Kirk Ireton

Nestled in the hills near Carsington Reservoir, Kirk Ireton sits at 700 feet above sea level. Its name means ‘church of the Irish enclosure’, and at one time a Celtic monastery is supposed to have stood here. Much of the village is 17th century and one of the oldest buildings is the 15th-century Barley Mow Inn. Tradition here was so strong that when decimal coinage was introduced in 1971, the 87-year-old landlady refused to accept the new currency. This caused regulars a great deal of amusement to watch the faces of visitors when asked for ‘five shillings and eleven pence’. Customers had to pay in ‘old money’ up to the time of the owner’s death in 1977. The Barley Mow was one of the last places in the country to go decimal.

The Parish Church of the Holy Trinity is partly Norman, with 14th-century additions. There is an interesting custom observed here at weddings known as ‘roping for weddings’, when children would stretch a rope across the road as the bride and broom leave the church. They can only pass if they pay a toll.

According to village records, on the 12th May 1811 the village and neighbourhood were visited by an awful tornado, accompanied by lightning and loud claps of thunder; large trees were twisted from their roots, most of the houses were unroofed, and the church was stripped of its lead, which was blown into the adjoining fields.