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 | Brassington is a former lead-mining village, nestling high on the southern edge of the high ridge of Limestone which forms Minninglow, Harboro rocks and the outcrops above Middleton by Wirksworth.
 Brassington Church
The houses of the village testify to its former wealth - there are several fine houses from the 16th & 17th centuries with mullioned windows. Now however most local people work in farming, quarrying or commute to Derby. There are two pubs and a village shop.
Nearby Harboro Rocks are an outcrop of Magnesian Limestone which has been eroded to form a line of rock pillars, which attract numerous rock climbers. Within the edge is Harboro Cave, a substantial cave which was inhabited from prehistoric times until relatively recently. When Daniel Defoe made his journey around England in the 1680s he came across a family living in this cave.
Bradbourne lies about 1 mile west of Brassington. It too has a fine church which is also partly Norman in construction. The point of greatest interest however is the Saxon Cross which stands in the churchyard. This probably dates from the 8th or 9th centuries and, though made from soft sandstone and very weathered, is still quite impressive.
Brassington & Bradbourne Photo Gallery - click on the images to enlarge- Click Here for a slide show
0 - Brassington house | 
1 - Brassington village | 
2 - Harboro Rocks - entrance to Harboro Cave | 
3 - Bradbourne church | 
4 - Bradbourne church - Norman arch | 
5 - Bradbourne church - Saxon stone | 
6 - Carsington Water and boats | 
7 - High Peak Trail - Hopton Incline |
Local places of interest | Carsington Water | Carsington Water is a Severn Trent Water reservoir in Derbyshire, between Ashbourne and Wirksworth. It has a visitor centre, sailing club, fishing, and cycling and walking trails. | Ecclesbourne Valley Railway | Ecclesbourne Valley Railway is a project to reopen the railway between Wirksworth and Duffield. This is staffed and run by volunteers, based at Wirksworth Station. | Harboro Rocks | Harboro Rocks are an edge of magnesian limestone near Brassington, offering rock climbing and fantastic scenery. Harboro Cave was inhabited from the Ice Age. | High Peak Trail | The High Peak Trail takes the line of the former Cromford and High Peak Railway betwen Parsley Hey and Cromford, in the Derbyshire Peak District. | Middleton Top | Middleton Top is the last surviving winding engine from the now defunct Cromford and High Peak Railway, near Middleton by Wirksworth, Derbyshire Peak District. | National Stone Centre, Middleton by Wirksworth | The National Stone Centre, Middleton by Wirksworth, Derbyshire, has geological displays, fossils, stone walling courses, panning for gems and other activities. | Tissington Hall | Tissington Hall is the 17th century home of the FitzHerbert family in Tissington Village near Ashbourne, Derbyshire. Wonderful furniture, paintings and porcelain collection. | Tissington Trail | The Tissington Trail, a Derbyshire Peak District cycling trail follows the former railway line between Buxton and Ashbourne. | Wirksworth Church | Wirksworth Church, Derbyshire, has important and impressive Saxon carvings. Betti the Mercian monk may have been buried here, as are the Gell family and Anthony Lowe |
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