Crich/ˈkraɪtʃ/is avillageandcivil parishin the English county ofDerbyshire.Besides the village of Crich, the civil parish includes the nearby villages ofFritchley,WhatstandwellandWheatcroft.The population of the civil parish at the 2001 census was 2,821, increasing to 2,898 at the 2011 census.[2]
| Crich | |
|---|---|
 Bowns Hill, Crich | |
  Crich Location withinDerbyshire | |
| Population | 2,821 (2001 census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SK3454 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Matlock |
| Postcode district | DE4 |
| Dialling code | 01773 |
| Police | Derbyshire |
| Fire | Derbyshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Crichweb |
The village is home to theNational Tramway Museumand, at the summit of Crich Hill above, a memorial tower for those of theSherwood Forestersregiment who died in battle, particularly inWorld War I.
History
editIn 1009 KingÆthelred the Unreadysigned a charter at the Great Council which recognised the position and boundaries ofWeston-on-Trentand several other manors including Crich.[3]The charter shows that Weston controlled the nearby crossings of the Trent. The land was listed as eighthidesat Weston upon Trent, and a hide at Crich,Morley,Smalley,Inglebyand Kidsley. This land was then given toMorcar,the King's chief minister, and he was unusually given rights that were normally reserved for the King alone. He was given the responsibility for justice and exemption from theTrinoda necessitas,he alone could decide a fate of life or death without the need of the authority of the King or his sheriff.[3]Morcar was given further lands in Derbyshire. Weston (and Crich?) again come under the control of Æþelræd Unræd, when Morcar and his brother were murdered by Eadric in 1015.
Parts of theChurch of England parish churchofSaint MaryareNorman,with laterDecorated GothicandPerpendicular Gothicalterations from the 14th century.[4]Crich has also aWesleyanChapel that was built in 1770.[5]
Aworkhousewas opened in 1734 on the edge of Nether Common. It could accommodate 40 inmates, and acceptedpaupersfrom other parishes, includingMelbourne,Pentrich,Willington,MercastonandDenby.[6]
Chase Cliffe is aTudor Revivalhouse on the road from Crich toWhatstandwell.[5]It was designed byBenjamin Ferreyand built in 1859–61.[5]
Quarrying
edit
Geologically, Crich lies on a small inlier ofCarboniferous limestone(an outcrop on the edge of thePeak Districtsurrounded by youngerUpper Carboniferousrocks).
Quarrying forlimestoneprobably began in Roman times. In 1791Benjamin Outramand Samuel Beresford bought land for a quarry to supply limestone to their newironworksatButterley.This became known as Hilt's Quarry, and the stone was transported down a steepwagonway,theButterley Company Gangroad,to theCromford CanalatBullbridge.Near there they also builtlime kilnsfor supplying farmers and for the increasing amount of building work. Apart from a period when it was leased to Albert Banks, the quarry and kilns were operated by the Butterley Company until 1933.[7] The gangroad, descending some 300 feet in about a mile, was at first worked by gravity, a brakeman "spragging" the wheels of the wagons, which were returned to the summit by horses. However, in 1812 the incline was the scene of a remarkable experiment, when William Brunton, an engineer for the company, produced hisSteam Horse locomotive.
Crich Mineral Railway
editIn 1840George Stephenson,in building theNorth Midland Railway,discovered deposits of coal atClay Crossand formed what later became theClay Cross Company.He realised that burning lime would provide a use for the coal slack that would otherwise go to waste. He leased Cliff Quarry and built limekilns at Bullbridge. In 1841, he built theCrich Mineral Railwayto connect the quarry to the limekilns atAmbergate station.This included a 550 yards (500 m) long, self-actinginclineknown as "The Steep", with a maximum gradient of 1 in 5.[8]
The railway was probably the firstmetre gauge railwayin the world.[9]
End of quarrying
editCliff Quarry closed in 1957, though it restarted at the western end until 2010 when it was mothballed. The eastern end was bought by the Tramway Museum in 1959.
Hilt's Quarry closed in 1933 and is derelict. For 38 years,Rolls-Royceused it for dumping low-levelradioactive wastesuch asenriched uranium,cobalt-60andcarbon-14.Following a campaign and blockades by villagers in the Crich and District Environment Action Group, dumping ceased in 2002. In 2004 the Government backed anEnvironment Agencydocument banning further dumping, and Rolls-Royce will be required to restore and landscape the site.[10][11][12]
Memorial tower
edit
The memorial tower ('Crich Stand') was completed in 1923 as a memorial to the 11,409 soldiers from theSherwood Foresters Regimentwho died inWorld War I,a dedication that was later extended to includeWorld War II.It was built on an limestone outcrop above the village, at an altitude of 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level. The location is symbolic because it is widely visible across, and gives views of, both of the two counties from which the regiment was raised (NottinghamshireandDerbyshire). It is the destination of an annual pilgrimage on the first Sunday in July.[13][14]
Besides the main dedication, two further plaques dedicate the memorial to those who died serving in the Sherwood Foresters regiment from 1945 to 1970, and to those who died serving theWorcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regimentfrom 1970 to 2007 and theMercian Regimentsince 2007. A nearby small plaque is dedicated to Brigadier J.H.M. Hackett, 'Last Colonel The Sherwood Foresters 1965 – 1970 and First Colonel The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment'.[13][14]
National Tramway Museum
edit
Beneath Crich Stand, at the northern end of Crich village, is the National Tramway Museum (also known as Crich Tramway Village) which is the UK's largest and most comprehensive museum oftrams and tramways.The museum contains over 80 trams built between 1873 and 1982 and includes several exhibitions and a recreated period street containing a working pub, cafe, shop and various pieces of period street furniture.[15][16]
Many of the museum's collection of trams are operational, and carry passengers on journeys through the period street and out into the local countryside on a 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi) long running track. Along the way are the preserved 1763 facade of theDerby Assembly Rooms,a recreated Victorian public park, a woodland sculpture trail and a display on the local lead mining industry.[16][17]
Archives
editA collection of title deeds relating to land and property in Crich is held at theCadbury Research Libraryof theUniversity of Birmingham.[18]
In popular culture
editThe village was a location for the setting for theITVdrama seriesPeak Practice(along withAshoverfor a time). Images of the village also appear in the 2007 filmAnd When Did You Last See Your Father?starringColin Firth.In the film Firth is seen riding a motorbike up Chapel Lane.
Gallery
edit-
The Cliff Inn -
Crich Cross -
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Area selected: Amber Valley (Non-Metropolitan District)".Neighbourhood Statistics: Full Dataset View.Office for National Statistics.Retrieved29 September2011.
- ^"Civil Parish population 2011".Neighbourhood Statistics.Office for National Statistics.Retrieved17 March2016.
- ^abCharter of Æthelred,The Great Council, 1009, accessible at Derby records
- ^Pevsner & Williamson, 1978, page 156
- ^abcPevsner & Williamson, 1978, page 157
- ^Higginbotham, P. (2007),Workhouses of the Midlands,Tempus, Stroud. Page 27.ISBN978-0-7524-4488-8
- ^Cooper, B., (1983)Transformation of a Valley: The Derbyshire Derwent,Heinneman, republished 1991 Cromford: Scarthin Books
- ^"Site record MDR7576 - Route of Crich Mineral Railway, Crich and Ripley".Derby County Council.
- ^Marshall, John (1979).The Guinness Book of Rail Facts and Feats.Guinness Superlatives. p. 29.
- ^"End to Nuclear Dumping"Belper News
- ^"Final victory for campaign",Emily Davies,Matlock Mercury,30 June 2004
- ^Eco Sounding, Paul Brown,The Guardian,4 August 2004
- ^ab"Crich Stand (Sherwood Foresters Regimental Memorial)".Historic England.Retrieved5 March2024.
- ^ab"History of the Memorial".The Mercian Regimental Charity.Archivedfrom the original on 6 March 2024.Retrieved6 March2024.
- ^"The Tramcar Collection".Crich Tramway Village.Archivedfrom the original on 29 February 2024.Retrieved29 February2024.
- ^ab"Village Scene".Crich Tramway Village.Archivedfrom the original on 5 June 2023.Retrieved5 June2023.
- ^"Ride the Trams".Crich Tramway Village.Archivedfrom the original on 5 June 2023.Retrieved5 June2023.
- ^"UoB Calmview5: Search results".calmview.bham.ac.uk.Retrieved19 February2021.
Further reading
edit- Pevsner, Nikolaus;Williamson, Elizabeth (1978) [1953].Derbyshire.The Buildings of England.Harmondsworth:Penguin Books.pp. 156–157.ISBN0-14-071008-6.
External links
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