Ashover and Liquorice Allsorts

Ashover (pronounced by some as Asher) village has a rich and long history. It is Situated in the beautiful Amber Valley, nestled in picturesque countryside in a deep, narrow valley, with wooded slopes and hills all around and fascinating and inviting narrow lanes, tracks and paths leading all directions. One of its quirky claims to fame is that the Bassett family, yes, those of 'Liquorice Allsorts' fame, first made this popular confection in Ashover!

MTB and Walking Round Ashover Village

There is a great evening mountain bike circuit from Ashover which, although quite short is fairly taxing in its early stages from the village and then up through the quarry. It is described in the Vertebrate Graphics White Peak guide. It is well worth doing. There is plenty of walking on the many local footpaths and some gritstone climbing is available nearby ( in the old Chatsworth Guide Book) but unless you have run out of other places to climb in the Peak District, is not particularly inspiring as you have to thrash your way around in dense undergrowth.

Early Days

According to local author Tom Bates the earliest written mention of Ashover was using its Saxon name ...

"The earliest surviving reference to 'Esseover' comes in the Domesday Book of 1086-7 when it is credited with a church, a priest and a mill, which together were worth a grand total of thirty shillings! Of the church mentioned in the Domesday Survey nothing now remains except for the Norman lead font of 1150, which surprisingly is the only one of its kind left in Derbyshire - the rest having been melted down for bullets during the Civil War. The present All Saints Parish Church was erected between 1350 and 1419 incorporating some of the earlier fabric, notably the south doorway, built in 1275 by Margery Reresby. Thomas Babington who died in 1518 built the tower and the graceful spire which at 128ft has been a familiar landmark in the valley for 600 years. He also gave the rood screen beneath which lies his tomb complete with alabaster effigies of the Knight and his Lady which Pevsner thought 'the best of its date in Derbyshire'."

Ashover during the Civil War

It was the scene of some civil war skirmishes in in 1644 which resulted in the destruction of all the stained glass in the church. The roundheads allegedly needed the lead for bullets but some sources indicate it was vandalism. There is a plaque outside the Crispin Inn near the church which tells a further tale of those troubled times. The Landlord of the time tried in vain to keep the already drunk Royalist troops out of the pub ... I guess if he had thought it through the result would have been fairly predictable ... the troops "turned him out and set watch at the door till all the ale was drunk or wasted".



Geology and Industrial Archaeology

Ashover gives its name to the rock type, the Ashover Grit. It was home to the Gregory Mine, a lead mine which operated for around 250 years.  The mine finally closed in 1803 after running at a loss for a decade or so. Having said that, during the last 50 years of its existence, the output was a creditable 500 tons per year of ore (though this figure varies wildly depending upon the source of information) which certainly boosted the local economy.

From the mid eighteenth century, a steam engine was used to drain the mine. It was designed by local engineer Francis Thomson of Hill House, Ashover was superseded at a later date when flooding worsened. Today, very little of the mine remains. In addition to the lead mining, the parish of Ashover had lime kilns, coal, smelting, lace thread making, flour mills, cobblers, nail makers, basket weavers and claims to have produced the longest ropes in the country at the time. A far cry from the quiet rural village that it is today!

The Railway ...

A further piece of Industrial heritage is the Ashover Light Railway which was conceived by George Stephenson's Clay Cross Company. This was initially intended as a standard gauge railway to link the company premises with the quarries at Ashover and Fallgate, however, it was finally built with a 2ft gauge in order to keep costs down. It was operational from 1925 to 1950. The railway was designed to carry freight but a planning condition demanded passenger capacity too and several stations were built along the line. Currently, the Ashover Light Railway Society plan to resore it to working order.

 

Many of the dwellings bear the date of construction carved into the stonework, and perhaps the most picturesque example is the limestone built Greengates Farm of 1747 which stands on the south side of the Main Street. Homestead Farm is also late 17th century, whilst Elton House at the end of Moor Lane bears the date 1710. At the bottom of Ivy Lane stands the quaint Lavender Cottage with a carved lintel above the door bearing the date 1672.

The school stands on the south side of Main Street just a few yards east of the church and was built in 1862 when Elton’s population was at its highest, and was enlarged in 1890. Beyond the church and opposite the Duke of York is Well Street, so named because of the well which still stands with its beautiful syphon-pump at the bottom of the sloping street.



Ashover Show and Hydros

The Ashover Show - Country fairs are popular in Derbyshire and Ashover is a village who has a long standing show with the usual livestock, horses, crafts, steam engines etc plus special events each year. If you are in the area mid August and like that sort of thing then it is well worth a visit.

During the 19th century, there was a fashion for 'taking the waters' and Ashover had two 'Hydros'. Unlike the one that used to exist in Baslow, the two buildings in Ashover are still in existence, but are no longer hydropathic institutions. The Ashover House Hydro is now apartments.