Out & About: Church Wilne & Great Wilne

Back to full strength this week with Ike trying out his sore ankle. We opted for a walk on level ground and Geoff wanted to go to Church Wilne in the south of Derbyshire. e was hoping to see the remnants of an old mill and a ferry across the river Derwent. Ike drove us to Church Wilne and we parked in a FREE car park at St. Chads Water. We walked just across the road to the St. Chads Church and had a quick look around, unfortunately it wasn't open so we couldn't look inside. We carried on up the road until we got to the gates of a defence establishment, where the gatekeeper says "you cant come in here". It appears the footpath has been moved and there was no way through to the river. We carried on up the road until we found a footpath that lead us onto a footbridge and across the river Derwent. We checked the map and set off on plan B. We walked to Great Wilne and then onto the Trent & Mersey canal, we just followed the towpath ( The Derwent Valley Heritage Way) along the canal until we got to Lock No1 where we had our breakfast. After breakfast we headed across some fields back towards the river Derwent, unfortunately we appeared to go around in almost a circle to get back to our footbridge. From there it was a quick walk back to the car.

Church Wilne

St. Chads Water

St Chad's Church, Wilne. There has been Christian worship at this site since 822 AD, but parts of the current church building date from the 13^th century. The top of the porch and tower are 14^thcentury. There are other historical features such the font thought to be dated between the 7^th & 9^thcenturies, original Flemish windows in the Willoughby chapel and a alabaster monument in memory of Sir John Willoughby. Parts of the church were damaged by fire in 1917 but sensitively restored by Curry and Thompson. The church is a Grade 1 listed building.

Church Wilne is registered as an abandoned village, apart from the church however it is the location of St Chad's water. This water was purchased by Draycott district council where it is a nature reserve and a haven for water sports.

Swallow on a wire

River Derwent

Swan on the River Derwent

Great Wilne. In 1009 King Ethelred the Unready signed a charter at the Great Council which recognised the position and boundaries of Westune.The land described in that charter included the lands now known as Great Wilne, Church Wilne, Under this charter Ethelred gave his minister a number of rights that made him free from tax and to his own rule within the manor. Wilne is still mentioned in the Domesday book as one village in 1086.