Mayfield Heritage Group Meetings

We are beginning to hold our monthly meetings again as we meet in a Covid-19 Secure Environment in The Church Rooms.

However, these meetings have restrictions on size and are currently open to members only so that we comply with regulations.

The Long-Awaited Reprint of Memories of Mayfield

We have now placed an order for a reprint of our original book Memories of Mayfield.

We are expecting to receive delivery of copies of the reprint in early November 2020 which is just in time for Christmas.

We are setting up an online store so that you can buy copies of the book online and we will also be selling the book in the traditional way via members of the heritage group.

Please return to our site for further details, you can also visit or join our Facebook Group to get the latest information. Mayfield Heritage Facebook Group

Online Group Talks

We are going to be holding an online group talk in the near future most likely in the New Year. As we are limited to the size of gatherings we thought we would try an online group talk using Zoom.

We’ll be posting details on here soon and plan to have our initial online talk after the New Year.

We have plans for a historic talk on the prominent Greaves Family of Mayfield. Plus an entertaining talk on the characters in the 19th century “Mayfield Poachers Gang” and the two trials that were held to find the guilty parties.

Windows and Doors of Mayfield

We are close to launching our Windows and Doors of Mayfield poster. It’s currently having the finishing touches made to it and we will be looking to print copies in the near future, we’ll update you soon on this.

Mayfield Tree Planting Initiative

The Heritage Group has launched an initiative to get more trees planted around the village. We feel that this should be a whole village project and we are currently in talks with The Woodland Trust, MARNA, the Parish Council, Mayfield Wildflower Group and other interest groups to get this moving. We feel it will be an exciting project that can bring the village together to create an enhanced environment for everyone.

Donation of Free Gardener’s Sash Seen in Photograph

Many of you will be familiar with the photo showing a group of the Free Gardner’s of Mayfield outside the Queen’s Arms. We were contacted by Peter Wood whose great grandfather William Wood is shown in the photo wearing a sash. Peter has been kind enough to donate the sash that William was wearing in the photo to The Mayfield Heritage Group.

William is the gentleman highlighted in the lighter coloured jacket.

Here is what Peter wrote about his Great Grandfather in the photograph.

“My great grandfather William Wood is in the light-coloured jacket and bowler hat, second from the right in the row in front of the railings. I have no definite date for the photo, I have assumed it was around 1900, my great grandfather was born in 1848 and died around 1920. The boy second from the right in the front row has a family look about him but my grandfather (Sam Wood) was born in 1877 so if it is him then the picture is earlier than 1900. William Wood worked at Buxton’s Quarry at Upper Mayfield as a ‘stone mason’ but in various other references he was described as a bricklayer and part-time chimney sweep, so a versatile character! He lived in Foundry Yard, as did my grandparents. I also have photos of him and his wife and also a quite faded one of him in working clothes probably at Buxton’s Quarry.”

The sash that William was wearing is still in excellent condition and the colours are still vibrant as you’ll see in the photograph. We are planning on creating a permanent display of the sash.

We are grateful for Paul’s donation of his grandfather’s sash and several photographs of Mayfield in the early 20th century

Priest Holes Found during Old Hall restoration

A Priest Hole was found on Friday 25th January 2019 whilst replacing badly worn floorboards in the loft at Old Hall in Mayfield. You may be aware that we have been following the restoration work taking place at Old Hall and this is exciting historical news.

The image below shows light entering the false chimney flue via the hatchway from the priest hole.

A view up the fireplace chimney toward the priest hole

The entire left hand flue constructed in the inglenook of the Tudor parlour is false and was made solely for the purpose of the priest hole.

Looking at the priest hole from the loft above

The flue being capped off with a flagstone located beneath a passageway in the loft adjacent to the chimney breast.

The inglenook fireplace below the priest hole

Access to the priest hole from the flue was most probably via a short removable ladder and the hatchway covered over by an oak board to hide it from view.

For more information on the restoration of Old Hall in Mayfield please click here.

The Old Hall, Middle Mayfield

Restoration Project – Update Summer 2018

There have been some exciting updates on the restoration of Old Hall in Middle Mayfield.

Click on this link to see what’s been happening.

The Old Hall Rear Elevation After Restoration

The Old Hall Rear Elevation Before Restoration

Photos that will bring back memories.

We have been contacted by a lady in Switzerland called Verena Buser who stayed with her husband at the Sunnyside Hotel in 1965. She and her husband took many photos around Mayfield and Ashbourne between 1965 and 1989. She has kindly sent the Group a selection of photographs from those years and we would like to share them with you. Sunnyside Hotel was run by the Hanbury family in 1965 and Verena has fond memories of her time spent there. Her husband was working at the Nestle factory in Ashbourne for a few months. Hopefully, the photos will stir up some great memories you have of Mayfield, Ashbourne, and Derby. Please click on the thumbnail below and it will enlarge the selected photo. Let us have feedback or stories that these photos bring to memory and we will share your stories and comments online.

To see the full set of photos please click here

The Mayfield Heritage Group ensures that the wealth of historic buildings, stories, and traditions of Mayfield are preserved and celebrated. We welcome anyone with an interest in Mayfield Heritage to join our monthly meetings, where we discuss the latest projects. We have a growing list of talks and visits that we arrange that are open to members and non-members. Please see the list of events on the right-hand side of this web page or go to Future events diary. To read the reviews of our visits please select Reviews of Talks and visits

Have you ever wondered what the origins of the name ‘Hanging Bridge’ are? To find out more click on the image below.

Coloured view of Hanging Bridge — A coloured view of Hanging Bridge, Mayfield

We welcome contributions of articles, photos and memories of Mayfield in the past. If you would like to share your articles, photos or memorabilia then please get in touch.

View from Hanging Bridge in 1860 showing Frank Wright’s corn mill and the mill workers’ cottages below Lichfield House”

Early Corn Mill and view of Bowmer Bond Mill C1796 – Looking from Hanging Bridge

The Heritage Group visits many places of interest and we particularly enjoy showing our village to visitors: click here for more information.