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Brackenfield

Brackenfield maps

Historic maps of Brackenfield and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis.   View all Brackenfield maps

Brackenfield photos

We have no photos of Brackenfield, although we do have photos of these nearby places:

Stretton| South Wingfield| Holloway| Crich| Ashover| Whatstandwell| Alfreton| Matlock Moor| Pentrich| Swanwick| Matlock| Matlock Bath| Alderwasley| Cromford| Ambergate| South Normanton| Riddings| Bonsall| Ripley| Middleton| Wirksworth| Two Dales| Hardwick Hall| Darley Dale

Brackenfield area books

Displaying 1 of 11 books about Brackenfield and the local area.   View all books for this area

Memories of Brackenfield

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Derbyshire memories

Floating Coffins

South Wingfield Church is situated right beside the river and it was reported to me when I was looking round the graveyard (I'm a fam hist fan) that they have /had problems when the river flooded disturbing the graves and drowning the deceased. Of South Wingfield there is a working flour mill, at one time powered by the river just along the road round the bend and opposite to this stands a row of stone cottages in one of which my grandfather George Hawksley was born in 1861. He grew up to live in Sth Win. at ten yrs age he was down the pit as a child collier. When adult, he and his own family lived in the property that is now the Post office. In times of strike and the like he used to cut hair for the village menfolk in this property. He and his family left Sth Win. in search of work 1901. Most of my mothers older brothers and sisters attended the village school which... Read more

Working For The Ministry

I started working for the ministry (ancient monuments) in 1969 at South Wingfield Manor. At the time it was owned by two brothers, Sam and Bill Critchlow, who ran a dairy farm situated at the side of the manor, in fact if I remember correctly Sam and his wife, his son and daughter used to live in part of the manor. I was employed for about six years at the manor, mainly scaffolding and restoring the stonework. Some of my fondest memories are of the old chap from the village with whom I used to work, who went by the name of Clem Taylor. Very often after finishing work on a Friday myself and Clem would head for one of the local hostelries, usually the White Hart or the Horse and Jockey if my memory serves me well. Although the age difference between us was some 44 years (I was 19, and Clem 63)I always use to say he was 63 going on 20, he always had a zest for... Read more

Childhood Holidays in Crich

I live in Scotland but my family hail from Bulling Lane, Crich, where up until November 2006 my Nanna still lived until her death. We used to have fab holidays every summer visiting family and every year children that lived in Crich would call for us to play. We used to hang out at The Wreck, market place and when I was old enough of course, The Black Swan!!
Crich is so friendly and we still visit often - our Uncle that still lives at Bulling Lane.
The place is beautiful!! And we hold many great memories.

Roll on to 1972

Eastwood Grange c1955
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My memory of the Grange dates to when it was being used as a youth hostel in the Seventies and my primary school in Hounslow used to take 3rd and 4th year pupils away for a week so we experienced something more than Tridents and VC10s buzzing us every three minutes.

My main memory is the first evening of the 1972 visit, when I must have been nine years old; we took an evening walk to Ashover Rock which was spectacular, however on the trek down the hill to the Grange I lost my footing on the damp ground and couldn't find any purchase to stop.

Within seconds, I - as a slightly hefty child - was hurtling down the slope and I finally went over committing more involuntary gymnastic moves in 30 seconds than in the rest of my life.

I finally came to rest where the slope flattened out, my hands and face covered in scratches and a single gash to my knee. The great... Read more

Scripture Union

Eastwood Grange c1955
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I was a pupil at Counthill Grammar School in Oldham, Lancs and a member of the Scripture Union. We were taken to Eastwood Grange for a weekend and had a wonderful time walking on the crags and also taking part in some christian meetings.
The year after I moved to Buckinghamshire with my family but still remember the lovely time we had hthere.

Milnes of Ashover

In about 1995, I found amongst my late grandmother's papers, reference to a couple of 'Uncles' - William and John Milnes - who lived at one time at Butts House in Ashover. It was mentioned that the two brothers had owned mines in the area, and at some stage had 'fallen out' and so Butts House was divided in two, and they never spoke to each other again. This intrigued me, and so in 1997, on a visit to Lincolnshire, I managed to travel to Ashover on a day trip, where I located Butts House, and that was about as far as my research took me at that time.
In 2007 I visited England again, but did not go back to Ashover. However in 2008 I began to research the Milnes family of Ashover, and found to my surprise that they were once quite well thought of in the village.
The biggest surprise I had, was when I was able to trace my grandmother's family back to Edmond Hodgkinson c... Read more

Holiday 1945

A trailer holiday at Whitsun in late April. All I can remember was that the site was alongside the river and I tried to catch tiddlers in a jam jar, heck I was only 3 1/2 but I would like to know where the trailer park was. We lived in Chaddesden.

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