Coordinates: 53°09′58″N 1°35′46″W / 53.166°N 1.596°W / 53.166; -1.596

Darley Dale
St. Helen's Church, Darley Dale
Darley Dale  Darley Dale shown within Derbyshire
Population	5,167 (Parish)
OS grid reference	SK270632
Civil parish	Darley Dale
District	Derbyshire Dales
Shire county	Derbyshire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MATLOCK
Postcode district	DE4 2xx
Dialling code	01629
Police	Derbyshire
Fire	Derbyshire
Ambulance	East Midlands
EU Parliament	East Midlands
UK Parliament	West Derbyshire
List of places: UK • England • Derbyshire

Darley Dale, also known simply as Darley, is a town in Derbyshire, England, with a population of around 6,000 people. It lies north of Matlock, on the River Derwent and the A6 road.

  History

A Benedictine Abbey was built here under the reign of Henry I^[1] in the twelfth century.

The town grew in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries around the lead mining and smelting industries. It is also a commuter town for workers in Matlock.

  Notable people

Notable people associated with Darley Dale include

• Nigel Bond, snooker player, was born here
• Tom Chambers, actor. Born here in 1977^[2]
• Richmal Crompton, author of the Just William children's books attended St Elphin's School in Darley Dale
• Mike Hendrick, English cricketer was born here in 1948
• Christopher Green, comedy writer and performer grew up here
• Joseph Paxton, architect and gardener for the nearby Chatsworth House
• Crichton Porteous, author
• Joseph Whitworth, engineer^[3]

  Notable buildings and attractions

Notable buildings in the town include its fourteenth century parish church St. Helens, with a yew tree which is thought to be two thousand years old. The south transept has a stained glass window by Burne-Jones and William Morris. Other attractions include the Peak Rail railway which runs from Rowsley South to Matlock via Darley Dale railway station and the Whitworth Park, a large park located next to the railway.

It was the winner of the 2003 Britain in Bloom, in the category of 'Large Village'.

There is a bi-annual arts festival, the Darley Dale Arts Festival, held in July in odd-numbered years.^[4]

In nearby Two Dales, Ladygrove Mill was built for spinning cotton by Abraham Flint, but converted to flax spinning in 1789 by Daniel Dakeyne of Knabb House. It was expanded by his sons, Edward and James, who built a series of three dams on the Sydnope Valley rising to 96 feet. To cope with the water pressure, they invented a revolutionary water-pressure powered "disc engine", which they patented in 1830 as the Dakeyne hydraulic disc engine.^[5][6] It was the progenitor of a type, now known as a "nutating disc engine" (which has been the subject of entrepreneurial interest in the 21st century). The mills and equipment have virtually disappeared but the remains of the dams can still be seen.

Also in Two Dales, the Plough Inn public house was the reason behind former England international footballer Eddie Shimwell's transfer from Sheffield United to Blackpool in December 1946. Shimwell wanted to purchase the pub, but Sheffield United would not allow it, due to their ban on players becoming publicans, so the full-back put in a transfer request.^[7]

At the bottom of Station Road lies Darley Dale railway station. Although national rail services ceased in the 1960s, the station has been for over 15 years occupied by the railway and heritage preservation group Peak Rail. From here, a heritage steam service operates south to Matlock and north to Rowsley South, with a route distance of approximately five miles.

An annual transport festival, the Darley Dale Festival of Transport, is held at the bottom of Station Road every September.^[8]

Right next to Darley Dale is the beautiful St Elphin's Park, which during the early 19th century used to be a spa and latterly a well known boarding school for girls.^[9]

Nearby is the holiday resort Darwin Forest Country Park.

  References

  External links

• Darley Dale Town Council
• Darley Dale Arts Festival website
• "Geograph" Darley Dale station in the 1990s
• Peak Rail Website
• Darley Dale Fly Fishing Club