The day I had chosen was an unsettled but not unpleasant Monday, following a few hours of morning work. I was especially excited about this trip as Cromford is a place that I had never visited and I was anxious to see what was on offer and learn more about the location as a whole. Any excuse to be back in beautiful Derbyshire!
Cromford is a village and civil parish, two miles to the south of Matlock in the Derbyshire Dales. The population at the 2011 Census was 1,433. It is principally known for its historical connection with Richard Arkwright, and the nearby Cromford Mill which he built outside of the village in 1771. Cromford is in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage site.
The River Derwent, with its sources on Bleaklow in the Dark Peak, flows southward to Derby and then to the River Trent. The geology of this section in the Derbyshire Dales is that of limestone. The fast flowing river has cut a deep valley. The A6 trunk road, which was the main road between London and Manchester in former times; the Cromford Canal and the Derwent Valley Line, linking Derby and Matlock, were all built in the river valley. The Via Gellia dry valley joins the Derwent at Cromford.
The A6 passes to the north of the village of Cromford; its land rises from 80m to 150m above mean sea level. It is 27 km north of Derby, 3 km south of Matlock and 1 km south of Matlock Bath. Trains operate from Cromford Station, on the north bank of the Derwent to Derby and Nottingham.
It is one of the significant sites in the development of the Industrial Revolution. Here, Richard Arkwright built his cotton mill to make use of the water frame.
The Gell family, who were local Hopton landowners heavily involved in the nearby Wirksworth lead mining, had the Via Gellia built to connect Cromford and Grangemill in the late 18th century.
Some cottages and farm buildings pre-date Arkwright's time, but a large part of the village was built to house the mill workers. They were provided with shops, pubs, chapels and a school.
The 20th century saw the development of council and private housing. Dene quarry, currently operated by Tarmac Ltd for the production of aggregrates and roadstone, was excavated to the south west of the village from 1942 onwards.
In December 2001 a 15-mile corridor from Masson Mill in Matlock Bath to the Silk Mill in Derby and including the mills in Cromford, Milford, Belper and Darley Abbey was declared the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.
Cromford railway station can be seen on the cover of the 1995 Oasis single "Some Might Say".
I arrived at the aforementioned train station around 12.20 in the afternoon and immediately began the short (around a mile) walk towards the village centre, passing the historic mills that played so pivotal a role in the village's existence, crossing a bridge over the Derwent as I did so. A short time later, I had arrived in the village proper where 2 of the day's 3 destinations lay in close proximity. The first of these, lying right next to the main road through the village, was The Greyhound.
This three storey sandstone Georgian building is the most prominent in building in Cromford market place. Built by Sir Richard Arkwright, it is named for the black greyhound on the family crest of Phillip Gell. Some locals still refer to the place as the Black Dog. The prominent clock, by Smith of Derby, has been recently restored. The hotel itself has also undergone recent refurbishment and, in addition to its ale selection, has earned a reputation for a large selection of wines, totalling more than 60. The main entrance leads down to the bar which occupies a central spot opposite the main door with an additional entrance to the side car park and seating throughout, divided up into separate areas. The horseshoe shaped bar includes 4 hand pumps, offering a choice in local ales. During my visit these are Derby Brewing Business as Usual, Derby Triple Hop, Blue Monkey BG Sips and Peak Ales Chatsworth Gold. It's been many a year since I tasted beer from the Peak Ales portfolio so the Chatsworth Gold was an obvious choice. Peak Ales is a microbrewery based in a converted barn on the Chatsworth estate, which last featured in these pages during my survey of Bakewell many years ago. Chatsworth carries an ABV of 4.6% and is a golden beer made with honey direct from the estate itself. It boasts a delicate sweetness which is well balanced with bitterness from Goldings and Fuggles hops. It's a delicious beer which certainly starts the day off well, even at the rather steep price of £3.95 for a pint. The beer just about makes up for the cost. The Greyhound is a pleasant place with a comfortable well-decorated interior which makes it hard to leave, so much so that I decided that a second pint was worth the effort, this time opting for Triple Hop from Derby Brewing Co. This is a classically flavoursome pale ale brewed with Goldings, Northdown and Challenger hops. With a relatively low ABV of just 4.1%, this packs a deceptive punch and shows why this beer was a deserved finalist for Champion Beer of Britain.
The second pint went down just as well as the first and soon it was time to head around the corner to my second location. My next stop was The Boat Inn.
Built in 1772 and a pub since 1828, the beamed ceilings and stone walls give the bar a cosy, old world atmosphere. There is a small snug area, dining room and a function room giving space for both diners and drinkers. Home cooked meals are served 12-9pm everyday and there is live music every Friday and Saturday night. The downstairs cellar bar shows live sport and there is a large beer garden to the rear with a separate smoking area, both of which overlook the adjacent mill pond. The small bar features 5 handpulls, on this occasion offering a choice of Chatsworth Gold, cask Worthington's Burton Bridge Damson Porter, Pedigree and Dancing Duck Ay Up. Finding a spot at the bar at which to stand and peruse the options, I decided to start with the Pedigree, which turned out to be a good choice as it was served perfectly and tasted excellent. I took some time to take in my surroundings and was very pleased to see that the pub was dog friendly and there were several dogs around, most of them forlornly watching to see if their owners would provide them with leftovers from the tasty looking food morsels. Having finished my first pint, I next switched to the Ay Up, which was just as it should have been and I was also lucky enough to be able to find a table by the window so I could enjoy the view as well as the beer. The Boat is a very nice and friendly place and the beer was worth the trip.
I had one final stop left on the day's itinerary and this meant a short uphill walk to The Bell Inn.
Around 1800, this house was added onto the end of a terrace of historic cottages built in 1776-7 by Richard Arkwright for workers of his mills. The pub itself has not changed much in 50 years and the tiny snug has a quarry-tiled floor, old fixed seating and service from a hatch. There was an off sales hatch in this area until 2009. The old benches in the public bar still display the maker's labels but the bar counter is modern. The lounge on the left has its own entrance and was created from a private sitting room in the 1950s with many of the fittings dating from that time. The pub is on the list of Historically Important pub interiors and also has a tap room with a TV. I entered the building on the snug side of the bar and immediately spotted the tap room with its separate entrance on the other side where 5 hand pumps sit proudly on the bar. 3 of those are in use at the time of my visit offering Heritage St. Modwen, Bass and Abbot Ale. I was unfamiliar with the St. Modwen so this was definitely worth a shot. Named after the patron saint of Burton on Trent, where the brewery is based, this is a crisp and refreshing blonde beer with a subtle malted biscuit taste and an overall summery flavour, all with an ABV of 4.2%. I walked down the adjoining corridor between both parts of the pub, followed by a lovely Bassett Hound that had decided it wanted to make friends before it was stubbornly dragged away by its owner. The beer was very nice indeed and did not take long to go down at all. I thoroughly enjoyed being in The Bell particularly the doggy company. This was another plus point on what had been a thoroughly worthwhile day.
Cromford might be a little bit out of the way, especially for Nottingham folk, but I can honestly recommend it. The pubs might not necessarily be that numerous but they're certainly charming and the atmosphere is very friendly and cosy with excellent service. The beer choice is interesting and features beers that don't often appear closer to home. On top of that, the scenery and the history of this part of Derbyshire are second to none. If you're looking for a few hours to kill in a close knit community where you're guaranteed a warm welcome and a decent pint, there's one thing you must do. Come to Cromford!
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