Brassington in Derbyshire and the Peak District National Park, is a largish, attractive if somewhat greyish, limestone village perched on a hillside,some 800 feet above sea level and known to the locals as `Brass`n`. It was once a thriving centre at the heart of lead mining country, but things are much quieter now.
Brassington has many cottages that date back to the 17th and 18th centuries, with the `TUDOR HOUSE`, built in 1615, being one of the oldest.
The Miners Arms |
Brassington church |
Brassington village has a post office and several pubs. The post office used to be a toll house on the Loughborough to Brassington road which became a turnpike in 1738. The Gate Inn stood next to the turnpike road.
Strange rock formations can be found at Rainster rocks and Hipley Hill, offering visitors and specialists alike much to peruse on.Rainster Rocks, above the village, enjoys wide open views and is a pleasant place for a picnic or just to enjoy the wealth of fauna growing here. Closeby at Minning Low, when neolithic chambered barrows were discovered, it was the best discovery of its kind in the peak district at the time.
St James Church is essentially a Norman church with some Saxon remains. It has a fine south arcade and Perpendicular windows, and a Norman tower. The church was heavily restored in the late 19th century with the north aisle added around 1880. There is a figure of a man with his hand on his heart, carved on a stone high up a wall in the tower. The carving could be Saxon in origin, but anyway, he is known as Brassingtons oldest resident.
Man has left much earlier evidence of his presence in the area with prehistoric graves and fragments of a Roman road which ran from Little Chester to Buxton. Important remains of early mammals found here can be seen at Buxton Museum.
Directions for Brassington
Take the A515 road out of Ashbourne. Turn right after about 2 miles onto the B5056.Turn right again after a further 3 miles. Well sign posted.
