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Holymoorside

Holymoorside village is situated about three and a half miles to the south-west of Chesterfield with the purple expanses of Beeley Moor and Eastmoor only a few minutes drive away, the heathery slopes of which, came right down to the centre of the village before some of the area was enclosed during the 18th century.

Today Holymoorside has become a much-sought-after place to live, with most people earning their living outside the village, commuting daily to Chesterfield, Sheffield or even further afield. A hundred years ago things were very different. Self-sufficiency was the motto and there were tradesmen and craftsmen of all kinds in the community. Farmers were predominant, but there were also miners, quarrymen, lead miners and smelters, blacksmiths, butchers, grocers, joiners, basket-makers and besom-makers, even a taxidermist! Stone Edge Cupola, situated in a remote spot beside the B5057, is Britain's oldest free standing chimney. Built in 1770, it remains as evidence of the lead production that was carried on here until late into the 19th century.

Many people, particularly women and girls, were employed at Man- love's cotton thread mills. These were large buildings, three storeys high, built towards the end of the 18th century and acquired by the Manlove Brothers about 1840. They were prosperous for about 50 years but closed in 1902 and now hardly a trace remains. After 1902 they were gradually demolished and in 1928 a pleasant avenue of 15 houses, known as Riverside Crescent, was planned for the site and completed in the 1930s. Cotton Mill Hill and Dye Mill Yard remind us of this era and one of the dams remains, a beauty spot and the meeting place of the local anglers.

The chief assets of the village are the small recreation ground and the large village hall. The latter is in almost constant use and caters for most of the indoor activities of the community.

There are some attractive names in the village. Water comes from the 'Whispering Well', Wellspring House is close by, and Pennywell Drive reminds us of the days when piped water was not the norm. An annual Well Dressing was revived in 1979 after a gap of about 80 years and is held in August.

Hipper Hall, an early 17th century farmhouse with an even older tithe barn, is probably the oldest building in the village. It contains later additions and has some interesting internal features including an oak partition. The village school was built in 1874 largely at the expense of the millowners, the Manloves. There are five shops, two pubs, the Bulls Head and the Lamb, and three churches, St Peter's, the United Reformed church and the Methodist chapel.


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