Cromford
near
Matlock, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
index
The
Canal
Cromford had a canal that linked the
village to the Erewash Canal and
hence to the rest of the world. Although the waterway is no longer
connected it is being maintained by a body of local enthusiasts who
hope to link it up once again some time in the future. The canal route
runs for about 14 miles from Cromford to Langley Mill but it is not all
in water. It has some particularly important aspects including
Butterley Tunnel, one of the longest canal tunnels in the country.
Another important landmark is the nearby Lea Wood Pumphouse. At the
Canal Wharf, very close to Arkwright’s original mill, can be seen a
collection of old canal buildings including a canopied dock and the
remains of a wooden crane. The original cobbled wharf paths are still
in situ as well as a canal carrier’s warehouse. The dock was
operated by Nathaniel Wheatcroft and his family, who lived at Via
Gellia House, in Cromford village.
Inns
No description of Cromford would be
complete without a mention of its inns such as the
Boat Inn on Scarthin, which plays host to a large beer festival at
Easter. The Greyhound Hotel gets described in other parts of this site
for its historic importance and the Bell Inn deserves a mention because
of its proximity to the Landmark Trust property in North Street.
Scarthin Books
Just a little
further up the road from the Boat is Scarthin Books, a friendly but
decidedly odd place full of new and second-hand books in a fairly
haphazard arrangement that needs time to unravel. It is certainly
possible in there to believe Terry Pratchett’s theory of L-space. (If
you don’t know it then you should go and read some Pratchett to find
out about it. It explains why second-hand bookshops are always bigger
on the inside than they are on the outside!) The sculpture outside the
shop has "bookshop" worked into it in a number of languages, including
Japanese, and the cascade of items falling through it includes several
items that the owner is renowned for losing - such as spectacles and
keys.
The Mill Wheel
Close by the Market Square is a
waterwheel but it has nothing to do
with Arkwright or any of his mills. The premises were used to grind
locally mined barytes, which was used to colour paint, and the
machinery was driven by the overshot wheel that is still visible today.
The water flows from a former corn mill pond over the top of the wheel
and into Cromford (or Greyhound) Pond. The wheel dates from the mid
19th century. While it still turns, it no longer drives any machinery.
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