Editing Crich

{{Short description|Village and civil parish in the English county of Derbyshire}}
{{About|the village and civil parish of Crich|the nearby tramway museum and recreated Victorian street|National Tramway Museum|other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name        = Crich
| static_image_name    = Bowns Hill Crich.jpg
| static_image_caption = Bowns Hill, Crich
| coordinates          = {{coord|53.084|-1.479|display=inline,title}}
| os_grid_reference    = SK3454
| label_position       = left
| map_type             = Derbyshire
| population           = 2821
| population_ref       = ([[United Kingdom Census 2001|2001 census]])<ref>{{cite web |url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/viewFullDataset.do?instanceSelection=03070&productId=779&$ph=60_61&datasetInstanceId=3070&startColumn=1&numberOfColumns=4&containerAreaId=790351 |title=Area selected: Amber Valley (Non-Metropolitan District) |work=Neighbourhood Statistics: Full Dataset View |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]] |access-date=29 September 2011}}</ref>
| civil_parish         = Crich
| shire_district       = [[Amber Valley]]
| shire_county         = [[Derbyshire]]
| region               = East Midlands
| country              = England
| constituency_westminster = [[Derbyshire Dales (UK Parliament constituency)|Derbyshire Dales]]
| post_town            = [[Matlock, Derbyshire|Matlock]]
| postcode_district    = DE4
| postcode_area        = DE
| dial_code            = 01773
| website              = [https://web.archive.org/web/20060719172219/http://www.crichweb.co.uk/ Crichweb]
}}
'''Crich''' {{IPAc-en|audio=En-crich.ogg|ˈ|k|r|aɪ|tʃ}} is a [[village]] and [[civil parish]] in the English county of [[Derbyshire]]. Besides the village of Crich, the civil parish includes the nearby villages of [[Fritchley]], [[Whatstandwell]] and [[Wheatcroft, Derbyshire|Wheatcroft]]. The population of the civil parish at the 2001 census was 2,821, increasing to 2,898 at the 2011 census.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11122448&c=crich&d=16&e=62&g=6412705&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1458223720100&enc=1 |title=Civil Parish population 2011 |access-date=17 March 2016 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |work=Neighbourhood Statistics}}</ref> 

The village is home to the [[National Tramway Museum]] and, at the summit of Crich Hill above, a memorial tower for those of the [[Sherwood Foresters]] regiment who died in battle, particularly in [[World War I]].

== History ==
In 1009 King [[Æthelred the Unready]] signed a charter at the Great Council which recognised the position and boundaries of [[Weston-on-Trent]] and several other manors including Crich.<ref name=s922/> The charter shows that Weston controlled the nearby crossings of the Trent. The land was listed as eight [[Hide (unit)|hides]] at Weston upon Trent, and a hide at Crich, [[Morley, Derbyshire|Morley]], [[Smalley, Derbyshire|Smalley]], [[Ingleby, Derbyshire|Ingleby]] and Kidsley. This land was then given to [[Morcar (thegn)|Morcar]], the King's chief minister, and he was unusually given rights that were normally reserved for the King alone. He was given the responsibility for justice and exemption from the [[Trinoda necessitas]], he alone could decide a fate of life or death without the need of the authority of the King or his sheriff.<ref name=s922>[http://www.anglo-saxons.net/hwaet/?do=seek&query=S+922 Charter of Æthelred], The Great Council, 1009, accessible at Derby records</ref> Morcar was given further lands in Derbyshire. Weston (and Crich?) again come under the control of Æþelræd Unræd, when Morcar and his brother were murdered by Eadric in 1015.

Parts of the [[Church of England parish church]] of [[Saint Mary]] are [[Norman architecture|Norman]], with later [[English Gothic architecture#Decorated Gothic|Decorated Gothic]] and [[English Gothic architecture#Perpendicular Gothic|Perpendicular Gothic]] alterations from the 14th century.<ref>Pevsner & Williamson, 1978, page 156</ref> Crich has also a [[Wesleyan Methodist Church (Great Britain)|Wesleyan]] chapel that was built in 1770.<ref name=Pevsner157>Pevsner & Williamson, 1978, page 157</ref>

A [[workhouse]] was opened in 1734 on the edge of Nether Common. It could accommodate 40 inmates, and accepted [[paupers]] from other parishes, including [[Melbourne, Derbyshire|Melbourne]], [[Pentrich, Derbyshire|Pentrich]], [[Willington, Derbyshire|Willington]], [[Mercaston]] and [[Denby]].<ref>Higginbotham, P. (2007), ''Workhouses of the Midlands'', Tempus, Stroud. Page 27. {{ISBN|978-0-7524-4488-8}}</ref>

Chase Cliffe is a [[Tudor Revival architecture|Tudor Revival]] house on the road from Crich to [[Whatstandwell]].<ref name=Pevsner157/> It was designed by [[Benjamin Ferrey]] and built in 1859–61.<ref name=Pevsner157/>

== Quarrying ==
[[Image:Crich Quarry 1900s.jpg|thumb|Quarrying in the early 1900s]]
Geologically, Crich lies on a small inlier of [[Carboniferous limestone]] (an outcrop on the edge of the [[Peak District]] surrounded by younger [[Carboniferous|Upper Carboniferous]] rocks).

Quarrying for [[limestone]] probably began in Roman times. In 1791 [[Benjamin Outram]] and Samuel Beresford bought land for a quarry to supply limestone to their new [[ironworks]] at [[Butterley]]. This became known as Hilt's Quarry, and the stone was transported down a steep [[wagonway]], the [[Butterley Gangroad|Butterley Company Gangroad]], to the [[Cromford Canal]] at [[Bullbridge]]. Near there they also built [[lime kiln]]s for supplying farmers and for the increasing amount of building work. Apart from a period when it was leased to Albert Banks, the quarry and kilns were operated by the Butterley Company until 1933.<ref>Cooper, B., (1983) ''Transformation of a Valley: The Derbyshire Derwent,'' Heinneman, republished 1991 Cromford: Scarthin Books</ref>
The gangroad, descending some 300 feet in about a mile, was at first worked by gravity, a brakeman "spragging" the wheels of the wagons, which were returned to the summit by horses. However, in 1812 the incline was the scene of a remarkable experiment, when William Brunton, an engineer for the company, produced his [[Steam Horse locomotive]].

=== Crich Mineral Railway ===
In 1840 [[George Stephenson]], in building the [[North Midland Railway]], discovered deposits of coal at [[Clay Cross]] and formed what later became the [[Clay Cross Company]]. He realised that burning lime would provide a use for the coal slack that would otherwise go to waste. He leased Cliff Quarry and built limekilns at Bullbridge. In 1841, he built the '''Crich Mineral Railway''' to connect the quarry to the limekilns at [[Ambergate railway station|Ambergate station]]. This included a {{convert|550|yard}} long, self-acting [[cable railway|incline]] known as "The Steep", with a maximum gradient of 1 in 5.<ref>{{cite web |title=Site record MDR7576 - Route of Crich Mineral Railway, Crich and Ripley |url=https://her.derbyshire.gov.uk/Monument/MDR7576 |publisher=Derby County Council}}</ref>

The railway was probably the first [[metre gauge railway]] in the world.<ref>{{cite book |first=John |last=Marshall |title=The Guinness Book of Rail Facts and Feats |publisher=Guinness Superlatives |date=1979 |page=29}}</ref>

=== End of quarrying ===
Cliff Quarry closed in 1957, though it restarted at the western end until 2010 when it was mothballed. The eastern end was bought by the Tramway Museum in 1959.

Hilt's Quarry closed in 1933 and is derelict. For 38 years, [[Rolls-Royce plc|Rolls-Royce]] used it for dumping low-level [[radioactive waste]] such as [[enriched uranium]], [[cobalt-60]] and [[carbon-14]]. Following a campaign and blockades by villagers in the Crich and District Environment Action Group, dumping ceased in 2002. In 2004 the Government backed an [[Environment Agency]] document banning further dumping, and Rolls-Royce will be required to restore and landscape the site.<ref>[http://www.belpernews.co.uk/news/Hopes-for-end-to-nuclear.352648.jp "End to Nuclear Dumping"] ''Belper News''</ref><ref>[http://www.matlockmercury.co.uk/news/Final-victory-for-campaign.815114.jp "Final victory for campaign"], Emily Davies, ''[[Matlock Mercury]]'', 30 June 2004</ref><ref>Eco Sounding, Paul Brown, ''The Guardian'', 4 August 2004</ref>

== Memorial tower ==
[[File:Crich Stand2.jpg|thumb|right|The Crich Stand memorial tower]]
{{main|Crich Stand}}
The memorial tower ('Crich Stand') was completed in 1923 as a memorial to the 11,409 soldiers from the [[Sherwood Foresters Regiment]] who died in [[World War I]], a dedication that was later extended to include [[World War II]]. It was built on an limestone outcrop above the village, at an altitude of {{convert|1000|ft}} above sea level. The location is symbolic because it is widely visible across, and gives views of, both of the two counties from which the regiment was raised ([[Nottinghamshire]] and [[Derbyshire]]). It is the destination of an annual pilgrimage on the first Sunday in July.<ref name=ehl>{{cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1072594?section=official-list-entry| title=Crich Stand (Sherwood Foresters Regimental Memorial) |publisher=[[Historic England]] |access-date=5 March 2024}}</ref><ref name=mrchom>{{cite web |url=https://mercianregiment.co.uk/the-crich-memorial |title=History of the Memorial |publisher=The Mercian Regimental Charity |access-date=6 March 2024 |archive-date=6 March 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240306152747/https://mercianregiment.co.uk/the-crich-memorial}}</ref>

Besides the main dedication, two further plaques dedicate the memorial to those who died serving in the Sherwood Foresters regiment from 1945 to 1970, and to those who died serving the [[Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment]] from 1970 to 2007 and the [[Mercian Regiment]] since 2007. A nearby small plaque is dedicated to Brigadier J.H.M. Hackett, 'Last Colonel The Sherwood Foresters 1965 – 1970 and First Colonel The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment'.<ref name=ehl/><ref name=mrchom/>

== National Tramway Museum ==
[[File:Crich Tramway Village, Tramway Street - geograph.org.uk - 3522601.jpg|thumb|right|The tramway museum, with Crich Stand in the background]]
{{main|National Tramway Museum}}
Beneath Crich Stand, at the northern end of Crich village, is the National Tramway Museum (also known as Crich Tramway Village) which is the UK's largest and most comprehensive museum of [[tram|trams and tramways]]. The museum contains over 80 trams built between 1873 and 1982 and includes several exhibitions and a recreated period street containing a working pub, cafe, shop and various pieces of period street furniture.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Tramcar Collection |url=https://www.tramway.co.uk/?sfid=2271 |website=Crich Tramway Village |access-date=29 February 2024 |archive-date=29 February 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229164537/https://www.tramway.co.uk/?sfid=2271}}</ref><ref name=crvvs>{{cite web |title=Village Scene |url=https://www.tramway.co.uk/explore/village-scene/ |website=Crich Tramway Village |access-date=5 June 2023 |archive-date=5 June 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605194937/https://www.tramway.co.uk/explore/village-scene/}}</ref>

Many of the museum's collection of trams are operational, and carry passengers on journeys through the period street and out into the local countryside on a {{convert|1.6|km}} long running track. Along the way are the preserved 1763 facade of the [[Derby Assembly Rooms]], a recreated Victorian public park, a woodland sculpture trail and a display on the local lead mining industry.<ref name=crvvs/><ref>{{cite web |title=Ride the Trams |url=https://www.tramway.co.uk/explore/ride-the-trams/ |website=Crich Tramway Village |access-date=5 June 2023 |archive-date=5 June 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605194937/https://www.tramway.co.uk/explore/ride-the-trams/}}</ref>

== Archives ==
A collection of title deeds relating to land and property in Crich is held at the [[Cadbury Research Library]] of the [[University of Birmingham]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=UoB Calmview5: Search results|url=https://calmview.bham.ac.uk/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=XMS56|access-date=2021-02-19|website=calmview.bham.ac.uk}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
The village was a location for the setting for the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] drama series ''[[Peak Practice]]'' (along with [[Ashover]] for a time).   Images of the village also appear in the 2007 film ''[[And When Did You Last See Your Father?]]'' starring [[Colin Firth]]. In the film Firth is seen riding a motorbike up Chapel Lane.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:The Cliff Inn.JPG|{{center|The Cliff Inn}}
File:Crich.JPG|{{center|Crich Cross}}
File:Plaistow Green Road in Crich, Derbyshire.jpg
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[Listed buildings in Crich]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |last1=Pevsner |first1=Nikolaus |author1-link=Nikolaus Pevsner |last2=Williamson |first2=Elizabeth |series=[[Pevsner Architectural Guides#Buildings of England|The Buildings of England]] |title=Derbyshire |orig-year=1953 |year=1978 |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |location=Harmondsworth |isbn=0-14-071008-6 |pages=156–157}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Crich}}
* [https://www.crichstandard.org Crich Standard magazine and community news website - Current]
* [http://www.cacn.org.uk Crich area community news website - Previous]
* [http://www.crichbaptist.org The website of Crich Baptist Church]
* [https://www.crichstmarys.org.uk/ The website of St Mary's Church, Crich]
* [http://www.crich-memorial.org.uk Official site for the Crich Memorial] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017103906/http://www.crich-memorial.org.uk/ |date=17 October 2008 }}
* [http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/crich Crich news from the Derby Telegraph]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Derbyshire]]
[[Category:Towns and villages of the Peak District]]
[[Category:Geography of Amber Valley]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Derbyshire]]
[[Category:Lime kilns in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Quarries in England]]
[[Category:Crich| Crich]]