Clowne: Greenway and Historic Sites

Clowne offers a range of themes for planning a trip: the landscape along the Clowne Greenway and traces of local history. If you are looking for a hotel in Clowne, first consider what you would like to focus your stay on: nature and landscape, historic buildings and remembrance, or both. The following distinctions can help you organise these interests.

Clowne Greenway and habitats

The Clowne Greenway is a disused railway line that runs through cuttings known locally as “canyons”. Along the Greenway, rock faces provide habitats for many species of wildflowers, insects, mammals and birds. This part of Clowne thus connects the history of a former railway line with a landscape where plants and various groups of animals find habitats. Nature enthusiasts can gain a different perspective on the place than through its historic buildings. The wide range of species mentioned makes the natural area a distinct focus for planning your trip.

Church and local remembrance

The parish church of St John the Baptist in Clowne was built in 1138. Inside the church, the Miners’ Chapel commemorates 80 local miners who died in the Creswell Colliery disaster in September 1950. Two different historical perspectives therefore meet here: the medieval date of the church’s construction and the remembrance of an event from the 20th century. If you are interested in church and industrial history, this contrast offers a specific starting point for planning the theme of your stay.

Ruins, monument and Clowne Cross

The ruins of Romeley Hall are the roofless remains of a small country house from the early 17th century. A 15-foot-long vaulted stone arch also survives there. The description thus connects the character of the former building with a specifically identified architectural detail. If you are interested in architectural history, you can distinguish between the overall form of the small country house and the individual surviving arch.

Clowne’s war memorial stands on The Green and is a Grade II listed building. Clowne Cross is a market cross that probably dates from the 14th century and the late 17th century. Above its column is a square block that serves as a sundial. The dating of Clowne Cross is explicitly uncertain; the sundial function is a separate detail of the structure. Together with the war memorial, these two sites add different forms of public remembrance and local design to the themes of the church, commemoration and architectural history.

Clowne in the context of Barlborough

The Monnies Heritage Walk connects the two historic villages of Barlborough and Clowne in the District of Bolsover and the county of Derbyshire. This route differs from the individual historic sites in Clowne: it places two villages in a shared context. When planning your trip, you can consider whether you are primarily interested in Clowne’s local history or also in its connection with Barlborough. This gives you a choice between focusing on local buildings and memorial sites and exploring the history of both villages.

Discover more destinations: Bonsall, Stoney Middleton, Tansley, Chapel-En-Le-Frith, Chesterfield, Long Eaton, Sutton On The Hill, Kirk Ireton.

For the broader travel overview: Derbyshire.