Bakewell
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- This article is about the English town of Bakewell. For other uses, please see Bakewell (disambiguation).
  Map sources for Bakewell at grid reference SK2168
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Bakewell is a small market town in Derbyshire, England, deriving its name from 'Badeca's Well'. According to the UK 2001 census the civil parish of Bakewell had a population of 3,979.
The only town included in the Peak District National Park, it is located on the River Wye, about thirteen miles (21 km) southwest of Sheffield, close to the tourist attractions of Chatsworth House and Haddon Hall. It is well known for the local confection, Bakewell Pudding (often confused with the more widely known Bakewell Tart, which is very different).
Villages near Bakewell include Ashford-in-the-Water, Elton, Great Longstone, Monyash, Over Haddon, Sheldon, Rowsley and Youlgreave.
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[edit] History
Although there is evidence of earlier settlements in the area, Bakewell itself was probably founded in Saxon times. Bakewell Parish Church, a Grade I listed building, was founded in 920 and has a 9th century cross in the churchyard. The present church was constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries but was virtually rebuilt in the 1840s by William Flockton.[1] By Norman times Bakewell had gained some importance—the town, and its church (having two priests) being mentioned in the Domesday Book.
A market was established in 1254, and Bakewell developed as a trading centre. The Grade I listed five-arched bridge over the River Wye at Bakewell was constructed in the 13th century, and is one of the few surviving remnants of this earlier period.[2] A chalybeate spring was discovered, and a bath house built in 1697. This led to an eighteenth century bid to develop Bakewell as a spa town, in the manner of Buxton. The construction of the Lumford Mill by Richard Arkwright in 1777 was followed by the rebuilding of much of the town in the 19th century.
Access was much improved by the arrival of the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway in 1862, later the Midland Railway and LMS main line from London to Manchester. John Ruskin objected to what he saw as the desecration of the Derbyshire countryside, all so that "a Buxton fool may be able to find himself in Bakewell in twelve minutes, and vice versa." Although the line closed in 1968, the station buildings, located on the hillside overlooking the town, are still in existence, they now function as commercial business units. In return for the Duke of Rutland's permission for the line to pass through his estate at Haddon Hall, the building is more imposing than a small town might be thought to justify, and carries his coat of arms carved into the stonework. There have been repeated proposals for reopening the line, and indeed reaching Bakewell is just one of the long-term ambitions of the preserved railway Peak Rail (located on the other side of the Duke of Rutland's estate in the village of Rowsley). In anticipation of future rail use under one auspice or another, Derbyshire County Council is protecting the trackbed from development. Parts of the trackway are currently in use as a path for walking and cycling with the occasional horserider to be seen.
[edit] Tourism
Bakewell attracts many domestic and international tourists. Monday is a particularly popular day for visitors as this is the day that the traditional market is held in the town. The cattle market is housed in a new purpose built agricultural centre, across the river from the main part of the town. A medium sized stall market is held in the town centre. There is a picturesque public park, alongside the River Wye, which has its source in nearby Buxton.
[edit] Events
Annual events that take place in the town during the year include:
- Well dressing - The Peak District tradition takes place during June—colourful images made of petals embedded into clay appear at several places throughout the town.
- The annual Carnival week, culminating in a colourful procession through the town is held at the beginning of July.
- The Bakewell Show is the most popular event of the year and takes place over two days in early August at the Bakewell Agricultural Centre - this includes many agricultural events and entertainments.
- August has also seen the addition of the Bakewell Arts Festival—an annual event comprising music and theatre performances, though there was no festival in 2005 due to financial problems.
- The Peak Literary Festival is held in the Spring and Autumn of each year. The Spring festival starts on the last Friday in May and the autumn on the last Friday in October.
- Rugby is played regularly in the town by Bakewell Mannerians Rugby Football team.[1]
[edit] Notoriety
Bakewell became notorious because of the Stephen Downing case. Downing, at the time a 17 year old with the mental capacity of an 11 year old, was wrongly imprisoned for the murder of Wendy Sewell in 1973 and served 27 years in jail. The conviction was declared unsafe by the Court of Appeal of England and Wales in 2001 and Downing was released following a long campaign by his family and Don Hale, the then editor of local newspaper the Matlock Mercury. Hale was voted Man of the Year by the The Observer newspaper, Journalist of the Year by What the Papers Say and was awarded an Order of the British Empire for his efforts, though he was also criticised for referring to Sewell as the "Bakewell Tart".
The case, and Don Hale's campaign, was featured in the 2004 BBC drama In Denial of Murder in which Stephen Tompkinson played Don Hale and Caroline Catz played Wendy Sewell.
[edit] References
- ^ English Heritage (1951) Church of All Saints. Images of England (accessed 22 January 2006—free registration required).
- ^ English Heritage (1951) Bridge. Images of England (accessed 22 January 2006—free registration required).
[edit] External links
- Bakewell UK website
- Map sources for Bakewell
Ceremonial county of Derbyshire  |
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| Unitary authorities: | Derby | |
| Boroughs/Districts: | Amber Valley • Bolsover • Chesterfield • Derbyshire Dales • Erewash • High Peak • North East Derbyshire • South Derbyshire | |
| Cities/Towns: | Alfreton • Ashbourne • Bakewell • Belper • Bolsover • Buxton • Chapel-en-le-Frith • Chesterfield • Clay Cross • Derby • Dronfield • Glossop • Heanor • Ilkeston • Killamarsh • Long Eaton • Matlock • New Mills • Ripley • Sandiacre • Shirebrook • Staveley • Swadlincote • Whaley Bridge • Wirksworth See also: List of civil parishes in Derbyshire |
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