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Higham
Higham is a small village that can be found in the same parish as the more ancient neighbouring village of Shirland, and although the name Higham is Saxon in origin, Shirland is the older of the two settlements and is the only one of the two mentioned in the Domesday Survey of 1087 when the manor belonged to William Peverel, the bastard son of William the Conqueror.
Originally ruled by the one manor, the two neighbouring settlements have been a united parish for many centuries, although the are both different in appearance and character. Higham is virtually a single-street linear village which sits astride the old Roman Road from Derby to Chesterfield, some fifteen miles north of the former and seven and a half miles south of the latter, and for most of the eight hundred years of its existence it has been essentially a farming community. A rich assortment of ancient honey-coloured stone cottages and farmhouses line the roadside, those on the west, like the splendid Ash Tree farm, enjoying breathtaking views across the Amber Valley to Crich Stand on the westerm horizon. Of the many, it is worth noting that Bull Farm is centuries older than it’s date stone of 1673 suggests; this was a rebuilding date, for its original fifteenth century cruck-timber frame has been covered by stone cladding.
Throughout the eighteenth century Higham remained an agricultural community, with most of its dwellings and around twenty farms and smallholdings strung out along the narrow sandstone ridge, along which the Roman legions had marched two thousand years ago. A line of springs ran the length of the ridge and provided each dwelling with it’s own water supply, and a number of wells can still be seen in the gardens of the honey-coloured stone dwellings today, many of which date from early Tudor times.
Higham market flourished with a market day held each Thursday for five hundred years, whilst the annual fair was fixed in the charter `for the eve, the day, and the morrow’ of the Feast of St. Peter, (August 1st).In 1785 the Higham market ceased trading, and it’s ancient market house was demolished. The current market cross had its plinth and steps rebuilt and moved slightly in the Georgian era, and the shaft was rebuilt in 1856. Today Higham is rightly designated a conservation area, and a walk along the old Roman road from Higham post-office at the junction of Chesterfield Road and Main Street, to Cliffe Farm at the other end of the village will reveal why.
The narrow sandstone ridge drops down into the picturesque Amber Valley towards Oakerthorpe presenting any visitor with spectacular views. Popular with all who enjoy outdoor pursuits, Higham welcomes thuosands of visitors every year.
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