Dethick, Lea and Hollowayis acivil parish(and, since 1899, an ecclesiasticalparish), in theAmber Valleyborough of theEnglishcounty ofDerbyshire.The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 1,027.[1]
| Dethick, Lea, Holloway | |
|---|---|
| Population | 1,027 (2011) |
| 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 | |
It is located in central Derbyshire, south east ofMatlock,and, as its name suggests, contains the three main settlements –Dethick,LeaandHolloway,as well as the younger village ofLea Bridge.[2]
The area's most notable family is the Nightingales, who were substantial landowners in the area and spent the summers there.Florence Nightingalestayed at Lea Hurst, and, during the 1880s, nursed her mother and rendered charitable work in the communities of Lea, Holloway and nearbyWhatstandwell.
Holloway
editThe largest of the settlements that compose this civil parish is Holloway, at grid reference SK326562. Holloway has a village shop serving the parish, called 'Mayfield Stores'. Additionally, it is home to adoctor's surgery,a Methodist chapel, the Yew Tree public house (closed in 2008), a village butcher and a small art gallery. The southeastern area of the village is known as 'Leashaw', and the collection of houses scattered among the hills to the east is known as 'Upper Holloway'.
Leashaw is the location of Lea Hurst, famous for being built by the Nightingale family as their summer home.
A cotton mill was built in 1784 at Holloway by Peter Nightingale (a great uncle of Florence). He was sued byRichard Arkwrightfor infringement of patents. Although Arkwright won the case, it attracted the attention of the Lancashire pirate spinners, who in the end succeeded in getting the patents revoked. The mills were later sold to Thomas Smedley, whose son foundedSmedley's Hydroin Matlock. The mill was converted to spinning worsted.
Leawood Hall off Mill Lane is a Grade II* listedArts and Craftshouse.
Lea
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Lealies north of Holloway atgrid referenceSK330575and is, by population, the second biggest settlement in the parish. Unlike Dethick and Holloway, Lea is mentioned briefly in theDomesday Bookwhen it was spelt Lede[3]and was owned byRalph fitzHurbert.[4]Lea is the location of a council owned youth activity centre called Lea Green, the house was built as a home by Joseph Wass Esq. a wealthy local lead smelter and miner, lately inhabited by the Marsden Smedley family. Lea also has a public house called the Jug & Glass. There is also a small park, with play equipment for the youth of the parish.
Lea Bridge
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Geographically lowest of the settlements,Lea Bridgelies in the valley to the west of Holloway and to the southwest of Lea atgrid referenceSK318563.This settlement grew around the need for workers houses for the nearby mills. Lea Bridge was considered an ideal location for the mills due to the power source in the form of Lea Brook which runs through the valley and into the river Derwent. The only one still operating isSmedleys,which celebrated its 230th anniversary in 2014.[5]Lea Bridge has a small football pitch and a large pond, known by the locals as the "mill pitch" and the "mill pond" respectively.
Dethick
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Smallest of the settlements, but perhaps with the most interesting history, isDethick.Dethick shares its name with the Dethick family, whose roots there can be traced with certainty to 1228, but who may well have been established there earlier. Historically the most notable family to be associated with Dethick are the Babingtons ofDethick Manor;Anthony Babingtonwas executed for his leading role ina plotto rescueMary, Queen of Scots,from imprisonment by her cousin QueenElizabeth I of England.It will be found atgrid referenceSK327580.
Accessibility
editAlthough extremely rural, the parish has remained a popular place to live thanks to its relatively strong accessibility for such a small place. The towns ofAlfreton,Belper,MatlockandRipleyare all just 15 minutes away.Derby,Chesterfieldand Junction 28 of theM1are also nearby, with journey times of around 25 minutes.
Facilities
editThe parish has one pub, a grocery, a butcher, a village hall, a church, a chapel, a Primary school and public toilets. The parish is able to receive ADSL Broadband, and since the digital switchover of the Bolehill transmitter in 2011,Freeviewtelevision. There is a once-hourly bus route (the 140/141/142) that stops in Lea Bridge, Holloway and Leashaw, connecting the Parish with Matlock, Belper, Ripley and Alfreton.
Tourist attractions
editThe parish includes two main tourist attractions.
Lea Gardens (also known as Lea Rhododendron Gardens for its extensive collection of this plant) is an open-air landscaped garden, open to the public during the summer months. At its entrance is a small café with indoor and outdoor seating, and a plant shop selling a wide variety of species (only open in summer).
John Smedley'shistoric clothing mill retains a factory-outlet shop, selling the clothing that it makes at discount prices.
The Coach House at Lea was formerly a collection of farm buildings, converted to house an ice cream parlour, gift shop, restaurant, tea rooms and a limited amount of guest accommodation. The Coach House was famous for its home-made Jersey ice cream, the Shaw family having made the ice cream in a large range of flavours, but with changes of ownership, it is now a private home.
The parish is also very close to, but not linked with:
- Crich Tramway Village
- Cromford(Including the Mills,CanalandHigh Peak Trail
- Matlock Bath
- Matlock Garden Centre
- The Groom farm was utilised in the 1978 BBC series production ofA Traveller in TimebyAlison Uttley.This ledSimon Groom,the farmer's son, to a career as a BBC broadcaster andBlue Peterpresenter.[6]
See also
editPicture gallery
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References
edit- ^"Civil Parish population 2011".Neighbourhood Statistics.Office for National Statistics. Archived fromthe originalon 18 January 2017.Retrieved17 March2016.
- ^FromKelly's Directory of the Counties of Derby, Notts, Leicester and Rutland(London; May, 1891), pp. 183-184: "DETHICK, LEA and HOLLOWAY form a chapelry, 11 miles south-east from Chesterfield, 2½ south-east-by-east from Matlock Town and 2½ north-by-east from Cromford, which is a station on the Midland railway, in the Western division of the county, Wirksworth hundred and county court district, Matlock and Wirksworth petty sessional division, Belper union, rural deanery of Alfreton,archdeaconry of Derbyand diocese of Southwell. The church of St. John the Baptist is a small edifice of stone, dating from 1220, and consists of chancel, nave and a lofty western tower, dated 1535, containing one small bell: there are three memorial windows, and 60 sittings. The living is a vicarage, gross yearly value £110, including 53 acres of glebe, in the patronage of the Rev. Brabazon Hallowes H.A. of Glapwell, near Mansfield, and held since 1860 by the Rev. Charles Holcombe Leacroft M.A. of Trinity College, Cambridge, who is also vicar of and resides at Brackenfield. Gisborne's charity of £6 10S. yearly is for clothing. The Rev. Brabazon Hallowes M,A. is lord of the manor of Dethick and principal landowner. The soil is sandy; subsoil, gritstone. The chief crops are wheat, barley, oats and about one-half the land is in pasture. The acreage is 1,826; rateable value, £4,748; the population in 1881 was 1,036. "
- ^Domesday Book: A Complete Translation.London: Penguin, 2003.ISBN0-14-143994-7p.752
- ^Ralph fitzHubert held a considerable number of manors including several in Derbyshire given to him by theKing.These included obviously Lea but also included lands inEckington,Barlborough,Whitwell,Stretton,Ashover,Newton,Crich,Ingleby,Stoney Middleton,WirksworthandHathersage
- ^"The Queen is to visit Matlock".Matlock Mercury.
- ^Alistair D. McGown & Mark J. Docherty,The Hill and Beyond: Children's Television Drama - An Encyclopedia,British Film Institute, 2003, p. 113