A TRIP AROUND DERBYSHIRE

My family has historical connections with Derbyshire and my ancestors lived in places like Bakewell, Baslow, Buxton, Stoney Middleton. They also worked on the estate of Chatsworth House for a couple of centuries, or more, as Estate Managers, Gardeners, Head Gardeners, and Game Keepers, as well as in the Big House as Servants. So, yesterday, having to meet people in Manchester in the evening, I decided to make the best of the day by taking the day off to visit the places that have some meaning for me.

My brother lives high up on the Peaks in this 16th Century Cottage which is at the entrance to a Farm. His gardening is done mainly in containers because there's only a couple of inches of top soil before you hit bedrock!!. But looking out of his Lounge window he has some spectacular views of the valleys below. It's also very beautiful and very cold during the Winter.


One of the views from the Cottage.


On the way there's view's like this which makes you wonder how they cope with the rain coming down from the hills. I also believe it was a quarry at one time.


One of the places worth stopping at and walking around is Ashton on the Water. It's a really beautiful place and although I took a couple of pics I didn't have the time to do it justice.




One of the small Cottages there.


There's also some big Trout in the river!!


From there I went to Baslow. It's a pretty little village but my Dad is also buried there so I go every now and then to check all is well. The River Derwent passes within a few feet of where my Dad is and during the Spring the whole river bank is smothered in Blue Bells. It's also the Church where my Dad married my Mother so it has special meaning, plus a lot of our ancestors are buried there going back to the 13th century. They weren't all that literate at that time and records are a bit confusing with mis-spelling of names etc .

The Lych Gate is a lovely example of proper craftmanship.


The Church


They believed in making the most of space and the congregation. There's a gentleman buried standing up in the entrance.


The Church Yard


The river runs alongside the Church and there's an old stone narrow bridge beside the Church. It used to be a Toll Bridge and below is the place where the Tollman was during his time of duty.


That's the first part of the trip and I'll visit the Estate village where my ancestors lived while working for Chatsworth House, plus general views of Chatsworth itself.

 

This is the second part of my visit to Derbyshire. Which is the Chatsworth estate and the primary Estate Village of Edensor [pronounced Enzor]. My ancestors lived in various houses in Edensor and also a special cottage called the Russian Cottage not often seen by visitors as it's off the track.
So here's a few pics of Edensor which just don't do it justice. Most of the houses are "tied" houses, in which staff working for the estate live in. Also the houses are there for life so should the worker die the family still live in the house. The houses and gardens are kept to an immaculately high standard and you must visit it to fully appreciate it's tranquil beauty. There are no public roads as such in the Village as it's a privately owned [by the Estate] but you can drive to and park by the Village Church and have a lovely walk around.
















I just love the old chimney stacks






The Village church where, again, a lot of my ancestors are buried. As is the sister of R J Kennedy and various members of the Duke of Devonshire [the Cavendish's].





The next thread is of Chatsworth House itself and the area around it. I didn't go into the gardens themselves as I didn't have the time to give it a full appreciation and take some shots of it all. But I will next year and post a Thread on it as it's a wonderful place.

 

This is just a few pics of Chatsworth House and the area around it.














This gate caught my eye because the sunlight was on it and again these pics don't do it justice but the gold gilt was ablaze with the sun and stood out as though it was lit up.
http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums... SLR NEW PHOTO/Chatsworth 068_zps5d4e0085.jpg



Apart from the Gardens and House that bring in a lot of income there's also part that's set aside for a Restaurant, cafe, shops, etc.








Chatsworth is a place worth visiting for sure.

 

Well, it's a bit of a mix up regarding stone in that area, Ziggy, there's a lot of quarrying for Limestone, Sand stone, and Grit Stone. A lot of the cottages in the surrounding villages are built from all three. I prefer the Sand stone I must admit and Grit Stone is too dark for me. The also the Caverns with their different minerals and of course the famous Blue John Mines.

 

Lovely!