Bradley is a charming farming village, situated in the Derbyshire Dales, 3 miles east of Ashbourne.
Bradley has a hall, a school, a pub, a football team and since as recently as 5 years ago a parish council. To have a parish council, a village is required to have 200 inhabitants eligible to vote. Bradley has around 240, out of a population of around 260, about the same as it was a century ago, though fewer are children.
The Bradley Church of England primary school was established in 1873 and takes in children from Ashbourne and other villages, attracted by its excellent academic record and by the interesting projects the children carry out, such as the nature reserve they have established and maintained in the woodland behind the school.
The 14th century All Saint's Church has an 18th century wooden bell turret, but no tower. There are 2 corbels, dating back to the 14th century, set on either side of the east window. It has a 13th century font with an octagonal bowl and many memorials to the Meynell family who lived in the hall opposite the church. The base and part of the shaft of a Saxon Cross stands in the churchyard.
Hugo Meynell had the present hall built in the late 18th century. The family had originally lived in the old hall, bought from Sir Andrew Kniverton, who had been made bankrupt by the civil war, but Hugo had that hall demolished. The present hall is a red brick building of immense length. Since the Meynells, the hall has had many owners and occupants.
Samuel Johnson visited the Meynells on several occasions, first in 1739 when Hugo Meynell was only 4 years old. It is believed that his interests lay with Hugo's sister, Mary, whom Johnson much admired but who later married William Fitzherbert of Tissington.
Bradley church |
Hole in the wall |
Bradley school |
The village pub has the unusual distinction of having 2 names. It is either The Jinglers or the Fox and Hounds, depending upon which sign you read.
Bradley's best known feature is just outside the main village at Moorend, where an archway crosses the road between 2 cottages. It is referred to as the Hole in the Wall.
Accommodation in Bradley
Yeldersley Old Hall Farm B&B and Cottages offer first class accommodation for the tourist and business visitor alike. Stay in one of our three self-catering cottages, or enjoy bed and breakfast in our Grade II Listed 17th century farmhouse. Yeldersley Old Hall Farm and Cottages are listed as buildings of historical interest.
The Farm and Cottages are situated in the quiet and peaceful countryside, just outside the village of Bradley and three miles from the market town of Ashbourne.
Read more at Yeldersley Old Hall Farm B&B and self catering cottages
