Ockbrook

This attractive village close to, but hidden from, the busy main road between Derby and Nottingham, has managed to retain much of its charm and at least a reasonable level of peace and quiet. There is evidence of human activity in Ockbrook as far back as 10,000 BC (the Mesolithic) in the form of two bifacial cores of flint. A small greenstone axe head attests to Neolithic activity. There are two distinct parts to the village. The old part of Ockbrook was established by Occa, an Anglo-Saxon, around the 6th century. Alongside it is the Moravian settlement, a product of the 18th century, with its delightful terrace of red-brick Georgian buildings and handsome Moravian Chapel.

This is farming country and many of the ancient hedgerows remain, sustaining all manner of wildlife that has disappeared from many other areas. Several old farm buildings also remain, including an impressive 17th-century timber-framed building at Church Farm. Little but the ground floor however, remains of Ockbrook Windmill, one of only 10 windmill sites still existing in Derbyshire.