OKEOVER BRIDGE TO ONECOTE
A TO Z – DERBYSHIRE AND THE PEAK DISTRICT – CHAPTER 34
OKEOVER BRIDGE (crosses the River Dove dividing Mapleton and Okeover, near Ashbourne – SK164482)
A single-arched bridge crosses the Dove that separates Derbyshire and Staffordshire. On the Staffordshire side of the river is the former Okeover Corn Mill. Some distance behind, on the opposite side of the road, stands Okeover Hall. The hall dates from the 18th century, a pleasing, mainly Georgian building of red brick around three sides of a courtyard, with a more recent extension. It has a church only a few yards away, built as a private chapel. There is a public road across Okeover Park, once the province of deer, but it is sheep that now hold sway. Motorists in towns and cities often encounter road calming measures aimed at reducing speed, which require them to drive over artificial humps in the road, also known as sleeping policemen. Another form of road calming is in operation in Okeover Park, particularly when the sun is out and the tarmac is warm. It takes the form of sleeping sheep lying on the hot road, which only move with great reluctance to let passing motorists through. Having been slowed almost to a standstill, sometimes as a last resort, drivers must sound their horns to make any further progress.
OKER (off the B5057, Darley Bridge to Winster road – SK277610)
Oker is a tiny, picturesque village hidden away in a little valley not far from Matlock and the Derwent Valley. It is sometimes known as Oaker and gets its name from the Romans, who mined lead in the vicinity. The scenery is beautiful along this stretch of the valley, especially the view of Oker Hill, immortalised by the poet William Wordsworth in his sonnet about the lone sycamore tree on the hillside. According to local legend, the poet had been on a visit to Dovedale. On his return, he was accommodated for the night at a cottage in Snitterton. From here, he was able to look through the north-facing window towards the sycamore tree on the nearby hilltop, a view which inspired him to compose his sonnet. The story goes that when two local brothers left the village to seek their fortune, they each planted a sycamore tree. Sadly, the brothers quarrelled and parted company. Will, who stayed in the locality, flourished and prospered, while his brother, Tom, never returned, fell on hard times, and passed away. At the same time, his tree withered and died. For almost 200 years, there has been a single sycamore tree standing alone on the hillside.
OLD BRAMPTON (between Chesterfield and Baslow – SK334719)
An ancient village now bypassed mainly by traffic, it features a Grade I-listed church that tells the story of Old Brampton’s time. The clock face painter added an excessive number of minutes after apparently having a long lunch break at the George and Dragon pub. Brampton Hall, recorded as a Saxon manor in the Domesday Book, has been altered many times since, but a pair of cruck timber frames remain, which were probably part of the original structure.
OLD WHITTINGTON (2.5 miles north of Chesterfield, off the B6052 Eckington Road – SK383749)
Old Whittington, reputed to date back before the Domesday Book, is now a suburb of Chesterfield. It was here that, in 1688, a plan was devised to depose James II from the throne and replace him with William of Orange. The conspirators met in a cramped room at the back of the Cock and Pynot, in what is now Revolution House. It is now a public museum. Fortunately for those involved in the plot, the ‘Glorious Revolution’ succeeded; otherwise, they would have been tried for treason.
ONECOTE (on the B5053, off the A523 Leek to Ashbourne Road – SK049551)
Onecote stands mainly on the western side of the Ipstones to Butterton road, which crosses the River Hamps by the Jervis Arms, whose car park is on the other side of the river. It is a small, picturesque village with houses mostly built of locally quarried sandstone, surrounded by rolling hills, winding rivers, and streams. To the west, there are fantastic views across Morridge Top towards the Roaches, Ramshaw Rocks, and Tittesworth. In the other direction, the Manifold Valley is one of Staffordshire’s treasures. At the centre of the village is St Luke’s Church, built in the Georgian style. A new school was built by the local people in 1883, which replaced the one at Loxley Farm. But it is now closed and serves as the village hall.
