Rowsley
| Rowsley | |
| Derbyshire | |
|---|---|
 The Peacock Hotel, Rowsley | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SK258659 |
| Location: | 53°11’24"N, 1°36’50"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 507 (2011) |
| Post town: | Matlock |
| Postcode: | DE4 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Derbyshire Dales |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Derbyshire Dales |
Rowsley is a village on the A6 road in Derbyshire, at the point where the River Wye flows into the River Derwent, and the village prospered from mills on both rivers. The population as at the 2011 census was 507.
The border of the Peak District National Park runs through the village west of the River Wye and immediately to the north of Chatsworth Road. The Peak District Boundary Walk goes through the village.[1]
About the village
Notable features are the bridge over the River Derwent, St Katherine's Church, Rowsley and the Peacock Hotel.
The Peacock Hotel, originally built in 1652 as a manor house by John Stevenson, agent to Lady Manners, daughter of the Earl of Rutland: the name of the hotel is from the Manners family crest; a peacock. Both Longfellow and Edwin Landseer are said to have stayed there. It is a Grade-II* listed building.[2]
Nearby is Chatsworth House, home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.
Rowsley was the site of an extensive motive power depot and marshalling yard, the first being built by the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway with a railway station designed by Joseph Paxton in 1849. This was replaced by a new station when the line was extended northwards in 1862. It was frequently used by King Edward VII when he visited Chatsworth House. The original station became a goods depot until 1968, when it was used as a contractor's yard. It then became the centrepiece of a shopping development known as Peak Village.
Railway stations
Rowsley South was opened in 1997, and is the current northern terminus of the preserved heritage railway Peak Rail. It is located about a quarter of a mile south of the village itself. Running for a length of four miles between Rowsley and Matlock, it is projected that the heritage railway will run into Rowsley proper in the near future. In the long term, the A6 presents the greatest challenge to the organisation, as a new bridge is required to be built over it in order to reach the viaduct which crosses the River Derwent and thence the trackbed that runs through the Duke of Rutland's estate to Bakewell.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Rowsley) |
References
- ↑ McCloy, Andrew (2017). Peak District Boundary Walk: 190 Miles Around the Edge of the National Park. Friends of the Peak District. ISBN 978-1909461536.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1045804: Peacock Hotel, Rowsley (Grade II* listing)
- Briggs, John Joseph: 'The Peacock at Rowsley: A gossiping book about fishing and country life with a descriptive of a well-known resort of anglers at the junction of the Wye and River Derwent' (1869) (Bemrose and Sons)
