Peak District Museums & Culture

Museums in the Peak District

There is a wealth of history within the Peak District. Here is a small selection of the more diverse ones. We refresh this list often so remember to check back often.

The Emperor Fountain at Chatsworth House is the tallest fountain in Britain. It was built by Sir Joseph Paxton in 1844 to celebrate the Russian Tsar's visit. The sixth Duke of Devonshire insisted that his fountain should be higher than the Tsar's in the Imperial Palace. (Clearly before the days of who had the biggest BMW). Sir Joseph succeeded and the Emperor Fountain reached a height of 269ft (82m), more than twice as high as the Tsar's !

The Peak National Park was designated Britains first National Park in 1951, not indirectly as a result of one of countries biggest 'Mass Trepasses'. In 1932, during the recession, rambling was one of the few free pastimes open to the unemployed and the Peak District was the nearest park area accessible from Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds, however at the time, less than 1% of the Peak National Park was open to the public. The highest point in the Peak District is Kinder Scout (2,088ft/636m) which was privately owned and opened for only 12 days a year for shooting.

The mass trespass of Kinder Scout, organised by the British Workers Sports Federation (who also set up the Sunday Football League) in 1932 was the defining moment that opened up not only the Peak District but many other areas within the UK, giving ordinary people the 'Right to Roam'. On April 24th, 1932, 500 people attended the first mass trespass of Kinder Scout.

They were met with physical resistance by the police and gamekeepers but succeeded in reaching the summit. The trespass continued for year after year and by 1949, when 10,000 people made the climb, the Prime Minister Clement Atlee was persuaded to pass the National Parks Access to the Countryside Act which nationalised Kinder Scout and led to the formation of the UK's National Parks - and it all started here !

The Smallest Detached House in the World is Thimble Hall and is located in Youlgrave. It measures just 3.6m by 3.1m and 3.7m high. Incredibly in the 1800's it was home to a family of 8!

Little John, Robin Hood's best friend and right hand man, is buried in a huge grave in the churchyard at Hathersage. His cottage, just to the East of the church, stood until only 100 years ago.

The Peak District is home to the only two sources of 'Blue John' in the world. The Blue John and Treak Cliff Caverns below Castleton were certainly visited by the Romans. We know this because Blue John artifacts were found in the ruins of Pompeii.

Life in A  Lens Museum

The Life in a Lens museum is a Victorian house museum of photography and Old times. It is dedicated to presenting the history of photography from its invention in 1893. The museum is exhibiting thousands of items of interest from many periods including mannequins in original clothing. The museum is displayed in a wonderful Victorian setting and the entrance is now through our wonderful and very popular 'Victorian Teashop' in the centre of Matlock Bath that is a great bonus to the visitors.

The museum is a great source of interest and fun for all the family. The opening time coincides with the teashop and with the fact that Matlock Bath is seasonal and notoriously difficult for regular business times. The museum is easily accessible in the centre of Matlock Bath and is open now on weekends and some days during the week. The museum can be reached by bus, car and train.

Tel: 01629 583 325
Website: www.lifeinalensmuseum.co.uk

Eyam Museum

The Eyam describes a history of the tragic Bubonic Plague of 1665-66 in the Derbyshire Peak District. Eyam museum is situated in a former church just opposite the car park and the information centre. It is a small but a war-winning museum packed with interesting displays. The tourists can follow a signal trail around the village to see the major buildings and sites linked with the Plague. A tailor, George Viccars was sent some cloth from London and was infected and the tailor died.

The plague spread through the village and the villagers seal themselves off to avoid spreading it to the surrounding area. Seventy-eight people died in the epidemic. Many relics and monuments of the plague can be seen while walking around. The most emotional memorial is the Riley graves. Catherine Mompesson's is the only victim buried in the churchyard. At the eastern wing of the village, here are several cottages which belonged to plague victims.

Tel: 01433 631 371
Website: www.eyammuseum.demon.co.uk

Peak District Mining Museum

Peak District Mines Historical Society owns the Mining museum at Matlock Bath. The Peak District Mines Historical Society also own and operate the Temple Mine opposite the Magpie Mine at Sheldon. All the three mines are dedicated to the history of lead mining in the Peak District. The museum is situated in the Pavilion building along the side of River Derwent. There is a fine collection of old mining equipment and artifacts from the former lead mines of the area including several very impressive pumps of various types in the museum.

The Derbyshire mines were having water problems and because of this pumping were important. There are lots of panels explaining the history of lead mining, how the industry is developed and what the work of the miner was. There are also small mock-ups of sections of a lead mine complete with sound effects. The geological section is informative and has some fine specimens.

Tel: 01629 583 834
Website: www.peakmines.co.uk

Buxton Museum

Buxton museum has an excellent display on the history of the Peak district as well as an Art Gallery and the Boyd Dawkins collections. The museum is situated in the former Peak Hotel and almost opposite to the town hall in Higher Buxton. Even though it's small, it's well worth visiting. In the upstairs of the museum the Peak District displays which illustrates how the landscape of the Peak District developed and the animals and people who lived here in ancient times.

The museum won the 'Museum of the Year' award in 1990. The upstairs is also an art gallery used for regular exhibitions of work by local artists while downstairs there are a range of important geological and historical finds but displayed in the familiar musty cases of traditional museums. The museum can be reached by car, bus and train. It will remain open for the entire year.

Tel: 01298 24658

Middleton Top Engine House

Middleton top is the last surviving winding engine from the out of use Cromford and High Peak Railway near Middleton by Wirksworth in Derbyshire. This railway is now converted in to a cycle way known as the High Peak Trail. The engine was used to wind trucks up and down the Middleton incline that has a gradient of 1 in 8 and is a beam engine that was built by the Butterley Company in 1829. These are the original engines of the railway began operation in 1830.

The incline was in use until 1963. There is a pulley wheel outside the engine house under a grille in the center of the track. At the bottom of the incline there was similar pulleys and loop of steel cable attached around them. The wagons are attached to the pulleys by chains and the normally the engine would have only one set of wagons descending the incline and another on the ascending track in order to counter balance the load. There is a sample wagon from the old railway outside the engine house a and a short section of the original track with a distinctive type of rail.

Tel: 08456 058 058