Our starting point was the bus stop by Dore Station for the 7.49am bus to Buxton but we were only going as far as Bakewell
After an English breakfast in the Granby Café, we walked along the river bank ...
... before getting a bus to Wirksworth.
We saw the Old Grammar School - its Regency Gothic architecture built by William Maskrey in 1828
The alms houses which were provided by Anthony Gell, a wealthy lead merchant, in 1584. He also provided the original Grammar School
... before getting a bus to Wirksworth.
Wirksworth is a small town which lies at the head of the Ecclesbourne Valley, on the edge of the Peak National Park, squeezed between limestone quarries and steep green hills on the edge of the White Peak.
The Heritage Centre is well worth a visit. It is in an old silk and velvet mill and catalogues the history of the town - its mining of lead in Roman times to limestone quarrying in the 18th century.
After our visit to the Heritage Centre, we went for a walk in the glorious sunshine around the town
We saw the Old Grammar School - its Regency Gothic architecture built by William Maskrey in 1828
The alms houses which were provided by Anthony Gell, a wealthy lead merchant, in 1584. He also provided the original Grammar School
The Town Hall, which was built in 1873 through the efforts of a local masonic lodge
The old prison, now a private residence
The Moot Hall - built in 1815 - judged local lead mining disputes. This building replaced an earlier Barmote Court, which had been handling disputes for over 700 years.
The old prison, now a private residence
The Moot Hall - built in 1815 - judged local lead mining disputes. This building replaced an earlier Barmote Court, which had been handling disputes for over 700 years.
Then travelled by bus to Sir Richard Arkwright’s Masson Mills just outside Matlock Bath
The Masson Mills were built in 1783. Sir Richard Arkwright took an interest in spinning machinery that turned cotton into thread. He patented the water-frame, a machine which produced a strong twist for warps, substituting metal cylinders for human fingers. This made possible inexpensive yarns to manufacture cheap calicoes, on which the subsequent great expansion of the cotton industry was based.
A Jacquard card punching machine for a Jacquard loom. Joseph Marie Jacquard (1752-1834) developed the first loom to weave designs into cloth. It was also recognized as the first machine to employ the punch-card technology, that would eventually program the computer of the mid-twentieth century.
A spinning mule
A Jacquard card punching machine for a Jacquard loom. Joseph Marie Jacquard (1752-1834) developed the first loom to weave designs into cloth. It was also recognized as the first machine to employ the punch-card technology, that would eventually program the computer of the mid-twentieth century.
The bobbins room
Then a short walk to Matlock Bath ...
... and lunch
... then on to Matlock and a view of Riber Castle
We had an important appointment with the "Earl of Barlborough" at his local hostelry
"His Grace" entertains
We had an important appointment with the "Earl of Barlborough" at his local hostelry
"His Grace" entertains
... then a bus back to Sheffield to catch the 7.14pm Edale flyer - we caught it with 14 seconds to spare!
... the perfect end to a perfect day
... the perfect end to a perfect day
