91-567: Cromford ( / ˈ k r ɒ m f ər d / ) is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire , England, in the valley of the River Derwent between Wirksworth and Matlock . It is 17 miles (27 km) north of Derby , 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Matlock and 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Matlock Bath . It is first mentioned in the 11th-century Domesday Book as Crumforde , a berewick (supporting farm) of Wirksworth, and this remained
182-664: A Middle Paleolithic Acheulean hand axe found near Hopton . Further occupation came with the Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic periods of the Stone Age when Mesolithic hunter-gatherers roamed the hilly tundra. Evidence of these nomadic tribes has been found in limestone caves located on the Nottinghamshire border. Deposits left in the caves date the occupancy at around 12,000 to 7,000 BCE . Burial mounds of Neolithic settlers are also situated throughout
273-599: A non-metropolitan county , with eight districts, and the Derby unitary authority area. The East Midlands Combined County Authority includes Derbyshire County Council and Derby City Council. The north and centre of Derbyshire are hilly and contain the southern end of the Pennines , most of which are part of the Peak District National Park . They include Kinder Scout , at 636 m (2,087 ft)
364-477: A unitary authority area of the City of Derby. Derby remains part of Derbyshire only for ceremonial purposes. Derbyshire has become fractionally smaller during government reorganisation over the years. The Sheffield suburbs Woodseats, Beauchief, Handsworth, Woodhouse, Norton, Mosborough , Totley , Bradway and Dore were previously parts of the county, but were lost to Sheffield between 1900 and 1933; Mosborough
455-631: A bryophyte flora for Derbyshire still continues: by 2012 a total of 518 bryophyte species had been recorded for the county. Botanical recording in the UK predominantly uses the unchanging vice-county boundary system, which results in a slightly different map of Derbyshire from the modern geographic county. A number of specialist organisations protect, promote and monitor records of individual animal groups across Derbyshire. The main ones are Derbyshire Ornithological Society; Derbyshire Mammal Group; Derbyshire Bat Group, Derbyshire Amphibian and Reptile Group, and
546-671: A consequence of the underlying geology, but also by the way the land has been managed and shaped by human activity. The county contains 11 discrete landscape types, known as National Character Areas , which have been described in detail by Natural England and further refined, mapped and described by Derbyshire County Council and the Peak District National Park. The 11 National Character Areas found within Derbyshire are: Derbyshire's solid geology can be split into two very different halves. The oldest rocks occur in
637-466: A greater presence in the south east. In 1964, now group managing director, Martin acquired key quarrying assets, including Cliffe Hill Granite, Rowley Regis Granite and Hillhead Hughes. In 1968, Martin engineered the three way merger between Tarmac, Derbyshire Stone and the Scottish Asphalt company, William Briggs, creating the country's "largest roadstone and construction group". The group
728-415: A long period. Lead, for example, has been mined since Roman times. The limestone outcrops in the central area led to the establishment of large quarries to supply the industries of surrounding towns with lime for building and steelmaking , and latterly in the 20th-century cement manufacture. The Industrial Revolution also increased demand for building stone , and in the late 19th and early 20th-century,
819-535: A number of sensitive species are now being seen to be either expanding or contracting their range as a result. For the purposes of protecting and recording the county's most important habitats, Derbyshire has been split into two regions, each with its own Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP), based around National Character Areas. The Peak District BAP includes all of Derbyshire's uplands of the Dark Peak, South-West Peak and White Peak, including an area of limestone beyond
910-532: A population of 770,600 lived in the county with 248,752 (32%) living in Derby. Although Derbyshire is officially part of the East Midlands statistical region, parts of the county are often considered to be culturally in Northern England , such as Chesterfield and Glossop. The table below shows all towns with over 10,000 inhabitants. During a series of administrative boundary changes during
1001-602: A proposed joint venture with Lafarge that involved combining both companies' aggregates businesses in the United Kingdom. The merger, which excluded Tarmac Building Products, was completed in March 2013, following receipt of necessary approvals from the UK Competition Commission , forming Lafarge Tarmac . Tarmac Building Products, the last part of the business still wholly owned by Anglo-American,
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#17327652851861092-559: A school. Willersley Castle , now a Grade II* listed building , was also built by Richard Arkwright in 1791; after a fire in 1792, it was rebuilt and occupied by his son Richard Arkwright junior starting in 1796. In the early 1800s, Scarthin Nick was "blasted through with dynamite to make way for what later became the A6, thus annexing the Arkwright industrial mill complex on the east side of
1183-463: A significant part of Derbyshire's economy, as did coal mining. Lead mining has been important here since Roman Times. The more recent river gravels of the Trent valley remain a significant extractive industry today in south Derbyshire, as does the mining of limestone rock in central and northern parts of the county. Coarse sandstones were once extensively quarried both for local building materials and for
1274-504: Is important as a very early purpose-built industrial workers' housing, and was rescued from dereliction in the 1970s by the Ancient Monument Society who have since sold off the houses. One house in the street is now a Landmark Trust holiday cottage. Masson Mill (1783) is on the northern fringe of the village. Willersley Castle dominates the hill on the east side of the river, with commanding views of Masson Mill,
1365-601: Is named Textilfabrik Cromford after Cromford, as this is where the industrial pioneer Johann Gottfried Brügelmann in 1783 erected the first factory outside England, using Arkwright's factory as an archetype. The factory today forms part of the Rheinisches Industriemuseum . Cromford railway station is located on the Matlock – Derby Derwent Valley Line and can be seen on the cover of the 1995 Oasis single " Some Might Say ". Historically, Cromford
1456-566: Is served by trains along the Derwent Valley line between Derby and Matlock . The route is operated by East Midlands Railway , with services stopping generally hourly in both directions. The Cromford Mill (1771) buildings and accommodation for workers to staff the factories form part of the Derwent Valley Mills , which is recognised as a World Heritage Site for its importance. North Street, constructed by Arkwright,
1547-750: The Dark Peak , flows southward to Derby and then into the River Trent . The geology of this section in the Derbyshire Dales is that of limestone . The fast flowing river has cut a deep valley. The A6 trunk road , which was the main road between London and Manchester in former times, the Cromford Canal and the Derwent Valley Line , linking Derby and Matlock, were all built in the river valley. The Via Gellia valley joins
1638-731: The EFL Championship , the second tier of English football. The next highest-placed team is Chesterfield , which participates in EFL League Two , the fourth tier of English football. There are also many non-league teams playing throughout the county, most notably Alfreton Town , which plays in the National League North . The county is currently home to the world's oldest football club, Sheffield F.C. , which plays in Dronfield in north-east Derbyshire. Glossop
1729-499: The East Midlands Combined Authority , and elected the first Mayor of the East Midlands in the 2024 East Midlands Mayoral Election . The Derbyshire school system is comprehensive with no selective schools. The independent sector includes Repton School , Trent College and The Elms School . There are several towns in the county, with Derby the largest and most populous. At the time of the 2011 census,
1820-689: The Hope Valley and near Glossop . Later they settled round Buxton , famed for its warm springs, and set up a fort near modern-day Derby in an area now known as Little Chester . Several kings of Mercia are buried in the Repton area. Following the Norman Conquest , much of the county was subject to the forest laws . To the northwest was the Forest of High Peak under the custodianship of William Peverel and his descendants. The rest of
1911-686: The Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge . Its trackbed now forms the High Peak Trail , a walk and cycle route which is joined by the Tissington Trail at Parsley Hay . Derbyshire Derbyshire ( / ˈ d ɑːr b i ʃ ɪər , - ʃ ər / DAR -bee-sheer, -shər ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester , West Yorkshire , and South Yorkshire to
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#17327652851862002-554: The Second World War . By 1953, Tarmac was processing over two million tons of slag per year while its road surfacing activities had developed into a substantial civil engineering business in its own right. During the 1950s and 1960s, it acquired numerous competitors, becoming the largest roadstone and construction group in Britain in 1968 following a three way merger between Tarmac, Derbyshire Stone and William Briggs. During
2093-590: The water frame . More specifically, according to Peak District Online , "Cromford is also known as the 'cradle' or `birthplace` of the Industrial Revolution for this was where Richard Arkwright (1732-1792), perhaps Britain's first ever `industrial tycoon` and known as `The Father of the Factory System` chose to build the world's first water-powered cotton mill in 1771." The Gell family, who were local Hopton landowners heavily involved in
2184-438: The 1970s, Tarmac Group made a decisive shift towards private home construction; by the end of the decade, it was building 4,000 houses annually and would become the largest housebuilder in Britain. At the end of the 1980s, its housebuilding activities accounted for half of Tarmac Group's profits, somewhat overshadowing its performance in other areas, such as its expansion into North America and other international markets. However,
2275-662: The 20th century, settlements which were historically part of the county now fall under the administrative areas of Greater Manchester , South Yorkshire , and Staffordshire : Numerous other boundary changes also took place during the course of the 19th century, with county settlements being ceded to the counties of Staffordshire and Leicestershire Because of the size of the county, southern parts of Derbyshire such as Derby, Matlock, Ashbourne and Bakewell are covered by BBC East Midlands and ITV Central in Nottingham , broadcast from Waltham . Northeast Derbyshire, Chesterfield,
2366-497: The Derbyshire & Nottingham Entomological Society. All maintain databases of wildlife sightings, whilst some such as the Derbyshire Ornithological Society provide alerts of rare sightings on their websites or social media pages and also publish major works describing the status and distribution of species. Derbyshire has a mixture of a rural economy in the west, with a former coal-mining economy in
2457-747: The Derwent at Cromford; however, the stream which runs through that valley is actually the Ivonbrook and historically the valley was called the Ivonbrook Valley. The Via Gellia is simply the name of the road which runs along it, named after the Gell family who owned many mines in the area. It is one of the significant sites in the development of the Industrial Revolution . Here, Richard Arkwright built his cotton mill to make use of
2548-687: The Peak District LNP and the Lowland Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire LNP. Since 2002, the county flower for Derbyshire has been Jacob's-ladder ( Polemonium caeruleum ), a relatively rare species, and characteristic of certain limestone dales in the White Peak. Derbyshire is known to have contained 1,919 separate taxa of vascular plants (including species, hybrids and micro-species) since modern recording began, of which 1,133 are known to be either native or archaeophyte ,
2639-776: The Silk Mill in Derby and including the mills in Cromford, Milford, Belper and Darley Abbey was declared the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Masson Mill was described by the Peak District Online in 2006 as "perhaps the most prominent of Arkwright’s constructions ... and still in use today as a heritage site museum and retailer outlet". The 1931 novel Saturday Night at the Greyhound by John Hampson takes place over
2730-501: The UK's largest car manufacturing plants at Burnaston . Ashbourne Water used to be bottled in Buxton by Nestlé Waters UK until 2006 and Buxton Water still is. Derbyshire is one of only three counties permitted to make cheese that is labelled as Stilton cheese . The others are Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire . The smallest of six companies making this product is Hartington Creamery at Pikehall . As of March 2021, Hartington Stilton
2821-404: The acquisition which was to radically change the direction of Tarmac was McLean Homes , which was bought at the start of 1974. McLean was run by Eric Pountain, a one time estate agent who had sold his own housebuilding business to McLean, later taking over as managing director via a boardroom coup . McLean had been bought to strengthen Tarmac's own poorly performing housebuilding division and
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2912-414: The arrival of the railways led to a large number of stone quarries being established. This industry has left its mark on the countryside, but is still a major industry: a lot of the stone is supplied as crushed stone for road building and concrete manufacture, and is moved by rail. Derbyshire's relative remoteness in the late 18th century and an abundance of fast-flowing streams led to a proliferation of
3003-413: The best-known. Cemented screes and tufa deposits occur very rarely in the limestone dales and rivers, whilst cave systems have been created naturally in the limestone since Pleistocene times. A recently discovered cave chamber near Castleton , named Titan , is the deepest shaft and biggest chamber of any cave in Britain. The oldest rocks are Lower Carboniferous limestones of Dinantian age, which form
3094-677: The building was used as a maternity hospital by the Salvation Army while evacuated from their hospital in the East End of London. St Mary's Church , built between 1792 and 1797 by Richard Arkwright. The Cromford Canal – built to service the mills – is now disused, but has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The canal tow-path can be followed from Cromford Wharf to High Peak Junction , and on to Whatstandwell and Ambergate . The Cromford and High Peak Railway , completed in 1831, ran from High Peak Junction to
3185-654: The case throughout the Middle Ages. The population at the 2011 Census was 1,433. It is principally known for its historical connection with Richard Arkwright and the nearby Cromford Mill , which he built outside the village in 1771. Cromford is in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site . The Cromford mill complex, owned and being restored by the Arkwright Society , was declared by Historic England as "one of
3276-461: The company was ill-prepared for the recession of the early 1990s , having continued to invest heavily in land; the company's management orientated away from housing towards the construction sector. The company disposed of its remaining housing activities via an asset swap with the homebuilder Wimpey in exchange for its construction and minerals interests. During July 1999, Tarmac demerged its construction and professional services businesses under
3367-407: The construction industry, the Second World War increased the demand for Tarmac's services, notably for surfacing the large numbers of airfields being built or modernised. By the time of its half centenary in 1953, Tarmac was processing over two million tons of slag per year, its road surfacing had developed into a significant civil engineering business, and its Vinculum subsidiary "had become one of
3458-498: The core of the White Peak within the Peak District National Park. Because northern Derbyshire is effectively an uplifted dome of rock layers that have subsequently eroded to expose older rocks in the centre of the Derbyshire Dome , these are encircled by progressively younger limestone rocks, until they in turn give way on three sides to Upper Carboniferous shales, gritstones and sandstones of Namurian age. Younger still are
3549-751: The country’s 100 irreplaceable sites". It is also the centrepiece of the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site . In 2018, the Cromford Mills Creative Cluster and World Heritage Site Gateway Project was listed as a finalist for the Best Major Regeneration of a Historic Building or Place in the Historic England Angel Awards. The River Derwent, with its sources on Bleaklow in
3640-525: The county and surround large conurbations: Because of its central location in England and altitude range from 27 metres in the south to 636 metres in the north, Derbyshire contains many species at the edge of their UK distribution ranges. Some species with a predominantly northern British distribution are at the southern limit of their range, whilst others with a more southern distribution are at their northern limit in Derbyshire. As climate change progresses,
3731-739: The county are the River Derwent and the River Dove which both join the River Trent in the south. The River Derwent rises in the moorland of Bleaklow and flows throughout the Peak District and county for the majority of its course, while the River Dove rises in Axe Edge Moor and forms a boundary between Derbyshire and Staffordshire for most of its length. The varied landscapes within Derbyshire have been formed mainly as
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3822-479: The county is provided by BBC Radio Derby , BBC Radio Sheffield (covering Chesterfield and Bolsover ) and BBC Radio Manchester (covering Glossop, New Miils and Chapel-en-le-Frith). County-wide commercial radio stations are Capital Midlands , Hits Radio East Midlands , Gold , Greatest Hits Radio East Midlands and Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire (for Chesterfield, Matlock and Bakewell). Derbyshire has two Football League teams, Derby County , which plays in
3913-467: The county was bestowed upon Henry de Ferrers , a part of it becoming Duffield Frith . In time the whole area was given to the Duchy of Lancaster . Meanwhile, the Forest of East Derbyshire covered the whole county to the east of the River Derwent from the reign of Henry II to that of Edward I . The terrain of Derbyshire mostly consists of uplands to the north and centre of the county, and lowlands to
4004-493: The county. In the moors of the Peak District signs of clearance, arable fields and hut circles were found after archaeological investigation. However this area and another settlement at Swarkestone are all that have been found. During the Roman conquest of Britain , the invaders were attracted to Derbyshire for its lead ore in the limestone hills of the area. They settled throughout the county, with forts built near Brough in
4095-550: The county. These chambered tombs were designed for collective burial and are mostly located in the central Derbyshire region. There are tombs at Minninglow and Five Wells that date back to between 2000 and 2500 BCE. Three miles west of Youlgreave lies the Neolithic henge monument of Arbor Low , which has been dated to 2500 BCE. It is not until the Bronze Age that real signs of agriculture and settlement are found in
4186-593: The course of one evening in the bar at the Greyhound Hotel, Cromford. In late 2006, Anand Tucker used certain parts of Cromford, including its historic bookshop, for his film And When Did You Last See Your Father? , based on the autobiographical memoir by poet Blake Morrison . Colin Firth plays the adult Blake, with Jim Broadbent cast as his dying father. An industrial site in the German town of Ratingen
4277-653: The eastern High Peak (Hope Valley) and northern area of the Derbyshire Dales ( Tideswell and Hathersage ) are covered by ITV Yorkshire and BBC Yorkshire from Emley Moor , with their ITV News Calendar and Look North programmes, both from Leeds . The western area of the High Peak ( Buxton , Glossop , New Miils and Chapel-en-le-Frith ) is covered by BBC North West from Winter Hill and ITV Granada , both based in Salford . BBC Local Radio for
4368-562: The end of the 1980s, British housebuilding was accounting for half of group profits, even though it was not the only activity to have been expanded. An alternative profits centre had been built up in North America , starting in 1984 with the staged acquisition of Lone Star Industries; by the end of the decade Tarmac was operating across seven states in the United States. Construction in the United Kingdom had also grown and Tarmac
4459-430: The enlarged operation, now run by Pountain, was producing around 2,000 houses per year. Pountain had ambitions to become a national housebuilder, and by the end of the 1970s, McLean was building 4,000 houses per year and was a substantial contributor to group profits. However, there were problems elsewhere in the group. In 1976, Tarmac had bought the old established contracting firm of Holland, Hannen & Cubitts ; this
4550-429: The far south of Derbyshire from Ticknall (limestone) to Swadlincote (coal measures). Some areas of the White Peak exhibit contemporaneous basalt flows (e.g. Ravens Tor at Millers Dale), as well as subsequent dolerite sill intrusion at a much later stage (e.g. near Tideswell Dale), whilst mineralisation of the carboniferous limestone in a subsequent period created extensive lead and fluorite deposits which have formed
4641-485: The group was separated into Tarmac Limited and Tarmac Building Products . In February 2010, Anglo American sold Tarmac's European concrete aggregates business to Eurovia ; it also sold its Polish concrete products business to the private equity firm Innova Capital. A few months later, the French concrete products business was sold to the private equity firm Foundations Capital. In February 2011, Anglo-American announced
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#17327652851864732-1143: The high moors. The dales of the White Peak are known for habitats such as calcareous grassland , ash woodlands and rock outcrops in all of which a much greater richness of lime-loving species occurs than elsewhere in the county. These include various orchids (such as early purple orchid ( Orchis mascula ), dark-red helleborine ( Epipactis atrorubens ) and fly orchid ( Ophrys insectifera )), common rockrose ( Helianthemum nummularium ), spring cinquefoil ( Helianthemum nummularium ) and grass of parnassus ( Parnassia palustris ). Specialised communities of plants occur on former lead workings, where typical metallophyte species include spring sandwort ( Minuartia verna ), alpine penny-cress ( Thlaspi caerulescens ) (both known locally in Derbyshire as Leadwort), as well as mountain pansy ( Viola lutea ) and moonwort ( Botrychium lunaria ). In 2015, Derbyshire contained 304 vascular plant species now designated as of international, national or local conservation concern, for their rarity or recent declines, and collectively listed as Derbyshire Red Data plants. Work on recording and publishing
4823-536: The highest point in the county. The River Derwent is the longest in the county, at 66 miles (106 km), and flows south until it meets the River Trent just south of Derby. Church Flatts Farm at Coton in the Elms , near Swadlincote, is the furthest point from the sea in the UK. The area that is now Derbyshire was first visited, probably briefly, by humans 200,000 years ago during the Aveley interglacial , as shown by
4914-712: The last 120 years in a series of four major botanical works, each by different authors between 1889 and 2015, all entitled The Flora of Derbyshire . Plant recording is mainly undertaken locally by volunteers from the Derbyshire Flora Group, and by staff at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and the Peak District National Park. The Dark Peak is marked by heathlands, bogs, gritstone edges and acid grasslands containing relatively few species, with plants such as heather ( Calluna vulgaris ), crowberry ( Empetrum nigrum ), bilberry ( Vaccinium myrtillus ) and hare's-tail cotton grass ( Eriophorum vaginatum ) being dominant on
5005-588: The main Derby road and the Market Place and village at the bottom of the hill which climbs steeply westward towards Wirksworth, on the other". The 20th century saw the development of council and private housing. Dene quarry, currently operated by Tarmac Ltd for the production of aggregates and roadstone, was excavated to the south west of the village from 1942 onwards. In December 2001 a 15 miles (24 km) corridor from Masson Mill in Matlock Bath to
5096-486: The main city of Derby, the largest town in the county is Chesterfield . Derbyshire is also part of multiple combined authorities . The Erewash, Amber Valley and Derby districts are part of the D2N2 partnership with neighbouring Nottinghamshire. The Derbyshire Dales, Bolsover, North East Derbyshire and Chesterfield districts are part of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (as non constituent members). Derbyshire County Council and Derby City Council are part of
5187-403: The major precast concrete undertakings in the country." Under Robin Martin's leadership, Tarmac moved from being an important regional force to a national roadstone and contracting business. Acquisitions played a major role in Tarmac's growth. While leading the roadstone division, Martin had been responsible in 1959 for the acquisition of local competitor Tarslag and Crow Catchpole, which gave it
5278-431: The map above. These district councils are responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing , environmental health , markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism. Education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards , waste disposal and strategic planning are
5369-480: The name Carillion in a somewhat controversial move at that time. During November 1999, Tarmac, which had been effectively consolidated around its roadstone and road surfacing businesses, accepted a bid from Anglo American Mining in exchange for nearly $ 2 billion. Within months of the acquisition being completed, Anglo American launched a restructuring of the company, under which a new regional structure for its quarries, asphalt and ready-mixed concrete activities
5460-401: The name Carillion ; shortly thereafter, the Tarmac building materials business was acquired by Anglo American . In 2010, Tarmac Group was separated into Tarmac Limited and Tarmac Building Products . Three years later, Anglo American merged Tarmac Limited with the British-based assets of Lafarge to form a 50:50 joint venture , Lafarge Tarmac (now Tarmac Holdings ). Tarmac Building Products
5551-436: The national park boundary. The remaining areas are monitored and recorded in the Lowland Derbyshire Biodiversity Action Plan, which subdivides the landscape into eight smaller Action Areas. The Derbyshire Biological Records Centre was formerly based at Derby Museum and Art Gallery, but since 2011 has been managed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. Two of Englands 48 Local Nature Partnerships (LNP) also cover Derbyshire; these are
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#17327652851865642-431: The nearby Wirksworth lead mining district, had the Via Gellia built to connect Cromford and Grangemill in the late 18th century. Various cottages and farm buildings pre-date Arkwright's time, but a large part of the village was built to house the mill workers. One source states that these are now considered to be "the first factory housing development in the world". Employees were provided with shops, pubs, chapels and
5733-543: The north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south and west, and Cheshire to the west. Derby is the largest settlement, and Matlock is the county town. The county has an area of 2,625 km (1,014 sq mi) and a population of 1,053,316. The east of the county is more densely populated than the west, and contains the county's largest settlements: Derby (261,400), Chesterfield (88,483), and Swadlincote (45,000). For local government purposes Derbyshire comprises
5824-412: The north-east (Bolsover district), the Erewash Valley around Ilkeston and in the south around Swadlincote. The rural landscape varies from arable farmland in the flatlands to the south of Derby, to upland pasture and moorland in the high gritstone uplands of the southern Pennines. Derbyshire is rich in natural mineral resources such as lead, iron, coal , and limestone, which have been exploited over
5915-723: The northern, more upland half of the county, and are mostly of Carboniferous age, comprising limestones , gritstones , sandstones and shales . In its north-east corner to the east of Bolsover , there are also Magnesian Limestone rocks of Permian age. In contrast, the southern and more lowland half of Derbyshire contains much softer rocks, mainly mudstones and sandstones of Permo-Triassic age, which create gentler, more rolling landscapes with few rock outcrops. Across both regions can be found drift deposits of Quaternary age – mainly terrace and river gravel deposits and boulder clays. Landslip features are found on unstable layers of sandstones and shales, with Mam Tor and Alport Castles being
6006-431: The privatised government agency PSA Projects to complement Tarmac Construction. This was initially called TBV Consult (reflecting a short lived partnership between Tarmac and Black & Veatch ) and was renamed TPS in 1998. Tarmac Professional Services also included a scientific and materials testing consultancy (Stanger), a facilities management company, specialist architects firms, and IT businesses. Housebuilding
6097-458: The production of gritstone grinding wheels for use in mills, and both former industries have left their mark on the Derbyshire landscape. As well as the protections afforded to the Peak District area under national and local policies, there are several green belts within the county, aimed at preserving the landscape surrounding main urban areas. There are four such areas, the first three being portions of much larger green belts that extend outside
6188-795: The remainder being non-native species. These comprise 336 established species, 433 casuals and 17 unassigned. It is known that 34 species of plants once native here have been lost from Derbyshire (i.e. become locally extinct) since modern plant recording began in the 17th century. Derbyshire contains two endemic vascular plants, found nowhere else in the world: Rubus durescens , a bramble occurring in central Derbyshire, and Derby hawkweed ( Hieracium naviense ), still known only from Winnats Pass . One endemic species of moss, Derbyshire Feather Moss , occurs in one small 3-metre patch in just one Derbyshire limestone dale, its sole world location intentionally kept confidential. The distribution and status of vascular plants in Derbyshire have been recorded over
6279-436: The responsibility of the County Council. Although Derbyshire is in the East Midlands , some parts, such as High Peak (which incorporated former areas of Cheshire after boundary changes in 1974), are closer to the northern cities of Manchester and Sheffield and these receive services more affiliated with northern England; for example, the North West Ambulance Service , Granada Television and United Utilities .Outside
6370-419: The sandstones, shales and coal deposits found on the eastern flank of Derbyshire, forming the coal measures, which are of Westphalian age. All these rock layers disappear south of a line drawn between Ashbourne and Derby under layers of clays and sandstones ( Mercia Mudstone Group and Sherwood Sandstones ) of Permo-Triassic age. Small amounts of carboniferous limestones, gritstones and coal measures reappear in
6461-401: The seat of Derbyshire Dales , a Conservative safe seat that had not been won by Labour since the 1945 election . Shown below are the vote and seat count at the 2019 election compared to the 2024 election: Derbyshire has a three-tier local government since the local government reorganisation in 1974. It has a county council based in Matlock and eight district councils and since 1997,
6552-658: The south and east. The southern foothills and uplands of the Pennines extend from the north of the Trent Valley throughout the Peak District and into the north of the county, reaching the county's highest point at Kinder Scout . The terrain is relatively low-lying across the lower Dove Valley , from the Trent Valley and southwards, the far south of the Derwent Valley and near its eastern borders with Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire . The main rivers in
6643-537: The use of hydropower at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution , following the mills pioneered by Richard Arkwright . Derbyshire has been said to be the home of the Industrial Revolution, and part of the Derwent Valley has been given World Heritage status in acknowledgement of this historic importance. Nationally famous companies in Derbyshire include Rolls-Royce , one of the world's leading aerospace companies, based since before World War I in Derby, Thorntons just south of Alfreton and Toyota , who have one of
6734-405: The village, and the road from Derby. Commissioned by Richard Arkwright, building work began in 1790, but was delayed by a fire in 1791. Richard Arkwright died in 1792, and the building was occupied by his son Richard in 1796. The Arkwright family moved out in 1922, and the building was acquired by some Methodist businessmen, and opened to guests as a Methodist Guild hotel in 1928. During World War II,
6825-603: Was a British building materials company headquartered in Wolverhampton , United Kingdom . It produced road surfacing and heavy building materials including aggregates , concrete , cement and lime , as well as operating as a road construction and maintenance subcontractor . The company was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index . The company
6916-568: Was acquired by Lafarge Tarmac in April 2014. Tarmac Group consisted of Tarmac Building Products, Tarmac Middle East and 50% of Lafarge Tarmac. Tarmac Building Products was the largest supplier in the United Kingdom of heavy building products. It supplied aircrete blocks, aggregate blocks, bagged aggregates, mortar, screeds, sports surfaces, TermoDeck, foundry sands, grouts, plasters, renders, bagged cement and bagged lime. It also offers bespoke production and contract manufacturing. Tarmac Middle East
7007-528: Was adopted. At the time, it was stated that expansion in continental Europe would be a major focus area. In August 2007, Anglo American announced it would seek to sell Tarmac; however, in February 2008, the company went on to report that it was putting the sale on hold, allegedly due to the economic consequences of the Great Recession . In June 2008, Tarmac Iberia was sold to Holcim . In 2010,
7098-464: Was briefly known as Tarmac Derby but the Derby name was later dropped. Further acquisitions came during the 1970s and 1980s. Permanite, Britain's biggest roofing felt manufacturer, and Limmer , a quoted asphalt company, were both purchased during 1971, while the 1973 purchase of Mitchell Construction (which had foundered on the Kariba Dam ) strengthened Tarmac's construction division. However,
7189-531: Was first listed on the Birmingham Stock Exchange in 1913 and then the London Stock Exchange in 1922. During the 1920s and 1930s, Tarmac had to cope with national strikes , recession and periods of intense competition. Nevertheless, the company gradually expanded its geographic coverage (particularly in the south east), increased its production of paving slabs and moved into road surfacing as well as supply. As with so many companies in
7280-424: Was followed by contract provisions of £16m in its Nigerian subsidiary. The head of the contracting division was dismissed and the finance director resigned. The boardroom pressure on Martin increased, and in 1979, he was forced out to be replaced by Eric Pountain as the new group managing director. Whereas Martin had created a national roadstone group, Pountain was to create the country's largest housebuilder. By
7371-440: Was forced to step down as chief executive to be replaced by Neville Simms , previously in charge of construction. Inevitably, the emphasis moved away from housing in favour of construction. While the quarrying and construction businesses proved to be considerably stronger, rumours around this time claimed that Tarmac was actually looking to potentially sell its interests in these sectors as well. In October 1992, Tarmac acquired
7462-424: Was founded in 1903 by Edgar Purnell Hooley two years after he patented the road surfacing material tarmac . The company grew quickly, first being listed on the Birmingham Stock Exchange in 1913 and on the London Stock Exchange in 1922. Despite intense competition and other challenging factors, Tarmac expanded both geographically and in its range of services, particularly as a consequence of intense demands of
7553-540: Was involved in such prestige projects as the Thames Barrier and the Channel Tunnel . However, the expansionary nature of the group did not leave it well placed to face the recession of the early 1990s . In particular, the housing division continued to invest heavily in land even though the market had peaked, leading to provisions of £132m in that division alone. Like his predecessor before him, Pountain
7644-622: Was marketing within the UK but also exporting to the US, EU and Canada. The company director told the BBC that they had "a surge in interest and consumer sales from the US". The county is divided into eleven constituencies for the election of members of parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons . In the 2024 United Kingdom general election , all seats in Derbyshire were won by the Labour Party, including
7735-534: Was one of the largest and leading suppliers of aggregates and asphalt to the Middle East construction industry. It had interests in Primary Aggregate & Road Base Materials, Armour stone, Wet mix and Asphalt Products and Asphalt & Road Base contracting services. Lafarge Tarmac was a 50:50 joint venture between Lafarge and Anglo American . It was the leading construction materials company in
7826-704: Was part of the Wirksworth Wapentake or Hundred ; this administrative area, also known as the Soke of Wirksworth (the "small county of Wirksworth"), soon became West Derbyshire Council and is now called Derbyshire Dales District Council. The village is run locally by the Cromford Parish Council. The A6 , which links Carlisle with Luton , passes just to the north of the village; it provides easy access to Manchester , Stockport , Bakewell , Matlock and Derby . Cromford railway station
7917-464: Was progressively reduced in size until 1995, when Tarmac announced that the division would be sold. Later that year, Tarmac and Wimpey announced an asset swap whereby Wimpey acquired all of Tarmac's housing, and in return, Tarmac received Wimpey's construction and minerals divisions. The downsizing continued, and in July 1999, Tarmac demerged its construction and professional services businesses under
8008-565: Was secured in 1905 by Sir Alfred Hickman , who became its first chairman . The company remained under the effective control of members of the Hickman and Martin family until 1979. There were Hickmans as chairmen until 1959; more significantly, Cecil Martin, the son in law of Victor Hickman, was appointed a director in 1923 and managing director two years later. Cecil's son Robin followed him in turn, serving first as managing director and then chairman and chief executive from 1971 to 1979. Tarmac
8099-494: Was subsequently sold to Lafarge Tarmac in 2014. The company was originally formed by Edgar Purnell Hooley as the Tar Macadam (Purnell Hooley's Patent) Syndicate Limited in 1903. A distinguishing feature of the new Tarmacadam product was that it contained cheap blast furnace slag , a by-product produced by steelworks , thus the company entered into long-term contracts with steelworks to ensure its supply. The business
8190-885: Was the smallest town in the country to have a football team in the top tier of English football, Glossop North End . Derbyshire has a cricket team based at the County Cricket Ground. Derbyshire County Cricket Club currently plays in Division Two of the County Championship . There are also rugby league clubs based in the north of the county, the North Derbyshire Chargers and in Derby (Derby City RLFC). The county has numerous rugby union clubs, including Derby, Chesterfield Panthers, Matlock, Ilkeston, Ashbourne, Bakewell and Amber Valley. Tarmac Group Tarmac Group Limited
8281-488: Was transferred in 1967. However, Derbyshire gained part of the Longdendale valley and Tintwistle from Cheshire in 1974. The current area of the geographic/ceremonial county of Derbyshire is only 4.7 square kilometres less than it was over 100 years ago. At the third tier are the parish councils , which do not cover all areas. The eight district councils in Derbyshire and the unitary authority of Derby are shown in
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