Reflections Magazine January 2023

12,20,28,32,72 Countywide News

What’s been happening across the county in words and pictures

16 The legacy of a ‘Victorian colossus’ in Derbyshire

Steve Brown reports on the demise, exactly a century ago, of the Derbyshire-based Midland Railway Company

24 It’s a half-century since the Clay Cross ‘rent rebellion’ The Derbyshire town was making front-page news across the nation when its councillors refused to raise council house rents. Barrie Farnsworth reports.

36 Ben has toured the world: now he’s heading for Derbyshire!

Ben Fogle, who has visited a staggering 200-plus places across the world on broadcasting assignments, is heading to Buxton on his latest tour. Barrie Farnsworth reports

40 Congratulations to Steve!

We announce the results of our 2022 photographic competition – and launch the 2023 one

46 Spotlight on the Arts

News of a new album by a Belgian Spireite, a new musical for the Buxton Festival and a great exhibition at the Harley Gallery

48 Fashion: a close look at ‘sole mates’

As temperatures plummet, make sure your feet stay cosy and warm in this season’s hottest boots, says Amy Norbury

51 Crossword

52 Talking about books can lead to new friendships… Reading clearly helps to make new friends, as Carol Taylor discovered when she kick-started a Book Club in Matlock about a year ago

56 Was Katherine ‘possessed by the devil’?

Patrick Coleman tells a remarkable tale from 16thCentury Derbyshire

60 Awash with ‘exceptional’ buildings: that’s Derbyshire

Derbyshire is resplendent with structures of ‘exceptional historic interest’, which are given a Grade 1 listing, as Barrie Farnsworth reports

64 Out & About

A family walk this month taking in rivers, ruins and ridges

66 Antiques: contrasting styles that can enhance an interior

Our expert valuer Vivienne Milburn looks at how modern art can play a part in enhancing interiors

68 Focus on Food & Drink

As the cost-of-living crisis continues, we look at how to get four family meals from a single joint

70 What’s On

Our comprehensive guide to forthcoming events across Derbyshire and beyond in January and early February

REFLECTIONS MAGAZINE JANUARY 2023

Editor: Barrie Farnsworth, barrief@bannisterpublications.co.uk

Advertising: Mike Snow, mikes@bannisterpublications.co.uk

Managing Director/Art Director/Photographer: Robert Bannister, robert@bannisterpublications.com

Art Editor: Ben Fletcher-Bates, design@reflections-magazine.com

Accounts: Jenny Kelly, jennyk@bannisterpublications.co.uk

Published by: Bannister Publications Ltd. Tel. 01246 550 488 (3 lines). 118 Saltergate, Chester eld, Derbyshire S40 1NG. Reflections is published monthly and delivered directly to homes which fall into tax bands D to H and the following postcode areas: DE4 - 2, 3, 4, 5 / DE45 1 / S18 5 / S30 1 / S40 - 1, 2, 3, 4 / S41 0, S41 7, 8, 9 / S42 - 5, 6, 7 / S43 - 1, 2, 3 / S45 0, S45 9.

All Rights Reserved: Reproduction in whole or in part without written consent is strictly prohibited. The publishers do not accept responsibility for any views expressed, or statements made, in signed contributions or in those reproduced from any other source. No responsibility is borne for any errors made in any advertisement, or for incorrect claims made by any advertiser. The publishers reserve the right to re se any advertising deemed unsuitable for any reason. All material submitted for publication is done so at the owner’s risk and no responsibility is accepted for its return. Reflections Magazine, Bannister Publications Ltd.

Cover picture: Hardwick Hall. Picture by Andrew Butler, courtesy of National Trust. For the feature on Derbyshire’s ‘exceptional’ buildings, turn to page 60.

Countywide News

Plans for a new £6.5m National Stone Centre

A DETAILED planning application for a £6.5m transformation of the National Stone Centre (NSC), near Wirksworth, has been jointly submitted by the National Stone Centre and the Institute of Quarrying.

The proposed new National Stone Centre will embody strong references to the area’s geology and industrial heritage, including the overhanging rock formations found in local gritstone outcrops, such as Black Rocks and Stanage Edge.

The plans have been developed in partnership with Wirksworth-based design and consultancy practice Babenko Associates. A cantilevered structure will allow the building to ‘emerge from the hillside’.

Phase One of the project includes proposals for a 100-seater café/ restaurant; four classrooms with a combined capacity of 120 learners; lots of museum and exhibition space; a souvenir shop; Changing Places facilities; a new children’s playground; and an open-air piazza for community events.

James Thorne is chief executive o cer of the Institute of Quarrying, which has merged with the National Stone Centre. He says: “A re-imagined National Stone Centre will bring new visitors, as well as providing a focal point for engaging the public, schools and colleges in the science, history and the future of the quarrying and mineral products industry.

“This planning application is the end result of over a year’s consultation with all of our stakeholders. We have listened and learned, taking on board feedback that has helped shape our application.

“We rmly believe that our plans represent an exciting moment in the

history of the National Stone Centre, delivering a unique building that is both t for purpose and inspiring for generations to come. It’s the home that such a signi cant collection deserves, as well as proudly representing what is now the largest manufacturing sector in the UK.”

Jo Dilley, managing director of marketing for Peak District & Derbyshire, says: “We’re proud to support the exciting plans for the National Stone Centre. These plans signal a positive step towards the goal of creating an extraordinary new centre of excellence that will not only attract visitors from across the UK but will also support local jobs and provide unique educational opportunities.

Through school visits to the NSC’s museum and exhibitions, the site helps children understand the science in geology, the natural environment and industrial heritage. The National Stone Centre o cially opened in 1990 and is set within six former limestone quarries on a 40-acre Site of Special Scienti c Interest.

Tissington Trail winter closures for tree felling

SECTIONS of the Tissington Trail between Mapleton and Alsop-en-le-Dale will be closed during January and February 2023 as the National Park Authority undertakes tree felling operations for ash dieback.   The works are required to minimise the risk to trail users from weakened trees a ected by the disease. Much of the ash tree population of the Peak District is likely to be a ected by ash dieback in the coming years.   Works along the trail will only take place during weekdays, with weekends and school half-term periods una ected and the trail re-opened for use as normal.   Closures will happen in short sections, with each area re-opening a er felling is complete. An updated list of a ected sections will be available on the authority’s website.

The vast majority of the resulting timber and other material will be removed from the trail. However, some small areas of habitat will be le to bene t wildlife. Replacement trees will not be planted, but natural regeneration will be allowed to take place.

A spokesperson for the authority said: “Ash dieback sadly now has a rm grip in the Peak District, which is why the authority and many other organisations are undertaking felling works to tackle the impact of the disease.

“Whilst none of us wish to see the loss of native trees, we anticipate that felling along the trail routes will open up many of the dramatic views for visitors to enjoy that are not currently available due to existing tree cover.

“By only closing routes in sections and maintaining access during weekends and school holiday periods, we aim to keep disruption to a minimum.”

Smaller felling and ‘pollarding’ operations on ash trees will also take place around the Bakewell station area of the Monsal Trail, but this will not require closure of the route.

The latest information can be found at peakdistrict.gov.uk

An architect’s impression of the new National Stone Centre.

Above: Tissington Trail users are asked to check the website for winter closures whilst tree felling takes place. Picture by Daniel Wildey.

THE LEGACY OF A ‘VICTORIAN COLOSSUS’ ON DERBYSHIRE

Exactly a century ago, the face of Britain’s railways changed – and some famous companies ‘disappeared’. Steve Brown reports on the demise of one of the biggest, the Derbyshire-based Midland Railway Company.

ON the rst of January, 1923, the face of Britain’s railways changed forever. The Railways Act of 1921 was intended to stem the losses of the some 120 separate railway companies which had run the network since Victorian times and to consolidate some of the bene ts seen since the government had taken over the running of the railways during and a er World War One. The so called “big four” came into being – namely the Great Western Railway, the London Midland and Scottish Railway, the London and North Eastern Railway and the Southern Railway – and into these were incorporated many of the most

famous names of the British railway age. One of the most well known, and the third largest, was the Midland Railway Company, a colossus of the Victorian and Edwardian railway age and deservedly well known for its comfortable and punctual trains. The Midland’s in uence extended far beyond its East Midlands base, even to shipping companies and into Ireland, and can still be found today in many towns and cities where “a Midland Hotel” is o en found, and the Midland name is still attached to stations and railway infrastructure.

The company was founded in 1844 through an amalgamation of the Manchester,

Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway, the North Midland Railway, the Midland Counties Railway and the Birmingham and Derby Railway. All of these railways met at Derby and the new company set up its headquarters, locomotive works and other associated railway engineering functions in the city.

From those early days, Derby has retained its status as a major centre of railway employment, with many technical and consultancy companies based there as well as the train manufacturer Alstom on its Litchurch Lane site. On a smaller scale, one of the rst inns and some of the

The former waiting room on Cromford Station’s southbound platform, now a holiday cottage. It is thought that it was the original station building, designed by GH Stokes, son-in-law of Joseph Paxton. The building was used as the single cover of the 1995 Oasis song, Some Might Say.

rst purpose-built houses ever built for railway workers can still be found in the Railway Conservation area directly outside the city’s main railway station, as well as the splendid Midland Hotel, designed by the railway architect Francis Thompson.

As the Midland Railway continued to expand, one of its major targets was “cottonopolis” – Manchester and its environs – and this was to provide much of its legacy to the county of Derbyshire. Tra c between London and Manchester was highly lucrative and the Midland wanted its share, but it needed a route through the Peak District as an extension of its existing line from Ambergate to Rowsley. A chance meeting between its directors and those of the Manchester, She eld and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&L) out in the Derbyshire countryside has now passed into Victorian railway folklore, as from this came the running of Midland trains over the MS&L line from New Mills into Manchester.

The building and opening of the railway north of Rowsley, going through Bakewell, Millers Dale, Peak Forest and Chinley, with a branch line from Millers Dale to Buxton, followed in 1867; this included the heavily engineered sections of line through the limestone dales and a long tunnel at Dove Holes. Of particular note were the splendid, ve-arched Headstone viaduct at Monsal Dale and the twin girder viaducts at Millers Dale; there were also six tunnels between Bakewell and Ashwood Dale as the line burrowed through the limestone hills.

This di cult, yet scenic, route was forced upon the Midland as the Duke of Devonshire had rejected proposals to build the line further north through his estates. A curious tunnel was dug beneath the grounds of Haddon Hall, where the Midland Railway had to run their line underground in a ‘cut and cover’ bore in order that smoky locos and their coaches could not be seen from the hall by the Duke of Rutland!

Millers Dale sported a station far bigger than the settlement of the same name would justify, as connections were provided there by a local train to and from Buxton; the Midland station at the latter was located immediately alongside but separate from the adjacent London and North Western Railway station. The latter remains to this day, but the Midland station has disappeared without trace beneath a supermarket store.

The route continued in regular use by express trains between London St Pancras and Manchester Central and by heavy freight tra c until July 1968, when the section between Matlock and Ashwood Dale was closed and the tracks eventually li ed as the long distance passenger tra c was transferred to the now modernised and electri ed West Coast Main Line.

The railway between Ambergate, the junction with the main Derby to She eld line, and Matlock remained as a single track branch line and retains many original Midland Railway features such as the distinctive stone buildings on the platform at Cromford station and the Swiss chalet design of the station o ces at Matlock Bath, re ecting the promotion of the area by the Midland as the ‘Switzerland of England’.

Beyond Matlock, the line to Rowsley

South continues as Peak Rail, a railway preservation society undertaking; at Rowsley itself, all that remains of the once bustling railway scene there is a former station building which now forms part of the Peak Village Outlet shopping centre.

From Bakewell to Topley Pike, the railway trackbed is now in use as the well known Monsal Trail, 8.5 miles of tra c-free byway for walkers, cyclists and equestrians, partially opened in 1980 by the Peak District National Park and completed through the tunnels in 2011. Many former station buildings, now put to various other uses, can still be found along the trail sporting the distinctive Midland Railway features of tall chimneys, ornate round-topped windows, bargeboards and roof ridge tiles.

Beyond the end of the Monsal Trail, the operational railway can be found again; this is now used for the conveyance of the products of the local quarries and it runs within this industrial landscape through Great Rocks and Peak Forest, each with its own working former Midland Railway signal box, towards the great cutting at the summit of the line at the entrance of Dove Holes Tunnel. The latter is 2984 yards long and took the navvies nearly four years to build through di cult terrain. The constant ingress of water from the surrounding limestone strata continues to this day, so the tunnel needs constant maintenance.

However, the advent of modern, powerful diesel locomotives working the trains to and from the quarries has meant that the tales

High up on the moors to the east of Chinley is the castellated housing on top of the air sha of the Cowburn Tunnel.

The sealed-up entrance to the ‘cut and cover’ tunnel which went under the grounds of Haddon Hall, as the then Duke of Rutland did not want to see any trains.

“A curious tunnel was dug beneath the grounds of Haddon Hall, where the Midland Railway had to run their line underground in a ‘cut and cover’ bore...”

of drivers and remen crouching down in the cabs of their steam locomotives with scarves over their faces as they pounded up the tunnel’s southbound gradient though smoke so thick “you could cut it with a knife” have thankfully ceased.

Beyond Dove Holes, the line drops steeply to Chinley, of which more anon, then on to New Mills where the original line met up with the MS&L at New Mills Central station. The latter survives largely intact with its grand former station master’s house on the platform together with a classic lattice ironwork Midland Railway footbridge and still extant signal box nearby.

The direct link between the East Midlands and Manchester was now complete, but from South Yorkshire the Midland’s trains were still faced with a long diversion to the south via Chester eld and Ambergate. The idea of a railway through the Hope Valley from Dore to Chinley had been independently oated but it gained the impetus it needed to succeed when the Midland took an interest and was started in 1888, completed in 1893 and included the long tunnels at Totley and Cowburn.

Chinley station was thus transformed into a major junction for the Midland, so a large station with a goods yard and sidings was constructed and its importance was further enhanced when the Midland opened its direct new line into Manchester Central from

New Mills South Junction through Disley Tunnel and Cheadle Heath in 1902. Little now remains at Chinley bar a large island platform and it takes some imagination to picture the large waiting rooms in the station buildings where the inter-war rambling clubs used to gather en masse in front of a roaring re on a Sunday evening for a sing song while waiting for the late trains back to Manchester and She eld.

To the east, high up on the moors above

Chinley, the castellated housing of the 241metre-deep air sha of the Cowburn Tunnel still stands as a distinctive landmark. It took over 100 men working round the clock for two years to dig, mason and brick the original sha , which was recently extensively repaired by Network Rail. Along the Hope Valley, the legacy of the Midland Railway continues with examples such as the original timber built signal box at Edale, the ornate iron footbridge

A great re ection of the Headstone Viaduct in the River Wye.

The former Rowsley station building now forms part of the Peak Village Outlet shopping centre.

at Hope Station and the little black-andwhite timbered former station building at Grindleford, now a very well-known cafe.

Many of the Midland Railway signal boxes were very early examples of prefabricated buildings; they were constructed in kit form in the Midland’s workshops at Derby before being taken to and erected on site. It therefore seems entirely appropriate that the Air x model railway signal box kit was based on the Midland Railway’s original design!

Derby and Chester eld had been connected by train from 1840, when the

North Midland Railway company constructed its line onwards to Leeds but it was only from 1870 that both were connected directly to Dron eld and She eld when the Midland built its “New Road” through the di cult hilly countryside to the north of Chester eld. Much of the line has now been aligned for high-speed running, the signalling modernised and the station at Chester eld extensively rebuilt, so little remains of the Midland Railway’s legacy there.

Plans for the future include the possible electri cation of the whole route

of the Midland Main Line from London

St Pancras through Leicester, Derby and Chester eld through to She eld which could eventually put the line on the same footing as those of the Midland’s former great rivals, the Great Northern Railway up the east coast and the London and North Western Railway up the west coast. By the end of the 19th Century, the Midland was the railway company in highest favour with the public in Great Britain and it is a tting tribute to its memory that so much of its infrastructure survives in various forms to the present day. As the historian C. Hamilton Ellis says in his history of the company: “the Midland was a magni cent railway”.

The former ticket o ce at Edale station.

The classic lattice ironwork Midland Railway footbridge and signal box at New Mills Central station.

Golf club’s boost for air ambulance team

AFTER a record season of charity fund-raising events, Chatsworth Golf Club has donated over £13,000 to the Derbyshire Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA).

Club captains Fiona Stephenson and John Bennett were invited to the Nottingham base of DLRAA to present the cheque and whilst there were given a tour. This included a demonstration of emergency call handling in which the response time to touch down at Chatsworth was just 14 minutes!  They also met the pilot, doctors and paramedics, who outlined details of the helicopter and its medical equipment.

The choice of the Air Ambulance charity was agreed by both captains in appreciation of the life-saving support the club had previously received from the service.

Thanks were also given to the management and sta of Chatsworth House Trust for their generosity in providing unique fund-raising experiences and to the many sponsors for their support over the club’s Charity Weekend.

Plenty of warm spaces…

RESIDENTS across Chester eld are being supported to stay warm and well this winter, with the launch of ‘warm spaces’ across the borough.

Chester eld Borough Council, along with the Chester eld Health and Wellbeing Partnership and a range of partner organisations, have joined forces for the project which is designed to support local people during the colder months, as the cost of living continues to rise.

Dozens of warm spaces are now up and running across the borough – o ering people a chance to meet others in a free, warm and welcoming environment.

Many of the venues are also o ering refreshments, as well as other activities (depending on the venue, there may be a small charge).

The venues include local churches

and community centres amongst others. Each venue is open at di erent times and on di erent days, so please check before visiting.

The information you need is on Google My Maps – Chester eld Warm Spaces.

New, local walking book

THE Chester eld Canal Trust has just published a book of walks along and around the canal. Entitled ‘Walking along the Chester eld Canal’, it has 76 pages with lots of maps, photographs and illustrations. It costs £10 and is available from the Trust’s shop at Hollingwood Hub and online from its website.

The book was written by David Blackburn, who is a leading light in the Ramblers and has been Walks O cer for the Trust for about 25 years.

David said: “It is a privilege to be able to share some of the walks I enjoy, and I hope they will give lots of pleasure to other walkers too. They vary in length, cover the whole canal towpath and also use footpaths in the surrounding countryside.”

“The 25 walks are circular and cover the full 46-mile canal length from Chester eld to the River Trent. There’s a great deal for lovers of wildlife – in and around the canal. King shers can be seen regularly, even in the more urban parts. The graceful heron can o en be seen looking out for sh for its next meal. The canal is also home to the water vole, an increasingly threatened species. Allow yourself time to stand and stare – the walks are best enjoyed if you are not rushed.”

Huge rise in pet thefts

DERBYSHIRE has seen by far the biggest increase in pet the s in the country over the last ve years, rising by nearly 150 per

This year’s tourism awards finalists…

THE shortlist for the 2023 Peak District & Derbyshire Tourism Awards has been revealed. Shortlisted businesses will now go forward to the nal round of independent judging before winners are revealed at an awards ceremony at Casa Hotel, Chester eld, on March 2, 2023.

FINALISTS INCLUDE:

B&B and Guest House of the Year: Grendon Bed & Breakfast, Buxton; Sheldon House, Monyash.

Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year: Landal Darwin Forest, Matlock; Rivendale Lodge Retreat, Ashbourne; Upper Hurst Farm, Hay eld.

Experience of the Year: myGuidedWalks; Pendragon Project Team Adventures; Pure Outdoor. Hotel of the Year: The Maynard, Grindleford; Peak Edge Hotel, Stonedge; Wildhive Callow Hall, near Ashbourne.

Pub of the Year: The Blind Bull, Little Hucklow; The George, Hathersage: The Scotsman’s Pack Country Inn, Hathersage.

Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year: Tissington Ford Barn, Bradbourne; The Water Mill, Bradbourne; Wheeldon Trees Cottages, Earl Sterndale.

Visitor Attraction of the Year: Heights of Abraham, Matlock Bath; Matlock Farm Park, Matlock; Thornbridge Estate, Bakewell.

cent. The county experienced its highest proportion in 2021, with owners reporting 7.4 pet the s per 100,000 people, over double that of ve years ago.  Devon and Cornwall is next, with a rise of over 80% since 2017. In fact, Devon and Cornwall is the UK’s pet the hotspot, with 409 pet the s per 100,000 people.

Dog The s make up a quarter of all pet the s since 2017, with the Sta ordshire Bull Terrier being the most commonly stolen breed.  Birds are the second most commonly stolen pet, with more than 2,500 stolen over the last ve years.

Above: John and Fiona, of Chatsworth Golf Club, hand over a cheque for more than £13k to members of the local air ambulance team.

SPENDING TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY AND MAKING PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

IT’S that time of year again, when been getting together with our friends and family during the festive celebrations. In the words of the 70s Christmas song, “everybody’s having fun” –enjoying the big Christmas lunch, seeing the children and grandchildren, the party games, the decorations – and the big chill a erwards when we o en sit and think about our families and the future.

Once the immediate Christmas festivities are over and you’ve watched everything Christmassy on TV, played Twister and Charades and have time to relax, it could be a good time, whilst your family is all around you, to “look to the future” – as the song says – and talk to them about your plans, including lasting powers of attorney and making a will. It is not a morbid discussion; you are showing your friends and family that you are thinking about them and want to help secure their future. You are ensuring that they understand what you want – how you want decisions to be made if and when you can’t make them, who you want to look a er any children if you die before they are 18, which charities you want to support, what you want to happen at your funeral – and even what you want to happen to your pet – so there won’t be any disputes when the time comes.

Post COVID, many of us are still unsure about what the future holds and want to make plans that will make life easier for our families should something happen to us. Many people believe that if something happens to them, for example, they have an accident or start su ering from dementia, their spouse, partner or children will automatically be able to manage their a airs. Unfortunately, that is not true. Only those named as your attorneys in a lasting power of attorney (LPA), which must be put in place whilst you have the mental capacity to do so, have the legal right to deal with your a airs. Without an LPA, someone would need to apply to the Court of Protection to be appointed as your deputy, and this can take a while to put in place and be expensive.

A property and a airs LPA gives your attorney the authority to deal with issues such as bank and other nancial accounts, buying and selling property, claiming, receiving and using bene ts on your behalf, paying taxes and making gi s on your behalf.

A health and welfare LPA gives your attorneys the right to make decisions on issues such as where you should live and with whom, your day-to-day care, medical treatment, access to your

personal information, community care, social and leisure services, education or training and personal correspondence.

Planning for the future also involves making your will, and what better gi could you give to your family at Christmastime than letting them know that your estate is all sorted? Around 50% of people do not have a will. That is half of the adult population in the UK who do not know what will happen to their estate if they die. If you die intestate, that is without having made a will, the law will decide what will happen to your estate – not you. Intestacy rules are strict and o en don’t re ect an individual’s wishes. Your family could be le devastated and even homeless if you don’t have a will, particularly if you are unmarried or not in a civil partnership.

One element of estate planning that can help you to reduce your inheritance tax (IHT) is giving gi s. Christmas and birthdays are an ideal time for this – but make sure you take advice and follow the rules. Stay within your lifetime gi allowance and the seven-year rule to avoid IHT being clawed back later. However, as you can also give as many gi s of up to £250 as you like without it being subject to IHT, you can, for example, give children or grandchildren £250 this year and give them the same next year and every other year a er that if you wish to.

Graysons can help, and whatever plans you decide you wish to put in place for the future, for now, we hope you are enjoying a very Merry Christmas and looking forward to a prosperous and peaceful New Year. Contact our experts or nd out more on our web site. LC

Laura Cowan, probate manager.

It’s 50 years since the Clay Cross

‘rent rebellion’

government in their right to set their own rents but, when threatened with the appointment of a housing commissioner, all but Clay Cross UDC eventually complied.

On September 4, 1972, its 11 Labour councillors unanimously adopted the following motion: “That this Council will not operate any of the provisions contained in the Housing Finance Act 1972, and the electorate shall be informed of the decision, together with the reasons for coming to this decision, and that the o cers of the council be instructed not to make any preparations for implementation of any of the provisions of the Act nor to act on behalf of the Conservative Government as a Commissioner”.

It was not altogether surprising, as Clay Cross UDC had a track record of looking for loopholes in legislation it did not like. There were rebellions not just over rents, but also over free school milk and pay for council sta .

IT is precisely 50 years ago this month that 11 Clay Cross councillors were ordered to pay £6,985 – out of their own pickets – for not enforcing the 1972 Housing Finance Act, which had ordered local councils to increase their council house rents.

The Labour councillors on Clay Cross Urban District Council had refused point blank to increase rents on October 1, 1972. Rents for council house tenants in the council’s area were, at the time, among the lowest in the country at around £1.65 a week.

The Conservative government, led by Ted Heath, also planned to stop councils holding down council house rents by using their rates income as ‘subsidies’. Any council that failed to increase rents would have its subsidies for council house building stopped and a Housing Commissioner would be sent in to work to the 1972 Act.

Clay Cross, at the time, had a population of around 10,000 and there were 1,400 council tenancies, and more than half of its population lived in council houses.

Many Labour-controlled councils in the UK initially resisted interference by central

As the book, The Story of Clay Cross, written by one of the councillors, David Skinner, and journalist Julia Langdon, stated that, in Clay Cross in 1972, “the men and women who were elected to serve on the council were not remote gures who did what the bureaucrats told them to do, but were representatives of the working people of the town who kept faith with their electors. It was as simple as that.”

There was widespread support for the ‘rent rebellion’ across Derbyshire and the nation. In the Chester eld Rural District Council (now North East Derbyshire) area, the Tenants’ Association ran a campaign urging tenants not to pay the

Above le : The cover of The Story of Clay Cross, written by one of the councillors, David Skinner, and journalist Julia Langdon. Right: The former meeting place of Clay Cross Urban District Council was in the rst- oor chamber of this High Street building. That council only existed until 1974, and became part of the new North East Derbyshire District Council.

The Derbyshire town was making front-page news across the nation when its councillors refused to raise council house rents. Barrie Farnsworth reports.

£1 increase which its Labour-controlled council had “reluctantly” introduced.

The Conservative-controlled Dron eld Urban District Council had raised its rents by 50p in April 1972. The area’s Tenants and Residents Association called for a fortnight’s rent and rates strike.

So, what was happening within the Clay Cross UDC area? Well, thanks to a rent strike by council house tenants, the Housing Commissioner – who had been refused co-operation by the council – was never able to collect an extra penny in rent.

In fact, this state of a airs continued until Clay Cross UDC was abolished in 1974 as part of local government reorganisation and, like Chester eld RDC, was made part of the new North East Derbyshire Council.

The eleven Clay Cross Urban District councillors – ten men and a woman – were Eileen Wholey, David Skinner, Graham Smith, Roy Booker, David Percival, Arthur Wellon, George Goodfellow, Terry Asher, Charles Bunting, Graham Skinner and David Nuttall. The District Auditor ordered those eleven to pay a surcharge of £635 each on January 18, 1973, nding them “guilty of negligence and misconduct”.

What is perhaps little known is that, a er that audit, the Labour Party

barred the de ant councillors from its list of approved candidates.

The councillors lodged an appeal with the High Court, and their individual ‘surcharges’ were upheld by that court on July 30, 1973, which also added a further £2,000 legal costs to their bill, as well as barring them from public o ce for ve years. The councillors were nally made bankrupt in 1975.

In his summing up at that hearing, the then Master of the Rolls, Lord Denning, said of the councillors: “They are disquali ed. They must stand down… I trust there are good men in Clay Cross ready to take over”.

Ten of the Labour candidates at the election that followed were elected, and their rst decision was to refuse to raise rents. A surcharge of around £2,300 pounds was eventually spread out between this second set of councillors, which led to their automatic disquali cation as councillors; but then Clay Cross ceased to exist as a council. A Labour government was returned in the 1974 General Election, but did not li the surcharges on both sets of councillors (the second set were saved from bankruptcy through donations)

1973: A very eventful year…

IT was a very eventful year in the UK exactly half-a-century ago. As well as the ongoing ‘rent rebellion’, the nation saw all this happen in 1973…

1 January – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark entered the European Economic Community (EEC).

11 January – The Open University awarded its rst degrees.

3 March – Two IRA bombs exploded in London, killing one person and injuring 250 others.

17 April – British Leyland launches the new Austin Allegro.

5 May – Sunderland achieve a shock 1-0 win over rm favourites Leeds United in the FA Cup nal at Wembley.

6 July – The eighth James Bond lm, Live and Let Die, is released in British cinemas, with the spy played for the rst time by 45-yearold Roger Moore.

30 July –Derbyshire’s last coal mining disaster, when 18 miners were killed at Markham Colliery, when the brake mechanism on the cage taking them down the mine failed.

30 July – £20-million compensation is paid to victims of thalidomide following an eleven-year court case

8 November – The Second Cod War between Britain and Iceland ended.

12 November – TV sitcom Last of the Summer Wine began its rst series. It would run on the BBC for 31 series, spanning 37 years.

31 December – Coal shortages caused by industrial action result in the implementation of the ‘Three-Day Week’ electricity consumption reduction measure.

Raising the standard…

CHESTERFIELD-BASED Laterlivingnow has become the UK’s rst specialist Equity Release advisory rm to have 100 per cent of its advisers attain the SOLLA Later Life Lending Advice Standard.

This London Institute of Banking & Finance accredited award demonstrates an adviser’s understanding regarding client care in supporting older and potentially vulnerable people, and helps reassure clients, professional connections and other trusted consumer organisations that the adviser has reached a high standard of advice skills and applied knowledge.

Simon Chalk, MD of Laterlivingnow and SOLLA Advisory Board Member, said: “To think that our small family-owned company, here in Chester eld, is the rst in the whole of the UK for all of its advisers to attain the highest possible level of professionalism is a huge achievement.

“Homeowners over 55 deserve to be advised by the most dedicated professionals, as it’s a big step to take and requires a high level of skill and knowledge from their adviser.”

Jane Finnerty, Joint Chair of SOLLA (Society of Later Life Advisers), said: “We introduced the Later Life Lending Advice Standard in response to advisers wanting to  demonstrate their applied knowledge and understanding of later life lending and its wider implications when advising older clients.”

Christmas market boost

MATLOCK WI’s Christmas Market at the Imperial Rooms, Matlock, raised a ‘satisfactory amount’ for Ashgate Hospicecare.

The WI always welcome new members, and Matlock WI meets at the Edgefold

Club, Edgefold Road, Matlock, on the rst Wednesday of each month at 7.30pm.

Dancing away the blues!

A LOCAL company has helped lung brosis patients dance their way to better health.

Dance teacher Tracey Barnes, founder of Dancing for Health Community Interest Company (CIC) at Dron eld, recently partnered with the University College Dublin School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports to conduct a research study entitled ‘Dancing for Health and Wellbeing: A Feasibility Study Examining Health Impacts of Online Dancing among Pulmonary Fibrosis Patients’.

During the pandemic, it became clear that vulnerable people preferred to access online services. In response, Dancing for Health CIC diversi ed its dance sessions for online use, creating a virtual seated dance programme for all ages and abilities. Tracey delivered the sessions via Zoom to the participants in Ireland, who were all at di erent stages of the pulmonary brosis disease.

The results of the study were recently published in the Irish Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The ndings show that a virtual dance intervention is feasible for improving health outcomes in pulmonary brosis patients. They found improvements in their dyspnoea (shortness of breath) and fatigue, with the percentage of those not feeling depressed post event rising from 42% to 72 per cent – so the sessions literally helped them dance away the blues!

Dancing for Health CIC is an innovative

organisation which uses the power of dance to help people a ected by cancer, strokes and respiratory conditions; the elderly; the disabled; and people with learning disabilities or mental health issues.

To join a Dancing for Health class in She eld or Chester eld, or to nd out more, visit our website www. dancingforhealth.co.uk

Tracey says: “I love my job! Making a di erence and helping others is so rewarding. Using easy dance routines to upli ing music helps reduce stress levels and provides a distraction from illness.

“Demand is growing for these classes, so we are looking to train more instructors to deliver them.”  If you are interested in instructor training courses, call 07721 046757.

New scanner installed

A STATE-OF-THE-ART £1.5m MRI scanner was installed at Chester eld Royal Hospital at the end of November 2022, and is expected to help diagnose more than 16,000 patients a year.

An MRI scanner– or Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanner – uses magnetic eld and radiofrequency pulses to produce three dimensional detailed images of most areas of the body without the use of radiation.

The Trust has two MRIs on site, with this new Siemens Magnetom Sola 1.5 T replacing an 11-year-old machine, which was removed in September.

The installation was done by a 50 tonne crane and the scanner is due to become operational in late December.

The new MRI will have a life span of between 10-15 years and will operate 12.5 hours a day, seven days a week – with scans lasting between 10-60 minutes, and with urgent cases o en receiving the results on the same day.

Kevin Sargen, Medical Director at the Trust, said: “I’d take this opportunity to ag that people need to access the right care by contacting their GP, 111 or pharmacies before coming to our Emergency Department – allowing us to ensure we can prioritise more serious conditions and those requiring access to diagnostics such as this new scanner.”

Food bank service extended

TWO Derbyshire charities have linked up the extend a food bank service across the county.

Cromford-based River Network CEO Terry Eckersley said they had linked up with the local Vernon Robert Bowner Charitable Trust, and added: “We are a bit like a Uber Eats for the marginalised, and we’ve also just opened another local foodstore and distribution service”.

Above: The Team at Laterlivingnow, celebrating their ‘first’ at The Peak Edge Hotel, Stonedge.

1ST CLASS ACCREDITATIONS

Kbsa membership

Chesterfield-based 1st Class Kitchens , owned and managed by husband-and-wife team, Dave and Helen Oxley, has recently achieved membership of the Kbsa (The Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association). The Kbsa is a national trade membership organisation of independent specialist home retailers. To become members, companies like 1st Class Kitchens must meet stringent criteria to reassure consumers that they can buy with confidence and have complete peace of mind. For example, all Kbsa members must have a showroom, must offer value for money with plans and prices agreed in writing in advance, must undertake installations

with qualified local specialists, and every project must be completed on budget, unless agreed otherwise beforehand. All Kbsa members are rigorously vetted and independently assessed to ensure that they meet the exacting standards.

Dave and Helen attended the Kbsa Conference on Wednesday 28th September 2022 at The Belfry Hotel & Resort, in the West Midlands. The conference was a forum for discussing up-to-date and future design trends, passing on information about the latest regulations and legal requirements, and sharing ideas and innovations.

1st Class Kitchens boasts all the hallmarks of a well-run independent family business: uncompromising integrity, excellent personal service, meticulous customer care, and extensive knowledge and experience. Kbsa membership has reinforced all these values.

sales support, and lead generation. Premium Partner membership is only offered to the most successful and reputable kitchen companies.

Premium Partner membership is only offered to the most successful and reputable kitchen companies. The good news for customers is that this membership provides them with a 5-year guarantee.

Through in-depth training and in-house instruction, 1st Class Kitchens has attained recognition as a Bosch Expert Studio. This means that they are proficient at using, and knowledgeable about, all Bosch appliances.

1st Class Kitchens belongs to Burbidge’s 50-strong national network of Premium Partners. Burbidge is the longest established, leading UK kitchen frontals and accessories manufacturer. To be a premium partner of such a prestigious British company is a massive feather in the cap for Dave and Helen.

Through the Premium Partner scheme, Burbidge offers a wealth of benefits including an elevated presence on the company’s website, PR support,

As a Siemens studioLine approved showroom, 1st Class Kitchens has access to, and is well informed about, appliances which combine extraordinary design with unique style. More than just highly functional equipment, they form part of an ambitious lifestyle and an expression of individuality.

Based just at the top of Derby Road as you start to come out of Chesterfield on the A61, 1st Class Kitchens designs, supplies, and installs kitchens to every conceivable specification, taste, and budget. From the stylish, attractive look of contemporary kitchen displays to the timeless elegance of classic, traditional models, 1st Class Kitchens has it all!

New Hub is topped out…

IT’S topped out! The nal brick has been laid in the building of the purpose-built £2m Chester eld Royal Hospital’s Health and Wellbeing Hub.

Funded by Chester eld Royal Charity, the rst-of-its-kind hub will provide modern facilities for all 4,500 colleagues on the hospital site. Badged ‘caring for carers’, it will provide services and facilities for those hospital colleagues working around the clock at the Trust.

The Health and Wellbeing Hub is looking to be available seven days a week for colleagues to utilise and enjoy, with facilities to include: counselling rooms; complimentary therapies; gym equipment; and areas for group or individual re ections a er traumatic incidents.

Beverley Webster OBE, chair of the Health and Wellbeing Hub Development Board and Atulkumar Patel MBE, chair of Chester eld Royal Charity were tasked with laying the nal brick on the Hub –known as a ‘Topping Out’ ceremony. The Hub is due to open in the spring of 2023.

The appeal continues for all local people, groups, teams and businesses to now contribute, fundraise and back this ambitious and exciting project which will provide health and wellbeing support for our local NHS heroes.

To support the Chester eld Royal Charity, visit: https://www. chester eldroyal.nhs.uk/our-charity.

Honour for former councillors

TEN former councillors who have made a signi cant contribution to Derbyshire County Council are now Honorary Aldermen and Alderwomen.

They include Irene Ratcli e, who was a county councillor for the Wirksworth division from 2005 to 2009 and then again

from 2013 to 2021; Judith Twigg, who represented the Bakewell division from 1997 to 2021; and Paul Smith, who served as a county councillor for the Alfreton and Somercotes division from 1996 to 2021.

National parks in call for more resources

IN December, the chairs of National Parks in England sent this letter to The Times stressing the impact of funding cuts on the ght for climate and nature: National parks cover almost 10 per cent of England and attract more than 80 million visitors annually. These landscapes are not just beacons for conservation but are fundamental to supporting our health, education and wellbeing.

With Cop15 in mind (the 15th conference of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity), where better to showcase innovation, inspire behavioural change and chart the route to net zero with nature than national parks? Properly supported, we can expand our agship climate change projects, such as peatland restoration and tree

planting, to show that nature-based solutions and developing resilience to climate change go hand in hand.

At an overall cost of 80 pence per person each year, England’s national parks o er tremendous value for money. However, over the next three years, we face a real-terms reduction in our government grant of £15.7 million. Service cuts and a downsizing of operations are already a reality. Without signi cant additional government resources, we simply cannot ful l our potential.

It was signed by Andrew McCloy, chair of National Parks England and chair of the Peak District National Park Authority, along with eight other national park chairs.

A new Youth Collective…

LEVEL Centre in Rowsley has launched a new group for neurodiverse and autistic young people aged 14-18 to access contemporary arts experiences, outside of school and home.

Starting on January 16, the Level Youth Collective will run on Monday evenings from 5-6.30pm. Over 10 weeks, participants will have the chance to work with di erent artists, materials and digital equipment as well as having a space to socialise as a group. The Youth Collective will also develop so skills, with participants encouraged to contribute to discussions and make decisions, skills that can be used in school and beyond.

Engagement Producer Kyla Hyslop said: “We’re excited to be setting up a space for young people with autism or who are neurodiverse to try and develop new artistic skills and make new friends in a relaxed and welcoming environment.”

Members of the Youth Collective will become ambassadors for Level and will be invited to future events and exhibitions at the centre, as well as having the chance to take part in work experience and mentoring programmes.

Executive Director Kerry Andrews said: “We want the Youth Collective to be an exciting space, a safe place where participants can try new skills and equipment, grow in con dence and gain useful experience from being part of the group.” Sessions are free to attend but space is limited, so interested parties are advised to register their interest in advance via the Level Centre website www.levelcentre.com

The Level Youth Collective has been funded by Derbyshire County Council Public Health through the Growing Golden Opportunities Award, which is managed by Derbyshire Dales Council for Voluntary Service.

Above: Andrew McCloy, chair of the Peak District National Park Authority.

Above: Beverley Webster OBE and Atulkumar Patel MBE laying the final brick of Chesterfield Royal Hospital’s Health and Wellbeing Hub.

BEN’S TOURED THE WORLD:

NOW HE’S HEADING TO DERBYSHIRE!

Ben Fogle, who has visited a staggering 200-plus places on broadcasting assignments, is heading to Derbyshire on his latest tour. Barrie Farnsworth reports.

Ben Fogle is an award-winning broadcaster and adventurer who has scaled Mount Everest, rowed the Atlantic and raced across Antarctica. He is also a Sunday Times best-selling author who has written more than 15 books, including The Teatime Islands, O shore, The Crossing, Race To The Pole, The Accidental Adventurer, The Accidental Naturalist, Labrador, Land Rover and English. He is the United Nations Patron Of The Wilderness; a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society; an ambassador to WWF, Tusk and Hearing Dogs For The Deaf; and patron of The Red Cross.

BROADCASTER and adventurer Ben Fogle is taking his latest walk on the wild side to Buxton with a new tour full of upli ing stories from a life of amazing encounters.

Best known from hit TV shows including Lost Worlds and New Lives

In The Wild, the popular presenter will bring his new live tour, called BEN FOGLE – WILD, to the Opera House in Buxton on Wednesday, May 31.

The tour will see 49-year-old Ben sharing stories from his extraordinary adventures around the world. Ben’s career has taken him to some of the most extreme locations in the world, whether lming for documentaries or tackling some of mankind’s greatest physical challenges.

In BEN FOGLE – WILD, Ben will take audiences on a new journey to relive the inspiring tales he has encountered along the way – in environments as diverse as the jungles of Honduras, the hostility of Chernobyl and the mountains of Nepal.

Speaking about his new tour, Ben Fogle said: “Adventures, expeditions and journeys have helped shape and mould me. They have strengthened me emotionally, physically and mentally and armed me with the skills for life.

“I’m looking forward to sharing some of those skills and life lessons, as well as the stories of the incredible people and animals I’ve met along the way. It could be my biggest adventure yet!,” he added.

The 2023 tour will be his rst since Ben’s 88-date sell-out tour Tales From The Wilderness in 2019/2021.

Above: Ben Fogle and James Cracknell pictured before they completed the 3,000mile Atlantic Rowing Race 15 years ago.

Ben and Marina Fogle with their children, Iona and Ludo, pictured in 2018.

A former reservist in the Royal Navy and a picture editor at Tatler magazine, Ben made his rst TV appearance in the BBC reality show Castaway 2000, which followed a group of 36 people marooned on the Scottish island of Taransay for a year.

Ben has since presented numerous programmes including Animal Park, Country le, Wild On The West Coast, One Man And His Dog, A Year Of Adventures, Storm City, Harbour Lives and New Lives In The Wild.

Ben has made documentaries on Prince William in Africa, disease in Ethiopia, Captain Scott in Antarctica, and crocodiles in Botswana.

Ben has toured the world for various broadcasting assignments to more than 200 places including Tristan Da Cunha, St Helena, East Timor and the Arctic Circle.

Ben has successfully tackled some of the world’s greatest physical challenges, including the 3,000-mile Atlantic Rowing Race, when he and Olympic rower James Cracknell were rst to complete the crossing in 49 days. The BBC series that followed the pair, Through Hell and High Water, which was aired in 2007, won a Royal Television Society award.

Ben teamed up with Cracknell again to take part in the rst Amundsen South Pole Race, one of six teams who set out to race across the Antarctic to commemorate the historic 1911 ‘race’ between the Norwegian Amundsen and Britain’s Robert Falcon Scott. Fogle

“The ultimate challenge to many is to climb Mount Everest, and Ben summited the world’s highest peak”

Above: Ben Fogle reached the top of Mount Everest in 2018.

and Cracknell nished second, a er having experienced temperatures as low as -40degC. Macmillan published a book of their journey, called Race to the Pole, which became a top-ten UK best-seller.

As if that wasn’t enough, Fogle and Cracknell teamed up again in 2009 to cycle a rickshaw non-stop between Edinburgh and London, a distance of 423 miles, raising money for the SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association). They next planned to take part in a 3,000-mile bike race across north America, but Cracknell received lifethreatening injuries a er being knocked o his bicycle while training for the event.

On his own, Ben has completed the sixday Marathon Des Sables, running across

160 miles of the Sahara Desert, as well as completing both the London Marathon and the Royal Parks Half Marathon. He even beat actor Sid Owen in a charity boxing match for BBC Sport Relief!

The ultimate challenge to many is to climb Mount Everest, and Ben summited the world’s highest peak in 2018 – a trek in which Olympic cycling champion Victoria Pendleton had to abandon her climb because of severe altitude sickness. Ben is also a keen sailor. Ben married Marina in 2006 a er meeting her in the park while walking his dogs, Inca and Maggi. They have two children, Ludo and Iona, and a black Labrador Storm.

A born adventurer – that’s Ben Fogle!

Steve takeS the 2022 title...

CONGRATULATIONS to Steve Dolling, of Upper Newbold, who is the clear winner of 2022 ‘Derbyshire In Focus’ photographic competition.

Steve’s stunning picture of Riber Castle, which seems to be oating on clouds, took the title. He was checking the intruder alarms at Chatsworth Hall

in Matlock when he noticed the ‘ oating’ castle and immediately took the picture – but he needed his wife to tell him to enter it into the Re ections competition!

Steve wins a meal for two in a top local restaurant and the opportunity to have a selection of his other photographs published in a 2023 issue of Re ections

Second was Keith Emmerson, of Darley Dale, with his picture of a frosty Hope Valley; while in third place was Pauline Chapman, of Bakewell, with her photograph of a wedding couple high on Curbar Edge.

Fourth was Ian Moorcro , of Hollingwood, and in h place was Russ Teale of Newbold. Many thanks for all your votes!

Our 2023 competition

OUR 2023 photographic competition is entitled ‘Derbyshire’s Wonderful Flora and Fauna’. It means that you can send us your pictures of all types of plants and all types of animal life in the county throughout the year.

The picture(s) you send must be taken in 2023 and must be within the Derbyshire boundaries, and you can enter as many times as you like.

We only want entries from amateur snappers and not commercial photographers; and drone images will not be accepted.

Please email your entries through the year to barrief@bannisterpublications.co.uk, giving your full name and address, a contact phone number and a description of the image (including the date it was taken), which should be attached as a high-resolution jpeg.

The winner will receive a meal for two at a top local restaurant, plus the chance to have a selection of their other images published in Re ections.

We will publish a selection of images each month – and the closing deadline is Friday, October 13, 2023, so there’s plenty of time to get a winning photograph submitted!

1. Steve Dolling’s winning picture of Riber Castle.

2. In second place was Keith Emmerson’s picture of Hope Valley.

3. Pauline Chapman’s photo of a wedding couple was voted into thirds place.

Top health and wellbeing tips for 2023

However, cooking foods such as sh, vegetables, whole grains and fruit is as easy as preparing so-called convenience foods. As lifestyle changes go, eating healthily is simple to achieve.

Exercise

LIFESTYLE changes tend to be high on the list of things people promise they will make but sticking to them o en proves to be di cult.

However, making small improvements in several areas is entirely feasible and can be achieved with a little bit of work and dedication.

With that in mind, we look at some of things you can implement that will boost your general health and wellbeing in 2023.

Eat a healthy diet

A er enjoying excessive food and drink during the festive period, millions of people make a commitment to eat more healthily in the New Year.

Many individuals fall by the wayside within a couple of weeks, but it does not have to be that way if you keep things simple.

In many cases, eating unhealthy food is o en caused by people thinking that they do not have time to spare to stick to a nutritious diet.

A commitment to exercise doesn’t necessarily mean enrolling at the nearest gym or signing up for a marathon in two months’ time. Something as simple as a brisk 15-minute walk twice a day will make a signi cant di erence.

Swimming is another fantastic form of exercise. It’s relatively cheap and avoids load bearing on those joints.

Simple is good – and more sustainable in the long run.

Get the optimum amount of sleep

Sleep is the time when your body and mind repair themselves. Failing to get enough sleep means you will struggle to function properly the following day.

Research has shown that adults need at least seven hours sleep per night, so make sure you build a schedule that comfortably accommodates this.

Embrace the Great Outdoors

Physical health has been at the forefront of our recommendations thus far, but it is imperative to also give plenty of consideration to mental wellness.

Numerous studies have shown that visiting the

countryside or taking a trip to the seaside is a great way to improve your mood and positively charge your mindset.

Heading outdoors could also become your exercise regime – walking, running, or cycling are great ways to keep t and give your mind a boost at the same time.

Even if you are extremely busy, spending just 30 minutes per day in the Great Outdoors will have a signi cant impact on your physical and mental wellbeing.

‘You-time’ matters

When it comes to looking a er your mental wellness, it is crucial to take time out every

day to focus purely on yourself for at least a few minutes.

This may seem like an alien concept in an age where spare time can be hard to come by but spending even 15-20 minutes alone can make a massive di erence.

Whether you sneak o to have a candlelit bath or head out on a relaxing walk with the dog – spending some ‘youtime’ should be an integral part of your daily routine.

If the prospect of enjoying your own company leaves you feeling cold, you could use the time to connect with people in your social circle to give your mindset a positive boost.

With 2023 now hurtling into view, many people are likely to be pondering whether they should make any New Year’s resolutions.

Bannister Publications Limited 118 Saltergate Chester eld Derbyshire S40 1NG

hello@bannisterpublications.com

T: 01246 550488

THERE’S a new album, called Why Chester eld?, by one of the Belgian Spireites, a group of friends in Brussels who have been to over 40 CFC games in the last ten years.

It is a self-produced album by guitarist and composer Jonathan Dellicour, whose artist name is Rude Not To.

Jonathan says: “The album has simple melodies, no lyrics and one guitar that tells the story. It is called Why Chester eld?, a question that half of England has been asking our group of Belgian fans for a decade now!”

“It is also an ode to English pubs, to small communities doing great things and to the heavy, and not always graceful, football of the English non-league.”

The Belgian Spireites watched their rst Chester eld game back in February 2012, when the Spireites were in League One. Since then, they have watched the Spireites twice at Wembley, last year’s FA Cup tie at Chelsea and even cycled from

New album an ‘ode to English pubs’ by a Belgian Spireite New musical for the Festival

Brussels to Chester eld for the 2014 promotion party, raising £1,000 for Ashgate Hospicecare.

Jonathan and his friends next hope to be in Chester eld for the Spireites’ FA Cup tie with West Bromwich Albion in January.

You can listen to the album on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, etc, by following this link: rudenotto.lnk.to/whychester eld

BUXTON International Festival and Norwich Theatre launch a groundbreaking new co-production for 2023, ‘The Land Of Might-HaveBeen’. It is built around the songs of Ivor Novello and loosely based on incidents in the early life of Buxton’s pioneering feminist Vera Brittain.

The Land Of Might-Have-Been, with book and lyrics by Michael Williams, follows on from the success of another Buxton-inspired triumph, Williams’ award-winning opera, Georgiana. It will be directed by Kimberley Sykes, conducted by Iwan Davies, designed

by Nicky Shaw with the music of Ivor Novello, including such lovely songs as My Dearest Dear, Waltz of My Heart, My Life Belongs To you and Why Is There Ever Goodbye, arranged with additional composition by Iain Farrington.

The story follows Vera and her soonto-be ancé Roland, and Vera’s brother Edward and their close friend Bobbie over a long hot summer in Buxton in 1914. They all have their own ideas about their glittering futures but are faced with the conventions of their time.

Vera is determined not to become a traditional married woman but wants

Below: The cover of the new album, Why Chester eld? Designed by Annabella Schwagten.

Le : Buxton’s pioneering feminist, paci st and author Vera Brittain.

Jonathan ‘Rude Not To’ Dellicour.

Explore an artist’s ‘small worlds’

TEXTILE artist Anne Kelly’s densely embroidered artworks will travel to the Harley Gallery on the historic Welbeck Estate, Nottinghamshire, at the start of 2023.

Showing 24 January to 12 March, ‘Well Travelled’ is a patchwork of Anne’s collected works which describe her memories of travel and journeys of the imagination.

The exhibition includes a life-size fabric canoe, complete with decorated paddle; a textile model of a Tudor house; and an

array of beautiful, embroidered patchwork blankets. In Anne’s hands, scraps of fabric, ephemera, images, and ideas are combined and transformed. The resulting multilayered and densely stitched embroideries have been described as ‘small worlds’.

These ‘small worlds’ are o en a kind of travel diary, and not just from actual journeys but also Anne’s personal journey over time.

Canadian-born Anne Kelly trained both in Canada and the UK. Her work

is exhibited widely in solo and group exhibitions, including private collections in the UK and abroad, the Vatican Collection in Rome and at the Textile Museum of Canada in Toronto.

She is also the author of three books published by Batsford, Textile Nature, Textile Folk Art and Textile Travels, and was the co-author of Connected Cloth with Cas Holmes. She lives in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

to attend Oxford University and live an independent life. Her brother, Edward, dreams of becoming a musician and composer but must hide his secret love for Bobbie from his family and society. Roland wants to attend Oxford University and be an acclaimed poet, and Bobbie, forced to follow in his father’s footsteps, would rather search for a new way of life that would include Edward. The war in Europe shatters all their hopes and dreams when Vera’s friends are killed in the battle elds, and she embarks on a life-long campaign for peace and equality. The musical’s epilogue sees Vera’s daughter, Baroness (Shirley) Williams, re ecting on her mother’s in uential life.

Michael

said: “This is such an extraordinary story of love, hope, resilience and the rebellious spirit of young people. It throws new light on stories we thought we knew and also brings together the parallel but separate lives of Ivor Novello, the most successful British musical theatre composer of the early 20th century, and Vera Brittain, the author of the most powerful memoir of that time, Testament of Youth. It’s tting and very poignant to be telling Vera’s story through Ivor’s beautiful songs.”

The Land Of Might-Have-Been premieres at Buxton International Festival on Friday, July 7 with followup performances until July 21.

Lisa Gee, director of The Harley Foundation, said: “Anne’s work reminds us that wherever we are, and whatever we are doing, we can always journey through our imagination. We are asking visitors to tell us about their own journeys – real or imagined – by taking part in our new gallery activity. We are asking visitors to follow Anne’s lead and make their own fabric pictures for bunting which will ll the gallery space.”

Anne will also be at the Hope and Elvis textile workshop in the Harley Studios for classes in spring 2023.

The exhibition is free to enter and there is a large, free car park. The gallery, on the A60 south of Worksop, is open Tuesday–Sunday. Please check www. harleygallery.couk for opening times.

The neighbouring museum, The Portland Collection, is closed until March 25, 2023, but will then have a prestigious new display of world-class works and unseen treasures from Welbeck Abbey’s private art collection.

Williams

Anne’s creation called World Bird Tree.

Anne Kelly being creative in her garden!

INTER boots: an undisputed wardrobe hero. Your go-to footwear solution from the rst frost, right until the rst shoots of spring start to appear. When it comes to your winter wardrobe, those boots are second only to your big coat, so choosing the right pair is crucial. A er all, you’ll be seeing a lot of each other over the next few months. But with so many boots to

choose from, which way do you go? Ankle, knee or even thigh-high? Everyday casual or fancy and fabulous?

Well, if chunky and platform shoes weren’t already leading the way for footwear trends, they will be imminently as this season’s winter boots are all about the sole. Forget your stilettos and leave your skyscraper block heels at home, because for AW22, heels are minimal. Chunky track soles were the hot ticket at many

asto

1. Pasto chunky soled boots, £160, Dune London. www.dunelondon.com

2. Leather chunky boots, £36, Matalan. www. matalan.co.uk

3. Natural borg hiking boots, £44, M&Co. www.mandco.com

Continued

2

1 4 3

FASHION

AW22 shows, with designers including Chloé, Bottega Veneta and Jimmy Choo opting for erce footwear.

Chunky soles made an appearance on everything from rain-friendly gumboots to Chelsea-style boots, adding a trendy twist to a selection of footwear favourites. So if you’re going to invest in just one pair of hero boots this season, make them chunky.

At least this trend is practical for the winter, as snow, sleet, and salted roads call for shoes that can stand up to the elements. While still looking stylish, of course.

Biker and combat styles, too, are proving to be particularly on-trend this year – with amped-up soles, of course. So look out for the addition of straps and tough

embellishments like studs. Wear with your everyday litany of jeans and leggings, or give pretty dresses a 90s grunge-era twist by pairing with statement boots.

5. Wren tall boots, £189, Barbour, available at www.barbour.com

6. Leopard hiker boots, £135, Oliver Bonas. www.oliverbonas.com

7. Mila mid boot in sand, £99, Tanya teddy coat, £99, Carrie dress, £56 and Paige beanie, £22.50, all FatFace. www.fatface.com

Talking about books can lead to new friendships…

Reading clearly helps to make new friends, as Carol Taylor discovered when she kick-started a Book Club in Matlock about a year ago.

Colin, Gail and Carol, three members of the Monday Book Club, Matlock.

MOST book clubs seem to start with a group of people who know one another; work colleagues or a group of friends. Our book club in Matlock started when two people who didn’t know one another got talking in a local charity shop book room. We had use of the room for free (many thanks to the National Heredity Breast Cancer shop in Crown Square), advertised the ‘club’ on Facebook and in the shop, and then waited.

Who would be interested? Would they all be women? Would they be avid readers or not? As the person responsible for trying to start the club, I felt I had to choose the rst book. Using the Derbyshire Library Service group book system meant my choice was slightly limited. In the end I went for ‘Vox’ by Christina Dalcher. I thought it would give us plenty to talk about; it’s a good read with a plot that makes most readers want to carry on.

At our rst meeting there were ve of us, four women and a man. Two of us knew one another, but not well, and everyone else was meeting for the rst time. I must admit I was a bit worried about how Colin would take to Vox. A very lively discussion followed, with Colin nding too much swearing in the book. The group gelled – in fact we thought we quite liked each other – and we were prepared to give it another go. We agreed we would choose a book in turn each month, meet monthly on a Monday and buy, borrow or put on Kindle, depending on our preference.

The second book, chosen by Claire, was ‘Once Upon a River’, by Diane Setter eld, and by now we had been joined by Sally Anne. The novel was enjoyed by everyone, with plenty to discuss a erwards.

We’ve now been meeting for a year, and we are on our 13th book. We have recently been joined by Jacqui, so now we have a decent-sized group!

Book 3, chosen by Colin, was ‘Worth Dying For’, by Jack Reacher. This was a great choice as at least one person in the group had never read a Reacher novel. We had a great discussion the following month, with only one person nding it too violent and the rest of us puzzling about why, even though it was violent, we didn’t mind!

Book 4 was ‘The Bees’, by Laline Paul, which was Gail’s choice. It was the rst book the group had read which at least one person didn’t nish, which opened up a discussion about ‘are we allowed not to nish a book if we aren’t enjoying it?’

I do wonder if other book groups have dealt with this: if it’s someone else’s choice, should we attempt to nish it, even if we really don’t like it?

Book 5 was ‘The Clan of the Cave Bear’ by Aeul. Chosen by Emma, it was an interesting choice as this is an old novel. Enjoyed by many, but seen as a bit long-winded. However, it led to one of us reading all three ‘Clan’ books!

Book 6 was ‘Sweet Caress’ by Boyd. It was Sally Anne’s choice and was nished by all, and enjoyed by most. Like all William Boyd’s books, it was easy to get into, hooking you into the story. ‘Silent Patient’, by Michaelides, was book 7 and was a really enjoyable easy read, with a great plot twist.

In a recent meeting, we talked about how the group had gelled. We’ve become quite a social group, a group of strangers who are very di erent but really like each other. We have very di erent political views! We like to see each other once a month, and we really like being introduced to books we wouldn’t normally choose.

At least three of the group have been switched onto reading, a er having barely read a book for many years.

Bumping into Colin reading the new choice in the doctor’s waiting room really brought this home to me – he was hooked! We discuss other books on our WhatsApp group, as well as in our meetings, loan books to one another and avidly scour the Breast Cancer charity shop’s brilliant book room.

Book 8 was ‘Sorrow and Bliss’, my choice. I wouldn’t say it was universally enjoyed but everyone nished it and it led to a deep discussion.

The next book was ‘Sleep’, a gripping novel which we all raced through; then ‘The Binding’, a strange mix of historical ction and science ction which was not loved by all! Then we all read ‘Secret River’, about settlers in Australia, which was a hit; then we all tackled ‘Women of Troy’.   I think the Monday Book Club (Matlock) is important to us all – we meet for about an hour, share our thoughts, discuss the latest happenings in town, on TV, in politics (agreeing to agree to disagree!).  We are a random group of people, but we like each other, and we enjoy having the impetus to read certain books we might not choose.

Some of the books the group read last year.

TITAN TRAVEL – ADVENTURE MADE EFFORTLESS

Senior sales consultant at Martins World Travel, Angela, recently returned from a holiday with Titan Travel exploring the Magni cent Turkey Tour. Istanbul to Antalya. She gives a captivating account of her unforgettable experiences…

DOOR-TO-DOOR service is just the start of the many Titan Travel signature highlights. As I experienced personally, all Titan guests arrive at check-in on time and totally relaxed. VIP PLUS provides the additional bene t of a pre tour collection and a night at a selected airport hotel.

The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about every aspect of a well-paced holiday experience. We visited Istanbul for a hectic 3-night stay, then we visited Canakkale for Gallipoli. The tour proceeded to the World Heritage site of Troy, with a lunch stop at the village of Bergama, where we also visited various houses and met up with friendly

local hosts, before taking in the Greco/Roman city of Pergamon. Then, we moved along to Kusadasi, a stunning seaside resort. Accommodation was in 4-star properties throughout. Day 6 was at the UNESCO site of Ephesus. We then visited the house of the Virgin Mary, where she is believed to have spent her nal years. A er a picnic lunch, we viewed local carpet weavers at work. Then came Aphrodisias –a beautiful classical site with its stadium and temple of Aphrodite. Finally, Pamukkale is a unique spa resort with mineral springs and thermal water, which were popular with the Romans.

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Titan Travel has over 40 years’ experience in creating award-winning itineraries and holiday combinations.

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Small Group tours are ideal

for travellers seeking a more personal holiday experience. These tours have the same special ingredients as normal tours but are restricted to a maximum of just 24 clients. Such specialist tours are perfect for exploring o -the-beaten track places and some sample itineraries are…

Wild Costa Rica.. max 18 travellers. Hundreds of di erent species of wildlife can be viewed on Wild Costa Rica. Clients will overnight in boutique lodges, learn how to cook a Tica feast during a speciality cooking class and visit local hot springs for an evening of relaxation.

Zimbabwe.. The Path to the Smoke that Thunders. max 16 travellers. Guests will step aboard the Bushtracks Express for an unforgettable train journey. The steam train will cross the Victoria Falls Bridge and guests will view the glorious sunset over the awesome Victoria Falls, the world’s largest waterfall.

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Guests will enjoy memorable moments and have the peace of mind that everything is taken care of – from airport transfers to itinerary details.

Cruise and Tour holidays

provide all the bene ts of a fully-escorted tour as well as sailing on some of the absolute best cruise ships. On o er are itineraries on Hurtigruten’s state-of-the-art Antarctica expeditions or sailing aboard the eco-friendly Havila, which sails the waters o Western Norway.

There are destination-rich itineraries that combine e ortless adventure with a luxury holiday. During the tour, guests will visit the ancient Acropolis in Athens and enjoy starlit dinners. Argentina tango shows and sunset cruises around Sydney Harbour are just a few other examples.

Itineraries are categorised into 3 holiday options, leisurelypaced itineraries, moderately paced ones, and ones requiring a good standard of tness with longer walks, hikes, and treks.

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Alaska and Canada… with opportunity to view stunning vistas, crystal clear lakes, vast mountain ranges, and abundant and exciting wildlife, including brown and black bears, moose, whales and dolphins along the

coast, bald eagles and huge shoals of migrating salmon. Guests can enjoy a scenic cruise along the glacial coast of Alaska, take a tour into the forested frontier lands of Alaska including Denali National Park, add a coach and rail journey through the Rocky Mountains, and discover the scenic wonders of one of the world’s last great frontiers.

The USA has a treasure trove of coast and canyon sights to savour and explore..

Guests can take in Bryce Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse and the Grand Canyon – all in 18 fantastic days.

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South America has many outstanding locations including The Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cuzco, Santiago, the Chilean Lake District, Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls and Rio De Janeiro –all in a 21-day adventure.

Asia provides classic history, sunning vistas, food for all tastes and amazing cities in India, Japan, Singapore and beyond.

The Best of Singapore and Malaysia is a popular 13-day tour combining fast-paced cities with the breezy hills of Malaysia’s tea-producing country. Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, the Cameron Highlands, Taiping, and Penang are all included.

Images of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are covered in a 22-day tour, exploring the north and south of Vietnam, paddy eld regions, and French colonial cities, before heading for the vine clad Khmer Temples, thence on to the oating villages in Cambodia, and ending with the UNESCO listed Luang Prabang in Laos. Australia and New Zealand o er incredible itineraries featuring rich and diverse scenic settings, amazing coastlines, friendly cities, and unique wildlife. Worldwide or nearer to home in Europe, Titan Travel have something special and inclusive for everyone. Danube River Cruises are extremely popular with a stay in Budapest and Vienna.

Was Katherine really ‘possessed’ by the devil?

Patrick Coleman tells a remarkable tale from Derbyshire in the 16th Century.

THE devil was abroad in Derbyshire in 1586. One night in the summer of that year, a crowd wended its way to the home of Thomas Wright of Whittington and gathered outside in anxious prayer. Inside, Wright’s teenage sister, Katherine,

was su ering a return of the mysterious malady that had plagued her for months. Her symptoms were startling: seizures, facial contortions, sudden swellings of the body. She thrashed her arms and screeched, snatching at those around her, snarling, foaming at

the mouth. She began to blaspheme, to utter curses, laughing hysterically at her own obscene outbursts. Worse, some witnesses testi ed that Katherine began to speak not in her own sweet voice, but the voice of another, a male voice, the voice of the devil!

A portrait of Katherine Wright.

To the hundreds gathered outside, there was only one explanation: possession! And for that there was only one known cure. Thankfully, the Chester eld authorities had already despatched a message to Nottingham, then home to the most famous exorcist in all England. He came too, that very night, as recorded in legal documents covering the case. Having treated Katherine successfully earlier in the year, he was not about to let her regress, and risk tarnishing his growing reputation.

Indeed, the crowds outside the Wright residence were drawn as much by the desire to see the Rev John Darrell in person as to support their neighbours, hoping to witness a miracle by the great exorcist. They certainly did see something, for Darrell spent the subsequent three days and nights by Katherine’s side “casting out demons”. Her possession caused a sensation in the Chester eld area and helped con rm Darrell’s status as a maverick “hell- re” preacher.

Later years saw Darrell perform similar exorcisms across the Midlands, causing commotion wherever he went, as well as growing disquiet among church leaders. His later cases were so bizarre (involving phenomena as strange as anything in “that” lm of 1973) that the Derbyshire case was largely forgotten.

But the authorities who observed Darrell with suspicious eyes did not forget. Twelve years later, when his activities were investigated by a sceptical church, Katherine Wright was dragged from Derbyshire to testify. What had really happened to her in 1586, the court wished to know? Had she truly been possessed by Satanic forces, or might there be some other explanation?

Case Background:

The Katherine Wright case was one of many recorded in Elizabethan England. The 16th century saw a surge in episodes of demonic possession as, across Europe, thousands of people displayed extraordinary behaviour thought to be caused by dark beings invading their bodies. Historians have long argued over the causes, but there was just as much debate at the time. Many Protestants dismissed the “Catholic” notion of possession, suspecting foul play, but some extreme Protestants (Puritans) actively engaged in the art of exorcism. John Darrell was one of these.

In 1586, Darrell was still a young student in Mans eld when he received a visit from the Rev Edward Beresford, of Cutthorpe, who was seeking help with a peculiar case. The village of Eckington, Beresford explained, had lately been in uproar with rumours of possession. A 16-year-old girl had returned home from the local well

one day in deep distress, claiming she had seen a vision of a demonic child. At rst, the mischief of fairies was suspected (such things were known to haunt Derbyshire’s wells). But later the girl was plagued by apparitions and began su ering convulsions. Concerned by the panic this was generating in the area, Beresford had visited the house where Katherine Wright lived with her mother and stepfather. Beresford was concerned enough by what he found to remove Katherine from Eckington, taking her into the care of a local “godly woman”, Isabel Foljambe of Walton (wife of the Chester eld magistrate, Godfrey Foljambe). They could not determine, however, whether Katherine was truly possessed; Beresford now wished Darrell to examine her. Although young, Darrell already had a growing reputation in exorcism. He accepted the patient and, just before Easter, Katherine was brought to him at Mans eld. What transpired over the following months is open to conjecture. When

Darrell was investigated in 1598 –eventually being put on trial – two very di erent versions emerged.

Defence Case:

The tale as Darrell told it was this: at Mans eld, Katherine had displayed all the symptoms of possession. “In her ts... she foamed at the mouth, gnashed with her teeth... snatched at those who stood by her.” Something was seen “to stir up and down her body,” and when water was o ered to her, it had spurted from the cup, straight to the ceiling!

Darrell had gathered his associates together and begun to pray, in a marathon session lasting several hours. During the chants, he’d detected several voices apparently coming from inside Katherine’s body. The patient, it appeared, was possessed by multiple minions of the devil, so Darrell set out to discover just how the

An illustration of a priest carrying out an exorcism.

possession had come about, entering – so he claimed – into dialogue with them:

“I charged the spirit to tell his name… one spirit said his name was Roofye, in a very great voice and in very erce and cruel manner… another said his name was Midlecub.”

How had they escaped the con nes of hell, Darrell demanded. Midlecub resisted questioning, but eventually admitted to being summoned as “the familiar spirit of one Margaret Roper of Eckington, Darbishire”.

Darrell thus deduced that witchcra was the cause of Katherine’s possession. Roper, it transpired, was Katherine’s neighbour, an old woman with whom she’d quarrelled. Darrell sent to Eckington to have the “witch” arrested, and Roper was soon hauled before him. Here, he attempted to cure Katherine by getting her to scratch the old woman, a known antidote to bewitchment. Roper was then sent to Magistrate Foljambe in Chester eld, accused of conjuring demons, while Katherine was taken to her brother’s house at Whittington to convalesce. There, a er a period of respite, her symptoms resurfaced.

The court didn’t have to take Darrell’s word for what happened next; there were plenty of witnesses. Word went out that a miracle-worker was on his way, summoned from Nottingham to the bedside of the a icted girl. Reports suggest as many as 500 greeted Darrell on his arrival in Whittington, some following him into the house where Katherine lay. There, Darrell performed the exorcism that made his name. As the devil himself nally began to speak through Katherine, Darrell commanded the enemy to depart. Then, one by one, he expelled Satan’s servants from Katherine’s writhing body: “there goeth out one spirit” he cried, then “there goeth out another”, until all had ed back to the netherworld.

It was a dramatic night, followed by a string of increasingly theatrical exorcisms. At Darrell’s trial, many of his former patients were called to testify. Katherine Wright – now thirty – was brought from Eckington to be questioned.

Prosecution Case:

The prosecutor who questioned Katherine over three days was Samuel Harsnett, a future Archbishop of York. Harsnett was a hard-line Anglican with no time for the “Roman” ritual of exorcism. He viewed possession as mere superstition. He also thought Darrell a troublemaker and self-promoter, and he was not the only one. (Godfrey Foljambe actually acquitted Margaret Roper of witchcra , fearing the unrest spreading at Darrell’s instigation, and reprimanding Darrell himself for spreading mischief. Local leaders were similarly concerned: the Earl of Shrewsbury, Gilbert Talbot, of Bolsover Castle, attended Darrell’s trial).

Like many in authority, Harsnett had long been contemplating how to bring Darrell down, and set about picking apart his various cases. The prosecution put forward a quite di erent account of the Wright case in particular. Katherine, it was asserted, had been living a life of servitude in Eckington when she’d rst become “possessed”; her stepfather, John Mekin, being a violent abuser. They alleged she’d feigned her initial ts in order to stop this mistreatment, and that later, the downtrodden Katherine developed a taste for the attention her possession had drawn. Thus, when Darrell met her in Mans eld, he found a willing accomplice to aid his own journey to fame and glory.

Under interrogation, Wright admitted that Darrell had secretly coached her how to better simulate the symptoms of possession: “I confess… that Master Darrell put me in mind to be in a trance… a er my violent ts”. Another patient corroborated, saying Darrell had promised to teach him “to do all those trickes which Katherine Wright did”. She also confessed to learning the demonic names from Darrell in advance, just as Darrell had learned Margaret Roper’s from her, and to simulate devilish voices. Witnesses were found who thought those voices “to be no other than the maid’s voice” anyway.

A further blow to Darrell’s credibility came when it emerged that his interest in the teenage Katherine may have been less than holy. Apparently, during the Mans eld examination, an older minister had entered Katherine’s room to nd Darrell in a compromising position, lying on top of her. The minister was so outraged he had dragged

Darrell away and thrown him from the room. When confronted with this evidence, Darrell grew agitated, admitting that “being a young student… I did in a blind zeal, as I think, lie upon the said Katherine Wright” in order to restrain her. But there was o en a seedy element to exorcisms. Harsnett made a dig about young women ending up in a state of undress during proceedings, their male exorcists being more concerned with examining their bodies than their souls.

Taken as a whole, the evidence was damning, and the outcome of the trial was never in doubt.

The Verdict:

In May 1599, Darrell was convicted of fraud by the Commission for Ecclesiastical Causes and sent to prison. Though he was eventually released – and always maintained his innocence – Darrell was a fallen hero and retired to life in the country.

Katherine Wright’s later history is unknown. Commission papers reveal only that she promised to repent her ways and become a “new woman”. O cially, she, too, was a fraud, having admitted to faking her symptoms. However – as with other cases in this controversial area – the true nature of her “possession” may never be known. True, she confessed to fakery, but apparently under duress, her interrogators threatening “to burn her feet if she would not”.

It is not impossible, given a childhood of abuse, that Katherine su ered some mental trauma, and that Darrell exacerbated a genuine condition. She never seemingly recovered. Some years later, Katherine’s brother stated that he never thought Darrell had done his sister any good. Katherine was again possessed “a short time a er he had le her, and that so she hath continued ever since, and so she remaineth at this present.”

Were the ‘possessed’ all frauds?

IN his book, The Devil Within, historian Brian Levack argues that some of the “possessed” may have su ered from mental or physical illnesses like schizophrenia or epilepsy. Many others were undoubtedly frauds. But neither explanation accounts for the epidemic of possession in the 16th and 17th centuries; such numbers could not all have become chronically ill or decided to fake symptoms.

Levack argues that the troubled religious climate of the Reformation was the root cause. Otherwise healthy people thought themselves vulnerable to demons and reacted accordingly, unconsciously acting out a “cultural script” stirred by everyday fears.

Above: A brass of Samuel Harsnett, the prosecutor in the fraud case against John Darrell who went on to become the Archbishop of York.

Awash with ‘exceptional’ buildings: that’s Derbyshire

Derbyshire is resplendent with structures of ‘exceptional historic interest’, which are given a Grade 1 listing, as Barrie Farnsworth reports.

THE concept of listed buildings was introduced during World War Two as a way of determining which buildings should be rebuilt if they were damaged by bombing. Shortly a er the war, The Town and Country Planning Act 1947 led to the compilation of the rst list of buildings of special historical or architectural importance.

Buildings of exceptional historic interest are assessed as Grade I, those of great historic interest as Grade II* and those of special historic interest as Grade II. But it’s not just buildings, it can be all sorts of structures from bridges to telephone boxes, statues to mileposts.

Here, though, we are going to concentrate on Derbyshire’s Grade 1 listed structures – those deemed to be of ‘exceptional historic interest’.

It will come as no surprise that all the

The Cascade at Chatsworth is such a popular feature with visitors. Picture by Brian Smith.

Built to rival Chatsworth House: Kedleston Hall, an 18th century creation for Sir Nathaniel Curzon designed inside and out by Robert Adam.

Picture by Patrick Coleman.

county’s stately homes get that listing, and some of them get much more than one listing! At Chatsworth, for example, it’s not only the House that gets a Grade 1 listing – so does Paine’s Bridge, Conduit House, the Cascade, two Egyptian statues, the former stables and the Temple of Flora.

The original cascade at Chatsworth, designed by Monsieur Grillet, a French engineer with experience in decorative waterworks for Louis XIV of France, took two years to build and was completed in 1696.

The original cascade preceded the cascade which exists today. The remodelling was largely completed by 1708. The new cascade was nearly twice the length, and substantially wider, than the original.

The Cascade House was built at its summit, to designs by Thomas Archer. The building continued the established tradition of using water in amusing ways, to surprise and delight visitors, one of whom in 1725 reported how jets within the building ‘throw up several stream and wet people’ (the spouts in the oor are still there).

Further south, Kedleston has four Grade 1 listings: the hall itself, the neighbouring Church of All Saints, the Boathouse and the North Lodge.

Kedleston Hall was built from 1758 by Sir Nathaniel Curzon, later the 1st Baron Scarsdale. Having commissioned designs from the Palladian architects James Paine and Matthew Brettingham, Curzon abandoned both in favour of a new scheme by a then relatively unknown neoclassical architect, Robert Adam.

Adam’s plans drew on the great monuments and villas of ancient Rome to create a house to rival Chatsworth. He designed almost every detail inside the house, too, from the plasterwork ceilings to the door handles!

Both Hardwick Hall and Hardwick Old Hall are Grade 1 listed, as is Haddon Hall, Renishaw Hall, Sudbury Hall, and Bolsover Castle. Even the ruins of Sutton Scarsdale Hall get a Grade 1 listing.

Also Grade 1 listed is Barlborough

Hall, built in the 16th century for the family of Sir Francis Rodes, a renowned judge and witness to the trial of Mary, Queen of

The only Grade 1-listed

Scots. It was designed by the architect, Robert Smythson, who also designed a number of notable houses during the Elizabethan era including Hardwick Hall.

Set in 500 acres of parkland on the edge of Barlborough village, the Hall remained in the Rodes family right up until the 1930s. It brie y had a new owner before it was sold to the Society of Jesuits in 1938. It opened the following year as a preparatory school for boys who would later attend Mount St Mary’s College at nearby Spinkhill.

Derbyshire Dales district is the part of the county with the most Grade 1 listings –46 – but there’s only one building deemed ‘exceptional’ in Chester eld Borough, and that, as you’ve probably already guessed, is the Crooked Spire Parish Church.

In the Derbyshire Dales, Bakewell Bridge, taking the A619 over the River

Barlborough Hall pictured around 1900.

building in the whole of Chester eld Borough, that’s the Parish Church, better known as the Crooked Spire.

Built between 1660 and 1680 by George Vernon , Sudbury Hall in the south of the county is one of England’s nest Restoration mansions. The property was leased for three years from 1840 by Queen Adelaide, the widow of William IV. Courtesy of National Trust.

Wye, is Grade 1 listed. It dates back to the 14th Century, but it’s not the only bridge to be so listed in Bakewell. Holme Bridge, a packhorse bridge dating from around 1664, also has that honour.

Not too far away, Baslow Bridge over the River Derwent, dating from the early 17th Century, is also Grade 1 listed.

Lots of churches in the Derbyshire Dales have a Grade 1 listing, including the parish churches of Ashbourne, Bakewell, Cromford, Edensor, Great Longstone, Wirksworth and Youlgrave, and the Roman Catholic Church at Hassop

Also Grade 1 listed is the so-called ‘Cathedral of the Peak’, St John’s Parish Church in Tideswell. The church, which replaced a small Norman church, was constructed between about 1320 and 1400, as building work was severely delayed by the Black Death. There was major restoration started in 1873 by John Dando Sedding, involving the replacement of the oak roof and re-leading.

In the book, In Churches

and Chapels in The County of Derby, Rawlins described St John’s as being “without exception the most perfect and beautiful specimen of pointed architecture to be found in the county – or perhaps, in any other parish church of its size in the entire kingdom”.

In North East Derbyshire, the parish churches of Ashover, Brampton, Dron eld, Eckington, North Wing eld and Wingerworth all have Grade 1 listings.

In the Amber Valley district, the ruins of Wing eld Manor are Grade 1 listed. The vast and impressive ruins of this

Above: Darley Abbey Mills, part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, has a Grade 1 listing, as does Cromford Mills and Belper North Mill.

Top le : Baslow Bridge over the River Derwent is another structure to be Grade 1 listed.

Below inset: The Neoclassical RC Church of All Saints, Hassop.

The “Cathedral of the Peak’, St John’s Parish Church in Tideswell.

Picture by Brenda Newsam.

Above: Eyam Church is one of many Grade 1-listed churches in the Derbyshire Dales. Picture by Brian Smith.

Below: The impressive ruins of Wing eld Manor.

medieval manor house, arranged round a pair of courtyards with a huge Great Hall and a 72 -tall High Tower. It was built in the 1440s for the wealthy Ralph, Lord Cromwell, Treasurer of England.

Later it became the home of Bess of Hardwick’s husband, the Earl of Shrewsbury, who imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots

here in 1569, 1584 and 1585. Wing eld Manor is now part of a working farm.

Also rated ‘exceptional’ in terms of their historic interest, and therefore given a Grade 1 listing, are the Derbyshire buildings that kick-started the Industrial Revolution: Arkwright’s Cromford Mills, Strutt’s Belper North Mill and the Darley Abbey mills complex – all of them part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.

But the most Grade 1 listings in Derbyshire goes, not to Chatsworth, but to Melbourne

Hall Gardens, which has an astonishing 21 covering fountains, statues, vases, seats, a pavilion and even a garden wall! Listed buildings cannot be modi ed without rst obtaining Listed Building Consent through the relevant local planning authority. Indeed, carrying out unauthorised works to a listed building is a criminal o ence and owners can be prosecuted. A planning authority can also insist that all work undertaken without consent be reversed at the owner’s expense.

Melbourne Hall Gardens in the south of the county has an astonishing 21 Grade 1 listings, covering fountains, statues, vases, seats, a pavilion and even a garden wall!

A WALK THAT TAKES IN RIVERS, RUINS AND RIDGES

ROUTE

1 From the car park, follow the dirt path uphill for about 100m (past benches for an early picnic with great views over the reservoir). Pass through the gap in the stone wall and continue straight ahead, following the sign to Errwood Hall. A er about 300m there is a set of stone steps and then a track on the right hand side. Detour here to explore the ruins of Errwood Hall (great for hide and seek, adventures and picnics).

2 Back on the track, continue uphill with the stream on your le . A er about 300m turn le at a crossroads, signed ‘Stakeside’.

3 Follow the dirt/stone path for about 350m, with the stream on your le , until the path crosses the stream. There is no bridge but the stream is usually shallow, with lots of stones. Note: This is a good turning-around point for very small children (simply follow your route back to the car park) - 2km walk.

4 Continue to follow the path as it zig-zags uphill through the woods, following signs to ‘Stakeside’. A er 650m you pass through a wooden gate onto the moorland. Turn right here (signed ‘Cat & Fiddle’) and follow the dry stone wall uphill. Note:

AFOUR-MILE walk in and around the Goyt Valley for the whole family to enjoy, including some spectacular views.

THE HALL’S STORY REVEALED…

FOR decades, the ruins of Errwood Hall have intrigued visitors, but few knew its story – or the signi cance of the once magni cent Victorian country property. The historic family home is now brought back to life in a new augmented reality (AR) app.

The app is free and available to download on the App Store and Google Play. Just type in Errwood Hall Revealed and follow the prompts to install/download.

The app guides the user through the di erent sections with instructions on how to launch the Augmented Reality content:

• Present: 3D moveable scan of the ruins.

• Past: 3D model of the building and Augmented Reality (model and life size modes) with instructions on how to launch the AR content.

• Resources: Fact- les, audio les and images.

Due to the remote nature of the Errwood Hall site, there is no WiFi provision and

To reduce this route to a shorter 3km walk, turn le here and walk downhill back to the car park (as for point 11).

5 Continue uphill for 1.2km until the path levels out at the brow of the hill. Note: From here there is an optional detour to the right, signed ‘Shining Tor’, up a agged path to the summit of the hill. Retrace your route back down.

6 Continue along the path, with the wall on your right, signed to ‘Cat & Fiddle’. A er about 200m pass through a wooden kissing gate then continue straight ahead, along the path between a dry stone wall on your le and wire fence on your right.

7 At the end of the path (a er 600m) pause

Look out for… A

Errwood Hall was built in 1840 for the wealthy Grimshawe family. It was demolished in 1934 when the reservoirs were being built. The hall overlooked the hamlet of Goyts Bridge, which is now entirely under water.

limited mobile phone signal. Visitors should download the app before visiting to avoid inconvenience.

Above: The ruins of Errwood Hall. Top inset: Pointing the way to the ruins of Errwood Hall. Picture by Fiona Stubbs.

to admire the spectacular views over the Cheshire Plain and (on a clear day) the Welsh hills. Then, turn right past a log barrier and head downhill for 250m towards the Peak View Café.

8 Follow the footpath along the farm driveway, which starts just uphill from the café. Just before the farmyard, go through a metal kissing gate on the right and into the eld.

9 Follow the path along the edge of the eld, uphill and through a second metal kissing gate, and then through the wooden kissing gate which you’ve seen already at point 6.

10 Continue the detour point to Shining Tor and then retrace your steps, gently downhill for 1.2km to reach the wooden kissing gate from point 4.

11 Continue straight ahead, following the grassy track downhill towards the reservoir. You will pass through a wooden kissing gate and a er about 750m the path becomes sandy. Continue straight ahead at the crossroads (signed ‘Errwood Car Park’) and follow the path through the woodland to reach the car park.

Did you know… B

FACT FILE

DISTANCE: 4 miles / 6.5 km (with optional detour to Shining Tor summit, + 1 mile / 1.8 km)

TIME: 3½ hours (+ 45 minutes for detour)

START: Free parking at Errwood Hall car park (access road closed on Sunday and Bank Holidays, 10am-4pm).

Closest postcode is SK17 6GJ

REFRESHMENTS: Refreshments at Errwood Hall car park at weekends, and also available from Peak View Café, midway through walk

TAKEN FROM: The Goyt Valley Family Walks lea et, one of ten published by the Peak District National Park Authority. The others cover Bakewell, Castleton, Crowden, Dam ask, Edale, Padley, the Dambusters (Upper Derwent Valley), Packhorses (Manifold Valley), and Railway and River walk (Millers Dale). They cost £1 each from National Park Visitor Centres at Bakewell, Castleton, Derwent or Edale; or free from www. peakdistrict.gov.uk/familywalks

© Crown copyright, 11/2022, Ordnance Survey 200314.

At 559m above sea level, the summit of Shining Tor is the highest point in Cheshire. On a clear day you can see right across to Snowdon in Wales!

Errwood Reservoir.

CONTRASTING STYLES THAT ENHANCE AN INTERIOR

By Vivienne Milburn FRICS Independent Antiques Auctioneer & Valuer

THE current look for 21st Century chic interiors has yet to get a name, but perhaps it could be called ‘Antique Nouveau’ or even ‘Modtiques’!

The auction world does need a new word to describe things that are selling well at auction, because many people’s perception of ‘antiques’ these days is that it describes ‘old brown stu ’.

To create an interesting interior today, contrasting shabby chic and industrial chic items are o en included. Putting distressed leather armchairs, with their ‘lived-in look’, next to an ultra-modern cabinet really

Right: The large studio pottery vase is nearly 60 cms high, made by Sam Hall (b.1967), it is decorated with polychrome slip and enamels and finished with a crackle effect, it has a St Ives Gaolyard Studio mark and it made £460 in the recent specialist auction.

works, as the contrast enhances both looks.

Some items that only a few years ago would have had a secondhand value only now sell for a premium at auction.

Until the advent of the 21st Century, much of British interwar design was largely ignored by the auction market. But things have changed and British

designers like Gerald Summers (1899-1967) are today seen as pioneers. Summers’ work is now seen as a precursor to the plywood chairs made later in the century by the likes of Alvar Aalto and Charles and Ray Eames.

Summers had the ingenious idea to design a chair that had no unnecessary xings, requiring no joints and relying instead on simple incisions and mould bending. Examples of such chairs are rare, though.

Summers and his partner, Marjorie Butcher, opened their shop, Makers of Simple Furniture, in 1931 but it closed with the onset of World War Two in 1939. They produced more than 200 designs, all conceived with the modernist creed: “furniture for the concrete age.”

Having worked as an apprentice in the aviation industry, Summers had seen

Left:

The bespoke baluster shaped cabinet by Richard Snyder, called ‘The Cabinet of 3 7/8 Wishes’, it is 213cms high and made £2,300 in the specialist auction. Left inset: Richard Synder’s handwritten postcard to the client, giving cast-iron provenance of the cabinet.

the bene ts of birch plywood, a versatile, strong and cheap wood but also very avantgarde. He sold his furniture to the forward-thinking British public through department stores like Heal’s in London.

It is important to have a recognised artist cra sman connected to an item if it is to have added value at auction. At a recent modern design auction, the unusual Richard Snyder ‘The Cabinet of 3 7/8 Wishes’ we have pictured was included as part of a She eld consignment. In mahogany veneered plywood, it made £2,300.

The cabinet had been purchased directly from the artist in 1992 and included a postcard from the artist con rming completion and the title of the work. In the postcard, Snyder joked that he had titled the piece ‘The Cabinet of 3 7/8 Wishes’ – a deviation from the o cial title ‘The Cabinet of 4 Wishes’ – as he had to adapt the piece to t the client’s home. A very similar example of this cabinet can be found at The Art Institute of Chicago.

American designer Richard Snyder (b.1951) was one of a group of artists who created furniture for Rick Kaufman’s New York gallery, Art et Industrie. Initiated in the late 1970s by cultural impresarios Kaufman and Tracy Rust, the Art et Industrie collective brought together exceptionally gi ed artists, designers and cra speople to produce unique items in extremely limited runs.

Rather than being purely functional, the pieces executed under the auspices of Kaufman and Rust aimed to create a new language of ‘Art Furniture’ and to muddy the boundaries between the disciplines.

Contrasting with clean modern design is the spontaneously-glazed ceramic work of Sam Hall (b. 1967). The large vase we have pictured was from a private collection in Matlock, and it made £460 in a recent specialist auction. Sam studied ceramics at Harrogate and Loughborough Colleges and now works in St Ives, Cornwall. His cylindrical vessels are made using traditional throwing techniques. He then manipulates the clay, creating attened cylindrical forms which he embellishes as a painter would a canvas.

The surface is built up using slips, oxides and glazes, o en applied and red many times. The use of scored lines, random marks and a sombre palette help to create a tension where drawing and form cohabit.

With a little imagination, lots of antiques can be successfully integrated with modern and decorative pieces. Dressing up traditional objects, such as oak and country furniture, with modern art; or using chrome and glass furniture with studio ceramics; are fast becoming a mainstream way to decorate interiors.

Editor’s Note: If you have antiques and collectables, it is worth getting the advice of an Independent Antiques Valuer to assess them. For further information, please contact Vivienne on 01629 640210 or 07870 238788; or go to www.viviennemilburn. co.uk or email vivienne@ viviennemilburn.co.uk

The cut and bent sheet of birch-laminated plywood armchair was made in 1934 by Gerald Summers for Makers of Simple Furniture. He has manipulated one piece of wood into a seamless seat, and it is now considered a Modernist masterpiece. It made £20,000.

FOUR ‘BUDGET MEALS’ FROM ONE JOINT!

AS the price of food continues to rise, the need to provide ‘budget dinners’ – while still trying to maintain a healthy diet – has become a top priority in many homes.

Thankfully, we have cook and author Lorna Cooper to help us. A mother of three, step-mother of two and the author of three books – Feed Your Family For £20 a Week, Feed your Family: More from Less, and Feed

Ham Hash INGREDIENTS

2 x 540g tins whole new potatoes

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pepper (any colour), deseeded and chopped into small chunks

200g/7oz cooked gammon

cut into bite-size pieces

4 eggs

black pepper

METHOD

Drain the tinned potatoes and pat dry using with kitchen paper or a clean tea towel. Tip onto a board and cut into small chunks.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the potato pieces for around

Your Family For £20… In A Hurry! – Lorna knows how to provide a healthy, balanced diet for the family without breaking the bank.

So here she provides four recipes using a pre-cooked gammon joint. She says: “Batch cooking in this way saves money while still ensuring there’s plenty of variety in your meals.

“To cook the gammon, put a 1kg (2lb 4oz) joint in a large saucepan and bring to the

boil in 2 litres of water, then simmer for an hour. Then remove it from the pan and set aside to cool. Remember to keep the cooking water to use as stock in one of the dishes.

“The meat can provide four budget meals – a gammon and vegetable bake, a ham hash, pea and ham soup, and a ham picnic pasta – all serving four people.”

The recipes, which are all on the BBC Food website, are detailed below:

Gammon and Vegetable Bake

INGREDIENTS

900g/2lb frozen cauli ower or broccoli, or a mix of both

1 tbsp butter

1 medium onion, sliced

2 tbsp plain our 400ml/14 oz milk

200g/7oz mature cheddar, coarsely grated

1 tsp mustard (optional)

300g/10½oz shredded gammon

(see recipe tips)

salt and black pepper

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. A third ll a large saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add the cauli ower and/ or broccoli and return to the boil. Once it’s boiling, remove from the heat and drain well.

6–8 minutes, or until they are beginning to brown in places, stirring regularly. Add the onion and peppers and gently fry until so ened. Add a little extra oil if needed. Add the ham and cook for a further 2–3 minutes, stirring. Make four wells in the mixture and crack an egg into each. Cover the pan with a lid, or large piece of kitchen foil, and cook for around 5–7 minutes, over a low-medium heat or until the egg white is set but the yolk remains runny. Remove the lid and check the eggs every now and then. (Alternatively, for 3–4 minutes then nish under a hot grill for 5 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked to your liking.)

Sprinkle with a little black pepper and serve.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and gently fry the onion for 3-4 minutes, or until so ened but not coloured. Stir in the our and cook for around 30 seconds before slowly adding the milk a little at a time. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until thickened, stirring constantly. Add two-thirds of the cheese, the cooked gammon or ham and the mustard, if using. Simmer gently for 1-2 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Scatter the vegetables over a shallow ovenproof dish and pour the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for around 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top and bubbling. Serve immediately.

SERVES 4

SERVES 4

Pea & Ham Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp butter or vegetable oil

1 large onion, roughly chopped

1 baking potato or any large oury potato (about 300g), peeled and roughly chopped

1 litre stock from cooking the gammon (alternatively use vegetable or chicken stock)

500g/1lb 2oz frozen peas small bunch fresh mint (about 5 sprigs)

100g/3½oz cooked gammon, shredded salt and black pepper

METHOD

Heat the butter or oil in a large lidded saucepan set over a low–medium heat. Gently fry the onions until so , keeping the heat low so they don’t brown. Stir in the potato and pour in the stock. Cover loosely and bring

to the boil. Reduce the heat a little and simmer until the potato is tender (about 10 minutes).

Tip in the peas and add 3–4 mint stalks with leaves. Bring back to the boil then remove from the heat. Blend in a food processor or using a hand blender, taste to check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed (the stock will be quite salty).

Stir in the ham, allow to warm through in the hot soup and then serve, garnished with a few mint leaves.

Ham Picnic Pasta

This quick pasta dish is equally delicious warm or cold. Try it in lunchboxes or for casual dinners, as well as picnics when the weather’s warmer, of course!

INGREDIENTS

250g/9oz dried pasta

(shape of your choice)

6 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp runny honey

1 tsp English mustard

1 tsp dried chilli akes (or

2 tsp cayenne pepper)

100g/3½oz cooked gammon

1 pepper (any colour), deseeded and sliced into short strips

6 spring onions, thinly sliced

METHOD

Cook the pasta according to instructions in boiling salted

water. When cooked, drain thoroughly and set aside. (If using in packed lunches, rinse the pasta in a sieve under cold running water until cold.)

In a large bowl, mix the mayonnaise, honey, mustard and dried chilli akes together. Add the cooked pasta, ham, pepper and spring onions and toss well together. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (If taking for a packed lunch, put into a lidded container and keep cool.)

WINDING WHEEL

Jan 14 Complete Madness

BUXTON OPERA HOUSE

Jan 14 The Magic of Motown

SHEFFIELD CITY HALL

Jan 21 Jason Fox: Life at The Limit

3 Buxton Buzz Comedy Club (Pavilion Arts Centre)

4 The Floyd E ect

4 Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings (Pavilion Arts Centre) BOX

JAN

10-14 Death Drop: Back in the Habit (Lyceum)

13 Fergus McReadie Trio (Playhouse)

14 Chopin for Solo Piano (Playhouse)

17-21 Girl from the North Country (Lyceum)

23-28 Rocky Horror Show (Lyceum)

INSPIRATIONAL FILMS…

THE Ban Mountain Film Festival World Tour is bringing the latest action and adventure lms to big screens around the UK in 2023. The tour includes two dates at Buxton Opera House: February 21 and April 22.

With wild journeys, adrenaline-packed challenges and incredible cinematography, the tour features two new collections of inspirational lms from remote areas of the planet.

Tour director Nell Teasdale says: “These epic short lms feature climbing, skiing, biking, paddling and more, and they’re made by the world’s top adventure lmmakers. Plus, we guarantee you’ll leave inspired to have an adventure of your own, too!”

As well as thrilling lms, each event features a free prize draw for outdoorsy goodies from the tour’s partners.

Ban tour lms are chosen from hundreds of entries into the Ban Mountain Film and Book Festival, which is held every November in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. To book tickets, go to www.ban -uk.com.

25 – Feb 11 Birds and Bees (Playhouse)

28 Shostakovich & Beethoven String Quartets (Upper Chapel)

31- Feb 4 Steel Magnolias (Lyceum)

31 Fake News (Playhouse)

BOX OFFICE: 0114 2 789 789 www.she eldcityhall.co.uk

JAN

2-8 Manor Operatic Society presents Cinderella

13 The Halle

18 Queen Extravaganza

20 Circus of Horrors: Haunted Fairground

21 Jason Fox: Life at The Limit (Talk)

27 The ELO Experience

29 La Boheme

FEBRUARY

3 The Chicago Blues Brothers

4 Manchester Camerata and She eld Philharmonic Chorus

9 Whitney: Queen of The Night

BOX OFFICE: 01142565656

www.she eldarena.co.uk

JAN

4-5 Young Voices 2023

7 DL12 Indoor Trial

14 Steelers v Guildford Flames

16 Lewis Capaldi

21 Steelers v Glasgow Clan

22 Steelers v Manchester Storm

28 Britain’s Strongest Man 2023

31 Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour 2023

A BALLET ESPECIALLY FOR CHILDREN…

NORTHERN Ballet’s well-loved ballet for children, Ugly Duckling, is embarking on a major national tour in 2023, taking in dates in Buxton and Derby.

Ugly Duckling is lonely and fed up, ignored by those around her. She tries to make friends with fellow ducklings as well as with frogs, cats and even a fox, Follow the duckling as she overcomes her troubles and learns to love herself and those around her.

Retelling the famous Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, this 40-minute ballet has been created especially for children and their families.

Ugly Duckling was the rst children’s ballet from Northern Ballet, premiering in 2012. The company has produced eight children’s ballets since, which have achieved huge popularity live on stage, in CBeebies TV adaptations and in cinemas nationwide.

In its third revival since premiering, Ugly Duckling will be performed to music by John Longsta , played live by members of Northern Ballet

‘COME AND TRY IT’ DANCING INVITATION

WINSTER Morris Dancers invite people to come and try out their special kind of dancing from the village, with particular focus on January 10 and 17 for newcomers. Whatever gender or age you are, you can have some n, exercise and good company for free at one of its Tuesday evening Open Practices.

It’s ne to just go along to get some exercise, enjoy the dancing and get to know the other dancers. If you’d like to take it a bit rther and perform with Winster Morris Dancers, the spring and summer programme usually means appearances at carnivals, schools, folk festivals and weddings.

2023 will also have a long weekend in France during May, staying with friends from Onzain (near Tours on the River Loire). In June, the team will host friends from Ungstein in Germany’s Pfalz area, on their fourth visit to Winster. Perhaps it’s a coincidence, but Winster’s dancers bene t from the fact that both Onzain and Ungstein, along with their

twin Italian village of Monterubbiano, are in famous wine-producing areas – all adding to the conviviality. See more at www.winstermorrisdancers.org

As well as Winster, with its special dances from the White Peak, people will nd that the other morris groups in Derbyshire, dancing in a range of styles, will be happy to let you have a go in the lead-up to the 2023 season. Chapel-en-le-Frith Morris, Powderkegs (Whaley Bridge), Chester eld Garland, Ripley Green Garters, T’owd Man (Wirksworth), Makeney Morris, Stone Monkey Sword (Shardlow) and Black Pig Morris (Langley Mill), plus a host of teams in Derby, will all be limbering up during the winter months!

The Open Practices are at the Burton Institute, West Bank, Winster DE4 2DQ, 8pm start, on 10 and 17 January. To con rm details, phone or text before the day to Richard Bryant 01629 55594 (07434 950854), or Richard Powley 01629 636994 (07725 702649).

Sinfonia at every venue. Sets are designed by Dave Gillan and costumes designed by Julie Anderson.

Tour dates include Buxton Opera House on Wednesday, February 22 (01298 72190 or buxtonoperahouse.org.uk) and Derby Theatre on April 11 and 12 (01332 593959 or derbytheatre.co.uk).

A SHOW THAT’S BETTER THAN EVER!

FOLLOWING a sell-out event in 2022, The Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show returns to the NEC in Birmingham from February 21-26 with more tents and trailer tents, brand new features and an inspiring speaker line-up to get you ready for your next adventures.

Boasting the UK’s largest start of year display of camper vans, motorhomes and caravans, visitors will be able to step inside and compare new models from leading manufacturers.  Visitors can also discover the best cycle routes, walking trails, wild-swimming spots and othe-beaten track staycation destinations.

New this year is a dedicated Tent and Camping Hall, with tents from all leading brands.  A brand-new Woodland Wildlife feature will host nature talks, n activities and camping cooking demonstrations.

The show’s most popular feature, the Inspiration Theatre, is also back with a new line-up of talks o ering advice, ideas and inspiration on places to visit, activities to enjoy and routes to cover when camping or touring across the UK and Europe.

Tickets are on sale now for £12 on the website ccmshow.co.uk

SUBMIT YOUR LISTING OR EVENT

Please email your information including dates to whatson@reflections-magazine.com before January 21st, 2023, to appear in the February 2023 issue.

THE DIRECTORY