SWARKESTONE
INFORMATION
Where is it? – Swarkestone is on the A514. Close to its junction with the A5132 leading from Willington to Chellaston and linking with the A50. (SK369287).
What to do? – Explore the village and take a good look at Swarkestone Bridge and Causeway. At a length of three-quarters of a mile, it is the longest stone bridge in England and holds Grade I listed building status. – Visit Swarkestone Lock and watch canal boats going through the lock. The former lock house is now a private residence and the toll bar cottage is the home of Swarkestone Boat Club. – Walk down Lowes Lane and cross the canal bridge, a little further, on the right-hand side. Archaeological excavations in 1955 and 1956, made some remarkable discoveries. The first was of a Bronze Age burial. A year later, archaeologists found even more striking evidence of structures by the Beaker People of about 2000 BC. Along with a small amount of Neolithic pottery.
Where to eat? – Crewe and Harpur Arms is a large attractive redbrick pub standing on the banks of the River Trent. Where the gardens run down to the river and provide a pleasant place to relax. Restaurant and bar meals are available every day. For more information – Tel. 01332 700641 – website: www.creweharpurpub.co.uk. – Swarkestone Nurseries where the highly recommended Garden Restaurant and Coffee Shop. Winner of the Derby Telegraph Café of the Year award in 2012. – Melbourne Hall Tea Rooms (Tel. 01332 864224) is situated in what used to be the washrooms and bathhouse of the hall. One of the old baking ovens remains in these delightful old tea rooms that have built up an enviable reputation for light meals and teas.
Other places to visit
Melbourne Hall was once the home of Victorian Prime Minister William Lamb (Lord Melbourne). Please telephone 01332 862502 for more details or visit the website – www.melbournehall.com; Elvaston Castle Country Park is set in 200 acres of parkland with an ornamental lake, extensive gardens, stony grottoes, rock archways. Open daily – Tel. 01332 571342 – website: www.derbyshire.gov.uk/- Calke Abbey and Park, the place where ‘time stood still’ was the phrase used to describe it. When the National Trust opened it to the public in 1989. It is one of the most unusual English country houses with large collections of stuffed birds, ornaments, paintings and photographs. In addition, it has extensive gardens and a large informal park. For more information: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/calke.
PROFILE
The small, quiet South Derbyshire village of Swarkestone has a population of less than 200. It sits along the banks of the Trent with fine views across the river. Nearly 275 years ago it was the scene of one of the most momentous incidents in English history, often referred to as the ‘45’.
Claims To The Throne
This was the time when James II, the last Stuart King of England went into exile in France in 1688. The Jacobites had made several unsuccessful attempts to regain the throne. In 1745, it was the turn of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, usually known as Bonnie Prince Charlie, to try to overthrow the English Monarch. Support for the cause was half-hearted, but enough clansmen were raised for the march south. The English were unprepared for an invasion. Most of the troops were abroad and King George, fearing the worst, prepared to return to Germany.
On 4 December 1745, Charles Edward Stuart and his army reached Derby. And made arrangements for the capture of the strategically important Swarkestone Bridge. It was the only bridge on the River Trent, between Burton and Nottingham.
Charles and his supporters were unaware of the panic the uprising had caused in London. With no signs of help coming from France or a revolt in support of Charles. As a result, a meeting was held at Exeter House in Derby. When the Jacobite generals decided to retreat, despite the protestations of their leader. If the march had continued, it would probably have been successful and the whole course of British history changed. In memory of this important event, a cairn has been erected in the Crewe and Harpur gardens. That marks the southernmost point reached by Bonnie Prince Charlie’s army.
Swarkestone Bridge and Causeway
Swarkestone Bridge and Causeway, at a length of three-quarters of a mile, is the longest stone bridge in England and is Grade I listed. There has been a bridge here for 800 years and at one time a bridge chapel. Also, a toll house once stood partway across the bridge. It is still an important crossing place and has become increasingly busy with traffic in recent years. The narrowness of the bridge has led to frequent accidents often requiring repairs to the bridge wall.
According to local legend, the building of Swarkestone Bridge in the 13th century is attributable to two sisters. Who saw their lovers drowned trying to cross the River Trent on horseback. They had crossed the flooded meadows safely. But then they either missed the Ford altogether or were swept off by the strong current. The horrified sisters saw all this happen through a hall window and vowed to ensure no one else met the same fate. They spent the rest of their lives building the bridge and died penniless as a result.
River Trent
The River Trent was a busy waterway before the Trent and Mersey Canal opened to its full length. Boats traded between Burton and Nottingham, reaching as far afield as Gainsborough. But the completion of the canal in 1777, slowly killed off the riverboat trade.
A few years after the Jacobites retreated, the Crewe and Harpur Arms were built by the River Trent. It is a fine old coaching inn. At one time, a stable block completely encircled its present-day car park. This was used not only to stable carriage horses but also racing horses. Because, at that time Derby had a Racecourse based near Lowes Farm, on the northern side of the village.
The Lowes
It was at the Lowes, situated on a ridge overlooking the village. Where archaeological excavations in 1955 and 1956 made some remarkable discoveries. The first was of a Bronze Age burial. A year later, archaeologists found even more striking evidence of structures by the Beaker People, dating back to about 2000 BC. Also, a small amount of Neolithic pottery was discovered.
The Village
The most unusual building in the village is the Summer House sometimes called ‘The Grandstand’. It has a grass-covered rectangular enclosure in front. No one is quite sure what its use was. Bull-baiting and jousting are suggestions. But more likely, it was used for the much gentler pursuit of bowling. It is now in the hands of Landmark Trust and is let for holiday accommodation. Little remains of the hall, which stood just south of here. However, Old Hall Farm, built out of part of its remains still exists.
The tiny St James Church contains some superb carvings. Sir Richard Harpur. Who was one of Queen Elizabeth’s judges, he lies in his judge’s gown, on a fine alabaster tomb, with his wife Jane. They both lived at Swarkestone Hall.
The village has a successful cricket club, which won the Beechwood MG Derbyshire Premier League in 2013. To the south of the river, Swarkestone Sailing Club headquarters are near the Sand and Gravel Works. Market gardeners Samuel Jackson and Co., with their vast complex of greenhouses, provide some local employment. The garden restaurant and coffee shop at Swarkestone Nurseries won the Derby Telegraph Café of the Year award in 2012.
Trent and Mersey Canal
James Brindley from Derbyshire, who could not read or write properly, but had a brilliant brain astounded other engineers. Initially, they laughed at his ultimately successful proposal – to find an economical way of transporting coal from the Duke of Bridgewater’s estate at Worsley to Manchester.
He did this by building an aqueduct over the River Irwell. It stood on three great stone arches, 17 feet up, with a towpath alongside the canal for the horses to pull the boats the 900 yards to the other side of the river. Brindley’s inventions continued and his most celebrated enterprise was the Trent and Mersey Canal, known as the Grand Trunk. It connected canal systems throughout the country.
Brindley died before he could complete the final piece in his canal network that revolutionised trade in the country. Hugh Henshall, his brother-in-law, completed the work on the concluding section of the Trent and Mersey Canal. A milestone marks every mile along the route to Preston Brook. At Swarkestone Junction, the former lock house is now a private residence and the old toll bar cottage is the home of the Swarkestone Boat Club.
