Walk Derbyshire – Pentrich to Crich
When Country Images magazine was first launched in 1994 we were pleased to be able to include walks from ‘not so’ Old Perce. Over the following months he traversed the Amber valley and provided delightful walks that, as all walks should, start and finish at the local pub. With many village pubs closing that has become harder to do but in true style for 2019 ‘a little older and wider!’ Old Perce is back. Yes, he’s still around and walks incessantly around Amber Valley which is great news for us. So this month he shares with us one of his favourite walks. 1. From The Dog Inn Pentrich go up the main road towards Swanwick, then turn left onto Riley Lane, signposted Fritchley and Crich. 2. At the bottom of Riley Lane cross Chesterfield Road onto Park Lane to Wingfield Park, past Weir Mill farm and eventually turn left onto Lynam Road signposted Fritchley and through the hamlet of Boden. 3. Go past Boden House and Boden Farm and straight up the steep lane that veers to the right. A short walk up the lane gives fine views of Wingfield Manor to the right. 4. Go to the top of the lane and follow the beaten path through the woods. At the stile follow the directions on the yellow arrow left as it marks a pathway through the second part of the woodland. 5. Eventually you will reach a stone stile to cross. Turn immediately left and go through the second stile. Turn right and walk to the end of the lane 6. At the end of the lane turn right. Fifty yards before the hat factory follow the footpath sign to the right and through the woodland for just a short distance and then cross the stile on the left marked by a yellow arrow. Keep to the right hand side of the field by the hedgerow via a stile and metal gate. Follow the pathway and keep the woodland to your left. 7. Keeping the woodland to your immediate left cross over the gated stile and continue a short distance on and cross another stile. Turn left and immediately right over a metal gated stile and continue onto the top of the lane and into Crich Market Place. 8. Cross over the Market Place and up by the Baptist Chapel and onto Sandy Lane . After 100 yards turn left up by the pathway marked Derwent Valley. Walk as indicated by the yellow arrow on the post. Follow the metal sign marked Chadwick Nick and continue on this pathway for approximately half a mile. The views to the right show spectacular views of the Derwent Valley. The pathway via a set of stone steps leads to the tarmac road of Chadwick Nick where we turn right. 9. After 200 yards turn left at the signpost with the orange sticker on it. At the end of the pathway turn left. 10. Continue on the pathway ahead, don’t be tempted to veer off to the right or left. This pathway slowly meanders through some beautiful woodland for about a mile and leads to a stone bridge that crosses the Cromford Canal. Go over the bridge and cross back under it as though heading for Ambergate 11. Follow the towpath all the way to the end and cross a white painted bridge. Follow the path ahead keeping close to a wired fence all the way until it goes through a canopy of trees then follow the path inclined upwards. 12. After 3/4 of a mile or so the path will lead to a stone stile with barred wooden gate . Cross onto the lane which leads to Chadwick Nick and turn left up the lane. 13. Follow the lane to the top up the stone steps on the right and turn right on the pathway which leads us back into Crich. (At this point I recommend a pint or two in the Black Swan or coffee and cake in The Loaf and then wander our way back). 14. Turn left out of the Black Swan or straight out of The Loaf and walk down Dimple Lane and follow it to the end where it forks left and then turn left. 15. After half a mile or so ahead cross the stile on the right, marked Buckland Hollow and cross the field through the gate to the stone wall on the left. Cross here and turn right. 16. Follow the lane through the farmyard and left down the hill. At this point the pathway becomes ill defined, so at the property marked The Hall Gardens cut left over the fields and follow closely the contour of the river 17. At the end of the path, cross a small bridge and turn right onto a busy road. A few yards ahead on the left is a signpost and a path to Pentrich which we take. 18. A gated stile needs to be crossed ahead at the right hand side on the top of the field. Continue on by the side of the hedge and cross the next gated stile. At the very end of the hedgerow turn right and follow the footpath veering left through cemetary yard and back to the Dog Inn. 10 miles (16km): Moderate trails, field-paths and country lanes. With some muddy sections. RECOMMENDED MAP: Ordnance Survey 1:25000 scale OS Explorer, Chesterfield & Alfreton. CAR PARKING: Parking on the main road in Pentrich . REFRESHMENTS: Various pubs, cafes and shops along the route. 00
Restaurant Review – The Sanam, Alfreton
Choosing a place to take the grandkids for a meal can generally be quite a challenge for many of us. So when I said “we will go to the Sanam on King Street, Alfreton at 6pm for an early doors meal”, I’m not sure it was what they were expecting. It’s an Indian restaurant I explained. But they knew that, under normal circumstances their mum and dad regularly had an Indian takeaway and the grandkids usually had a pizza from across the road! Now I know they love their pizzas, pastas, chicken and roasties but how would this change of culture go down with them? When it came to ordering each one was asked by Iqbal “What do you like? Do you like fish, or chicken?” To our surprise the 8 year old opted for salmon. But she told us she wasn’t keen on Popadoms or naan bread. We encouraged them both to just try a little bite and from there on we didn’t get a look in. There was lots of “Can I try your chicken tikka and your korma?” and they went down well too. They did opt for some fries this time. All in all it was a resounding success and subsequent takeaways have now been embraced with great excitement and experimenting. The fries haven’t been mentioned since as the cheese Nan’s have gone down a treat and the salmon, in particular, has become the favourite choice. For us adults it was great to see that, whilst we know pizza, pasta and other foods will still be enjoyed by them, there’s a whole world of flavour out there to be tried and enjoyed; plus I get to go the Sanam, a popular place for the last 28 years for me, and have my traditional karahi chicken packed with succulent chicken, peppers and onions along with a cheese and garlic nan all washed down with a pint of Mongoose. There’s everything on the menu you’d expect but straying onto the ‘chef’s specials’ section if you fancy something a little more exciting will really tickle your taste buds. The sauces at the Sanam are rich in flavour and there’s plenty of substance to them. Our thanks to Iqbal and his friendly staff for continuing to make us welcome as a family and introducing the grandkids to a different cuisine. All in all a successful night out is assured. Advanced booking is always a good idea. Call 01773 830690 00
Taste Derbyshire – Vedi
Saying you were once a vegetarian is like admitting you were a once better person. But here’s my guilty secret. After ten long years of eating mash and vegetables for Christmas dinner and crying into a bean burger at barbecues, I was lured off-course by the siren sizzle of bacon. Sixteen years of meat-eating later and my son – once the ultimate carnivore – has stirred my shame by embracing a semi-vegetarian diet. He’s not alone. One in eight Britons class themselves as vegetarian or vegan according to the Waitrose Food and Drink Report 2018-19. A further 21 per cent are ‘flexitarian’ – people with a largely plant based diet who are capable of being seduced by a cocktail sausage at parties. Veganism has also skyrocketed in the past four years. The number of people who shun all animal products has risen from 150,000 to 600,000 according to the Vegan Society. In my veggie days; vegans were a small, hard-core faction prepared to endure a dismally abstemious diet and risk fungal foot infections (a side-effect of plastic shoes) because of their unwavering principles. Now vegan food is affordable, edible and everywhere. Waitrose is just one of many high street stores and restaurants trying to woo shoppers with a range of meatless ready-meals like beetroot risotto and rainbow vegetable stew. Even Greggs, the home of the steak bake, has dominated the headlines with its vegan sausage roll. Better yet, there’s a fresh crop of vegetarian and vegan entrepreneurs popping up around Derby to help people give up meat for life and not just for Veganuary. People like Bal Dhamrait (32), who welcomes me to Vedi; a vegetarian café which he runs with his uncle Resh Dorka on Castleward Walk, Derby. Forget all the old hippy dippy clichés; the patrons of Vedi are more likely to be found chilling on a sleek grey sofa than chanting on an orange bean bag. There’s no sign of rabbit food. Bal uses family recipes to give a vegan twist to modern café favourites like paninis, burritos, jacket spuds and Bal’s famous ‘Roti ‘Rap’ – a roti bread filled with homemade curry and pickle. Then you have the cakes; glitter-strewn and lemon drizzled cupcakes and decadent brownies made by Molly Russell, who runs V Bakes. “Molly’s cakes are delicious, we can’t keep up with demand,” Bal says as we wait for Molly to join us for a chat. “Baking cakes without eggs and butter is not easy, we did try. Then my sister saw Molly’s stall at Well Fest at Derby’s Roundhouse and rang me to say ‘There’s a girl selling the most amazing cakes.’ You can’t tell they’re vegan – they just taste really good.” When Molly arrives, it’s obvious why the new business owners developed such an instant rapport. Both believe in gently encouraging people – even lapsed vegetarians like me – towards a meat-free diet by providing delicious alternatives. “We’re not saying people must change overnight when they may have been eating meat their whole lives,” says Molly (22), who works from her family home in Mackworth which she shares with parents Ian and Angela and sister Katy (19) – none of whom are vegetarian. “It might be people want one or two meat-less days a week and that’s great. I think what Bal and I are trying to do is produce food which is so good, people don’t feel they’re missing out. We don’t want to give anyone the excuse to fall off the wagon.” Bal insists the café, which offers 100 per cent vegan food, is for everyone – regardless of their diet. “People come because they’re curious or they’ve heard about us from friends,” he smiles. “The first thing they’ll say is ‘what’s that amazing smell?’ We’ll encourage them to taste a little of our curry or scrambled tofu. Once they taste it, they love it. They’re not thinking about the food being vegan – they’re just enjoying it.” The pairs relaxed approach to meat-eaters reflects the fact their conversion to a plant-based diet came from an initial desire to eat less meat. “I used to love meat,” Molly laughs. “In February 2016, I’d just returned from three months in Thailand and I’d eaten so much meat, I needed a break. I told my mum I was thinking of becoming veggie and she said I’d be eating bacon sandwiches again within the week. But I’d watched some documentary films about the meat industry. Once you’re doing something for ethical reasons, your determination is so much stronger.” Bal nods: “I used to eat a lot of meat because I was training in the gym,” he says. “But then I gave up chicken followed by bacon and sausages. The more meat I gave up – the better I felt. I eat as much as I used to and feel stronger and fitter.” Molly says her switch to vegetarianism, followed by veganism in January 2017, had a profound effect on her health. “Once I cut out cheese and milk my skin cleared-up, my digestion was better and I had so much more energy,” she says. “I remember being quite lethargic when I was in the 6th form and it didn’t occur to me it might be down to my diet. I’m not saying I’m invincible – but I don’t have that 3pm slump.” But it was the decision to start V Bakes – after finding it impossible to find a homemade vegan birthday cake in Derby – which dramatically changed Molly’s mental well-being. “I’d been having a really rough time with anxiety and depression,” she says. “When I launched the business in May 2018, I realised I’d finally found what I was meant to do and my mental health improved. Baking gave me a reason to get out of bed every day. I still get stressed but I direct it to something positive – making my business more successful.” Hearing about her flavoursome creations – cherry and ginger brownies, honeycomb and pretzel
The Manifold Valley
Two major Peakland rivers, the Dove and Manifold, begin their lives a little over a mile apart, high up on the gritstone moors of Axe Edge, between Buxton and Leek. They both flow south west, almost parallel to each other, separated by limestone ridges, before joining below Thorpe village; here they continue, now known simply as the Dove, southwards to enrich the waters of the River Trent. The river and its valley we are exploring is the Manifold. Unlike the Dove whose birthplace can be identified by a well that once provided drinking water for a farm at Dove Head, no single place can be identified as the true birthplace of the Manifold. Several streams rise from the bleak shales of Axe Edge, but they soon join to make the Manifold. But if one source must be identified then perhaps being the most northerly, it is the stream which rises near the Traveller’s Rest close by Flash village. Few if any tributaries join from the east, but several including the Hamps, the Manifold’s major side stream, flow in from the west. At one time there were plans to flood a wide shallow basin below Longnor, but fortunately they were abandoned in favour of Carsington Reservoir. The underlying rocks are shales as far as Hulme End. Here the river starts to meet limestone, a rock so porous that further down the dale, the Manifold frequently disappears underground, only to surface at a well in the grounds of Ilam Hall. Tiny farm-based villages dot the moors, with Longnor traditionally their focal point. The village sits on a high ledge above the Manifold and is where until recent memory that farmers brought their produce and animals for sale. Overlooking the cobbled square, the market house with its scale of charges on a board above the entrance, is now a craft workshop and café. Classified as a Conservation Area, Longnor is one of those places where quiet wandering down narrow side alleys leads the traveller to the discovery of attractive cottages and scenes. The village was once part of the Crewe and Harpur Estate, a fact highlighted by the name of the inn opposite the old market house. Although Longnor church was rebuilt in the 18th century, it stands on foundations at least 8oo years old. Look for the tombstone of William Billinge, who, if we are to believe records of the day, was 112 when he died in 1791. He was a soldier who fought under the command of the Duke of Marlborough and faced death so many times in action, that he believed it had overlooked him. A complex pattern of moorland roads run west then south above the headwaters of the Manifold’s higher tributaries. One of them leaves the Buxton/Leek road beyond the Royal Cottage pub where Bonnie Prince Charlie is supposed to have rested on his march south. This side road, never dropping much below 1400 feet, winds its way south across the Morridge moors where the remote Mermaid Inn is the only habitation for several miles. As befits such a remote spot, a nearby pool is said to be the haunt of a mermaid who drags the unwary to their doom. The inn once looked after the needs of coal miners who worked shallow pits on the surrounding moors, but is now much more upmarket. For several days on either side of mid-summer’s day, the sun when viewed from the Mermaid Inn appears to set twice when it passes behind Hen Cloud to the north-west. Warslow is on the Leek/Hartington road, a focal point for the surrounding farms. Again like Longnor, Warslow was a Crewe and Harpur estate village where the Calke Abbey dwelling family had a shooting lodge nearby. Moving east along the B5054, limestone appears at Hulme End, continuing south towards Ashbourne. Engine sheds and station buildings are now an information centre at Hulme End using what was once the northern terminus of a light railway that joined the standard gauge Leek-bound line at Waterhouses. Intended to find most of its trade carrying milk, it was also popular with passengers who travelled in its yellow-liveried coaches hauled by locomotives resplendent with massive headlamps; they came this way seeking the delights of the Manifold valley. Never profitable The Manifold Valley Light Railway became known as the railway that went from nowhere to nowhere, it was opened in 1904,but only ran until 1934. Since then the track has been converted to a cycle and walking trail. A large round hill dominates the landscape immediately to the south of Hulme End. This is Ecton Hill, a hill which gives little hint of the fortunes won and lost beneath its green slopes. Copper and lead were mined here for over three centuries, and although at one time its profits paid for the Duke of Devonshire’s plans to develop Buxton as a spa town, all that is left upon the surface are overgrown spoil heaps, the outflow from one of the mines close to the valley road and the restored Agent’s House (privately owned), with its green-coloured copper spire peeping through the trees. While the Manifold Valley Trail follows the old railway, the riverside road leaves the valley at Wetton Mill. There is a small car park and café here, making it easy to venture further afield by climbing up to Thor’s Cave where our ancestors dating from pre-historic to Romano-British times once sheltered. Earlier still, the shallow cave became the lair of hyenas and sabre-toothed tigers. At Wetton Mill, the river makes the first of its disappearing acts beneath the fissured layers of limestone, only reappearing finally at a ‘boil hole’ below Ilam Hall, about seven miles downstream. A waterwheel once powered Wetton’s mill by water carried along a leat that can be still traced from where it took water from the main river about a mile upstream. Three villages sit high above the valley. To the west is Butterton and across the fields, its neighbour, Grindon. Both are peaceful,
RSPB – Act Swiftly to Save this Incredible Bird
The RSPB is calling on homeowners and businesses in UK towns and cities to take simple steps to help save swifts. Swift numbers have plummeted by half in just twenty years. Now’s the time to act – before the birds return from Africa in spring to raise their families The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) National Nestbox week, 14-21 February, is the perfect time to get bird boxes up. In just a few months’ time, swifts will be making their epic 6,000 mile journey here from Africa to bring up their chicks. But for many, the chance to lay their eggs will be thwarted: our buildings are changing and their former homes under the eaves are gone, as are the spaces we used to leave for them. These birds are now vanishing from our summer skies: half have gone in just twenty years. So the RSPB is appealing to the public to help provide as many new homes for them as possible. Just 1,000 additional new nestboxes could make a difference. Swifts are incredible birds, spending most of their lives on the wing and only landing when it’s time to nest. After flying its nest for the first time, a young swift may spend two or three years in the air, eating, drinking, sleeping, bathing and even mating! The swifts that nest in the UK arrive here in late April – May and may spend just 3 months with us; soaring and swooping over rooftops catching insects to eat. But they’re in serious trouble here, with numbers down to less than half of what they were just twenty years ago. Modern buildings lack the nooks and crannies they need, and swifts are struggling to find homes. Fortunately there are ways to help these birds. There are special swift nestboxes available, and if you’re having a building constructed or renovated, there’s also the option of the ‘swift brick’. This replaces a standard house brick and can easily be installed by a builder. Swift nestboxes and swift bricks can work especially well when put up in groups, as these birds like to be near other swifts. RSPB swift lead Jamie Wyver said “We know how to give swifts the new homes they need – now let’s bring them back to our towns and cities!” Having swifts as neighbours is enjoyed by many homeowners. Research by University of Gloucestershire Masters student Sarah Roberts in 2018 showed that people welcome the birds living on the outside of their homes. When asked whether they thought built-in boxes for bats or for birds like swifts were a good idea, 61% were positive and 36% unconcerned about having them in their own homes. “We need local councils and developers on board as they have the power to make an enormous difference” Jamie Wyver said “Think of all the new building that’s going on around the UK: with a few tiny changes we could be providing millions of homes for swifts.” Some developers are already integrating swift homes into new buildings. Prince Charles’ Duchy of Cornwall estate has a policy of providing one swift box for every new home on average and has already installed more than 500 swift boxes in Duchy developments from Cornwall to Oxfordshire, with thousands more in the pipeline. Barratt Developments Plc have added 200 on their Kingsbrook estate in Aylesbury and have plans to install many more around the country. Find out more at www.rspb.org.uk/homes-for-swifts Across the UK there are also dedicated swift experts and volunteers working to save swifts, including Swift Conservation, Action for Swifts and the Swifts Local Network. 00
Product Test – Nourish Naturally with Neal’s Yard Remedies
Spend a little bit of extra time on yourself with some natural products. Wild Rose Body Elixir£30 Blended with organic wild rosehip oil and acai, Wild Rose Body Elixir helps boost your skin’s radiance and hydration. Rich in antioxidants and essential fatty acids, with a balancing blend of organic geranium and patchouli essential oils, it will leave your skin feeling softer and glowing with radiance. • Luxurious, gel-like texture • Boosts skin’s radiance and hydration • Beautiful subtle fragrance • Certified organic Directions Massage into slightly damp skin after bathing. For best results use daily. Aromatic Body Butter £23 Our rich and creamy body butter is blended with organic shea and cocoa butters and a relaxing blend of Geranium, Lavender and Marjoram Essential Oils. Together they leave your skin feeling smooth and smelling divine. • Perfect for all skin types • Luxurious texture • Deeply relaxing blend of soothing aromatherapy oils • Organic butters help to moisturise skin so it feels smooth and supple How to use: Apply daily and after bathing. Warm the butter between your hands before massaging a small amount into the legs, arms and body. Beauty Sleep Body Butter £23 This sumptuously rich body butter is the perfect pre-sleep prep. Infused with calming Ylang Ylang and Patchouli Essential Oils and nourishing organic shea and cocoa butters, it has a restful aroma and works overnight for skin that feels soft and beautifully pampered. • Perfect for all skin types • Deeply nourishing • Beautiful blend of calming essential oils • Restful fragrance to help soothe the body and mind How to use: Use at bedtime or after bathing. Warm the butter between your hands before massaging a small amount into the legs, arms and body. TRIED & TESTED Wild Rose Body Elixir Beware, a small amount goes a very long way. It has a light fragrance and is easier to use after a shower. The results however are excellent and long lasting, it really does moisturise your skin and I found it a great boost after the winter. JP. Beauty Sleep Body Butter This has a lovely ‘spa’ scent. Glides on well and rubs in nicely. A really good nourishing butter perfect for winter months. VP. Aromatic Body Butter This is a lovely rich cream with aromatic soothing essential oils. I found it the perfect product to apply after a bath or shower and it lasts a long time as only a little amount is required. It absorbs easily into the skin, leaving you with a gorgeous calming aroma and feeling very relaxed! CB 00
Celebrity Interview – Sherrie Hewson
Sherrie Hewson is feeling a little bit emotional. The Nottinghamshire-born actress is delighted to be returning to Nottingham’s Theatre Royal in a show that has provoked a “wild” reaction from audiences. But she’s also sad to be saying goodbye to a character she’s become synonymous with as well as a group of actors who she regards as family. Sherrie has been on tour for the past six months in the stage show of the television series Benidorm. She plays hotel manager Joyce Temple-Savage, a “wonderful” part which writer Derren Litten penned with Sherrie in mind. But there’ll be no more Benidorm on TV. Although Litten is writing a film featuring all the usual Solana Hotel guests and staff, the stage show gives the cast the opportunity to say farewell to the fans who’ve helped it to win a BAFTA for best situation comedy as well as other national television awards. Speaking from Dartford during a stop-off on the tour, Sherrie explained how fantastic it is to hear people laughing at the show, what she’d like to appear in next and why the Mayor of Nottingham wasn’t happy with her the last time she performed in the city. She says the response from audiences at Benidorm Live has been “phenomenal”. “The producers have said they’ve never seen anything like it because audiences are standing and screaming. In all my hundreds of years in this business I’ve never seen a reaction like it. When each one of us comes out the audience goes wild. At the end they’re up on their feet screaming. It’s just extraordinary. “I said to the boys (in the show) ‘you’ll never see this again in your lifetime’. It’s the love of the ten years of the show and love of the characters.” Sherrie points out that some of the people who’ve seen the live show have never watched the television programme. One family in Dartford said they had never laughed so much in their lives and booked to see the show again later in the week. Benidorm Live starts where the last television programme finished, with a hotel chain trying to take over the Solana. Sherrie says the difference between the television series and the stage show is that the actors can hear laughter. “Usually we’ve only got a crew watching us who want to go for lunch.” She joined the television series at the start of series five in 2012. “It was amazing from day one. Joyce Temple-Savage will stay with me forever and Derren wrote the part with me in mind, which is a wonderful thing to happen to an actor. When I first read the script I could actually hear my voice. So that’s how wonderful it was and still is. “I will miss playing her because I love her quirkiness and everything about her. You put a lot of yourself into something. So when Benidorm goes, part of you goes. We’ve invested a lot of our lives in the show. That will be the sadness.” Sherrie Lynn Hutchinson was born on 17 September 1950 in Burton Joyce. She first trod the boards when she was four. “My mother used to model at the Theatre Royal. I was a little girl in a big dress with white socks and white sandals and I used to walk behind her.” As a child she performed at Nottingham Arts Theatre with Su Pollard in Whistle Down The Wind. She trained as a ballet dancer in Nottingham along with Janine Duvitski who plays Jacqueline in Benidorm. After going to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Sherrie’s career took off with television appearances in Z Cars and the prison drama Within These Walls. In 1975 she was cast in Carry On Behind and her talent for comedy led to her being invited to join Russ Abbot’s Madhouse where she was an integral part of the team for more than ten years. More recently she has become known as accident-prone supermarket assistant Maureen Webster in Coronation Street, Lesley Meredith in Emmerdale and as a panellist on the ITV lunchtime show Loose Women for 13 years. Now she is returning to the Theatre Royal where she last appeared in 2017 as Mrs Potts in Beauty And The Beast. She tries to get back to Nottingham as often as she can to see family which includes Nottingham Forest legend Garry Birtles who is her cousin. But she’s not a fan of how the city is changing. “I hate it that Nottingham has been messed about architecturally. When I did panto there I said to the Mayor ‘will you please leave Nottingham alone! We want the old Nottingham, not what you’re doing’. I don’t think he was very happy with me.” Back to Benidorm and Sherrie believes it’s so popular because it has replaced the Carry On films. “Benidorm is quintessentially British, it’s everything the Carry Ons were and it’s postcard British comedy which everybody loves. Every time I hear the music it makes me smile. “It’s quite near the knuckle sometimes in exactly the same way a pantomime is. But you could never take offence at Benidorm.” How much of Sherrie is in the character of Joyce Temple-Savage? “Well, she’s a kind of heightened version of me really. She’s a victim, she’s quite sad, she’s a strong woman with a big work ethic, like I have. “I like her because she’s a survivor. Whatever you throw at her she’ll get up for another day and fight. I think she’s quite lonely and I feel sorry for her sometimes. But she’s her own worst enemy too because she’s too strong, been on her own too long and will fight her corner rather than back down. “I guess that’s part of me and the reason I survive in life – I’ve had knocks but I always kick them out of the way and get up and fight another day.” Those knocks include being divorced from her husband after he admitted having an affair.
Lost Houses of Derbyshire – Breadsall Mount
Breadsall was one of the villages immediately surrounding Derby that so far has escaped being absorbed by the ever-expanding city below it and to the south, although a considerable amount of land on the southern edge of the parish was absorbed in 1921 and is now host to the Breadsall Hill Top estate, created through the sale and destruction of two of several country houses and gentleman’s villas in the parish, Breadsall Hill Top and Breadsall Mount. Indeed, Breadsall’s history was always chequered, the parish having been divided by its first feudal lords, the de Dunes, into two separate manorial estates. There were also two settlements: the present village, originally Breadsall Nether Hall, and another on the ridge to the SE called Breadsall Upper Hall. I became acquainted with the latter when, as Assistant Keeper of Archaeology at the Museum, I was invited in 1980 to the site by the late Maurice Brassington to see what was there, the City Council having then just decided to sell the entire area for housing. What we found was a moated site, presumably the site of the de Dune family’s Upper Hall, and numerous sunken lanes and grassy house platforms: the place was a hitherto unrecorded deserted Medieval village (DMV). Had we discovered all this before, English Heritage (as it then was) could have been alerted and, even had they failed to stop Derby expanding onto the site, could at least have insisted on an archaeological investigation, although, in truth, the requirement for a developer to fund an excavation in the circumstances was then still a decade and a half off. Down the hill, Breadsall Nether Hall is now Breadsall Old Hall, a much-rebuilt Medieval remnant in the middle of the village, once the property of the Harpurs and previously of the Curzons. To the north, once stood Breadsall Priory, which was replaced by the Cutler family’s new house around 1600. This Jacobean mansion, much rebuilt for Sir Alfred Haslam by Scrivener of Stoke and extended in the Edwardian period by Percy Currey, eventually became an hotel. On the Hill Top, things were different. Just SE of the DMV once stood Breadsall Mount, on land owned by the Bateman family of Derby and Hartington Hall as part of the large estate centered on Morley which they had inherited from the Sacheverels. They had numerous interests in Derby, and in 1731 built 36, St. Mary’s Gate as their town house – until they inherited the much grander St. Mary’s Gate House a generation later. One, Sir Hugh Bateman MP, was raised to a baronetcy in 1806, but failed to leave any sons, the title going via a daughter (a most unusual arrangement for a baronet) to the Scotts of Great Barr and eventually to the Hoods. Yet by the Regency period the centre of Derby was getting polluted and noisy. The elite were minded to move into the suburbs, and in this series we have looked at several of the opulent villas built by the Bateman’s contemporaries. Their own first suburban house was Litchurch Villa, of c. 1828, now the Rolls-Rovce club on Osmaston Road. Yet a generation down the line again it turned out to be too close the foundries of Litchurch, the smoke, smells and racket of which made the place difficult to live in. Therefore, Sir Hugh’s nephew, Thomas Osborne Bateman (fifth son of the Baronet’s brother Richard) decided in 1863 to move yet again, this time choosing the high ground to the north of the town, clear of what the prevailing wind might bring from the foundries. Here he decided to build a new house entirely, and spare no expense whilst doing so. The site was on land once part of Breadsall Upper Hall but it was on the family’s ancient Morley estate, which supported the house, for Morley Hall was demolished by the 1750s and a successor house rented out. Called Breadsall Mount, the house was begun in 1863, the architect being Henry Isaac Stevens of Friar Gate (1806-1873), then in partnership with Lancashire gentleman-architect Frederick Josias Robinson. Stevens was Derbyshire’s best known, most prolific and accomplished Victorian architect, if not perhaps the most imaginative. Second son of Isaac Nehemiah Stevens of Pimlico (later of Ockbrook), Steward to the Earl of Chesterfield, his mother was Londoner Elizabeth Young. Henry (as he was originally baptised on 15 November 1806 at St. George’s, Hanover Square) was trained under William Martin, Lord Chesterfield’s agent and architect at Bretby and the family seem to have had close connections with Lord Chesterfield’s household in London as well as in Derbyshire. He also studied in the office of Sir Jeffrey Wyatville whilst the latter was working at Windsor Castle. Sir Jeffrey had designed Bretby Castle with Martin, and Stevens married Martin’s daughter Anne in 1832, settling and beginning work at Hartshorne, also on the Chesterfield estate. They had four children of whom only the youngest outlived her parents. Through his wife, he was also uncle to another prolific Derby architect, George Henry Sheffield, whom he trained. Stevens was Churchwarden of All Saints’ 1842-3, but by 1852 (when he was elected FRIBA) the family was living at Mackworth. At just about the time he was completing Breadsall Mount (and perhaps thanks to the fee!) he built himself The Hollies, 20 Pear Tree Road, Pear Tree, a new Derby suburb. He served as a Conservative Councillor 1862-64 and 1866-69, and his will is dated 18th November 1872. He died at home 30th April 1873. The house Stevens built was fairly standard fare for him. It was ‘Jacobethan’ that is, a combination of classic Elizabethan and Jacobean features, then very popular with the elite. The entrance was on the three gabled west front, and was through a Gothic doorcase above which was carved, by Derby sculptor Joseph Barlow Robinson, the Bateman arms, quartering Sacheverell and Osborne. The gables were straight and coped, the house of two lofty storeys and attics and built of fine ashlar, squared from
Local Collectibles – Classic Histories of Derby
In 2013 I wrote an article in Country Images about collecting local books, and threatened to continue the theme with further examples at a later date. Since then, we have been concentrating on modern collectibles, but following three separate appeals from readers for me to continue with collectible old local books, I thought I might take a detour and look at the oldest printed accounts of Derby itself. The very first written account after John Leland appears in William Camden’s Britannia of 1610, but which is not only in Latin, but is also hard to come by and contains accounts of everywhere else too, as does the account in Britton & Bailey’s Beauties of England & Wales (1801 on). There were also one or two short notices written in the later 17th century, but key is the MS account by William Woolley of Darley Hall, written in 1713. It was only published in 1981, but was much plundered (being in various local collections from the start and probably in more than one copy). Woolley wrote quite a full account of the town, and was followed by most who came after. The first was William Hutton, FSA (Scot) who published his History and Antiquities of Derby in 1791, devoting 320 pages to his subject. He was a native of the town, a former child employee of the Silk Mill and much of what he wrote is from personal experience which makes his book crucial, although he also quotes copiously from Woolley. The book is 9 by 6 inches (octavo) and contains an east prospect of Derby as a frontispiece, by George Moneypenny, Joseph Pickford’s former carver, P P Burdett’s revised map of Derby and a number of engravings, also by Moneypenny who was a fine sculptor, but in my view less accomplished as a draughtsman! A second edition – little changed – was printed in 1819, but which is less desirable to the collector. A reproduction version of 2017 should cost about £20-25 but an original copy is more expensive and much scarcer: £480 was paid for one recently, although rebound in half calf. My copy has Horatio Walpole’s bookplate and is thus from the library at Strawberry Hill, which might add a premium, but £120-£180 should buy a serviceable copy, and less for the second edition. In between came Samuel & Nathaniel Lysons’ History of Derbyshire (1817) with a Derby section closely based on Hutton but with a better map. Robert Simpson was the next in the field, publishing A Collection of Fragments IIlustrative of the History and Antiquities of Derby, three parts in two volumes in 1826. Part one reproduces in full all the documents then available relating to Derby’s History whilst part II is an account of the topography, churches and buildings. Part three contains biographical notes, lists of Mayors MPs and High Sheriffs and so on – all very useful, if hardly gripping reading! For both volumes, complete with folding map and lithographic illustrations, you will need £200 plus – one dealer is currently asking £150 for volume II only! – but the 2015 paperback reprint usually costs £30-35. The classic history is that of Stephen Glover, being an amplification of his 1827 directory of the county (published, confusingly, in 1829). That same year he published volume one of a projected History and Gazetteer of Derbyshire, which consists of a general history, natural history, manufactures etc, plus 17 useful appendices, reprinting documents, many of which had eluded Simpson, including the town annals in full, a document since lost in the 1841 Guildhall fire. But just for a good history of Derby itself, one requires volume two (he never published any more volumes, due to a variety of problems) which came out in 1831. This has nearly 500 pages with 250-odd devoted to Derby, with lots of (well-known) woodcuts and some good engravings. In the same year Glover published a revised volume I and in 1833 came the best, revised volume II, now 623 pages. The first edition now goes for about £140 plus, the second for £60-180. However, he also had imperial octavo editions printed, like mine, which normally go for over £200. A single volume II of either edition now costs between £50 and £80. The Derby section of Glover’s history was revised again in 1843 (with a gazetteer and directory), reprinted in hardback in the 1990s by Breedon Books, this going for some £15 these days, although the original makes between £50 and £80 in good condition and there is even an 1858 version usually obtainable (but very rarely available) at the same sort of price. One nice chatty book about Derby which is readable and includes some quirky asides is John Keys’ Sketches of Old Derby and Neighbourhood, a limited edition on high quality paper and binding published by Bemrose in imperial octavo in 1895. Keys was an ex-employee of the China Factory, so adds some fascinating insights. It is a handsome book and contains a number of engravings, some of unfamiliar buildings. It also reproduced the famous 1712 plan of The Friary. Ex-library and well-thumbed this should cost no more than £25, but for a good copy you must expect to pay up to about £80. In 1909 came A W Davison’s Derby, its Rise and Progress which is a handy account as far as it goes, as is its close cousin, W. A. Richardson’s Citizen’s Derby, of 1947, issued to all Borough Schools and therefore quite common and inexpensive (£10-15) Neither has any pretension to scholarship, and much of the information has been modified by later research. Finally, there is Llewellyn Eardley Simpson’s Derby and the ’Forty Five, published in London by Philip Allen in 1933 and fairly scarce. Despite being pretty fiercely partisan in favour of the Jacobite cause, it is very detailed and useful, drawing together all the available sources including those in the Royal Archives, and reproduces some in full. There is also a sort of prosopography of
Dining Out – The Curry Lounge, Somercotes
They’re in every town centre and sometimes have the same names; that’s Indian restaurants. Somercotes is no exception. At the side of the parish church, on what remains of the Market Place, is the Curry Lounge; an independent restaurant, owned and skillfully managed by Ukeel. Susan and myself visited the Curry Lounge on a Saturday evening and despite it being a busy weekend there was plenty of room to park close by, without having to cross a busy road. We arrived by taxi and were dropped off at the door. As we entered the foyer we were surprised and impressed by the light, contemporary décor and layout of the interior. Traditional icons, combined with a dedicated colour palate, have been used with a light touch to create a welcoming space that wouldn’t look out of place in a modern city centre restaurant. The seating in the restaurant isn’t cramped and the layout allows them to accommodate a large party very easily. Once we were comfortably seated Ukeel guided us through the menu and made a few recommendations. The Curry Lounge serves an excellent array of soft drinks but doesn’t have a liquor license. However, you can take your own; which in some ways is a good thing. If you have a favourite wine or beer, you can bring it along. You won’t have to put up with an alternative. We chose a dry Riesling style wine from Austria: Grüner Veltliner 2017. It’s a classy, crisp dry wine and makes an interesting alternative to a good Sauvignon Blanc; the colour of fresh straw with a hint of gooseberries and green apple smell. The well balanced acidity and citrus flavours make it an ideal accompaniment to Indian spices. The smartly dressed, attentive waiters never missed a beat; replacing cutlery when needed and asking if we’d like to keep the sauce boat of raita on the table after we’d finished our crispy poppadoms. The trio of poppadom accompaniments: a tomato and onion, a mango and a lime chutney were all spicy and smooth. A pleasant prelude to a spicy dinner. For her starter Susan chose the vegetable samosas. There are samosas where the pastry is too thick but these triangular shaped thin pastry cases filled with a mildly spiced mixture of finely diced vegetables allowed the filling to be star of the show. The raita, left over from our appetiser, was not out of place with the pastry parcels. Ukeel had recommended that I try one of the sea food dishes. I selected the Curry Lounge’s own recipe starter; a fillet of moist white fish, that had retained all its flavour, gently cooked in a dusting of spiced flour and accompanied by a dash of that raita. On our way to the Curry Lounge Susan had said that she’d like to try a main dish other than chicken. One of the restaurant’s signature dishes is a lamb pasanda and so, Sue chose it as her main. The creamy pasanda sauce, made with combination of cream or yoghurt, spices, raisins and nuts, coated the tender, diced lamb and made the dish spicy and smooth with a sweet, fruity note. I’m a big fan of spinach; either raw in a salad or, as in this case, used to flavour and thicken a dish. That’s why I chose the house favourite: the Deshi Delight. This consisted of large pieces of chicken that had been marinated in a yoghurt and spice sauce (similar to a tandoori marinade) served in a hot, but not fierce, sauce of chickpeas and spinach. The chicken was tender and moist and the sauce lived up to its billing delivering spice, texture and clean flavours. To go with our mains we wanted to try a bit of everything. So, we ordered only one portion of rice plus a garlic and coriander naan, that was warm, moist and beautifully blistered, and a dish of Bombay aloo, fluffy potatoes in a mildly spiced tomato sauce. Saturday is a busy time for any restaurant and the Curry Lounge buzzed with conversation and guests moving in and out. This contributed to making our enjoyable evening so memorable. A big ‘thank you’ to Ukeel and his staff for a relaxed evening and wonderful Indian food. +10
