A landscape of woodland, wilderness and water, stone-built villages, hilly pastures and green dales, North East Derbyshire is a varied, friendly, accessible area that's still surprisingly unspoilt. While the urban crowds escape en-masse to the Peak District and the Derbyshire Dales, the north-eastern corner of the county remains something of a well-kept secret - boasting some of Derbyshire's best views within easy reach of the M1 motorway and the cities of Derby, Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester, and centred on the bustling market town of Chesterfield.

The hidden wealth of natural resources shaped the history of this rolling landscape on the eastern edge of the Peak National Park, where the pattern of settlement has scarcely changed in thousands of years. Ramblers discovering ancient stone circles and burial mounds on lonely Ramsley Moor, near Holmesfield, are witnesses to prehistoric man's colonisation of the bleak heights with their immense views across the surrounding countryside. The occupying Roman generals garrisoned the area, mining lead near the pretty village of Ashover and marching their men across the terrain on a new road, straight as a die. The modern A61 trunk road follows the line of the Roman's Rykneld Street to this day, south of Clay Cross.

The clang of pick and shovel echoed down through the centuries, as iron, lead and limestone continued to be prised out of the land long after the Romans retreated, bringing wealth to the area which remains to this day in the shape of grand old houses, mellow stone farms and craftsmen's cottages in villages to the south and west of the area. The underlying coal measures, too, have been worked for many centuries; coal was a staple 'crop' here well before the Industrial Revolution and the opening of the Chesterfield Canal (in 1777), and later the coming of the railways, provided the means to transport it readily and economically.

It was George Stephenson himself who discovered important coal reserves under the hamlet of Clay Cross during the building of the North Midlands Railway between Derby and Chesterfield in the early 1840s. The traditional industries have waned in recent years and an era finally came to an end with the closure of the last pit in North East Derbyshire - at Renishaw - in 1989.

The village is perhaps better known for Renishaw Hall, for four centuries the home of the idiosyncratic Sitwells and in our own century famed for the unmatchable four-acre Italianate garden laid out by the eccentric Sir George, father of the inimitable Sitwell literary trio of Osbert, Sacheverell and Edith.

With picturesque names like Highhoredish, Spitewinter, Johnnygate, Rattle and Uppertown, any number of tiny hamlets and settlements lie off the beaten track awaiting discovery, home to rustic inns offering fine beers and hearty traditional fare to be relished by the discerning visitor.

Friendly villages and towns offer a wide range of accomodation, with easy access to the whole area and the attractions that lie just beyond... the Pennines, Sherwood Forest, Chatsworth with its magnificent park on the banks of the Derwent, 14th-century Haddon Hall, the caverns of Castleton, the Tramway Museum above the 'Peak Practice' village of Crich, the herb garden at Hardstoft, magnificent Hardwick Hall, the 17th-century 'castle' of Bolsover.... not forgetting the bizarre crooked spire of Chesterfield parish church.

There are many superb walks and specially designed trails throughout the area. These range from walks in and around historical villages and hamlets to treks over rolling hills, through wooded valleys or alongside rivers, streams and reservoirs. The more adventurous rambler will delight in the more demanding routes across the wild and rugged moorland leading to theheart of the Peak District. Go to walks for more details, or for real enthusiasts walk the Pennine Way.

Rail enthusiasts may like to take a look at Peak Rail

The detailed statistical bit

Area

Population and housing

The district has a total housing stock of 38,890 dwellings. 28,564 (73%) are privately owned and 10,334 (27%) publicly owned and of these 10,094 are Council houses.

Communications

Employment

Related web sites

Public Transport in Derbyshire
Derby City homepage
East Midlands Tourist Board
The Peak District
Chesterfield
Millers Dale
Traveller's World - Derbyshire

This page is provided as a service to the community by Jon Rouse

Last updated July 1996