Discover Hardstoft

Hardstoft can be considered at two scales: the 23-hectare Hardstoft Conservation Area includes the hamlet of Hardstoft, built-up areas to the northwest on Hardstoft Common and The Fields. In addition, individual buildings and historic traces reveal the history of the place. The perspective therefore extends from spatial boundaries and agriculture to the toll house, former school and oil well. You can shift your focus from the structure of the area to individual architectural and historical features.

Location and landscape

The area lies on both sides of the junction of Deep Lane and the B6039. The B6039 is the former turnpike road between Chesterfield and Tibshelf. Another geographical reference point is the eastern slope of the Hardstoft sandstone ridge: across agricultural land, it faces towards Hardwick. The agricultural land on the eastern slope of the Hardstoft sandstone ridge forms part of the Hardwick Estate, which is managed by the National Trust.

Land use and local history

The land in and around Hardstoft has been managed as part of the Hardwick Estate since 1593. By 1610, the enclosure of the open arable fields in Hardstoft was well advanced.

Historic buildings and architecture

Toll Bar Cottage is an early 19th-century toll house, built from local sandstone with a slate roof. Yew Tree Farmhouse on Deep Lane in Hardstoft dates from the mid-18th century and is a Grade II listed building. The former Sunday School has a different, precisely located architectural feature: a tall, gabled bellcote stands on its north gable.

The Hardstoft oil well

The industrial history has a clearly dated reference point in the Hardstoft oil well. In May 1919, oil was struck at a depth of 3,075 feet. The remains of the well lie near Hardstoft, behind the Oilwell Garden Centre; only the collecting tank and associated pipes survive.

Walking in Hardstoft

The Astwith circular walk is a five-mile route through the villages of Astwith and Hardstoft. The distance provides a useful basis for planning; route details may change locally, so it is advisable to check the information before setting out.

Discover more destinations

Furness Vale, Froggatt, Bamford, Crich, Shardlow, Walton, Litton, Shottle

Former road alignment and Sunday School

Regarding the historic road alignment: before the turnpike road and toll house were built around 1826, the old route between Chesterfield and Tibshelf ran north via Farm Lane and Deep Lane, passing Ash Lea Farm. Remains of bridges along this route lie outside the Conservation Area boundary; roads are already shown on William Senior’s map of 1610. The former Sunday School was built in 1858 from red brick and dressed sandstone, with a Welsh slate roof. The roof heights recall the nave and chancel of a small chapel; above the entrance is a quatrefoil date stone bearing the year 1858. Two cross windows flank the entrance on the west façade in an asymmetrical arrangement.

For the wider travel overview: Derbyshire.