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Rowsley
Rowsley is situated at the junction of the two valleys of the Rivers Derwent and Wye, and bisected by both the Derwent and the main A6 trunk road giving the impression of two separate settlements. There was an Anglo-Saxon settlement here before the Norman Conquest, and in the Domesday Survey `Rowesley' is mentioned as an outlier of the Royal Manor of Bakewell, occupying the `tongue of fertile land between the Derwent and the Wye'. The village is in two sections - the original village lies in the 'Y' between the two rivers, while to the east is the so-called 'railway village' constructed around the former Midland railway station, now occupied by an engineering works. The two sections form an interesting contrast - the old part is made of gritstone cottages and farmhouses and has connections with nearby Haddon and Chatsworth, while the newer part is more utilitarian.
The oldest surviving structure in the village is the bridge over the Derwent which was originally a fifteenth century packhorse bridge, widened to carry increasingly motorised traffic in 1925. Other impressive buildings include the undoubtedly the magnificent Peacock Hotel whose visitors book includes the names of many famous guests, including royalty, who have enjoyed a brief sojourn in the luxuriant surroundings since it became a hostelry in 1828.
Largely hidden behind a cluster of buildings which include Mill House and Bank House stands the famous Caudwell's Mill and Craft Centre.John Caudwell founded this water-powered flour mill on the Wye in 1874 and today it claims the unique distinction of being the only complete water-turbine powered flour mill in the country, still producing wholemeal flour for sale to the public.
There is a delightful tourist attraction set in an idyllic location amongst the ducks and waterfowl beside the River Wye and with a wooden footbridge lending enchantment to the riverside walks. The Mill and Craft Centre boasts a smithy, wood turner, glass blower, potter, picture framer and it's own resident artist; visitors can enjoy food and drink in the excellent cafe and see the mill working throughout the year. Today Rowsley presents a much changed face to the thousands of motorists for whom it remained little more than a bridge over the Derwent and an elongated S-bend on the busy A6 until the recent (1998) opening of the innovative Peak Village retail park and `Toys of Yesteryear' tourist attraction on land which was once occupied by the old railway station.
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