Chair's introduction
Dear Supporter,
It doesn’t seem possible that it’s 50 years ago that the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust was set up during European Architectural Heritage Year. Since then, we have rescued over 100 properties. More about this in a future edition.
We are celebrating this significant milestone with an exhibition, and a fundraising dinner on Friday the 21st June – the longest day of the year – at Chatsworth, in the presence of the Earl of Burlington. This will include a recital in the Rose Garden and an opportunity to have your photograph taken in the Cecil Beaton style (a firm favourite of Deborah Devonshire, our first vice chair and later our president)
We are still raising funds to recover the c£50,000 shortfall on the cost of successfully rescuing and conserving Wingfield Station. So please do join us for a memorable evening and help us ‘fill the gap’, so we can continue to invest in future projects.
We not only celebrate the past this year but also look forward to the future, with the support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Over the next two years we'll be expanding our activity to include all the historic buildings of Derbyshire and helping to retain the heritage building skills required to maintain them in the years to come.
Once we get started there will be plenty of opportunity to volunteer.
Meanwhile, enjoy one or more of the many visits planned for this year
Yours ever,
Derek Latham, Chair of DHBT
Cover Photo: Hopkinson's House, the Trust's HQ in Wirksworth
SAVING OUR HERITAGE FOR EVERYONE -
Grant award
We're very excited to announce that we're about to commence a new project that will help us to identify endangered Derbyshire buildings, promote heritage skills and training and draw in new volunteers. The project, which builds on the successful restoration of Wingfield Station, will help us become more resilient as the work will allow us to plan future projects and build training opportunities into all of them.
Our project has been made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery players.
Find out more about our plans and the grant award here.
If you think you might like to be involved with this project, please drop us a line to register your interest - volunteers@derbyshirehistoricbuildingstrust.org.uk
50th anniversary celebration - fundraising dinner and exhibition at chatsworth
As many of you know, 2024 is our 50th anniversary. To celebrate this, we are hosting a special fundraising dinner at Chatsworth on the 21st June to mark the opening of our exhibition there. The exhibition will showcase 50 years of the incredible conservation work that the DHBT has achieved.
We'll also take this opportunity to celebrate Her Grace, the late Deborah Devonshire, Duchess of Devonshire (at the time); our former patron and an active supporter of the Trust. Her conservation work in wider Derbyshire has been relatively unnoticed. Through our archives, the exhibition will give credit to her work and dedication to saving so many of Derbyshire’s beautiful historic buildings.
As shown on the 'save the date' if you would like to register your interest, please RSVP to events@derbyshirehistoricbuildingstrust.org.uk as soon as possible (with a likely number of tickets required) to be a part of this special event.
A minimum donation of £85 per person is required to secure your place (we'll send a payment link when we know you're coming). The evening will include a welcome by the Earl of Burlington, a three course meal with wine and a silent auction. All funds raised will go towards supporting the work of the Trust.
A tour of the historic aqueduct cottage by volunteer project manager, ron common
Sunday 14th April, 2pm - Tickets available now!
Aqueduct Cottage was built around 1802 by industrialist and landowner Peter Nightingale, great, great-uncle of healthcare pioneer Florence, as a lock-keeper’s cottage for his canal arm which he built to serve his factories at Lea Bridge and the valley beyond.
It stands at a key point in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, marking a junction on the late 18th century Cromford Canal south of the ancient aqueduct which spans the River Derwent.
Following the departure of the cottage’s last resident in 1968 and short period as a walker’s shelter , the cottage was abandoned for over 40 years.
The wooded hillside it stood against was gradually reclaiming the decaying building. Its roof and gable-end chimneys collapsed and its windows and door rotted away. Cracks ran across its surviving stonework. Trees and ferns grew in the soil and rubble inside. In summer it was almost invisible from the towpath.
The turning point came in 2019 when Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (DWT) formed a steering group and partnership with the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust (DHBT) represented by architect and technical adviser, James Boon.
What followed was a remarkable 4-year restoration to authentically rebuild the cottage thanks to the efforts of a steadfast group of volunteers trained up in the craft skills needed to bring it back from dereliction, helped along by cash and materials donors. It now serves as a public gateway, information centre and events space for the Lea Wood Nature Reserve owned by the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.
The project has since won several awards including a “special mention” in the prestigious RIBA Journal’s 2024 MacEwen Award.
On Sunday 14th April there will be an opportunity for a personal guided tour of the cottage and to hear about its remarkable restoration from Ron Common, DWT’s Volunteer Project Manager.
DHBT 2024 visits: save the dates
Below are our planned dates for the rest of our 2024 visits. Supporters will always be the first to hear when tickets become available for these.
Sunday 19th May, 2pm - Cressbrook Hall.
Sunday 9th June, 2pm - Kings Newton Conservation Area.
Sunday 23rd June, 2pm - Parwich Hall.
Sunday 21st July, 2pm - Heights of Abraham.
Sunday 18th August, 2pm - Goss Hall, Ashover.
Sunday 22nd September, 2pm - Alstonefield Hall.
Sunday 13th October, 2pm - Dronfield Conservation Area.
Sunday 17th November, 2pm - Smedley's Hydro, Matlock.
Sunday 8th December, 2pm - Masson Mill.
guided tours of wingfield station
Come along to a free guided tour of Wingfield Station - spaces still available on the 11am and 2pm tours on the 19th May, 16th June, 21st July and 18th August.
Please reserve your spot via Eventbrite.
It was great to see the sun make an appearance at the two fully booked tours last Sunday!
open day - a chance to meet wingfield's new charity tenant
On Sunday 7th April there is a chance for people to meet the new tenant at Wingfield Station - Wingfield Station 1947 - to find out more about their exciting plans!
John and his team will be delighted to see you on Sunday 7th April from 11am. More details below, including their social media handles - please give them a follow!
Revolutionaries in wirksworth
Miraculously, dry and sunny weather on Sunday 17th March was the setting for our tour of historic Wirksworth, led by DHBT trustee, Barry Joyce.
The tour linked characters with connections to the Industrial Revolution: Richard Arkwright the 2nd who went into banking in St John Street and made a bigger fortune than his father, John Smedley of Matlock Hydro and Riber Castle fame, who was born in Wirksworth and married the vicar's daughter and William Bemrose who started his printing company in the Old Market Place.
The route ended at Richard Arkwright’s cotton mill where the party had a tour of the interior, which is now a complex of artists studios.
Tour of w.w.Winter's photography studio, derby
On the 18th February, archivist Jane Middleton Smith led a fascinating tour of Winter's Photography Studio.
W.W.Winter is the longest running photography business in the UK - still trading today as W.W.Winter Ltd
W.W.Winter started life in 1852 as E.N.Charles, a photo studio on Midland Road, Derby. Walter William Winter had been working with Charles from 1860 and, on Charles' death in 1863, began trading from the same studio.
In 1867 Winter opened his purpose built daylight photography studio just across the road from the original premises.
The photographic archive alone is worth the visit. An extraordinary survival from Victorian Derby!
derby hippodrome progress
On the 19th January 2024, a broad cross section representing Derby's music scene came together at Dubrek Studios, Derby, to establish the first point of support for Derby Hippodrome becoming a music/multi-event space.
Capably led by James Gough and his associates at GJG Consultancy, we discussed the needs, challenges and solutions for making this vision a reality and listened to examples of what has worked elsewhere and how things can improve for music more generally in the city.
It was really thought provoking meeting with a lot of meaningful input and ideas about how we can create a compelling and useful business case.
GJG are now concluding their work to identify the potential vision, mission and governance model for Derby Hippodrome as well as setting up the next meeting of the Derby Music Panel.
Thanks to the Theatres Trust for funding this work and making this important stage of the project possible.
wingfield manor in the spotlight
We are currently in dialogue with The Friends of Wingfield Manor, English Heritage, Historic England and others to investigate whether progress can be made towards the eventual access by the public once more to this monument, which is of the very highest level of importance not just to Derbyshire, but to our national story.
gardeners' world live 2024
One of our highlights of 2023 was the partnership we formed with Derby College and students at Broomfield Hall, who created an amazing show garden at Gardeners World Live, inspired by Wingfield Station.
This year the students of Derby College are designing a garden based on field barns in Derbyshire.
The college will be helping to promote awareness of the decline of field barns and the work that is required to conserve and restore them.
DHBT Trustee, Elisabeth Stoppard, and Mike - founders of the Bonsall Field Barn Project - recently took the students on an immersive walk around Bonsall to help them get a better sense of the environment. Take a look at the short film produced by the college to find out more.
Date for the diary - Gardeners' World Live 2024 - 13th-16th June at the NEC.
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