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Cressbrook



OS Grid ref:- SK168731

The Peak District village of Cressbrook is situated in a superb location on the River Wye about 4 miles to the north of Bakewell.

The village grew up around a textile mill complex built alongside the River Wye by Richard Arkwright in 1779 and later by his son Richard Awkwright in 1787 after the original mill burnt down. William Newton, the so-called “Minstrel of the Peak, became a partner in Cressbrook Mill (pictured left) and set an example in his humane treatment of the child apprentices who worked at the mill. The mill closed down in 1965 and has now been converted to luxury apartments.

William Newton built the village school and the row of pretty lattice-windowed cottages which face the mill and look down on it from above. In 1840 by the model village of cottages at the top of the hill was added. The ancient Derbyshire custom of Well Dressing takes place in the village every year in June.

Cressbrook Hall, (pictured right) dates to 1835 and was once the home of mill-owner Henry McConnel. The impressive gothic style structure commands stunning views down Monsal Dale. The hall is now used as a hotel.

The Monsal Trail, 8.5-mile (13.7-kilometre) walk and cycleway, passes through Cressbrook. The scenery around Cressbrook is superb. The beautiful limestone river gorge, Water-cum-Jolly Dale is located just along the river from the village. Cressbrook Dale, once known as Ravensdale, lies to north of Cressbrook, it is a beautiful limestone dale with numerous crags and the remains of several lead mines. The dale is also a wooded National Nature Reserve. At the top of Cressbrook Dale stands the limestone outcrop known as the Peter Stone or Gibbet Rock. The name Peter Stone probably derived from its similarity with the dome of St Peters Basilica in Rome.

Nearby places of interest

Monsal Head, a justly famous beauty spot, commands superb views down Monsal Dale and up the Wye Valley

Chatsworth House known as "The Palace of the Peak" is the country seat of the Duke of Devonshire and is situated on the banks of the River Derwent, 3.5 miles to the northeast of Bakewell in the heart of the Peak District National Park.

Haddon Hall is an architectural gem. Dating back to the eleventh century, the hall has been described as "the most complete and most interesting house of [its] period", it is the finest example of a medieval manor house currently in existence in England.

Lathkill Dale, a Peak District beauty spot in the truest sense of the word, is one of Britain's finest limestone valleys, it is situated about 3 miles from Bakewell.

Arbor Low, sometimes referred to as ‘The Stonehenge of the North' is a prehistoric site of unique archaeological and cultural interest.

Dovedale a dramatic limestone ravine, with its impressive rock outcrops and tranquil woodlands is arguably the prettiest and most famous of the dales in the Peak District National Park

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