Light, Magic and History: What I found one late afternoon around "Wirksworth."

Taking the left turn on the opposite side of The River Derwent, at Whatstandwell, and taking a left turn up the B5035 (Wirksworth Road), you are immediately taken into a world that seems a million miles away from the more touristic routes of the A6 as it winds towards Cromford and Matlock, instead the B5035 meanders uphill and leads you through a mysterious “Lord of the rings” esque world - with trees flanking the road as it gains height, twists and turns and views stretch out over the Derwent valley below, but eventually one turn and the view has gone, leading you higher up until you eventually reach “Wirksworth Moor” a flat and desolate rural area that has the ability to tell stories from both the past and present.

“Whilst not exactly heather moorland, Wirksworth Moor, is rural pasture land, the fields undulating as you go by them and wonder what stories can be told. Here you are well off the tourist routes and here it is all about going off the beaten path, for what will be discovered?”

Eventually having made it to the other side of Wirksworth Moor, it was now time to turn right, before forking off to the left at The Malt Shovel, a pub that sits on the road between Belper and Wirksworth, however this road is more “off the beaten track” but it has the ability to raise questions and just asks you to explore, however it was downwards, down on the B5035 as it slowly winds its way towards the small and beautiful market town of Wirksworth, as the road begins to literally wind itself downwards you can already see Wirksworth in the distance as if it is somewhere that is out of a book, another world almost and one that is just asking the visitor to discover it’s curiosities - behind me though the sky was Grey, yet as I saw in the distance something magical was on the horizon, the town of Wirksworth just glowing under the late March afternoon sun, glistening is what it was and that in itself was something to behold.

Magical is what the landscape is, and the glistening of the sun on the town of Wirksworth just confirmed why we should cherish the landscape surrounding us. A short while later having made it to the bottom of the B5035 and crossing the bridge over the Eccelsbourne valley railway I eventually found myself within this magical gem of a town. The town of Wirksworth itself sits in the northern flanks of The Eccelsbourne Valley, a hidden valley that winds its way towards Duffield, with the aptly named “River Ecclesbourne” meeting the River Derwent in “Duffield” another town on the A6 just below Belper and north of Derby. However, having arrived in Wirksworth it was time to explore, and the last time I had visited Wirksworth was a short while before Christmas of 2021, when I was completely taken away by the beauty of the church that Wirksworth is also famed for.

As a town goes, Wirksworth is small, quaint and picturesque, surrounded by hills which make it seep into the landscape like a painting, viewpoints a plenty add to it’s charm, but it is a town that also has a lot of history and that should never be forgotten - a lot of people will merely “drive through Wirksworth” without stopping or taking the time to explore, and that is a shame really because this town has a lot more to offer than just a pretty looking high street.

Yet ironically the first stop for me, was the high street and unlike a lot of towns across the country, Wirksworth high street is full of delights and curiosities that make this Derbyshire gem gleam like a Diamond, gone here are the big chains and instead little independent stores just add to the atmosphere and ooze charm, one of the shops I decided to have a look in was “Upcycled Creative” which was something of an Aladdin's cave of treasure of upcycled items and gifts to suit all, the seats made from an old supermarket trolley just raised questions, questions on why more people can not see what can be made out of items that would otherwise be thrown away in the scrap heap, yet this glorious independent Wirksworth gem just proves that with a bit of imagination anything is possible and it takes a little bit of thinking outside of the box to make things work. Yet this is one of just a lot of independent and almost hippy like creative shops that exist within Wirksworth.

And of course Wirksworth itself lends itself to landscape photography, which is one of the reasons why I was here, to revisit and explore again, although this time extra daylight was on my side, after leaving Upcycled Creative, I walked a short distance and turned left, to a hidden part of Wirksworth that not many people would know even existed. This part was a pathway that surrounds the glorious church of St Mary’s Church, a hidden gem that needs seeking out and discovering, I had previously in the dark of December 2021, taken a photograph on a winter afternoon and knew I just had to come back, and that was why I was here, the light on the other hand was something else to behold and in the distance looking east above the hill towards Wirksworth Moor, was encroaching grey clouds, but the church was basking in a magical ethereal light.

Wirksworth Treasure - (Landscape).

Wirksworth Treasure - (Portrait).

This light was just something else, calming and soothing, but would it get any better? After taking the first two photographs I noticed a tower, like something from a fantasy novel, basking again in the light and looking almost semi-French, I mean it is worth looking up sometimes as architecture in itself can be thought provoking and is possible of communication.

French dreams in a Derbyshire town.

Then I just turned around and saw an alleyway, narrow is what it was, old and charming and the bike at the end along with a passing pick-up truck made for an interesting composition, but which do you prefer? Colour or Black and White?

Alleyway Dreams - (Colour).

Alleyway Dreams - (Black and White).

I just wondered in a split second how many stories that ancient alley way would have to tell, stories from yesteryear as well and the shop on the other side of the road from the alleyway also added to the subject in the photograph.

Before I knew it - another angle and another photo opportunity, in front of me now was the church looking perhaps even more delightful than when I had first seen it, by now something else was happening and that light was looking even more delightful and serene, the calm of the light against the church was changing and for the best, in my mind was just the vision of yesteryear along with the history that I was going to find out.

Leading are the rails - (Landscape).

Leading are the rails - (Portrait).

Railings surrounding the church making for interesting leading lines and it was like stepping back in time, I then walked towards St Mary’s Church with an open mind, before eventually turning right into the church itself where I was greeted by a certain sense of calm and tranquillity, as soon as you step into this delightful church you are greeted with history and information about the history of the church itself.

Of course though for such a small town, St Mary’s Church is one that was built for the town upon the history and industry that Wirksworth itself is famed for, that industry being Lead, and Wirksworth was built on the Lead mining industry. Everywhere you look around there is stone and links to mining, the landscape communicates this easily to anyone with a keen eye. Whilst the outside of St Mary’s Church is simply stunning, the inside of St Mary’s Church, again is another delight that is worth exploring, and here I was inside this delightful church. But another curiosity exists here and that is the following carving.

Greetings from "Th' Owd Man.

Named simply as “Th' owd Man” which is the oldest representation of a miner from 1,000 years ago, yet here I was looking at this piece of historical artwork and piece of history that was right in front of me. Amazing that this carving can raise so many questions and in this case it certainly did.

Leaving the calm and serenity of the church I exited and turned right, in front of me another building that looked odd and not too different from another building in Ashover. Yet this building was another Grammar School - detached from the Church yet provided another curiosity and built in the same style as the one in Ashover is.

Grammar Gold.

By now I was on the other side of the church, and the magic had changed, becoming that slightly more richer. Golden was now the colour of the magical Wirksworth light, and I paused and looked up at the spire, reaching ever higher towards a grey sky with flanks of blue within it.

Art in the light.

When Gold vs Grey.

But then as I reached the location near to where I had entered the mystical and magical circumference path of St Mary’s Church, an explosion of artwork occurred, I say explosion as the light felt as if it had exploded into gold, the gold with the grey of the clouds and immediately I was transported into another world, one that could be forgiven as being as a scene of being within a novel about rural life, was it real? Yes it was.

Richness of Gold.

Enchanted afternoon light.

Wirksworth Gold.

Afternoon light.

Gold of the Church.

Shadowed in a scene.

Magic is the calm.

Magical wonderland is what I had been in, yet now it was time to move on, I headed back to where I started from, and a short distance away I had arrived at another location that remains hidden. A “Sci-Fi” like world located above the town of Wirksworth - known simply as “Star Disc.” Star Disc itself is something of a modern stone circle that provides a place of sanctuary along with education and event space, outdoors and comes alive at night, with stories and science about the skies above.

“Wirksworth is just one of those places that offers so much for such a small place, history, art and community that is vibrant, where questions are asked and stories are told, where it is like walking through a living art gallery, the angles of the streets and scenes are just waiting to be discovered. Yet time is what is needed here, so slow down and let the delights of this town encompass you with its delights.”

Immediately though upon arrival at Star Disc, the light had changed again and it was almost like being in a Terry Pratchett novel, blue, orange, yellow and pink, ahead of me in the distance a rainbow and here I was virtually alone, the only one at this magical location. Looking towards the south I captured the following change in the sky.

Atmospheric Charms.

Then I managed to “strike gold” from left to right. The magical light had returned and the landscape was immediately lit up again, Wirksworth below and the valley on fire. I was amazed and whilst I normally do not do panoramic photography, I managed to capture the following panorama.

Gold are the hills.

Upon looking backwards I was equally amazed, the Star Disc and the calm of it, combined with hints of orange and yellow towards the west was something else to behold. I paused and was pleasantly surprised with the following,

Afternoon Gateway.

A kestrel and another one above, hunting in the quiet late afternoon sky was just magical and magnificent, detached from the rest of the fractured world. I was in a state of solitude, quiet solitude of course and that in itself was one of the most strangest sensations ever experienced. Still though, another panoramic opportunity arose.

Light and gold casts magic.

The valley below and the town below was something of a serene scene, quiet all around and still yet the skies rapidly changing, but in my mind now was another viewpoint, behind me the steps that lead you to the top of Star Disc, were calling and beckoning me to climb them, when I eventually reached the top and the platform with the views and the light that by now was ever changing like some kind of theatrical show, performed by mother nature herself.

Light Up.

Landing on Star Disc.

The pink of the Disc.

Star Dreaming.

Slowly walking back down the steps I had walked up on, something struck me, and that was the element of escapism and magic that I had encountered, it was like nothing else I had encountered before and was just sheer beauty in its own right and whilst I was only in Wirksworth for a short time, one late afternoon, what I had found was light, magic and history, which for a small town is something else, and for anyone visiting Wirksworth it is worth stopping in this magical town and actually exploring, for you might also discover a secret and story that has not been told, but perhaps the best way to describe Wirksworth as, is that of a book, fantasy or not, it has chapters that will make you want to discover it more and more - and that in itself is a unique way of looking at a town steeped in history and stories that make you want to see how the novel progresses.

Seek out what Wirksworth has to offer and you will soon find another discovery.