BREADSALL
INFORMATION
Where is it? –Breadsall village is on the northeast side of Derby between the A61 and A608.
What to do? – Take a walk around the village centre – locate the former Breadsall Railway Station and take a stroll along the Great Northern Greenway – enjoy a visit to Breadsall Priory for refreshments and perhaps a round of golf.
Where to eat? – Windmill Inn, Breadsall Hilltop is a very traditional pub, with a good local customer base. For further information: Telephone: 01332 834760 or visit www.facebook.com/Windmillinn.Breadsall/ – Damsons Coffee House breakfast, lunch and afternoon teas are served in stylish surroundings Bookings are taken. For further information Telephone 01332 834294 or visit: www.damsonsbreadsall.co.uk.
Other places to visit – Erewash Museum at Ilkeston where artefacts are displayed that cover over 10,000 years in this splendid little museum. Displays are changed regularly and every effort is made to ensure children as well as adults enjoy their visit. For further information telephone: 0115 907 1148 or visit the museum website – Shipley Country Park contains over 600 acres of attractive parkland with lakes, woodlands and miles of footpaths and bridleways. There is a Visitor Centre with a countryside gift shop and café. For further information telephone: 01629 533991 or visit the website – Derby Garden Centre is on the B6179 just south of Little Eaton. It is part of the Blue Diamond Group. For more information telephone: 01332 831666 or visit the website.
PROFILE
Breadsall is an ancient village that was mentioned in the Domesday Book. Today, it is a lively place with a busy community centre. There is a large village green and sports field where cricket and football are played. Breadsall Cricket Club has been on the site since 1950. Other amenities include a coffee shop, a community centre, Breadsall Church of England Primary School and a scout hut, The school moved to new premises in 2023.
THE GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY
The Great Northern Railway used to run through the village on its way to Ilkeston and beyond. The section of the line from Derby to Breadsall has been converted into a recreational amenity with an all-weather surface known as The Great Northern Greenway. It is used by walkers, cyclists, mobility scooter riders and horse riders and passes Breadsall Wildlife Site and what remains of the old railway station.
ALL SAINTS’ CHURCH
All Saints’ Church is a Grade I listed building that dates back to the 12th century. It has been restored several times most recently after a severe fire started on 5 June 1914. The fire was blamed on the suffragettes who had attempted to burn down several churches in their quest to obtain ‘votes for women’.The day after the fire the Rector John Ayton Whitaker received a green envelope, green being a Suffragette colour, posted in Derby. The message inside was ‘Let there be light, The price of liberty, Votes for women’. This together with other evidence led to the unconfirmed conclusion that the fire had been started by the suffragettes.
The physician Erasmus Darwin, one of his time’s foremost thinkers, is buried in the churchyard.
THE OLD HALL
The Old Hall is a distinctive L-shaped building that stands opposite the parish church. It was originally built as a Tudor manor house and has had many uses, including as a rectory, church, public house, shop and post office and is now a private dwelling.
BREADSALL PRIORY
The site was occupied by a former Augustinian Priory, which was demolished following the Dissolution of Monasteries. Following this, a private house was built on the land also known as Breadsall Priory. The house has been altered and extended in the 19th and 20th centuries, and only a single arch remains of the former monastic buildings. It has passed through numerous hands, including that of Erasmus Darwin, grandfather of Charles Darwin, who moved to Breadsall shortly before he died in 1802. Later, Derby industrialist Sir Alfred Seale Haslam who was Mayor of Derby 1890/91 acquired the house for his family. Currently, Breadsall Priory is a Marriott Hotel and Country Club and is the oldest Marriott in the world. It has two 18-hole golf courses, the Priory Course and the Moorland Course. In 2005, the hotel hosted a G8 summit meeting on the environment’s future.
DAMSONS
Breadsall was once the home to several Damson orchards that were looked after by monks. Later the orchards were taken over by farmers. The fruit was used to make dyes for use at Derby Silk Mill. Many of the trees are still in residents’ gardens and the local coffee house bears the name.
