CHURCH BROUGHTON TO CRICH
A TO Z – DERBYSHIRE AND THE PEAK DISTRICT – CHAPTER 11
CHURCH BROUGHTON (off the old road from Hilton to Uttoxeter, south of the new A50 – SK205337)
The village is a mix of old and new houses, and in the 19th Century, it was one of the largest in the area. It had a blacksmith, four shoemakers, a bakery, several other shops, as well as busy brickworks. Two of the large farms near the village were part of the Duke of Devonshire’s Estate until the early 20th Century. As the village had a reputation for being unruly, the Duke of Devonshire had a police house built in 1855 with cells for both men and women.
There has been a church in the village for at least 900 years, which has been restored over the years. It has connections with the poet W.H. Auden; his uncle and nephew were vicars during the latter half of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th Century. The wooden carving of St Michael in the sanctuary was made in Oberammergau and donated by the Auden family. The village also has a Primitive Methodist Chapel, a school, and a public house.
CHURCH GRESLEY (between Castle Gresley and Swadlincote – SK299187)
A priory of Augustinian canons was founded at Gresley in the reign of Henry I, by William de Gresley. The parish church of St George and St Mary was built early in the 12th Century and has been substantially rebuilt. It is now Grade II listed.
Mason Pottery, later renamed Mason Cash, was founded in the village around 1800 and became well known for producing a wide range of ceramic mixing and baking ware. In 1864, T. G. Green and Co Ltd was founded at Church Gresley. At its height, it employed 1,000 people, producing the famous Cornish Ware pottery brand, which was sold both domestically and internationally. Both companies have ceased trading, but four Grade II* listed kilns and a stable block remain.
At the end of the 19th Century, a proposal was made to create a park on the common at Church Gresley. The land was covered in clay hollows and ash tips, and had become an unsightly dumping ground. Some progress was made, but the First World War intervened. It was not until 1922, when Mr and Mrs Herbert Lea, former residents of the village, helped to pay for the construction of the park, that further progress was made. They had lost their son, Maurice, in the First World War, and the park was dedicated to his memory, named the Maurice Lea Memorial Park.
CLAY CROSS (between Alfreton and Chesterfield on the A61 – SK391630)
Situated in attractive, undulating countryside, Clay Cross straddles what was formerly a Roman Road, known as Rykneld Street. It later became part of the Derby to Sheffield turnpike road in 1756 and is now the A61. It was not until the arrival of the railway that coal mining in Clay Cross took off. In 1837, the mile-long tunnel under Clay Cross was constructed as part of a 72-mile stretch of the North Midland Railway link from Derby to Leeds. Coal was discovered in commercial quantities together with iron. George Stephenson, who built the world’s most famous railway locomotive, the Rocket, served as the consulting engineer. But he also had other commercial interests and was aware of the potential of this find, combined with the valuable limestone resources available nearby. Good-quality houses were built for Stephenson’s workers, and as the company prospered, the population of the town grew.
Most of the earliest workers’ houses were demolished in the mid-20th Century. But, Clay Cross Hall, Eldon House and ‘Gaffers’ Row’, where Stephenson’s foremen used to reside, remain. The pits have now closed, and other industries have taken over.
CLIFTON (1.5 miles south of Ashbourne, off the A515 – SK166448)
On a quiet minor road, Clifton is an attractive village perched high above the flood plain of the Dove and Henmore. There is a church in the village, a thriving cricket club, and a public house. Clifton is divided into two parts, with additional houses along the A52, where the Hanging Bridge separates Derbyshire and Staffordshire. Along Watery Lane is the site of an old corn mill, where a stone plinth marks one of the goals for the Royal Ashbourne Shrovetide Football game. The other goal is three miles away.
CLOWNE (off Junction 30 of the M1 Motorway on the A616 Mansfield Road – SK492754)
Clowne is a small, former coal-mining town that predates the Domesday Book. Many of the old houses have been replaced, and the town centre has undergone regeneration. The Church of St. John the Baptist is situated nearly a mile south of the town centre, likely due to its position on an ancient ridgeway that was once the site of a monastery built around 1130. It has had two side wings added in 1955, one of them dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives in the Creswell Colliery mining disaster and other coal mines.
CODNOR CASTLE (to the east of the A610, southeast of Ripley – on private land – SK434499)
Codnor Castle was once a magnificent Norman Castle, but is now in ruins. It was officially recorded as a ‘Building at Risk’ in 2016, but progress is being made in securing the castle’s future. A visit by Channel 4’s Time Team, whose archaeological dig in 2007 discovered a perfectly preserved gold noble coin of Henry IV in the moat. The coin is now on display at Derby Museum. Visits can be arranged to Codnor Castle, and there are several special open days. Also, walkers enjoy good views from passing footpaths.
COMBS (1 mile southwest of Chapel-en-le-Frith off the B5470 – SK042788)
Combs is a small, pretty village with steep hills to the east, west and south. To the north, the Buxton to Stockport railway line separates it from Combs Reservoir. The infant school also serves as a chapel and village hall. Over the door is an inscription that says, ‘This is a special place.’ Having been rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted and awarded a ‘Gold Star’ by The Times Newspaper, it appears to be living up to its special status. The Beehive Inn is a popular eating place.
COTON-IN-THE-ELMS (1 mile south of Rosliston, 5 miles south of Burton – SK245153)
Visitors to Derbyshire tend to head north to the Peak District, missing altogether Southern Derbyshire and its scattering of pretty villages. Coton-in-the-Elms must rank as one of the most attractive. It might be somewhat presumptuous to claim it has Derbyshire’s answer to Bourton-on-the-Water – but without the gift shops and cafés. What it does have is a stream flowing by the side of the main street, with well-mown grassy banks, a handsome brick bridge and wildfowl making up the picturesque scene.
Elm trees once lined all the roads approaching the village, but Dutch elm disease struck in the mid-20th Century, and there are now none left. Although the elm trees have gone, the National Forest has arrived. It embraces parts of Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Leicestershire. Coton is at the heart of Britain’s most ambitious environmental project. It covers 200 square miles and combines new planting with existing woodland. The first ten years saw over six million trees planted, and the wooded cover increased from 6 to 16 per cent. Access has improved, and over 20 new tourist attractions have opened.
CRESWELL CRAGS (off the A616 from Junction 30 of the M1 Motorway, on the B6042 east of Creswell – SK534743)
Creswell Crags is a limestone gorge on the border of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, near the former mining villages of Creswell and Whitwell. It is a world-renowned archaeological site featuring caves and a lake. Archaeologists have been excavating the caves since the 19th Century, and many amazing finds have been made, dating back approximately 40,000 years. The recently opened Visitor Centre is a great place to visit. Apart from exploring the museum, you can also book Ice Age and Rock Art Cave Tours.
CRICH (off the A610 Ambergate to Ripley Road – SK350543)
Crich is a large sprawling village lying in a sheltered position, on a hillside high up above the Derwent Valley. It is a fascinating, if unusual, village. It has a lighthouse, yet it is in the middle of England, and trams still clank along in a former quarry, far away from the cities they once served.
The village is situated on top of an expanse of limestone, the result of a geological accident in what is otherwise a gritstone area. It was the minerals underneath the cliff face that made its fortune. Crich limestone has always been highly regarded for its superior quality, and as a result, it was in high demand. It was carted away by packhorses when it was first extracted in the area. It was a slow and costly business, as the horses were unable to carry heavy loads. A solution came when a tramway stretching over a mile from Hilts Quarry to the lime kilns at Bull Bridge was constructed. The wagons ran downhill by gravity and were hauled back empty by horses.
In 1813, Brunton’s ‘steamhorse’ was introduced, a walking locomotive with stilt-like legs. It travelled at about two and a half miles per hour. After the quarrymen had recovered from the shock of working with such a strange machine, it operated quite successfully. Unfortunately, a similar machine blew up, killing 11 men at a colliery in the north of England, and Brunton’s steam engine was withdrawn from service.
CRICH STAND
Rising above a quarry, at Crich, a safe distance from the edge, is a 60-foot memorial. It was built in 1923 to commemorate the 11,409 men of the Sherwood Foresters who gave their lives in the First World War. In 1952, it was re-dedicated to the memory of the 1,520 men of the Regiment who died in the Second World War. Then, in 1991, the Memorial was dedicated to Sherwood Foresters killed in service between 1945 and 1970, as well as those of the present Regiment. It is a landmark that can be seen for miles around, and on a bright day, it is possible to see Lincoln Cathedral, 50 miles away. It is the third stone-built tower on the site, and before that, there was at least one wooden structure. The hill it stands on may have been part of the beacon chain that warned of the Spanish Armada’s arrival in 1588.
The lighting of a beacon commemorated the 400th Anniversary of the defeat of the Armada. Now it is a light powered by electricity that illuminates the sky. The spiral staircase, with 58 steps, takes the visitor to a viewing gallery, where splendid views are available in all directions. Open all year, a pilgrimage takes place on the first Sunday of July each year for a memorial service.
CRICH NATIONAL TRAMWAY MUSEUM
When Cliff Quarry was exhausted, it was converted into a tramway museum. It is now known as the Crich National Tramway Museum, where vintage trams run along a period street every few minutes through the tramway village. Behind the façade of the Old Derby Assembly Rooms lies an exhibition hall that houses trams from all over the world, telling the story from horse-drawn to electric motor.
The Workshop Viewing Gallery enables visitors to witness firsthand the restoration and repair work that occurs daily. The cobbled village street has been carefully restored and is home to a fascinating collection of old buildings. Visitors are welcome to browse around the shops and to enjoy a rest and refreshment in either the pub or the tea shop.
The Museum’s library holds a treasure trove of books, reports, and Acts of Parliament covering the development of tramways not only in this country, but in North America, Europe, and other parts of the world. Apart from trams, many of the books and journals contain information on buses, trolleybuses, and metros, enabling researchers to study the development of the transport system. In addition, town planning and a wide range of interrelated subjects can be studied.
