Derbyshire's Hidden Gem

Mike Smith takes the old Roman Road from Derby to Chesterfield to explore Higham, set on the narrow sandstone ridge above the Amber Valley

As Roy Christian observed in his book about Derbyshire, the village of Higham is ignored by most writers of guide books. Roy, of course, was an exception. Whilst recognising that the settlement had evidently been a failure as a market town, he wrote: ‘As a village it seems to me to be a great success.’

Although a splendid market cross still stands on a six-stepped plinth by the roadside of the arrow-straight village street, known as Main Road, the weekly market, established by charter in 1243, has not traded since 1785. The school and the Methodist chapel, founded by John Smedley, the wealthy industrialist, have ceased to fulfil their original function, having been converted into desirable residential properties, as have the many former farmhouses that flank Main Road. Given these mutations, was Roy Christian justified in describing Higham as a great success as a village?

When I visited the place for the first time a few weeks ago, I was immediately struck by the strong visual impact made by Main Road. Because all its buildings are beautifully restored and fashioned in attractive honey-colored stone, they contribute to a wonderfully unified village-scape. Although the overall architectural form of each building is fairly restrained, the details, including mullioned windows, string courses and neat gables, are very fine indeed. To my mind, Higham represents the kind of understated beauty that characterises the English village at its very best.