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Parwich
Parwich dates from Saxon times, though at nearby Roystone Grange the remains of a Roman farm have been discovered. This remote village sprawls along the floor of a shallow valley at the southern end of the parish about six miles north of Ashbourne, and is found beneath a massive limestone outcrop which rises to over 1,000 feet, sheltering it's 500 or so inhabitants from the north wind. The church is fairly grand for a small village and pretends to be Norman, but it is actually Victorian, give or take a few remnants of a much older Norman structure. Parwich is full of pretty mullion-windowed cottages built in the typical Derbyshire vernacular style of the late 18th and early 19th century, though surprisingly few have date stones. One exception is Flaxdale House built by Rev. George Thomas Roe in 1756 which bears his initials on the date-stone; another date-stone of February 8th 1816 bearing the same name marks the reverend gentleman's last resting place beneath the tall horse-chestnut tree in a quiet corner of the nearby churchyard. Hallcliffe House dates from around 1750 and the elegant Church Gate House which faces away from the Green is of the same period. One relatively `modern' noteworthy building is The Vicarage on Smith Lane, built earlier this century in the `Arts & Crafts' style by Currey & Thompson of Derby.
Originally the village of Parwich had three pubs, but the `Wheatsheaf' on Smith Lane is now `Wheatsheaf Cottage', and further along on the right `The Crown', an 18th century Inn is now `Crown House' . The only remaining pub is the highly recommended `Sycamore Inn', which stands just beyond the Mere on Main Street. This is popular with all visitors and is the only place to quench your thrist in the area.
With a very limited bus service, and the nearest railway station at either Matlock or Buxton, Parwich`s inaccessibility, despite its location within the Peak National Park, has kept it from the main tourist routes. Happily for it's friendly residents and occasional visitors the village's relative isolation has allowed it to maintain it's essential olde worlde charm and the pleasant rural character of an authentic Derbyshire Dales farming community.
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