hub of this 18th century
activity was a 15-mile stretch of the River Derwent, where
water power and new-fangled mechanisation came together on a
large scale for the first time, revolutionising textile
production under the ever-watchful guidance of men like
Richard Arkwright and Jedediah Strutt. Not only did they build
factories but also entire villages, changing forever the
relationship between the ‘master’ and his workforce.
Today this remarkable history is preserved in
the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, which runs from
Masson, at Matlock Bath, to Cromford, Belper, Milford and
Derby.
This fascinating collage of industrial sites
and settlements includes Strutt’s North Mill and jaw-dropping
examples of early cotton spinning machines as well as early
nail making.
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Silk Mill Museum -
Photo: Derby Tourism |
In Roman times the southern part of
Derbyshire was tightly controlled from a settlement called
Deventia. The Saxons later called it Northworthy – today’s
Derby – before it was captured by the Danes who turned it into
one of five ‘boroughs’ to rule the Midlands.
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Royal Crown Derby, Hand
Guilding - Photo: Derby Tourism |
In modern times, of course, this bustling
city became the home of Royal Crown Derby porcelain, but even
this was to be overshadowed by the manufacture of locomotives
and, of course, the name of Rolls Royce, a company which not
only created the world’s most celebrated motor car but also
aero engines.
Each of these notable industries has its own
museum but there are many other places to visit. Among them
are the Amber and Erewash valleys which contain, with many
other attractions, the impressive Midland Railway Centre and
the wondrous Crich Tramway Museum.
Amber Valley is particularly associated with
a man named Samuel Slater, a Belper apprentice who travelled
to Pawtucket in Rhode Island to establish America’s modern
cotton industry. |
Of stately piles, Wingfield Manor is the most
notorious – it was here that the ill-fated Mary Queen of Scots
plotted to overthrow Queen Elizabeth l.
Other houses include Robert Adam’s 18th
century Kedleston Hall, which boasts the longest male line in
Derbyshire, and the intriguing Sudbury Hall, which has a
museum devoted to childhood through the ages.
Gothic Elvaston Castle, home of the Earls of
Harrington, was designed by James Wyatt. while ruined Dale
Abbey dates back to the 13th century.
The jewel in the crown, however, is Calke
Abbey, a Baroque-style mansion built in 1701 on top of an
Augustinian abbey. Dubbed ‘the house that time forgot’, it was
owned by the bashful Sir Vauncy Harpur-Crewe. He died in 1924
but nothing in the house had been touched for years. When the
National Trust took it over in 1989 they found that even a
Chinese state bed had never been unpacked.
A swathe of south Derbyshire is now home to
the New National Forest where six million trees have been so
far been planted. The story of this bold environmental
enterprise is told at a series of visitor centres, including
the first such centre to be opened at Rosliston.
If you’d rather head for a theme park or a
garden, south Derbyshire may well be your dream destination.
Lea Gardens, for example, has a unique
collection of rhododendrons, azaleas and kalmias from across
the world while the American Adventure is a playground
offering a fun-time for the whole family.
