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Ashford in the Water - Peak District Towns and Villages

Ashford in the Water - An index to Peak District towns and villages including Ashford in the Water, Ashbourne, Bakewell, Buxton, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Leek, Matlock, Macclesfield and Wirksworth in Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire, England, UK.
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Ashford in the Water

Local Services:

B & B

Self Catering

Food and Drink

Local Geography:
Area Map

Nearby Villages

Local Attractions

Ashford is a sleepy little village lying on the River Wye, just upstream of Bakewell. It has a long history, and from the Iron Age or earlier was one of the major crossing points on the Wye. The river and the bridges across it are major features of Ashford. Sheepwash Bridge dates from the 17th century and has a pen next to it for the purpose of washing the sheep, a practice which continued until quite recently. Downstream, Mill Bridge is dated 1664, but is newer than Sheepwash Bridge.

Sheepwash Bridge
Sheepwash Bridge
The church has a 14th century tower and font, but was heavily restored in the 1870s, and most of the building dates from then. In the church is the grave of Henry Watson (d. 1786), who was responsible for the commercial exploitation of Ashford Black Marble. Not a true marble, this impure limestone comes up an attractive shiny black colour when polished, and it was quarried from Kirk Dale and Rookery Wood just outside Ashford, and used at an early date in both Hardwick Hall and Chatsworth. However, Watson's invention of machinery for cutting and polishing the marble allowed it to be mass-produced and it became very fashionable. Watson's machinery used water power from a mill on the River Wye near the foot of Kirk Dale, which closed in 1905, though the foundations may still be seen. Examples of Ashford Marble are on display in Buxton Museum.

A further 2km upstream, on the River Wye, lies the outlet for Magpie Sough, built in 1873, a 2km long 'drain' for the Magpie mine at Sheldon.

Ashford has an annual well-dressing which is held during the week of Pentecost - six weeks after Easter (usually late May/early June). The village has a shop, pub and a couple of hotels.

Nearby Places of Interest

Bakewell ChurchBakewell parish church, Bakewell, Derbyshire, is built on the foundations of a Saxon church and includes some Norman sections.
Haddon HallHaddon Hall, a mediaeval manor house and home of the Dukes of Rutland, the Manners family, in the Peak District alongside the River Wye near Bakewell, Derbyshire.
Magpie MineThe Magpie Mine, just South of Sheldon, was one of the most famous lead mines in the Peak District and was worked until the 1950s. Most of the buildings still stand.
Monsal HeadMonsal Head, a famous Derbyshire Peak District beauty spot with a magnificent view down Monsal Dale and up the Wye valley.
Monsal TrailThe Monsal Trail is Derbyshire Peak District cycle trail which follows the path of the former Midland Railway from Wye Dale to a point beyond Bakewell, mostly following the River Wye.
Old House Museum, BakewellThe Old House Museum, Bakewell, Derbyshire, has a small exhibition of local life and artefacts, housed in a typical yeoman's house of the 16th century.
Youlgrave ChurchYoulgrave or Youlgreave Church, Derbyshire, is one of the finest churches in the Peak District. The tombs of Thomas Cockayne, Sir John Rossington and Roger Rooe are especially fine.
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