Portal:Derbyshire

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The Derbyshire Portal

Introduction

Derbyshire (/ˈdɑːrbiʃɪər, -ʃər/ DAR-bee-sheer, -⁠shər) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south and west, and Cheshire to the west. Derby is the largest settlement, and Matlock is the county town.

The county has an area of 2,625 km² (1,014 sq mi) and a population of 1,053,316. The east of the county is more densely populated than the west, and contains the county's largest settlements: Derby (261,400), Chesterfield (88,483), and Swadlincote (45,000). For local government purposes Derbyshire comprises a non-metropolitan county, with eight districts, and the Derby unitary authority area. The East Midlands Combined County Authority includes Derbyshire County Council and Derby City Council.

The north and centre of Derbyshire are hilly and contain the southern end of the Pennines, most of which are part of the Peak District National Park. They include Kinder Scout, at 636 m (2,087 ft) the highest point in the county. The River Derwent is the longest in the county, at 66 miles (106 km), and flows south until it meets the River Trent just south of Derby. Church Flatts Farm at Coton in the Elms, near Swadlincote, is the furthest point from the sea in the UK. (Full article...)

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The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire.

Most of the area falls within the Peak District National Park, whose designation in 1951 made it the earliest national park in the British Isles. An area of great diversity, it is conventionally split into the northern Dark Peak, where most of the moorland is found and whose geology is gritstone, and the southern White Peak, where most of the population lives and where the geology is mainly limestone-based. Proximity to the major conurbations of the Midlands, Yorkshire and Lancashire, coupled with easy access by road and rail, make it the most visited national park in the UK.

The Peak District forms the southern end of the Pennines and much of the area is uplands above 300 m, with a high point on Kinder Scout of 636 m. Despite its name, the landscape lacks sharp peaks, being characterised by rounded hills and gritstone escarpments (the "edges"). The area is surrounded by major conurbations, including Huddersfield, Manchester, Sheffield, Derby and Stoke-on-Trent.

The National Park covers 555 square miles (1,438 km²) of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and South and West Yorkshire, including the majority of the area commonly referred to as the Peak. The Park boundaries were drawn to exclude large built-up areas and industrial sites from the park; in particular, the town of Buxton and the adjacent quarries are located at the end of the Peak Dale corridor, surrounded on three sides by the Park. The town of Bakewell and numerous villages are, however, included within the boundaries, as is much of the (non-industrial) west of Sheffield. As of 2006, it is the fourth largest National Park in England and Wales.
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The following are images from various Derbyshire-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1An excavated piece of Blue John (from Treak Cliff Cavern)
Image 2The Londendale reservoirs relative to Glossop and Hadfield (from Longdendale Chain)
Image 3Derbyshire hundreds in 1832 (from History of Derbyshire)
Image 4At the Rhodeswood reservoir dam, we see the outflow canal from the Torside Reservoir dam, alongside the Rhodeswood Reservoir. The Torside dam can be seen in the distance. To the right is Shining Clough Moss and Bleaklow. To the left Bareholm Moss and Black Hill (from Longdendale Chain)
Image 5Arnfield (from Longdendale Chain)
Image 6Magpie Mine (from History of Derbyshire)
Image 7Nine Ladies stone circle, a scheduled monument in the Derbyshire Dales district (from Scheduled monuments in Derbyshire)
Image 8View from on the top of Thorpe Cloud looking towards Bunster Hill (from Thorpe Cloud)
Image 9The visitor centre and office complex (from Treak Cliff Cavern)
Image 10Rhodeswood (from Longdendale Chain)
Image 11Stalactites in the New Series (from Treak Cliff Cavern)
Image 12Stalactites and flowstone (from Treak Cliff Cavern)
Image 13Woodhead (from Longdendale Chain)
Image 14Centurial Stone from Navio Roman Fort (from History of Derbyshire)
Image 15Bottoms (from Longdendale Chain)
Image 16Arbor Low henge (from History of Derbyshire)
Image 17Valehouse (from Longdendale Chain)
Image 18Coat of arms of Derbyshire County Council (from History of Derbyshire)
Image 19Derbyshire Tenants-in-Chief listed in the Domesday Book (from History of Derbyshire)
Image 20
1. High Peak
2. Derbyshire Dales
3. South Derbyshire
4. Erewash
5. Amber Valley
6. North East Derbyshire
7. Chesterfield
8. Bolsover
9. Derby
(from History of Derbyshire)
Image 21From Thorpe Cloud looking to the left of Bunster Hill with the Car Park in the middle (from Thorpe Cloud)
Image 22Torside (from Longdendale Chain)
Image 23Exposed Blue John in situ within the Witch's Cave (from Treak Cliff Cavern)
Image 24Hand-drawn map of Derbyshire by Christopher Saxton from 1577 (from History of Derbyshire)
Image 25John Turner in May 2014 (from Treak Cliff Cavern)

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Melbourne is the most southerly town in Derbyshire. Melbourne parish church has been described as a "cathedral in miniature" and is one of five churches in Melbourne. The Domesday Book records a church and priest here in 1086. The present church was built about 1120, and most of the original masonry is intact, except for the East end which has been refurbished.

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Did You Know...

... that a 200-year-old costume worn by "the king" (pictured) on Castleton Garland Day in Derbyshire is now in the local museum?
... that in All Saints Church, Kedleston, Derbyshire, (pictured) are 35 monuments to the Curzon family of Kedleston Hall?
... that the Tissington Trail, a popular walk and cycle path follows the course of the former Ashbourne to Buxton railway?
... that Chatsworth House, had a great conservatory built in 1838 where Joseph Paxton worked. The man who designed The Crystal Palace?
... that King William awarded the manor of Glossop to William Peveril, but it was later confiscated?