As part of his new series exploring the oddities – and the explanations behind them – of Derbyshire’s many towns and villages, Mike Smith heads to the popular Peak District village of Baslow and stumbles across two remarkable curiosities
The Watchman’s Hut
The Old Bridge at Baslow is a honey coloured, triple-arched, stone-built structure. Sturdy as well as good-looking, it is the only pre-20th century bridge over the river Derwent not to have been destroyed by floods.
This fine river crossing was erected in the early 17th century, possibly in 1603 or 1609 - the last digit carved on the west pier is frustratingly difficult to read.
There is equal uncertainty about the date of construction of the tiny gabled structure at the eastern end of the bridge.
Was it built at the same time as the bridge or was it added later to serve a purpose that was deemed to be necessary at that time? And what was that purpose?
The number of names by which this attractive little building is known indicates that there is no clear answer to this question. It is variously called the Tollkeeper’s Shelter, the Watchman’s Hut, the Guard House, the Hermitage and Mary Brady’s House.
Given the strategic location of the hut, it is understandable that many people believe that it must have been a tollbooth, where money was collected from travellers crossing over the river Derwent as they made their way from Bubnell to Baslow.
However, after studying archive documents, some members of the Baslow History Group have concluded that, rather than being a tollbooth, it was built for watchmen who were employed to intercept any ‘undesirables’ trying to enter the village during the night.
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It is said that all able-bodied Baslow men had to take their turn in a rota designed to ensure that the bridge would be monitored every night between 10pm and 6am – a practice which continued until the village got its own policeman in the mid-1800s.
One of the many local historians who have delved into the archives to trace the history of the little building is David Dalrymple-Smith, president of the Baslow History Group.
After researching the story of Mary Brady, David has established that she was a vagrant who probably used the hut on the bridge as a place where she could get some sleep.
A snag in all these theories is that the building looks far too small to have accommodated a person of average height, whether they be a guard, a tollkeeper, a watchman, a hermit or Mary Brady. The doorway is a mere 1.1 metres in height!
The lowest part of the original entranceway may have been sacrificed at some point to allow the pavement on the bridge to be raised.
Whatever the reason for its current size, the diminutive doorway makes a big contribution to the visual appeal of this curious building.
The Jubilee Clock at Baslow
St Anne’s Church at Baslow has an external appearance that is very striking. Each part of the long main body of the building, comprising nave, chancel, aisles and porch, is topped with an unbroken line of battlements, and there is something very unusual about one of the two clocks on the tower.
Whereas the timepiece on the north side uses numerals to mark the time, the dial on the east side identifies the hours with the twelve components of the phrase ‘Victoria 1897’.
This unique clock-face was designed by Dr Edward Mason Wrench, who convinced the people of Baslow that his inspirational idea would be an appropriate way for them to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.
Dr Wrench was a remarkable man. After studying to be a midwife and a surgeon, he became an army doctor, serving in the Crimea, where he is said to have encountered Florence Nightingale. He also worked in India during the time of the Indian Mutiny.
From 1862 until he died in 1912, while undertaking a cycle ride at the age 78, Dr Wrench kept a daily diary. Dr Carol Beardmore of De Montfort University has spent many hours digitalising the doctor’s hand-written entries, despite the difficulty of deciphering his ‘terrible handwriting’.
As she explained in a talk she gave to members of the Baslow History Group, the diaries provide a very detailed insight into life in a rural community.
They include moving descriptions of the devastating effects on families of the diseases that were rife at the time.
They also reveal Dr Wrench to be a pioneer of ‘modern medicine’ – he was one of the first doctors to use a stethoscope on a regular basis.
Despite the huge demands of his medical work, he found the time, not only to design the ‘Jubilee Clock’ on Baslow Church but also to act as a factory inspector, set up the Baslow Gas and Coking Company and to arrange for the erection of a monument to the Duke of Wellington on Baslow Edge.
Dr Wrench was rewarded for his wide-ranging achievements by being made a Member of the Royal Victorian Order – an appropriate accolade for the man who had come up with a unique way of celebrating Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.
Situated on the northern fringe of Chatsworth Park and overlooked by a series of dramatic gritstone edges, Baslow is a picturesque village comprising five parts, or ‘Ends’: Bridge End; Far End; Over End; West End; and Nether End. It even has a thatched cottage - a rarity in Derbyshire.
Because of its unique location, Baslow is the perfect starting point for walks in the Peak District, not only for people who like the challenge of strenuous hill walking or rock climbing, but also for those who prefer easy meanders through the grounds of a great stately house.
Many people are drawn to Baslow by its high-quality shops, with the goods on sale ranging from vintage and modern furnishings to ladies’ fashions, whilst lovers of art are attracted to the village by Norman Tomlinson’s wonderful little art gallery and Ray Grindley’s superb ceramic studio and gallery.
And when the daffodils are in bloom, the village green is covered by a glorious carpet of yellow – a sight not to be missed.
