10 10 fascinating facts about Rowsley
1. The Peak Well or village fountain opposite the Peacock Hotel in Church Lane, was carved by Trevis Bath towards the end of the 19th century, with a Lion’s Head spout. He also carved the stone peacock above the front entrance of the hotel.
2. The rather unusual lamp, which stands in the middle of the road at the junction with the lane that leads across the Wye and up to Stanton Lees was given by John Holmes a farmer and blacksmith, “in gratitude for 60 years at nearby Bridge Farm”.
3. The Peacock was built in the mid-1600s, in Jacobean style, as a gentleman’s residence and only became a hotel in 1828. In its time it has accommodated many famous residents, including royalty. It is also famed for its excellent fly fishing on the Derbyshire Wye and River Derwent.
4. The oldest surviving structure in the village is the bridge over the Derwent which was originally a 15th-century packhorse bridge, widened to carry increasingly motorised traffic in 1925.
5. The Grouse and Claret was formerly the Station Hotel, but due to the demise of the railway it was renamed. A grouse and claret is the name of a specialist dry fly used in trout fishing in the locality.
6. Peak Rail is a preserved railway, operating steam trips. Trains run from Matlock to Rowsley South, calling at Darley Dale.
7. Peak Village is the Peak District’s first and only factory outlet shopping centre, set in beautiful surroundings at Rowsley. It was built on a derelict industrial site known to the villagers as The Pit.
8. Since Peak Village and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust set up the nature reserve by the side of the shopping village in September 2019, the area has been transformed into a wonderful habitat for wildlife. As well as a special place for the local community and visitors.
9. The village school was a gift from the Duke of Rutland in 1840, as was the Church of St Katherine of 1854-55 which stands on higher ground up Church Lane towards Haddon Woods.
10. East Lodge Hotel is set amid 10 acres of beautifully landscaped water gardens and was originally the Hunting Lodge to nearby Haddon Hall the Derbyshire seat of the Duke of Rutland. Now a multiaward-winning restaurant and hotel.