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History Of Rowsley
There was an Anglo-Saxon settlement at Rowsley before the Norman Conquest, and in the Domesday Book ‘Rowesley’ is recorded as being an outlier of the Royal Manor of Bakewell, occupying the ‘tongue of fertile land between the Derwent and the Wye’.
Rowsley has been in the domain of Haddon since feudal times, passing through the Vernon and Manners families and the Dukes of Rutland until most of the properties were sold off by the Haddon Estates in the 1900’s.
Rowsley Bridge is probably the oldest structure to be found in the village. Dating back to the 15th century it was originally constructed as a packhorse bridge but widened in 1925 to cater for the volume and size of modern traffic. On one side of the bridge it is possible to see the original five pointed arches, whilst on the other are new rounded arches.
The oldest buildings are to be found in what was Greater Rowsley to the west of the river. Here there are 17th and early 18th century properties, the most prominent being the magnificent Peacock Hotel which boasts a date stone of 1652. The stables were built slightly later but Ivy House directly opposite was actually built a year earlier in 1651.
John Stephenson was the first resident of what is now The Peacock Hotel. He was the confidential secretary of Lady Manners, founder of the school at Bakewell which was established in 1636. The peacock is the crest of the Manners family and this old building was also for a time the Dower House of Haddon Hall. However, when the old posting houses in the square known as the Nags Head and Red Lion closed around 1828, the Peacock Inn was formed.
At one time there was a fabulous pottery peacock in the reception area (now sold) which was thought to be one of only five made by the Minton factory in Stoke-on-Trent around 1850. It had a fascinating life story having been shipwrecked aboard the ‘Loch Ard’ in 1878 just 14 miles from Moonlights Head, Victoria, Australia. It was later salvaged and eventually found its way back to England.
The Peacock Inn has been graced with the company of rich, famous and interesting guests in its time, having been host to Landseer and Longfellow, not to mention Maximillian who was at one time the Emperor of Mexico. He unfortunately spent his last night of sleep here before embarking from England on a fateful voyage.
Other notable dwellings in Rowsley include The Beeches and Holly House which when built in 1710 were one house, thought to have been the Manor House and home of Sir Francis Darwin.
Rowsley village school was a gift from the Duke of Rutland in 1840, as was the Church of St. Katherine which was built 1854-55 and stands on a rise up On the opposite side of the A6 from the Peacock you can find the Grade II listed Caudwell’s Mill complex on a stile that has been occupied by mill buildings for over 400 years. The present mill was built in 1874 by John Caudwell and run as a family business for more than 100 years. It is spread over 4 floors and still turns most days, claiming to be the only complete water-turbine powered flour mill left in the country. Most of the machinery is pre 1914 and is still driven by a system of belts and pulleys from line shafts, powered by 2 water turbines, one to drive the mill whilst the other generates electricity which is used in the mill.
At Caudwell’s Mill there is a shop selling a range of freshly milled high quality flours, a coffee shop/restaurant and a range of craft workshops including glass blowing, wood turning, furniture restoration and a blacksmiths. Alongside the mill stream is a nature trail. Caudwell’s Mill is open daily from 1st March to 31st October and at weekends from November to February.
Rowsley changed drastically in the mid 19th century with the arrival of the Midland Railway when Little Rowsley was established. As well as terraced housing for railway workers and a station building designed by Paxton, there was also a substantial railway marshalling yard at the Rowsley terminus.
However, the lines progress to Buxton was held up for 14 years from 1849-63 by the Dukes of Rutland and Devonshire who opposed the unsightly line running through their estates. The 6th Duke of Devonshire was persuaded by his good friend Paxton to allow it to run undercover through Chatsworth, and the station was constructed to his design (it can still be found in the middle of the modern buildings at Peak Village). Further plans were drawn up but the Duke died before work on the line began and his successor would have nothing to do with it. After further lengthy negotiations the Duke of Rutland gave permission for the line as we know it now, although disused, on condition that a tunnel was built for it to run behind Haddon Hall so as not to spoil the view or require the felling of trees. This was extremely difficult as the depth of covering was only 8 feet in parts. Five men died in its construction and since the lines closure in 1968 further falls have resulted in the tunnel being sealed. The line finally reached Manchester in 1867 so it was in existence for almost 100 years.
As Paxton’s station building was then in the wrong place a later passenger station was designed by Edward Walters and built in 1860 when the line was rerouted, recently demolished the site is now occupied by modern commercial units.
The Midland Railway was closed in 1968 and the low arched bridge over the A6 demolished, but it is still possible to see and hear steam trains ‘chuff chuffing’ their way beside the Derwent as just south of Rowsley are the premises of Peak Rail which operates along a stretch of line to Matlock. The trains are operated by enthusiasts and run most Sundays throughout the year and Saturdays from April to October with occasional Special Events.
In 1987 Great Rowsley on the west bank of the Derwent and Little Rowsley on the east were amalgamated in a local government reshuffle by the County Council and became simply Rowsley.
A steep road leads east from Rowsley to Chesterfield, heading up Chesterfield Lanetowards Fallinge Edge. At the side of this lane is an old Tollbar Cottage which dates back to the turnpike era. Up until the mid 18 th century the valley bottom was marshland so that main routes through the valley followed the high land where possible. After an Act of Parliament in 1759 toll roads were laid which were well maintained, some following the valley bottom, with the road from Rowsley to Bakewell being part paid for by the then Duke of Rutland on the understanding that it followed the opposite side of the river, away from Haddon Hall. There was another toll gate at the western end of Rowsley village to collect the relevant charge, and that small toll house can also still be found although converted into a cottage.
Hidden by trees in Smeltingmill Woods below Fallinge there are the remains of Burntwood Quarry where gritstone was excavated and a small light railway was laid for carts to access the quarry face.
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