Peak Forest

Despite its name, Peak Forest doesn’t boast any trees. Instead, it takes its name from the medieval Royal Forest of the Peak, which was an open area used as a Royal hunting park rather than a forested area. At Chamber Farm, rebuilt in the 18th century, the Forest courts were held, attended by some 20 foresters whose job it was to maintain the special laws of the area.

The village grew from an earlier settlement called Dam, a hamlet that still exists. The Parish Church of King Charles the Martyr speaks of the fierce independence of the village inhabitants, and is one of the few in England dedicated to someone who was never a saint, but who was, nevertheless, revered by many.  It was built in 1657 by the wife of the 2nd Earl of Devonshire, during a time when there was a ban on building churches. It became known as the ‘the Gretna Green of the Peak’, because of a quirk of ecclesiastical law - it was not subject to the laws regarding posting the banns before marriage. The church that stands today was built in 1878 on the site of the former chapel.

Within walking distance of Peak Forest is one of the original ‘Seven Wonders of the Peak’ as described by the poet Charles Cotton in 1682. Eldon Hole is the largest open pothole in Derbyshire, it was once thought to be bottomless and home to evil spirits.  In the 1500s the Earl of Leicester had a man lowered on a rope to find the true depth.  He went crazy and died speechless shortly afterwards. A traveller was fatally thrown in here after being robbed by two villains in the 18th century. Local legend also tells how a goose was thrown down Eldon Hole and reappeared inside Peak Cavern (also called the Devil’s Arse) 2 miles (3 km) away.  It had been singed down to its pimples by some infernal flames. Potholers, who view the hole as no more than a practice run, maintain that it is, in fact, ‘only’ 245 feet deep (75 metres).