places to visit

PLACES AND PLEASURES WITHIN EASY REACH

Ripley, with its easy access to major roads is a most convenient centre for surrounding places of interest and for some of the finest scenery in England - the hills, dales and high places of the Peak District. The proximity of Derby (10 miles), Nottingham (14 miles) and Sheffield (25 miles) is a magnet to those who love the attractions of the cities.

The nearest place of leisure interest is within Ripley's boundaries - the Midland Railway Centre at the site of the old Butterley station and steam trains running regularly now attract thousands of visitors. Lovers of our transport heritage need only go on to the National Tramway Museum at Crich, imaginatively developed beneath the beetling limestone cliff surmounted by Crich Stand, a lighthouse monument to the Sherwood Foresters who died in the Great War and which can be seen for miles around when its revolving beam is lit on the anniversaries of their battles. It is in this area where the TV series 'Peak Practice' was filmed and the success of the series has attracted many visitors to the area.

Only a few miles further in the opposite direction, near Ilkeston, is a quite different leisure experience which attracts currently over 600,000 visitors a year: the American Adventure Theme Park. Covering 190 acres and based upon the legends of the whole North American continent it caters for the whole family, from 40,000 square feet of indoor play area for the under 12's to water rides and live entertainment and ample food outlets.

From all over the world visitors come to see Derbyshire's great houses. Haddon Hall, near Bakewell, is the epitome of the 15th century manor house, while Hardwick Hall built by the redoubtable Bess of Hardwick in Elizabethan times is a remarkable building feat with its 'more glass than wall'architecture. Chatsworth is one of the great glories of European Architecture and gains much from being still occupied and lovingly tended and stewarded by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. With its Grindling Gibbons carvings, its magnificent library, paintings, wonderfully proportioned rooms and, not least, its grounds, laid out by the ubiquitous Capability Brown, it is a unique experience.

Yet also unique is Calke Abbey, the latest great house to open to the public. Built in 1701-3, it is "the house that time forgot" for it is unaltered since the death of the last baronet in 1924. Its contents, from the everyday trivia to the magnificent 18th century state bed, unpacked and displayed for the first time, remain where they were left in past years. It is a remarkable time-capsule. The Palladian mansion set in a classical park landscape, Kedleston Hall, is one of the most complete and unaltered Adam interiors in England. Many of its treasures are connected with the Lord Curzon who was Viceroy of India.

There are many other no less attractive houses: Tissington Hall, Sudbury Hall, Eyam Hall, Elvaston Castle to name but a few. No shortage then within easy reach of Ripley of the glories of the past!

Perhaps one should return to the nearest - the magnificent ruin of Wingfield Manor where Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned in 1569 and 1584-5. There is enough left, particularly of the Banqueting Hall and crypt to evoke its former glories before Cromwell's men damaged it.

For many, however, the enduring glory of the county and all of it within an hour's reach of Ripley, is the Peak District. Many feet now trample the stepping stones of Dovedale, the heights of Kinderscout, the more accessible beauties of Monsal Dale, the Manifold Valley and Beresford Dale. The 542 square miles of the Peak District National Park lie largely within the county. Picturesque towns and villages abound; from prehistoric remains to the early workings of the Industrial Revolution, from potholes to sheer cliffs, it is infinite in its variety.

PLACES TO VISIT - WITHIN 15 MINUTES DRIVE OF RIPLEY

Lea Gardens, Lea. Open March to July
Wingfield Manor, South Wingfield
Ripley Heritage Centre
Dolls House Emporium, Ripley
Brittain Pit Farm, Butterley Park
Sherwood Foresters War memorial, Crich
Denby Pottery Visitor Centre, Denby
Midland Railway Centre, Butterley Station
National Tramway Museum, Crich
Shipley Country Park
Heage Windmill

PLACES TO VISIT - WITHIN 30 MINUTES DRIVE OF RIPLEY

Carnfield Hall, South Normanton
Belper River Gardens
Belper Heritage Centre
Derwent Valley Visitor Centre, Belper
Peak District Mining Museum, Matlock Bath
Whistlestop Countryside Centre, Matlock Bath Station
Arkwright's Cromford Mill, Cromford
High Peak Junction Workshop, Cromford
American Adventure, Ilkeston
Gulliver's Kingdom, Matlock Bath
Peak Rail, Matlock
Heights of Abraham, Matlock Bath

WELL DRESSINGS TAKE PLACE AT VILLAGES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR