Draycott can be explored through two distinct interests: its industrial and architectural history, and the landscape around St Chads Water Local Nature Reserve. The reserve covers about 23 acres. A lakeside path, woodland edges and a wildflower meadow shape the landscape; informal recreation includes walking, fishing and birdwatching. The choice of themes therefore ranges from historic buildings and their construction phases to recreation in nature. If you are planning a stay, you can first decide whether industrial history or time outdoors should be the focus.
Mills built in several phases
The Draycott Mills complex consists of two-storey brick buildings constructed in stages in 1800, 1814, 1842 and 1850. The four dates show how the site expanded over several phases. A cotton-twisting mill at Draycott Mills was built for Benjamin Towle in 1800. It is considered an early example of a cotton-twisting mill that was not powered by water. The Cotton Doubling Mill at Draycott Mills stands on Market Street and is also a Grade II listed building.
Victoria Mill has a different profile: it is a four-storey tenement lace factory with 57 bays and is listed Grade II. Its distinctive features include a central clock tower with clock faces and a pointed copper roof with a fish-scale tile pattern. The mill was built between 1888 and 1907; following a fire in 1902, it was partly rebuilt. Its construction, rebuilding and architectural details therefore belong to different chapters of its history.
Buildings and railway history
The Church of St Chad in Wilne is a Grade I listed parish church and the parish church of Draycott and Church Wilne. Draycott House dates from the late 18th century and is a Grade II listed building; it may have been designed by Joseph Pickford of Derby. Alongside the industrial history, both buildings add other historical points of interest to the selection.
Nooning Lane Bridge is a single-span skew bridge built around 1837–39 for the Midland Counties Railway. It is one of a series of railway buildings designed by Charles Blacker Vignoles for the railway between 1837 and 1840. When considering the dates, it is worth distinguishing between the two: the first refers to the bridge’s construction period, while the second is the period during which the series was designed.
Nature, events and getting there
Informal recreation is the focus at St Chads Water Local Nature Reserve. A site there can be booked and used free of charge for non-commercial activities by families and groups; booking is required. If you are planning such an activity, make sure to arrange this before your visit.
Draycott is on a regular bus route between Derby and Nottingham. Check the timetable for your travel day if you plan to use this service to get there. Draycott’s Scarecrow Festival was a long-standing part of the events calendar and attracted visitors from the wider area. If you are planning to travel specifically for the festival, check the dates for your travel year.
Discover more destinations: Crich, Kilburn, Taddington, Alton, Duckmanton, Hayfield, Risley, Marston.
For the wider travel guide: Derbyshire.
