The River Derwent has had to endure a remarkable amount of human intrusion, some of it bad but the majority, perhaps surprisingly, positive.
In the first half of the 20th century water engineers, recognising the extent and reliability of the rainfall on the Peak District moors, createda chain of three reservoirs in the Upper Derwent Valley. The Derwent Valley Water Board was set up in 1899 and within 20 years the Howden and Derwent Reservoirs had been created. Ladybower Reservoir, the largest of the three, was a later addition, being completed in the 1940s.
Not only water engineers but also landowners and their talented employees saw the potential of the Derwent Valley. Chatsworth, one of England’s most celebrated estates, lies between Baslow and Rowsley. The present Chatsworth House was built in the late 17th century at the bidding of the fourth Earl (later the first Duke) of Devonshire. The 1000 acre (405ha) park on the banks of the Derwent is open all year. There is a 105 acre (42ha) garden which incorporates a maze, rose, cottage and kitchen gardens and the first Duke’s water cascade and the Emperor Fountain. Outside again, to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Paxton, head gardener from 1826 to 1858, his monumental rock garden was fully restored in 2003. A sensory garden is a new addition designed to stimulate the eyes and the nostrils. Elisabeth Frink’s sculpture, Walking Madonna, is a recent purchase.
A little farther off-route, but worth a visit, lies Haddon Hall, a splendid medieval and Tudor manor house on the A6 between Bakewell and Rowsley.
