Cromford – Getting There

The village of Cromford sits alongside the main A6. It is situated at the southern end of Matlock Dale deep in the Derwent Valley. Cromford Mill is part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.

NE – M1, then come off at Chesterfield, over to Matlock then south through Matlock Bath.

NW – M6, then come off at the Knutsford exit,  over to Macclesfield then Buxton. Take the A515 Ashbourne road from Buxton and turn off at Friden on the A5012. This drops you directly into Cromford through Via Gellia.

SE – M1, come off at South Normanton onto the A38 towards Ripley. At Ripley, take the A610 to Ambergate where you turn right onto the A6, direction Matlock.

SW – M5, M42 over to the M1 then as for coming from the SE.

The Origin of Cromford

The village owes its historical significance entirely to the River Derwent, for it takes its name from a bend in the river where the water was shallow enough to be forded by the old Derby to Chesterfield road, the original old English ‘Crune-ford’ meaning ‘crooked-ford’.



Cheers Richard!

The present-day village owes its existence to Richard Arkwright. This local industrialist was responsible for most of its construction. He built an entire industrial complex of mills and workshops, houses for his workers, a school, a chapel, and an inn in the Market Place.

North Street, Cromford, Derbyshire.

Sir Richard Arkwright lived at Rock House, opposite his original mill. In 1788 he purchased a plot of land to build a new house.  The land was adjacent to both Cromford and Masson mills. He set about building Willersley Hall, later called Willersley Castle, for himself and his family on the land. Alas, just as the building was completed it was destroyed by fire. The renovations took two years. Arkwright died, aged 60 and never lived in the castle which was only completed after his death.

Arkwright of Cromford

It was the Arkwright family home right up until the first world war. It served as a maternity hospital but was sold by the Arkwrights late in the roaring twenties, to a methodist group. Over the years, it was developed as a hotel. In 2000, the castle was given a Grade II listing. Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, the hotel was closed and put up for sale in 2020.

Opposite to the Castle is the Limestone climbing crag of Willersley, detailed elsewhere on the site. The land is owned by whoever owns Willersley Castle so please be aware of that if you are climbing there. You can find access details on the UK Climbing site.

In the Village

The Greyhound Hotel built in 1788, with its magnificent original Georgian frontage dominates the Market Place. At the rear of the hotel is the large Mill Pond, and at its head, the constantly turning water-wheel. Arkwright took water from here to power his first mill. From here the water was channelled to the mill by a series of chutes and carried over the road by a cast-iron launder (dated 1821 and which superseded the original wooden one of 1776 and sadly now destroyed after a lorry collided with it) and into the mill. Perhaps the most prominent of Arkwright’s constructions is Masson Mill built alongside the Derwent in 1784 and still in use today as a shopping centre. This massive red brick mill with its unusual convex weir spanning the river still bears the legend ‘Sir Richard Arkwright Co.’ high on its frontage.
Guides and history of the area round and about Cromford

Derwent Valley Walks: Cromford

The Cromford & High Peak Railway in Colour

The Cromford Canal

There and Back Again: Restoring the Cromford Canal 1968-1988

Matlock, Matlock Bath & Cromford Guide & Souvenir

Around Cromford Dam

Hanged for a sheep : crime and punishment in bygone Derbyshire

The Cromford Guide

The Scarthin

The Scarthin is a lane that rises from a corner of the Market Place. It narrows as it reaches the Boat Inn (1772) which stands virtually opposite the post-office, and then broadens into a very attractive iron-railed promenade with a War Memorial displaying the names of the valiant men of  Cromford whose lives were squandered by the First World War.

Scarthin Books has a central location along the promenade in a three-storey building literally packed from floor to ceiling with the largest selection of modern and antiquarian books in the County. The book shop also boasts a café with splendid views across the mill pond (and brilliant cake).

At the western end of the Scarthin stands the Primitive Methodist Chapel of 1853, and across the Mill Pond on Water Lane is the well supported Methodist Church. Below the Market Place and in the shadow of the limestone cliff stands the Community Centre and a small garden of remembrance with a Memorial dedicated to the men of Cromford who died in the Second World War.

Cromford St Mary’s Church

St Mary’s Church lies in the Derwent Valley, more or less opposite to the entrance to Cromford Meadows and near to Arkwrights Cromford Mill. Just beyond the church stands the fine 15th century bridge across the Derwent and its unusual tiny fishing temple with the dedication ‘Piscatoribus Sacrum’ carved into the ancient stonework. Close by the southern end of the bridge stand the ruins of a small 15th century chapel and on the bridge parapet carved into the stone is the legend ‘The leap of Mr. B.H. mare. June 1697’ marking the exact spot where, over 300 years ago, both horse and rider plunged over the parapet into the river below, and survived unhurt.



Cromford Meadows

At the entrance to Cromford Meadows is the Cromford Canal Wharf and the start of the Cromford Canal, another of Arkwright’s projects, although it was opened in 1793 after his death. The canal was 14 miles long and joined the Erewash Canal at Langley Mill. It enjoyed many years of use until the coming of the railways in the 1860s.

Now lovingly restored by the Cromford Canal Society and the Derbyshire County Council, this section of the canal hosts a large car park, picnic area and visitor centre. It is possible to walk along the towpath from Cromford to Ambergate, including through a canal tunnel – to help to stop you from straying into the canal in the darkness, a set of railings has been erected. Should you choose to cycle the towpath, which we believe is allowed, please respect foot traffic. The tunnel can be avoided via a footpath that passes to one side.