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Darley Dale
Despite being known as a village, Darley Dale is in fact made up of several smaller settlements, namely Churchtown, Darley Bridge or South Darley, Darley Hillside, Northwood and Two Dales. Modern Darley Dale grew in size and status thanks to the road and rail links developed early in the nineteenth century, with the A6 trunk road being driven through in 1824, and the railway 25 years later in 1849. Road, rail and river follow the broad Derwent valley floor, running virtually parallel all the way from Rowsley to Matlock, a distance of about six miles.
The village has developed along the valley floor, with a mixture of industrial and domestic buildings from 19th and 20th century. Older and more interesting structures are to be found along the steep hillside which forms the eastern wall of the dale. The one exception to this is the Parish church of St. Helen at Churchtown, the oldest and certainly the most interesting building in the entire parish, with it's square 14th century battlemented west tower rising amongst the churchyard trees.
The church was founded around 900 AD and almost entirely rebuilt after the Norman Conquest. Parts of the 12th century fabric remain, along with some earlier Celtic and Saxon stonework, excellent Norman masonry, and a selection of ancient stone coffins in and around the porch. Directly opposite the main porch entrance stands the famous Darley Yew, a tree reputed to be two thousand years old - and with an enormous girth of 33 feet around it's ancient trunk! A plaque on the tree tells of the Saxon settlers who built their huts just yards to the west of the church.
The distinctive Oker Hill and its landmark of a single Sycamore tree can be seen from the entire village. Legend has it that two brothers each planted a tree, one tree flourished and the other died and the lives of the brothers are said to have mirrored the fortunes of their tree.
Darley Dale Station is well known by steam train buffs can buy a ticket and climb aboard at weekends throughout the year courtesy of Peak Rail, a group of dedicated enthusiasts who have earned Heritage Railway status. A four mile section of the former Midland Railway line has been reconstructed between the old rail-head at Rowsley and Matlock Station, and Peak Rail have ambitious plans for the future to re-open the line all the way to Buxton.
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