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Bakewell
Bakewell is the largest settlement in the Peak District National Park, and is well known to residents and visitors alike as the `Capital of the Derbyshire Dales'. Aldern House within Bakewell is the headquarters and administrative centre of the Peak District National Park Authority, and the sympathetically restored seventeenth century Market Hall, with its miniature gables and twin-light mullioned windows is now home to the excellent Peak Park Information and Exhibition Centre.
Bakewell has always been one of the most picturesque areas of the Peak District and attracted visitors from far and wide. It still does, and there is `little wonder' that modern 21st century Bakewell has become the most popular and most visited town in the Peak District of Derbyshire, for it provides an ideal base for tourists to explore its numerous attractions, and those in the surrounding landscape.
There are many delights to be found in and around Bakewell, many centred around the River Wye with its gothic five-arched 14th century bridge, one of the oldest in the country, and the Parish Church of All Saints, whose fine spire and unusual octagonal tower have been a landmark on the hillside overlooking the town for over six hundred years. Around the porch area are Celtic, Saxon and Norman relics, including a beautifully carved Anglian Cross from the 8th century, whilst inside are fine monuments to the Vernons and Manners of nearby Haddon Hall, and a particularly fine alabaster effigy of Sir Godrey Foljambe. Haddon Hall, barely a mile away down the valley is regarded as the finest medieval Manor House in England.
In the centre of the town stand the resplendent Bath Gardens, flowing with colourful floral displays and with manicured lawns and seating areas sheltered by ornamental trees. The Gardens are the perfect respite from the bustle of the town and are enjoyed by hundreds every single day. The Gardens take their name from a 17th century bath-house which houses an original stone bath, built over the `Warm Well', the main chalybeate well in the town, by the Duke of Rutland in 1697. The bath-house still stands but is not open to the public, although the water from the well bubbles through an ornamental fountain and fills a large stone trough in the gardens, making an attractive water-feature.
Of the many noteable buildings in the town perhaps the oldest and most interesting, and certainly one with the most fascinating history is the Old House Museum, just off Church Street. Originally built in 1534 by Ralph Gell of Hopton Hall, its owners down the centuries include Sir Richard Arkwright and the Duke of Devonshire. Sixty years ago, with the building in disrepair and with no modern amenities, the local council issued a demolition notice, but in 1954 the Bakewell Historical Society was founded and saved the house from being demolished and spent many years restoring it into today's historic museum.
Bakewell is famous the world over for the culinary delights of its Bakewell Puddings. The original recipe remains a guarded secret, and is kept in a safe at Ye Olde Original Bakewell Pudding Shop in the town, from where Bakewell Puddings are sent all over the world.
Modern Bakewell has something for everyone, and everything for someone, from its many historic buildings and its wonderful riverside Peak District Walking along the banks of the Wye, to its award-winning newly designed and recently revamped town centre with shopping arcades and numerous emporiums of excellence. In recent years the town had added a modern swimming pool, a new Public Library, and a completely renovated and attractively landscaped riverside area, with a new metal footbridge across the river to its wealth of cafes, tea-shops, restaurants, bistros and friendly pubs.
Bakewell's success is based on its beautiful location in the Wye Valley and its function as a centre for commerce, agriculture and tourism. Its Market Charter was granted in 1330, and there is an open market in the town every Monday, whilst the Cattle Market is one of the largest in the county, and held these days in the award-winning Agricultural Business Centre across the river. The famous Bakewell Show is held every August on the Showground across the river; inaugerated as a mainly local show in 1819, it has since grown out of all proportion into one of England's Premier Country Shows.
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