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Peak District Towns and Villages: Rowsley

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

Local Services:

B & B

Self Catering

Food and Drink

Local Geography:
Area Map

Nearby Villages

Local Attractions

Rowsley lies at the junction of the Wye and Derwent rivers and is bisected by the main road, the A6. The village is in two sections - the original village lies in the 'Y' between the two rivers, while to the east is the so-called 'railway village' constructed around the former Midland railway station, now occupied by an engineering works. The two sections form an interesting contrast - the old part is made of gritstone cottages and farmhouses and has connections with nearby Haddon and Chatsworth, while the newer part is more utilitarian.

Peacock Hotel Rowsley
Peacock Hotel Rowsley
Two buildings in Rowsley are of interest. One is the Peacock Hotel on the main road. Built in 1652 by a John Stevenson who was agent to Grace, Lady Manners, this was at one time a dower house of Haddon Hall and is a very fine building. Above the entrance there is a magnificent ceramic peacock (the emblem of the Manners family), made by Mintons of Stoke-on-Trent. The second interesting building is Caudwell's mill, which lies off the A6 to the south, and is a fine example of a working 19th century mill.

In the old village there is a Victorian church just to the north of the old railway line. Over the bridge across the Derwent there is a second pub and a small 'shopping village' behind it.

Nearby Places of Interest

Bakewell ChurchBakewell parish church, Bakewell, Derbyshire, is built on the foundations of a Saxon church and includes some Norman sections.
Caudwell's Mill, RowsleyCaudwell's Mill, Rowsley, Derbyshire, is a working 19th century flour mill which still mills and sells flour. It is open for guided tours and there is also a mill shop and tea room.
Chatsworth House and ParkChatsworth House in Derbyshire, in the Peak District. Home of the Dukes of Devonshire, the Cavendish Family. Build by Bess of Hardwick. Mary Queen of Scots was imprisioned here. The greatest house of the region and set in a large park.
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.
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.
Peak RailPeak Rail have re-opened a section of the former Midland railway which ran between Matlock and Buxton. They are based at Rowsley South station and run services from there to Matlock.
Robin Hood's StrideRobin Hood's Stride is a spectacular tor of gritstone rocks perched on a ridge between Harthill Moor and the Alport-Winster road in the Derbyshire Peak District.
Stanton MoorStanton Moor, and the Nine Ladies stone circle, Derbyshire - a scenic area with many bronze age relics and burial mounds overlooking Stanton in Peak and the Wye and Derwent valleys.
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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