Martyn's Blog

Back at the end of February 2019, I took a trip to Cromford in Derbyshire. It is a small village north of Derby, famous for its mills and the mill pond which is in the heart of the village.

My journey began, as they all do, at my home station of Burton on Trent. The weather wasn’t great, in fact I went just a day or so after the unseasonable heatwave that gripped the area in February. On the day I went, it was foggy and rainy. I changed trains at Derby, on the same platform which I got off the train, which was handy.

This was my first time going up the Derwent Valley line (a few weeks later, I went up the same line to Matlock, which you can read about here). The journey to Cromford didn’t take long, just over half an hour from Derby.

The scenery up in the Peak District is amazing, but I couldn’t see much of it due to the fog. I got off the train at the pretty Cromford railway station, immortalised in the single artwork for the Oasis song Some Might Say. The station itself was first opened in 1849. These days, only one platform is in use, with the building and platform on the other side serving as a holiday let cottage. The other station buildings are now office space.

On to the village itself. Even in the rain, it looks very impressive in the heart of the village where the mill pond is. My only complaint was the amount of heavy goods vehicles on the roads, and the proliferation of cars, but I suppose that is just the way of the world these days. I took some pictures while I was there:

I didn’t stay long in the centre of the village, and made my way over to the Cromford Mill to have a look around there before I went home. The mill was the world’s first water-powered cotton spinning mill, built by Richard Arkwright and first opened in 1771. The mill operated until the 19th century and was used for other purposes. In the mid-1990s, it was in an unsafe condition, having been used as a factory for making paint. Since then, it has been restored and is open to the public every day. There is a visitor’s centre, shop and cafe on site. I had a look around the place, reading all the information panels and taking a few photos:

It was soon time to head back home, so I walked back from the mill to the railway station, and took a photo of a charming looking church on the way back:

After that, I caught the next train back to Derby, changed at Derby, and then went home. It was a good day out, and I certainly hope to be back in Cromford one day when the weather is a bit better. Thanks for reading.