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Rowsley is on the doorstep of both hill and valley, rock and moorland, delightful river and beautiful bridges, and fine old homes of England. Round about it rises Lees Moor,and the Stanton Moor with its Nine Ladies stone circle. Down the valleys come the Derwent and the Wye to meet the village, the Derwent fresh from the glory of Chatsworth, and the Wye having added to its crowded life of romance the joy of flowing by Haddon Hall and gathering the waters of two lovely streams, the Lathkill and the Bradford.
Rowsley Bridge has a charming view of the Derwent fringed by lovely trees. Twice the bridge has been widened since packhorse days, keeping five pointed arches on the side with the ancient masonry,and round arches on the new. The inn is a joy to see, a study of gables and mullioned windows dating from 1652. Over the embattled porch is a fine stone peacock, the crest of the Manners of Haddon.
Every Peak traveller knows the Peacock; Landseer and Longfellow have been here; but the road which climbs from it is often passed by. It leads to a little church which was built only in 1855 but has something worth finding both without and within. A lychgate opens to a churchyard with a noble prospect and a magnificent elm whose mighty arms spread over a circle nearly 100 yards round.
In the church is a fragment of a cross, said to be the head of a preaching cross set up before King Alfred's day. It is carved with braid-work and was rescued from the bed of the Wye. The church is a pleasant place with arches and windows in the style of the Normans; its wide chancel arch has zigzag moulding and capitals with foliage. On a fine tomb in a chapel built for her coming lies a figure as in quiet sleep, a beautiful lady who would have been a duchess had she lived. She wears a simple gown and her hands are folded on her breast;at her side on the mattress is her baby. She was Catherine, wife of Lord John Manners who became seventh Duke of Rutland, but she died in 1859 when she was 23, too soon to share her lord's stately rank. In her memory the window in the chapel tells the story of St Catherine in four scenes.
A mile from Rowsley is Stanton Woodhouse, an Elizabethan house overlooking Darley Dale and set in a wealth of trees, among them ancient yew, chestnut, elm and walnut. It was once the home of the Allens who had among their relatives a Lord Mayor of London and a great cardinal at Rome.
Do not miss seeing Caudwells Mill. Shortly Peak Rail will have its temporary terminus at Rowsley...certainly it intends to forge ahead to Bakewell and Busxton.
Thirsty? Hungry? There's always a warm welcome at the Grouse and Claret on Station Road. Landlady Christine Miley has developed her own grouse and claret sausage..well worth trying...is is her unique speciality flavoured cheeses.
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