| Local Culture and History |
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www.paviliongardens.co.uk
For those who like their interests to be more leisurely, there is a wide selection of historic buildings and homes to visit. Vicarage Farm itself is a listed building bearing a date-stone of 1637 and featured in Pesvener’s guide to historic buildings of England. The secluded hamlet of Weston still retains a medieval cross marking the then limit of the royal hunting ground, and the moor nearby was one of the last overnight stops of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s army.
The Peak District is blessed with some of England's finest grand houses: Chatsworth dominates the area - fabulous gardens, an adventure playground and farmyard for the kids and a wealth of treasures inside the house for the adults. www.chatsworth.org Tissington Hall is the 17th century home of the Fitzherbert family with great furniture and paintings. Hardwick Hall, Bess of Hardwick's Elizabethan mansion, houses fabulous tapestries, a stunning kitchen and lovely walled gardens. www.peakdistrict.nationaltrust.org.uk Haddon Hall is one of the finest examples of a fortified Elizabethan Manor House. Peveril Castle is a Norman fortification complete with visitor centre. All of the attractions lie within a 20 min drive of the property. www.english-heritage.org.uk . Film and TV
Are you a fan of costume drama, whether it be courtesy of the BBC or Hollywood? If so, why not use the weekend to visit locations which you will recognise from recent productions such as Keira Knightley’s The Duchess and Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice. With its rugged crags, soft valleys and dramatic lighting, the Peak District looms large on our cinema screens: Jane Austin based Pride and Prejudice on Bakewell and Chatsworth. Austen used Chatsworth house as her model for Pemberley, Darcy’s magnificent Derbyshire residence. Bakewell was transformed into fictional Lampton in her novel. The cameras returned to shoot the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley. The nearby Stanage Edge was the location of the iconic shot showing Keira looking out over Derbyshire whilst both Chatsworth and Haddon Hall feature in the film. Keira returned to Chatsworth to star in the Duchess. Why not visit the reservoirs near Bamford, where the Dam Busters learned to bounce their bombs. The iconic 1954 film, the Dambusters, was filmed at nearby Derwent and Howden Dams which had actually been used in 1943 as a training ground for Barnes Wallace’s innovative bouncing bomb. For those who like their entertainment on the smaller screen, the popular medical TV drama Peak Practice was set in and filmed around the Peak District and in particular at nearby Longnor and Crich (which is also the home of the National Tramway museum, www.tramway.co.uk). Haddon Hall featured in the BBC’s production of Jane Eyre and ITV’s production of Moll Flanders. It was also used by the BBC for the Prince and the Pauper and the Chronicles of Narnia. www.peak-experience.org.uk
If it's pretty villages you're after, they're all around. Go east to Eyam, where in 1667 the residents stayed home to die of the plague rather than spread it around the country. Drive north to pretty Edale the village at the foot of the Pennine Way. Go south to Great and Little Longstone and Ashford in the Water, where you'll find Ibbotsons - the Biggest Little Shop in the Peaks. www.peakdistrictfoods.co.uk Well dressings are held throughout the summer in the Peak District. Please contact us for dates so that your holiday can benefit from seeing this local custom, which is often accompanied by a small travelling fair or festival of flowers in the local church. A short drive South is the original Arkwright Mill www.derwentvalleymills.org, now of interest to shoppers as well as historians and lovers of old industrial buildings now in beautiful rural settings |
For culture, time your visit so as to see the best of festival life at the Buxton Opera House, whether the fringe for comedy, the alternative live music or the main auditorium which offers international fayre in intimate surroundings. To plan your visit, have a look at:
Stately Homes
Were you a fan of James Herriot and All Creatures Great and Small? If so, a visit to Bakewell Cattle Auction early on a Monday morning is a must see or why not time your visit to coincide with the Bakewell Agricultural Show held annually.
Village Life