NED Mini Guide - Towns & Villages
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This page provides information on the different towns and villages located within North East Derbyshire.
Apperknowle
Situated near Unstone, occupying a hilltop position with extensive views across the Drone valley. Documented history goes back to the 13th-century. The name is an old English word meaning ‘apple tree hill’.
Ashover
Set in the beautiful Amber Valley, Ashover is one of the prettiest villages in Derbyshire, with the focal point of the village being the 15th Century parish church, which is bordered by many picturesque cottages and houses. The village is home to a couple of ghosts - the Laughing Cavalier who haunts the Black Swan pub and the Headless Woman who roams the Churchyard.
Calow
A village perched on a hill overlooking the Crooked Spire of Chesterfield. Its history goes back many years with the name Kalehal being mentioned in the Domesday Book.
Clay Cross
Railway pioneer George Stephenson came to the area to find a route for the North Midland Railway. Running from Derby to Leeds, the line passed under the village of Clay Cross. Gangs of navvies descended on the village to dig what would be known locally as the 'Mile Long' tunnel. During the work they found massive deposits of coal and iron ore that persuaded Stephenson to stay in North East Derbyshire and launch the Clay Cross Company in 1840.
To discover more about Clay Cross follow the Heritage Trail on a 1 hour walk around the area's industrial heritage.
Cutthorpe
Forms part of the pleasant parish of Brampton and has two historic halls. The Old Manor House, once the property of the Sitwell family, was built in 1625 by Robert Clarke, the first Mayor of Chesterfield, and Cutthorpe Hall c1675 is a former residence of the Heathcote family. Nearby Linacre reservoirs offer casual countryside pursuits. Well dressing held in July.
Dronfield
Possessing an interesting blend of old and new buildings within a town centre Conservation Area, Dronfield hosts a bustling weekly market on Thursday and town centre shopping is well served by car parking. The main shops, civic amenities and sports centre with swimming pool lie conveniently in the upper town around the Civic Centre.
During the industrial Revolution, industry developed along the valley, leaving a legacy of many beautiful 17th and 18th Century listed buildings. In the town centre, the Peel Monument stands on the site of the former cross and stocks, as a tribute to Sir Robert Peel's efforts in repealing the Corn Law in 1846.
Eckington (pictured above)
First mentioned in 1002, Eckington has long been associated with the Sitwell family, from nearby Renishaw Hall. The town has a fascinating 12th Century church, and it is thought that D H Lawrence based his novel "Lady Chatterley's Lover" in and around Eckington. A 2 mile circular walk "Eckington Explored" highlights the history of this delightful Derbyshire town.
Eckington was once an agricultural settlement, but as a result of coal beneath and around it was transformed into a village dependent on the collieries.
In 1998, a regeneration project was launched to combat the effects of mine closures and out of town retail developments. The town has much to offer including a town trail which takes in the parish church dating from around 1100, a cruck barn which part dates to the 16th-century and Coldwell’s Cottage the last remaining thatched cottage in Eckington.
Grassmoor
Once a traditional mining village, it has since expanded and developed, now having a golf course, driving range and country park.
Higham
Straggling the old Roman road, Rykneld Street, this 18th-century estate village stands on high ground overlooking the beautiful Amber Valley, Ogston Reservoir and Ogston Hall. Along its main street stand many fine 17th-century houses, two old inns, a hotel and the restored market cross that sits on the original steps.
Holmesfield
An ancient manor with a parish church standing on the highest point of the village, overlooking fine moorland scenery with views over the city of Sheffield. Well dressing held in July.
Holmewood
Situated four miles south of Chesterfield close to the M1 Motorway. A former mining village, the land has now been reclaimed and provides two areas for light industry together with an area of woodland, meadows and ponds which form part of the Five Pits Trail, offering pleasant walks and a haven for wildlife.
Holymoorside
Prior to the 19th-century, this was a hamlet of scattered farms, a few cottages and mills. Nestling in the valley of the River Hipper amid beautiful moorland surroundings, it has now become a much-sought-after place to live. The well dressing is held in August.
Killamarsh
This small town lies ten miles NW of Chesterfield on the border with South Yorkshire. The focal point of the town is the Parkside Shopping Centre, with its bustling weekly Thursday market and the nearby sports centre. To the north lies the 750-acre Rother Valley Country Park, offering a wide range of watersports and recreational facilities. The town makes a good starting point to explore the Chesterfield Canal and Trans Pennine Trail, which both offer fantastic opportunities for walkers, cyclists and naturalists.
North Wingfield
On the road from Clay Cross to Heath, the village has a lovely church which dominates the landscape for miles around. The 15th-century Blue Bell Inn was once the Chantry House.
Old Brampton
A tiny, peaceful village just to the west of Chesterfield, Old Brampton is well know locally for its most unusual church clock that actually has sixty three minutes in the hour! Just over the road from the Norman church is the George and Dragon pub, where the painter of the clock might have spent too long!
On the road between Chesterfield and Baslow, the village well merits a visit. Opposite the Norman church is Brampton Hall, a 12th-century building of immense historical interest with cruck oak beams reputed to have come from the earlier village.
Pilsley
A hilltop village situated on the eastern edge of the District close to Clay Cross. Mary Queen of Scots whilst in captivity in Derbyshire is said to have enjoyed riding through the leafy lanes of the village.
Renishaw
A large industrial village, whose industry long pre-dates the Industrial Revolution, the Sitwell family having founded an ironworks in about 1640. To the east lies Renishaw Hall and Gardens overlooking the pleasantly situated Renishaw Park Golf Club.
Ridgeway
The main road on which this attractive straggling village is set falls steeply down to the Moss Valley.
Once known for its local sickle and scythe industry, it is now mainly a residential area. A 300 year old restored farm in the upper part of the village, known as Ridgeway Craft Centre, now houses craft workshops.
Once known for its local sickle and scythe industry, it is now mainly a residential area. A 300 year old restored farm in the upper part of the village, known as Ridgeway Craft Centre, now houses craft workshops.
Shirland
Standing astride the A61 Sheffield to Derby road, this ancient settlement shows little sign of its mining history. Mainly a late Victorian village, it has an attractive church and a splendidly reclaimed site, now home to Shirland Golf Club.
Spinkhill
A small village standing on high land above the Rother Valley. Spinkhill catches the attention of many around the area because of the tall spire of its Victorian Gothic Roman Catholic church. The College of Mount Saint Mary’s, a public school standing in fine parkland, is another impressive building.
Stretton
First mentioned in 1002, it is situated on the old Roman road known as Rykneld Street, one mile south of Clay Cross on the A61(T). Essentially an agricultural area set amidst beautiful countryside overlooking Ogston Reservoir in the Amber Valley.
Unstone
The seven-arched viaduct above the beautiful Drone Valley presents the traveller with the most pleasing view of Unstone, which lies between Dronfield and Chesterfield and close to the hamlets of Apperknowle, Summerley, Hundall and West Handley. Unstone today is a very different area to that of its mining era.
Wessington
A small village clustering around the dominant village green or clinging to the main road, once the Nottingham to Newhaven turnpike road. The village has two ancient inns, both renowned for their food.
Wingerworth
A former estate village close to Chesterfield, it is today an attractive residential area set amidst undulating wooded countryside providing pleasant walks. Smithy Pond offers a pleasant area for visitors to relax.
The parish church stands at one of the highest points of the village.
Other Sleepy Villages
You might also like to visit Heath - with its timber-framed thatched cottage, Brackenfield - with its striking village green and Barlow - with some excellent pubs.
