IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
/Nether Lane/Well Banks, ASHBOURNE, DE6 3JW

A good view of the village from the path between Winneyhill and Bullhill.

Kirk Ireton is 700ft above sea level, 4 miles south of Wirksworth.The village name is believed to mean 'Church of Irish Enclosure' and the village is possibly where Celtic missionaries originally settled. Kirk Ireton was an agricultural village till the late 20th century, when the number of working farms dropped from 9 to 1 in the space of 25 years. Many of the farm buildings have been converted into homes. Much of the older part of the village dates back to the 17th century and is mostly built from gritstone, quarried locally. One of the oldest buildings in the village is the Barley Mow pub, which was one of the last premises in the country to accept decimalisation, as the 87 year old landlady, a Mrs Ford, did not hold with the new money. Kirk Ireton's Holy Trinity Church dates back to Norman times with the earliest parts being the 3 bayed south and north arcades. It has an interesting custom known as 'roping for weddings', when the village children put a rope across the road and the bride and groom are not allowed to leave the church until a toll has been paid in silver by the groom. Kirk Ireton village still celebrates a Wakes week, which starts on Trinity Sunday, the church's patronal festival. A procession of villagers is led by a local brass band, from the Barley Mow pub to the church for thanksgiving.

Postbox No. DE6 264.

Looking down the main street of the village, which has a real air of a historic rural community.

The school building is in keeping with the traditional village street.

The Barlow Mow is one of Britain's few unspoilt pubs. Dating back to 1683, the pub has three small rooms where beer is served from the jug. It was one of the last pubs in Britain to accept Decimalisation as the then landlady, Mrs Ford, would not accept modern coinage between 1971 and her death in 1977.