If you stay at a bed and breakfast in Wirksworth or a neighbouring village you must take the time to wander around the town to see the wonderful Georgian and Victorian architecture and features, to explore the narrow streets and alleyways, set around the markets place which is laid on a slope – not very practical!
Wirksworth is one of the oldest settlements in Derbyshire, its history dating back at least 2,000 years. It was the Romans who first discovered the riches of lead to be found in these hills, which have been exploited over the centuries for their wealth in mineral deposits.
Back in the late 17th/early 18th centuries Wirksworth was a boom town, when many of the wonderful Georgian buildings to be seen today were built. As the lead mining era came to a close, the limestone hills continued to be devoured but for their stone. In 1978 The Wirksworth Project was instigated to tidy up the town and put Wirksworth back on the map and it is now a popular tourist location.
Should your stay at a bed and breakfast in Wirksworth be in September, you may be lucky to join in the unusual ceremony of ‘clypping the church’, when the congregation encircle the church and hold hands. St Mary’s parish church is of almost cathedral proportion and contains many interesting artefacts including a very important Anglo Saxon carved coffin lid known as The Wirksworth Stone. See if you can find the ‘t’owd man’ which is a very old carving of a lead miner with pick and kibble.
Spring Bank holiday is a good time to book your bed and breakfast in Wirksworth as this is well-dressing week – a floral custom carried out in many Derbyshire village at different times of the year.
If you want to find out more about the history of Wirksworth, then your stay at a bed and breakfast in Wirksworth would not be complete without visiting the excellent Heritage Centre which is based in a former silk and velvet mill up a little alley in the centre of town, or The National Stone Centre on the outskirts which tells the Story of Stone.
For children staying at a bed and breakfast in Wirksworth, there is no chance to be bored, with lots of activities and attractions – Gulliver’s Kingdom at nearby Matlock Bath could take up a whole day!
An ideal book to read whilst staying at a bed and breakfast in Wirksworth would be Lady Chatterley’s Lover, as the author D H Lawrence lived at nearby Mountain Cottage for a while.
How much more could you possibly pack into your stay at a bed and breakfast in Wirksworth!
