After a walk in the Peak District and a overnight stay in Thorpe the day before, we drove to Bakewell in Derbyshire and arrived about 9ish. We parked up and went for a walk about.
The first place we came across is the famous 'The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop'. I had been warned about not calling it a tart and instead its a pudding.
These delicious puddings were first made by accident at a local inn (the then White Horse) around 1860. It seems clear that the recipe was originally something of an accident, the result of a misunderstanding between Mrs Greaves, mistress of the inn and her cook.
Visiting noblemen ordered strawberry tart, but the cook, instead of stirring the egg mixture into the pastry, spread it on top of the jam. The result was so successful that a Mrs Wilson, wife of a tallow chandler who lived in the cottage now known as the Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop where candles were made, saw the possibility of making the puddings for sale and obtained the so-called recipe and commenced a business of her own.
The property, probably built in the late 17th century, was owned by the Duke of Rutland until sold to the Wilson family, then tenants, by the 8th Duke in 1921.
Bakewell Puddings, still made by hand from the secret recipe, are sent away to many corners of the globe from the world-famous bakery, as well as eaten as a sweet in our famous restaurant as they were meant to be eaten - hot with custard or cream.
Although there is evidence of earlier settlements in the area, Bakewell itself was probably founded in Anglo Saxontimes, when Bakewell was in the Anglian kingdom of Mercia. The name Bakewell means a spring or stream of a man named Badeca (or Beadeca) and derives from this personal name plus the Old English wella. In 949 it was Badecanwelle and in the 11th century Domesday Book it was Badequelle. Bakewell Parish Church, a Grade I listedbuilding, was founded in 920 and has a 9th-century cross in the churchyard. The present church was constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries but was virtually rebuilt in the 1840s by William Flockton. By Norman times Bakewell had gained some importance: the town and its church (having two priests) being mentioned in the Domesday Book and a motte and bailey castle was constructed in the 12th century.
A market was established in 1254, and Bakewell developed as a trading centre. The Grade I listed five-arched bridge over the River Wye was constructed in the 13th century, and is one of the few surviving remnants of this earlier period. A chalybeate spring was discovered, and a bath house built in 1697. This led to an 18th-century bid to develop Bakewell as a spa town, in the manner of Buxton. The construction of the Lumford Mill by Richard Arkwright in 1777 was followed by the rebuilding of much of the town in the 19th century.
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| There are plenty of shops cashing in on the Bakewell Pudding fame. |
We walk up North Church Street towards All Saints Church.
The church was founded in 920, during Anglo-Saxon times and the churchyardhas two 9th-century crosses. During restoration work, in the 1840s, many carved fragments of Anglo-Saxon stonework were found in and around the porch, as well as some ancient stone coffins.
The present church was started in the 12th century in Norman style; however, only the west front and part of the nave survive from that time. The remainder of the church was built between 1220 and 1240. The spire was added in 1340 but, was taken down in 1825, and the tower also removed in 1830.
Between 1841 and 1844, it was completely rebuilt as it had become dangerous. as part of the restoration by William Flockton. Once the external works were completed in 1844, internal restorations were undertaken. The church was re-pewed throughout. The Norman piers from the nave were substituted for early English decorated ones, and steam heating was introduced. This work was carried out by Mr Bath of Haddon under the supervision of the architects John Grey Weightman and Matthew Ellison Hadfield of Sheffield. The church re-opened on 4 September 1851.
The church has some interesting relics of the Vernon and Manners families as well as a fine 14th-century baptismal font. In the Vernon Chapel (off the South aisle) there are several magnificent tombs: Sir Thomas Wendesley (killed at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403; John Vernon of Haddon Hall, who died in 1477; and Sir George Vernon and his two wives.[
Sir George, nicknamed 'King of the Peak', died in 1567, is famous as the father of Dorothy Vernon, who eloped with Sir John Manners, both of whom have a monument at the South end of the chapel. There is also a monument to their son, George Manners and his wife Grace.
Saxon carved stones
in the porch
Beautiful 14 century carved font.
Other interesting features include the memorial to Ann Graves, credited as the inventor of the Bakewell pudding. Another memorial is to Thomas Stratton, a workman who fell to his death during a Victorian restoration of the church. The unfortunate Stratton was buried where he fell.
One other note of interest is the tower clock, which has just one face, towards the town.
We walk back down into Town along North Church Street.
We walk down Market Street and to the River Wye.
Here we reach Bakewell Love Locks Bridge.
Lock locks started to appear on the Wye Bridge in 2012 and were the first to appear in Derbyshire, presently there are many hundreds now attached to the bridge. The love locks may be loved by some and hated by others however it does indicate that there is still some love in the world.
A love lock or love padlock, as it is sometimes known, is a padlock which is inscibed with the intials of two lovers, attached to a public fixture and the key thrown away, symbolising unbreakable and everlasting love for each other. Around the world, cities from Moscow to Rome are filled with fences, bridges, and poles adorned with padlocks.
The tradition of love locks fastened to bridges is believed to have begun in Serbia during World War I, after a woman died of heartbreak when her lover deserted her for another woman he met at war. The local women, horrified at befalling the same fate, began to fasten padlocks on the bridge where the two lovers used to meet. Today, love lock bridges can be found all over the world.
We cross the bridge and visit a farmers market, selling meat,cheese,veg,bread and of course Bakewell pudding.
After crossing back over the bridge we walk along the Wye and back into town where we visited a tea room for Tea and a bacon sarnie.
After shopping,eating and visiting the church we are back at the car for the drive home. I love Bakewell must come back one day.
