Youlgreave

The village is on the B5056 and the parish has an area of 2,515 acres (3.93 sq mi; 1,020 ha). Youlgrave is at an altitude of 600 ft (183 m) located on the southwestern edge of a Carboniferous plateau. It stands on the hillside above the confluence of Lathkill Dale and Bradford Dale. To the east, the geology is shale-like rather than limestone. The area is home to many mineral veins such as fluorspar, galena (lead ore) and calamine (zinc ore).[9]

Three long-distance paths, the Alternative Pennine Way, the Limestone Way and the White Peak Way, pass through the village, swelling the number of walkers.

Youlgreave was mentioned in the Domesday Book as belonging to Henry de Ferrers[10] and being worth sixteen shillings.[11]

All Saints' Church, Youlgreave, has a 12th-century font.

There are also a number of historic buildings in the village, such as Old Hall Farm (1630), Thimble Hall and The Old Hall (c.1650).

Most of the village's households get their water from Youlgreave Waterworks Limited, one of very few private water companies in Britain. It came about when Youlgreave Friendly Society for Women helped to set up a fund to pipe water from Mawstone springs into the village, terminating at the Grade II listed "Conduit Head" of 1829, in Fountain Square.[12] In the 1930s, as new houses were built and older ones were modernised with bathrooms and toilets, water often became short. In 1932 the main underground pipe cracked after an explosion in Mawstone lead mine. Springs at Harthill were connected to the system in 1949 and other major improvements followed. Most homes in the village could be supplied with local water until there were just too many new houses to cope with. Extra supplies are purchased from larger water companies nowadays.

In 1932 five of six miners working on a ventilation fan at Mawstone Mine were killed after an explosion filled the gallery with carbon monoxide. The sixth miner was able to reach the surface and raise the alarm. A rescue party of two workers and the mine manager descended into the mine, but were themselves killed by the fumes. Although Mawstone Mine was eventually closed, a water supply for the village is still obtained from this site.[13]

Because of its scenic location in the Peak District, Youlgreave is a popular destination for hikers.[14] The Limestone Way passes through Bradford Dale, immediately south of the village. Langley Park School for Boys owns a building in the village, which is used for school trips, students taking part in various local sporting activities and a visit to nearby Alton Towers.

A Guinness World Records Certificate names Thimble Hall in Youlgreave as 'the world's smallest detached house' at 11 feet 10 inches (3.61 m) × 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) and 12 ft 2 in (3.71 m) high.[15] The property made national headlines in 1999 when sold at auction for £39,500. Each room is less than 8 feet square and there was a fixed ladder to the bedroom, a stone fireplace, exposed beams and exposed floorboards in the bedroom. It was home to a family of eight around a hundred years ago. It was last occupied as a dwelling in the early 1930s[16] and is currently being converted into a craft gallery.[15] It is a Grade II listed building.[17]

The Youlgreave Festival, founded in 2001, offers local artists and musicians a chance to showcase their talents.[18]

Bill Burgess (1872–1950) was the second person to successfully complete a swim of the English Channel after Matthew Webb. He performed the feat on 6 September 1911, his 16th attempt.[23] He was born in Rotherham to Alfred Burgess, a blacksmith from Youlgreave, and Camilla Anna Peat, a cook from Harthill, South Yorkshire.[24] He spent most of his life in France, and won a bronze medal with the French water polo team at the 1900 Olympics.[24] In 1926 he coached Gertrude Ederle who became the first woman to swim the English Channel.

• Listed buildings in Youlgreave
• Derbyshire lead mining history

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Youlgreave.

• Youlgrave.com
• The Bugle