Birchover
Birchover is a village and civil parish in the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire, England, five miles north-west of Matlock. At the 2001 Census, it had a population of 362. Eagle Tor is a small hamlet on the north western edge of the parish.[1]
Birchover | |
---|---|
The Red Lion Inn, Birchover | |
Birchover Location within Derbyshire | |
Population | 362 |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | MATLOCK |
Postcode district | DE4 |
Dialling code | 01629 |
Police | Derbyshire |
Fire | Derbyshire |
Ambulance | East Midlands |
UK Parliament | |
History
Birchover is near a number of features of geologic and historic interest: a rock formation called Rowtor Rocks, consisting of numerous tunnels, carvings and caves; several prehistoric monuments, including Doll Tor; and a number of stone circles on Stanton Moor.
The area was once used by Druids as a ceremonial worship site, hence the stone circle and carvings found in the rock formation by the village.[2]
Birchover is mentioned in the Domesday book as belonging to Henry de Ferrers,[3] and being worth eight shillings.[4]
In popular culture
Bradley Rocks near Birchover features as the location of the farm in the 1987 film The Princess Bride. The horror writer Joseph Freeman based a story here, 'A Room of his Own', in his first book Love Stories of the Undead (later reprinted in 2008's "This Is My Blood"), and has had articles published in Saccade magazine and a charity anthology called Dog Tales based on real-life eerie events in the area.
Notable people
- Eddie Shimwell – former Blackpool football player; first full-back to score at Wembley
References
- "Boundary Map of Birchover CP". Retrieved 2 March 2014.
- Turton, P. H. (1933). "The Distribution of Simple Goitre in Derbyshire". Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine. 26 (9): 1223–66. PMC 2204926. PMID 19989417.
- Henry was given a large number of manors in Derbyshire including Doveridge, Linton, Breadsall and Great Longstone.
- Domesday Book: A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 2003. ISBN 0-14-143994-7 p.748