Darley Dale
Though enjoying village status Darley Dale is far removed from any conventional conjecture of a typical village settlement. It is in fact made up of several smaller settlements, namely Churchtown, Darley Bridge or South Darley, Darley Hillside, Northwood and Two Dales.
Darley Dale’s real claim to fame is its association with the pioneering engineer Sir Joseph Whitworth, famous inventor of the true plane and the Whitworth thread for nuts and bolts. Born in Stockport in 1803, Joseph Whitworth served his apprenticeship in his uncle's cotton mill before setting up his engineering business in Manchester. He introduced the first standard gauges, taps, dies and planing machines and became an extremely wealthy industrialist. He bought Stancliffe Hall on the eastern slopes of the Dale where he spent the last fifteen years of his life. The Hall was later enlarged by E.M.Barrie, was a boys’ preparatory school but is now in private ownership again.
Whitworth was responsible for much of the development here including the Victorian edifice of the Whitworth Institute and the well-equipped public park complete with its lake, bowling green, tennis courts, war memorial, obelisk and ornamental trees. He died in 1887 aged 84 and was buried at Darley Dale. His widow also founded the Whitworth Hospital.
Modern Darley Dale owes its size and status almost entirely to the road and rail links developed early in the nineteenth century, with the A6 trunk road being driven through in 1824, and the railway 25 years later in 1849. Road, rail and river follow the broad Derwent valley floor, running virtually parallel all the way from Rowsley to Matlock, a distance of about six miles.
The church of St Helen at Churchtown is the oldest building in the parish, with its square 14th century battlemented west tower rising amongst the churchyard trees. The church was founded around 900 AD and almost entirely rebuilt after the Norman Conquest. Parts of the 12th century fabric remain, along with some earlier Celtic and Saxon stonework, excellent Norman masonry, and a selection of ancient stone coffins in and around the porch. Directly opposite the main porch entrance stands the famous Darley Yew, a tree reputed to be two thousand years old - and with an enormous girth of 33 feet around its ancient trunk. A plaque on the tree tells of the Saxon settlers who built their huts just yards to the west of the church.
Darley Dale is also the home of the well known D.F.S. furniture store and close by stands the Red House Carriage Museum which houses a unique collection of horse-drawn conveyances.
Dominating views across the river from Darley Dale is Oker Hill, crowned by its distinctive landmark of a single Sycamore tree.
Immediately adjacent to Whitworth Park is Darley Dale Station where steam train buffs can buy a ticket and climb aboard at weekends throughout the year courtesy of Peak Rail, a group of dedicated enthusiasts who have earned Heritage Railway status.
Darley Dale’s real claim to fame is its association with the pioneering engineer Sir Joseph Whitworth, famous inventor of the true plane and the Whitworth thread for nuts and bolts. Born in Stockport in 1803, Joseph Whitworth served his apprenticeship in his uncle's cotton mill before setting up his engineering business in Manchester. He introduced the first standard gauges, taps, dies and planing machines and became an extremely wealthy industrialist. He bought Stancliffe Hall on the eastern slopes of the Dale where he spent the last fifteen years of his life. The Hall was later enlarged by E.M.Barrie, was a boys’ preparatory school but is now in private ownership again.
Whitworth was responsible for much of the development here including the Victorian edifice of the Whitworth Institute and the well-equipped public park complete with its lake, bowling green, tennis courts, war memorial, obelisk and ornamental trees. He died in 1887 aged 84 and was buried at Darley Dale. His widow also founded the Whitworth Hospital.
Modern Darley Dale owes its size and status almost entirely to the road and rail links developed early in the nineteenth century, with the A6 trunk road being driven through in 1824, and the railway 25 years later in 1849. Road, rail and river follow the broad Derwent valley floor, running virtually parallel all the way from Rowsley to Matlock, a distance of about six miles.
The church of St Helen at Churchtown is the oldest building in the parish, with its square 14th century battlemented west tower rising amongst the churchyard trees. The church was founded around 900 AD and almost entirely rebuilt after the Norman Conquest. Parts of the 12th century fabric remain, along with some earlier Celtic and Saxon stonework, excellent Norman masonry, and a selection of ancient stone coffins in and around the porch. Directly opposite the main porch entrance stands the famous Darley Yew, a tree reputed to be two thousand years old - and with an enormous girth of 33 feet around its ancient trunk. A plaque on the tree tells of the Saxon settlers who built their huts just yards to the west of the church.
Darley Dale is also the home of the well known D.F.S. furniture store and close by stands the Red House Carriage Museum which houses a unique collection of horse-drawn conveyances.
Dominating views across the river from Darley Dale is Oker Hill, crowned by its distinctive landmark of a single Sycamore tree.
Immediately adjacent to Whitworth Park is Darley Dale Station where steam train buffs can buy a ticket and climb aboard at weekends throughout the year courtesy of Peak Rail, a group of dedicated enthusiasts who have earned Heritage Railway status.
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