A fine stretch of road brings us from Belper to this gateway of the romantic country of the Peak, now a workaday village where roads, rivers and railways meet, keeping the lovely setting nature gave it in the sweeping valley of the Derwent, with the splendid woods of Shining Cliff and the slopes of Crich Chase rising on each side. Here the Amber joins the Derwent, flowing with it under an old bridge to a bower of trees.
The church was rebuilt in the late 19th century, but in two small windows of the porch is old glass found in a box in a cottage, some of it English and some Flemish; A panel of the Ascension is of the 16th century, one of the Crucifixion is of the 18th century, and a small roundel came from Shrewsbury Abbey. The marble figure of an angel protecting a child from a serpent is the work of a Belgian sculptor who sought refuge here during the Great War.
The largest employer in the village is Stevenson's Dyers, often seen in the TV programme 'Peak Practice'....and there are excellent factory shops open to the public.
Places to stay
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