The Old Lock-Up, situated in the market town of Wirksworth, Derbyshire, was originally a 19th century magistrates’ house then a police station, complete with cells. H Lawrence and his German wife Frieda reported here weekly during the 1914-18 war as she was listed as an alien. Convicted murderer George Townley was locked up in one of the four cells before going to Derby Assizes in 1861. A day boo
k, discovered during renovations, written in meticulous copperplate, charts the comings and goings of the lead-mining community of Wirksworth a century ago, from the trivial to the tragic. Town drunks, lead miners and quarry workers many of them, who had washed away their hard-earned wages, would be sobered up in a downstairs cell ironically now the bar. One original cell with it's steel-lined door and stone flagged floor remains as it was to give visitors a glimpse of conditions in the 1800's. The Old Lock Up, once a spartan gaol, now has the last word in luxury. Each of the Old Lock Up’s four bedrooms tells a tale, in addition to their original features and antique beds. One was the magistrate’s room itself, while the others, the solicitor’s room, the coachman’s room and the hayloft ooze history. All of the rooms are en-suite and the guest house also boasts an invigorating double air-bath ideal for soothing away the stresses of the city or relaxing aching muscles after a day walking the Dales, a glass of wine adds to an unforgettable experience. Great breakfast and evening meal options are also a relief if you just want to soak up the atmosphere and do as little as humanly possible. Open all year round, The Old Lock Up is more than a stopover for tourists to the Peak District. Thirteen miles from Derby and close to the M1 Motorway, it is ideally placed for people looking to explore the area, or visiting on business. The difference meets you at the heavy barred oak door. Directions: Turn off A6 at Cromford, take B5036 and go up hill for Wirksworth, down into town, after infant school turn left into North End, Third dwelling on left.
