An Exploration of Barlborough - Part 2

Twitchill

My first trip to Barlborough in July, to explore the village and the church of St. James the Greater, was disrupted by heavy rain but, with my mood boosted by a very productive trip to Adel, I returned a couple of weeks later in August.

A collection of bricks at Barlborough Heritage Centre

Alighting from the No. 53 bus from Sheffield on High Street, I firstly went to the excellent Barlborough Heritage Centre, where I was told about a new Derbyshire Greenway that is due to pass through Clowne and which has extensive exposures of Carboniferous and Permian rocks. 

A general view of the church of St.James the Greater

Leaving with a new idea for a possible field trip for the Sheffield U3A Geology Group, I then went to take a few photos of the interior of the church before it closed and then had a look at the part of the old village that I had not previously seen. 

The former Barlborough Church Institute

Walking down Church Street to the Chesterfield Road, the former Barlborough Church Institute provides a good example of the style of vernacular architecture that can be found all along the Magnesian Limestone escarpment, with dolomitic limestone used for walling and pantiles for the roof. 

Stone Croft

Returning back towards the centre of the village, the Grade II Listed Stone Croft, dating to the mid C18, is built in similar materials and next to these are two pairs of estate cottages, dated 1860, which are built in brick with Welsh slate roofs. 

The Pole Almshouses

The adjacent Pole Almshouses, dated 1752, are built in Carboniferous sandstone and also with a Welsh slate roof. Looking closely at the stonework, the sandstone walling is moderately iron stained and quite weathered in places, with most of the quoins and dressings being restored. 

Barlborough House

To the west of the church, just beneath the escarpment, the C17 Barlborough House provides another example of the use of local Carboniferous sandstone with a Welsh slate roof and next to this is an old coach house built out of the same materials, but dating to the C18. 

The coach house

Unlike at Bolsover, I didn’t find any exposures of rock during my exploration of Barlborough; however, the C16 Town Well taps a spring that has formed at the junction of the permeable limestone and impermeable mudstone that occurs within the Cadeby Formation here.

The Town Well