Taddington

Now lying just off the main Bakewell to Buxton road, Taddington was one of the first places to be bypassed, and it has made a great improvement to village life. An ancient village and one of the highest in England at 1,100 feet, the cottages here are simple but the Parish Church of St Michael and All Angels is well worth looking at. Like many in the Peak District, it was rebuilt in the 14th century with money gained from the then-booming woollen and lead industries in the area. In 1891 it was considerably restored. The churchyard entrance is through a magnificent lych-gate, a gift to the church from Samuel Bramwell in 1910, and the churchyard is one of the best kept in the county.

Taddington Hall, one of the smaller of the Peak District manor houses, dates back to the 16th century though much of the building seen today was constructed in the 18th century. As with all good halls, Taddington has its share of ghost stories. One in particular concerns two brothers. The pair ran a hessian factory from the Hall and one day they quarrelled. The next day one of the brothers, named Isaac, was found dead in the cellar. The other brother was found guilty of the act. It is said that Isaac has been heard wandering around the passages of the Hall from time to time. The other ghost is of a drunken farmer who fell from his horse on his way home from Bakewell Market. Intriguingly, it was the farmer’s ghost that revealed to his wife that he was dead before she knew about it.