by Tom Bell
For those familiar with the grand Amber Valley constituency, you will know all about the rolling terrain that presents stunning walks for the novice, weekend rambler, or the experienced, polished-boots-and-waterproof-trousered hiker.
But, something very interesting lies within two particularly delightful places, just a mere five-minute drive from each other. Standing on either side of the valley’s border, like us and the Scots staring like wild cats over Hadrian’s wall, we would like to introduce Allestree and Quarndon, the subjects of our latest Derbyshire investigation.
Is that Matt Baker and the Countryfile crew coming over the horizon?
From some pretty sizable halls (one of which you might be able to get your hands on for a few coins, wink wink), to phenomenal landmarks, why should you care about Quandon and Allestree?… Let’s find out!
Allestree sits right alongside the Amber Valley border. Mackworth and Darley Abbey hold tight behind in the south and Breadsall takes up east, just over the River Derwent. For the north, Duffield is the predominant village you will likely come through if you travel down from Blackbrook or Hazelwood.
This quaint suburb is one of the furthest northern wards in Derby, and can easily be accessed via the exceptionally long A6 road. Luckily for us, our next stop is only one mile north…
Quarndon Village border only covers a handful of minor roads, but boy do they make them count. If you fancy a day out from the hectic rat race of Derby’s city centre, simply make your way to Kedleston Road and follow it through onto Church Road to get into the heart of Quarndon.
You could stop off at their very attractive local, The Joiners Arms, for a quick pint after exploring – but that’s a tip only for the walkers, not the drivers!
Both Allestree and Quarndon have become something of myth and legend when it comes to their celebrity clientele.
Remember Alan Bates, star of Butley (1973), An Englishman Abroad (1984) and Fortune’s Fool (2002)? Passing away in 2003 at the well-lived age of 69, it turns out that he was born in Allestree and was educated at Herbert Strutt Grammar School in Belper.
Quarndon does away – in classic East-Midlands style – with the bombast of glitzy, flashing cameras and red-carpet glamour. Instead, its fame emerged through the high-powered automotive engineering of Rolls Royce. Ever wished you could drive one? Admittedly, we can’t help you there, but come on down to Quarndon to visit the resplendent home of its original co-founder, Sir Henry Royce, who lived here between 1908 to 1911. There’s a blue plaque, displayed since 2012 by the Derbyshire Council, honouring his very regally named property, Quarndon House.
It’s clear Quarndon and Allestree are more than just two humble English villages dressed in frilly vowels and consonants (we’ll leave that to those down south), nor is it solely past icons that still define them.
It’s time that we take you on a two-stop tour of the current landmarks that make Allestree and Quarndon must-see destinations for you, the kids, or your loyal, four-legged companion.
In the past, English Medicine was known by modern standards for being untrustworthy with its leeches and lobotomy. Yet, Quarndon may have actually been on the right side of history, as noted through their still-preserved 17th Century Chalybeate Spring Well, just down from The Joiners Arms.
Visited by none other than literary genius Daniel Defoe (author of Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders) in 1727, he waxed on the glory of the seemingly medicinal waters in his collection of letters and works under “A Tour Through’ The Whole Island Of Great Britain”.
For those interested, you can read his passage – Letter II Page 71 – where he states “… and so came to Quarn, or Quarnden, a little ragged, but noted Village, where is a famous Chalybeate Spring, to which abundance of People resort in the Season to drink the Water; as likewise a Cold Bath”.
We’re not surprised that the influencers and fashionistas haven’t visited. The water likely stopped around the 19th Century, rendering this Chalybeate Wellhouse a figment of the historical record. However, you can still check out the structure and admire the plaque identifying it. Rats, the plaque was covered by ivy when I saw it!
If it’s religious healing you are after, we recommend you take a brief stroll to St Paul’s Church in the heart of Quarndon. This Grade II listed Victorian church, dated back to 1872, is of special interest and is legally required to be preserved.
Stepping inside, you will notice the fabulous pipe organ that was installed way back in 1874 by John Mitchell Grunwell of Becket Mill Derby. Taking a look at the NPOR (The National Pipe Organ Register), we understand that it was last tinkered with in 2011 by Derby-based builders, E.R Stow.
See that golden clock on the front? That was installed to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and the four gargoyles at the base of the spire represent the four Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, indicated by their tetramorph figures; a man, lion, ox and an eagle.
Quarndon Village Hall is the heartbeat of the community. Currently used to host everything from the Amateur Dramatic Society to pre-school sessions, its lineage goes back to 1914 when the Curzon family and the villagers pooled together to finance its construction. Last extended in 2004, this is spotted just beside St Paul’s Church on the very cleverly named, Church Road.
For Allestree, grandeur is the name of the game, and we cannot possibly get any more magnificent than the early 1880s landmark, Allestree Hall. Based in Allestree Park, it boasts 8.7 acres of land, stables and an ice-house, plus part of the grounds had been turned into an 18-hole golf course that shut down in November 2020.
Our green-fingered readers will be glad to hear that the land has been completely overturned. No longer are there business people signing contracts over titanium clubs. It’s now the UK’s largest urban rewilding project, as committed to Allestree Park.
However, the hall was put on the market in late 2024 for a very affordable £1.25 million price tag. The insides have succumbed to almost ruin, as commercial property agency, Salloway Property Consultants, have professionally pointed out in the listing; “In need of a scheme of repair and refurbishment.”
For the park itself, we are treated to 260 acres of thick woodlands and meadows. Conjoined with Mables Field and Burley Wood, the park has a sprawling lake, befit with traditionally unsociable swans, and the eyes of The Earl of Harrington’s Angling Club, watching over like an omnipotent Ranger Smith from Yogi Bear.
If retail therapy is more your lane, take a trip to the old village centre. It was noted under the Markeaton estate in the Domesday Book of 1086 and was classified as a designated conservation area by the City Council back in 1991.
With seven listed buildings, including St Edmund’s Church, dated to 1865, with its 12th Century south facing Romanesque doorway and the over 1,000-year-old yew tree outside, we can see why they want it all protected!
Now, we have the usual suspects taking up the 21st Century high street. Supermarkets, takeaways, a very friendly Red Cow pub, and a few memorials and cemeteries, where the past rests in peaceful bliss.
History flies like a longbow shot through the streets of Allestree and Quarndon. Can you see the clinking glasses of aristocracy, within their pleasant country homes?
Fantastic, the Country Images time machine worked!
