Holymoorside
| Holymoorside | |
| Derbyshire | |
|---|---|
 Tithe barn in Holymoorside | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SK338693 |
| Location: | 53°13’11"N, 1°29’42"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 2,223 (2011) |
| Post town: | Chesterfield |
| Postcode: | S42 |
| Dialling code: | 01246 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | North East Derbyshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
North East Derbyshire |
Holymoorside is a village in Derbyshire, about two miles west of Chesterfield, and narrowly escaping the reaching tendrils of the townscape. The population of Holymoorside and Walton together taken at the 2011 Census was 2,223.
The village is close to the boundary of the Peak District National Park, and Chatsworth House stands seven miles to the west of the village.
History
Holymoorside once had four public houses but only two remain: The Lamb Inn and The Bull's Head. The Lamb Inn was part of a butcher's business dating back to 1851, with the present design of the pub dating from 1953 when the shop moved to new premises on New Road. The Bull's Head has roots dating back to 1881. There was once a chip shop next to the Lamb Inn, but this burnt down on a bank holiday Monday in 1935.
The Old Star, an additional pub on Loads Road but now a private residence dating back to 1820, was notorious for the suicide, by cutting the throat, of a landlord in 1886. Its owners, Chesterfield Borough Council, sold the pub at auction in April 1921, when Mrs H. Dickens secured the sale with a bid of £1500. The Old Star closed in 1959 with a local newspaper report at the time stating that it had been licensed for 300 years.
The Woodman's Arms was an alehouse, which only sold beer and not spirits or wines. As the name suggests, the landlord's main occupation was a woodcutter and timber merchant. The earliest mention of the premises in the local trade directories was in 1862. Now a private residence, the building still stands as Sycamore House, on Loads Road near the Lamb Inn.
The village has two churches, reflecting the religious history of the "Holy Moor". Holymoorside Country Store, run by the Kendall family is the only surviving shop in the village. The oldest building in the village is Hipper Hall, an early 17th-century farmhouse with an even older tithe barn which has fallen in to a state of disrepair. However Harewood Grange and Chander Hill Farm date back as far as 1207.
The Manloves were proprietors of the cotton thread mill which was built towards the end of the 18th century. This mill employed many of the women and girls of the village, whilst the men and boys worked in the tin mine. The mill buildings, which were three storeys high and were acquired by the Manlove Brothers around 1840, were prosperous for about 50 years, employing 200 people at its peak, but closed in 1902 and now hardly a trace remains of their existence. After 1902 the site was demolished, and in 1930 a row of houses called Riverside Crescent replaced the mill.
Belmont House was a large private residence just off Chatsworth Road. It was built in the 18th Century and had a large tower and flying buttresses. The tower was rumoured to be haunted and local legend has it that a cannon was fired from the top of the tower towards Gladwin's Mark a few miles south. Belmont was demolished in the early 2000s and new apartments have been built on the site.
Society and events
The traditional Derbyshire custom of well dressing is maintained in Holymoorside. The Well Dressing is on display in late August. As well as well dressing, nativity scenes are also displayed in the shelter on Cotton Mill Hill around Christmas.
Holymoorside and Walton Arts Festival Society arrange events throughout the year, including the scarecrow making event in August each year which involves the whole village.
The local scout group also holds community events such as the Christmas Fair and 10K run in May.
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Holymoorside) |
