Grindleford is a village divided, spliced in two by the deep, dark waters of the River Derwent which meanders south in the bottom of the valley. On the eastern side of the river are the houses, villas and country retreats which were mainly constructed following the arrival of the Hope Valley railway line at the end of the Victorian era, although hidden in the trees of this sylvan slope beneath the gritstone escarpments of Curbar Edge and White Edge is the little hamlet of Padley which is steeped in history.
On the western side of the river you will find Grindleford’s main street with terraces and houses dating from right through the 20th century, but there is also a little cluster of old cottages and character houses near to Grindleford school and chapel on the B6001 that leads north to Hathersage.
Leading steeply up from the Sir William Hotel in Grindleford is Sir William Hill which climbs up to Eyam Moor. This old road was at one time the Buxton to Grindleford turnpike. It reaches a height of over 1400 feet before descending 500 feet to Grindleford in a little over ½-mile. The name Sir William Hill is said to date back to at least 1692 and there are several theories as to the naming of it. Sir William Saville was at that date the Lord of the Manor of Eyam, but Sir William Cavendish owned Stoke Hall. The Sir William Hotel was known as The Commercial Hotel until earlier in the last century but Sir William Bagshawe portrayed on the signboard was not born until 1771, after the road had been established.
At Grindleford Bridge there is a quaint little property known as Toll Bar Cottage. This would have collected tolls from users of the road which was turnpiked in 1759 and originally led from Newhaven through Grindleford and on to High Road and Ringinglow.
The railway is a rare form of transport in the Peak District; with Grindleford being one of only a handful of villages afforded the luxury of an operating station.
Grindleford is separated from the metropolis of Sheffield by a thick band of high exposed moorland, crossed by only a handful of roads, old tracks and ancient paths. The Fox House Inn by the side of the A6187, which is situated just over a mile north of Grindleford, was originally called The Travellers Rest, later named after the Fox family of Callow near Hathersage. The present Inn which was built about 1773 was extended in the 1840’s by the Duke of Rutland’s agent. For many years a large room there was known as the ‘Duke’s Room’ because occasionally The Duke of Rutland would sleep overnight with his young sons. It is said that on one wall was the stuffed head of a bull killed in 1886 which was presented to the Duke.
Fox House is also reputed to be ‘Whitecross’ in the book ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte. It is where Jane got down from the coach whilst fleeing to ‘Morton’ which was based on Hathersage. The Fox House Inn is currently part of the Inn Keepers Lodge chain.
Longshaw Sheep Dog Trails are held annually in ‘Lawrence Field’ on Longshaw Pasture above Grindleford. The first official trial was held in 1898 but local farmers and shepherds had held their own contests here for years prior to this. Longshaw Lodge was built for the Duke of Rutland around 1830 but was acquired by the National Trust in 1927. Among its many visitors was George V. Its extensive grounds of some 764 acres are popular with walkers and visitors to the area. The Lodge is not open to the public but there is a small National Trust shop.
High on the moors above Grindleford is Carl Wark which was the site of an ancient British encampment. Picture if you can the scene of a Celtic tribe which lived on this isolated and exposed hilltop. At the end of the sixth century it became part of the Kingdom of Argoed, governed by Sir Lamoracke, one of the Knights of King Arthur’s Round Table. It is recorded that Sir Lamoracke was a fierce warrior who reputedly had twenty-four sons – he can’t have been away fighting all the time then! At Carl Wark he and his sons fought the hordes of Loegrians who invaded the country when the Romans had left. After a long and bitter fight the Knight, his surviving sons and warriors were driven from the stronghold.
Beneath the moors at the top end of Grindleford lies the wonderful little hamlet of Padley, down a lane opposite the impressive Maynard Arms and along a track after crossing the railway line.
Padley Mill is a lovely restored old building that is now used as a private residence although originally it served as a corn mill, saw mill and wire-drawing mill. Behind this and stretching across the hillside above Grindleford is a thick swathe of ancient woodland containing oak, birch, rowan and alder trees. Some of the oak trees are 300 years old and were mere sapling when the massive forests of the Midlands covered the area. Venturing into the woods in the summer can be quite an experience as there are countless colonies of large wood ants (formica rufa) which produce massive nests of nibbled and gnawed foliage.
Close by are the remains of Padley Hall and Chapel. These old buildings have a fascinating story to tell, etched with wealth, romance, devotion, faith and treachery. It began around 1415 when Robert Eyre came home from Agincourt to marry his sweetheart Joan Padley. Robert initiated the building of a new manor at Padley and their subsequent marriage produced 14 offspring. Being devout Catholics, Robert also gave generously towards the upkeep of St Michaels Church at Hathersage.
Padley stayed in the Eyre family for four generations until Arthur Eyre. Despite three marriages and numerous offspring, most of whom died in infancy, only one female child reached adulthood. Anne Eyre was a most eligible heiress with many admirers. However, she married an equally financially desirable suitor in Sir Thomas Fitzherbert who was to inherit the Norbury Estate near Ashbourne.
They made Padley their home and continued in the Catholic faith. Elizabeth I succeeded to the throne but her views on religion forbade the following or preaching of Catholicism. Priests were ordained abroad as it was illegal in this country at that time. They were treated as criminals, guilty of high treason and punishable by death, as was anyone found harbouring them. Therefore Sir Thomas was regarded with suspicion and was eventually arrested in 1571.
He was incarcerated in the Tower of London and died after 20 years imprisonment. Following his arrest, his brother John took over the upkeep of the manor. John’s son (also named Thomas) was a treacherous little sneak however, a real villain of the piece, who thought he could prematurely secure the estate for himself by betraying his father to the authorities. Thomas had converted to the Protestant faith and informed Richard Topcliffe, the Queen’s pursuivant, of the celebration of Mass in secret at Padley. The Hall was raided upon the order’s of the Earl of Shrewsbury, the Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire, in the middle of the night on 12th July 1588.
Unknown to the raiders beforehand, there were two priests staying at the Hall that night, Robert Ludlam who was born near Sheffield, and Nicholas Garlick who for seven years served as schoolmaster at Tideswell. They hid during the raid in purpose built shelters (priests holes) disguised as part of the chimney, but were found and together with John Fitzherbert, four of his children and ten of his servants, were taken to Derby.
John’s son-in-law Thomas Eyre reputedly bribed the authorities with £10,000 to spare his father-in-law’s life. This as it turned out may have been just as bad as the death penalty, as his sentence was reduced to life imprisonment. In August 1590 he was taken to London and died two months later, just eleven months before that of his elder brother. The priests Robert Ludlam and Nicholas Garlick were hung, drawn and quartered at St Mary’s Bridge in Derby. Their mutilated bodies were displayed for the public to view however Catholic sympathisers took them down that night and buried them.
In 1932 the remains of Padley Hall was bought by Monsignor Paine of Derby. Roman Catholic mass was held on the premises in 1933 after a break of 345 years, and on the Thursday nearest to the 12th July, an annual pilgrimage takes place which is attended by priests and the public to remember the Martyrs of Padley.
From Grindleford there is a superb walk through Padley and on towards Millstone Edge. Every once in a while you will get a clear view of the valley below stretching down to the verdant green of the Derbyshire Dales, whilst at the top of the Hope Valley, the heights of Mam Tor, Lose Hill and Win Hill look dramatic but somewhat menacing and austere when there are dark clouds in the sky.
In springtime fluffy sheep and lambs can be seen dotted about amongst the gritstone boulders and discarded mill stones that look almost as though they had been rolled down the hillside like giant draught pieces, whilst bluebells lie in a sea under the oak, beech and birch trees. In May blossom drips from the hawthorn bushes and fresh foxgloves prepare to bloom, whilst on a crisp winters day when frost clings to the faded bracken, or when a heavy mist clings to the river but the hilltops are exposed beneath a clear blue sky, this is a photographers dream.
Grindleford is surrounded by beautiful scenery, fabulous countryside and a magical landscape – a sheer joy which represents the Peak District at its best.