53°07′16″N1°35′02″W/ 53.121°N 1.584°W
| Bonsall | |
|---|---|
 Bonsall village | |
 Bonsall parish highlighted within Derbyshire | |
| Population | 775 (2001 census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SK279582 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Matlock |
| Postcode district | DE4 |
| Dialling code | 01629 |
| Police | Derbyshire |
| Fire | Derbyshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Bonsall Village |
Bonsallis a village andcivil parishin theDerbyshire Daleson the edge of thePeak District.The civil parish population, including Brightgate and Horse Dale, was 775 at the 2001 Census, increasing to 803 at the 2011 Census.[2]
Geography
editBonsall is about 5 miles (8 km) fromMatlockand about 18 miles (29 km) fromDerby.Bonsall has a long history oflead mining,along with its neighbouring town ofWirksworth,probably going back toRomantimes, and is recorded in theDomesday Book.
Bonsall Leys,[3]to the west of Bonsall, is grassland that has been designated as aSite of Special Scientific Interest.TheDiocese of Derbyown some of the land included within Bonsall Leys SSSI.[4]
The approach to the village is via a steep hill leading up fromVia Gellia(now theA5012 road) and nearbyCromford.The road is called the Clatterway, or occasionally theCol du Bonsall.[citation needed]
The village lies on the edge of thePeak District National Park,the border of which bisects the 'Uppertown' suburb. The village is on theLimestone Way,at the head of its branch to Matlock, and on thePeak District Boundary Walk.[5]
Parts ofSt James the Apostle's Church, Bonsalldate from the 13th century, including the north side of thechanceland thearcadeof the southaisle.The arcade of the north aisle is later and so is thePerpendicular Gothictower. The outer walls of the church were rebuilt in 1861–62 under the direction of theGothic Revival architectEwan Christian.[6]
There is amarket crossin the village centre that may date from the Middle Ages. The ball on top was added in 1671.[6]Bonsall applied for a market charter some three hundred years ago,[when?]but was rejected.[7]
TheManor Housewas built in about 1670 and the Kings Headpublic housewas established in 1677.[6]
Textiles and lead mines
editBonsall inhabitants have been involved in the textile industry, before and afterRichard Arkwright.Around 1850 Bonsall was a farming village surrounded by lead mines and busyoutworkerframe-knitting workshops. A few 18th- and 19th-century frame-knitting workshop buildings survive.[6]Many people also worked in the cotton spinning mills atCromfordand the Via Gellia. In early modern times Bonsall was on an important salters' route, and was a staging post on the road between Derby andManchester.[citation needed].
Economy and amenities
edit
Bonsall remains a working village that is involved in agriculture, heavy goods transport and a range of forms of information technology. However, most people in the village travel to cities such as Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield for work.[citation needed]The village supports two public houses, the Barley Mow[8]and the Kings Head.
The parish has aChurch of Englandprimary school.[9]
Bonsall Camp
editBonsall Camp in Uppertown is a Christian youth camp, owned by the Christian Youth Foundation, a charity that runs several residential children's and youth weeks in the summer holidays. Camps have been run here for more than 60 years.[10]The Christian authorSelwyn Hughesrecalls in his biography the time he was sent home from the camp for bad behaviour.
Events
editAttractions include the Annual "World Championship Hen Race" held annually in August at the Barley Mow public house. This event was run for the first time in 1992.
Discovery of horse skulls
editDuring a renovation of a house in 'upper town' in 1866, builders lifted the ground-floor floorboards, only to discover 29 horse skulls with all of their lower jaws missing. They hypothesised that these skulls were remains from a legendary battle that took place on Bonsall Moor.[11]
UFO sightings
editFor two years from October 2000, there were 19 sightings ofUFOsin the area. On 5 October 2000, Sharon Rowlands photographed a circular object. The circular object showed a similarity to a circular object seen on theSTS-75ColumbiaSpace Shuttlemission in early 1996.[12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Area selected: Derbyshire Dales (Non-Metropolitan District)".Neighbourhood Statistics: Full Dataset View.Office for National Statistics.Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.Retrieved29 September2011.
- ^"Civil Parish population 2011".Neighbourhood Statistics.Office for National Statistics.Retrieved21 March2016.
- ^"SSSI detail".designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk.Retrieved29 September2024.
- ^"Nature Recovery within an EcoDiocese – the role of a landowner".Beating the bounds.6 August 2022.Retrieved29 September2024.
- ^McCloy, Andrew (2017).Peak District Boundary Walk: 190 Miles Around the Edge of the National Park.Friends of the Peak District.ISBN978-1909461536.
- ^abcdPevsner, Nikolaus;Williamson, Elizabeth (1978) [1953].Derbyshire.The Buildings of England.Harmondsworth:Penguin Books.pp. 101–102.ISBN0-14-071008-6.
- ^Sharpe, Neville T (2002).Crosses of the Peak District.Landmark Collectors Library. Ashbourne: Landmark Publishing Ltd. p. not cited.ISBN1-84306-044-2.
- ^"Barley Mow Bonsall".Retrieved28 July2014.
- ^"Bonsall CE Primary School".Retrieved28 July2014.
- ^"About".Bonsall Camp. Archived fromthe originalon 28 July 2014.Retrieved28 July2014.
- ^"Unknown".Newcastle Guardian and Tyne Mercury.8 September 1866. p. 3.
- ^"'UFO video' goes to Hollywood ".BBC News. 1 June 2001.Retrieved28 July2014.
External links
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