Years ago, we decided to spend each Christmas day in one of the oldest towns or cities in the country. This year, Bakewell was the choice.
Bakewell is the only town within the Peak District National Park. Founded in Anglo Saxon times, Bakewell was part of the kingdom of Mercia. The name dates back to the early part of the 900s, named after a woman, combined with a “stream” or “spring.”
After finding somewhere to park, we started at All Saints Church, which was founded in 920. Although, the present church is Norman, having been started in the 1200s. The churchyard has two 9th century crosses. These weren’t originally from Bakewell, but were placed in villages close to the town and moved to the church at a later date. The church was almost completely rebuilt in the mid 1800s, but fragments of stonework from the older churches have been found and preserved. Some are on display in the current church. The church is a Grade I listed building.
The church houses relics of the Vernon and Manners family. The families were united by marriage and the magnificent Haddon Hall a few miles outside of Bakewell was inherited in 1567 by son-in-law and daughter of the “King of the Peak”, Sir George Vernon. The font is a beautiful example of a 14th century babtisimal font and the stone carving is still very visible.
They had really gone to town for Christmas. The church was full of Christmas trees, many with a theme. We were actually quite surprised to find it open on Christmas day, and with the toilets open too. We were not the only people visiting, we met a few people having a peaceful wander around the beautiful church. There are plenty of signs near interesting artefacts, such as the tombstones, 15th century church chest and chapels.
Another remarkable Grade I sight is the five arched bridge over the river Wye, which was built in the 13th century and one of very few to survive. It is still used as a main route into the town. There are a remarkable number of listed buildings in the small town. 183, to be precise. The walk along the river is very pleasant. We started from the old mill and worked our way to the other edge of the town. The more modern bridge just past the weir used to be covered in locks, but these have recently been removed during repairs to the bridge and given a new home.
The town is probably most famous for the Bakewell Pudding. The original pudding was created entirely accidentally, when the cook at the White Horse Inn, now the Rutland Arms Hotel, misunderstood the instructions left by the landlady about the pudding to make that day. Bakewell Tart is a completely different concoction, but both have jam and almonds. Needless to say, there are several shops selling both, and a few claim to be the original. I can just imagine the delight of visitors to the area calling in to the shops to buy an “authentic” Bakewell pudding or tart from one of the shops. I don’t think Mr Kipling gets a mention.
Bakewell has another, more dubious claim to fame as the town where Wendy Sewell was murdered. The police soon had their main suspect. Stephen Downing. He was 17 and had discovered her body. In 1974, he was convicted of her murder, but always maintained his innocence. A local newspaper journalist took up the investigation and the result was that the conviction was overturned in 2002, making it the longest miscarriage of justice in English legal history. Or is it? The alternative suspects named by the journalist could all be eliminated. Only one man could not be. That is Stephen Downing, and he remains the prime and only suspect in the eyes of Derbyshire Police. It’s an interesting case if you are interested in true crime, but beware, it has some unsavoury parts, especially the reason given for how her blood came to be on the suspect’s clothing. The appeal also used victim blaming. Ms Sewell was referred to as the Bakewell tart by the press.
After the walk around the town, mostly laughing at all the Bakewell tart and pudding shops, we decided to have a quick drink. Not many pubs were open, but we fell lucky at the Red Lion after deciding not to drink in the Rutland Arms (it didn’t feel very welcoming). Nice beer, but expensive. Just under £10 for a pint and a half.
Bakewell is usually bustling with tourists and driving in or through can be a nightmare, but for a quiet walk around to admire the historic town, it was a nice way to spend a few hours on Christmas day, and the smiling people milling around obviously felt the same.
