Tansley
Encyclopedia
Tansley is a village on the southern edge of the Derbyshire
Peak District
, two miles east of Matlock.
as Tanslege, and its name comes from the combination of the Old English
words lega, meaning "wood or glade" and tan meaning "a branch of a valley".
Tansley grew during the Industrial Revolution
, its main industry being the quarrying of millstone grit (for making mill-stones, now adopted as the symbol of the Peak District
National Park). A copious amount of water runs off Tansley moor above the village, eventually running into Bentley Brook
, a tributary of the Derwent
. Bentley Brook
and three of its feeder streams have been dammed in the past to make artificial lakes which provided water to power mills. As well as five mills in Lumsdale there were also three mills in Tansley village, two of which remain having been restored for new uses. Nowadays the surviving lakes are stocked with fish for angling. The water also led to the establishment of Tansley Hydro (now Tansley House residential adult care home) when spa
s and hydrotherapy
were in fashion and Victorian tourists came to the Matlock area for its Romantic
charm.
Tansley is now more famous for its many garden centre
s and plant nurseries, its many small businesses and its large Sunday car-boot market.
in Tulcea County
, Romania
. The two communities have occasional exchange visits, and more frequent postal and email contact, arranged through an organisation named TABALINK (the Tansley Babadag Association). The aims of TABALINK are:
- to promote friendship and understanding between the people of the village of Tansley, and the wider area of Derbyshire, England; and the people of the town of Babadag and the surrounding area of Tulcea, Eastern Romania.
- to build links between the peoples of the communities concerned in all possible ways - educational, cultural and commercial.
- to stimulate and foster mutual exchanges between individuals, families and societies within the communities.
- to organize social and fund raising events and activities to support the objects of the Association.
's How to Look Good Naked
in 2009. Tansley was also used a filming location for Shane Meadows' 2004 films Dead Man's Shoes.
Tansley's communications network includes the Tansley Hotwire, a village e-mail service which distributes news and information to residents, and two websites: www.tansleyvillage.org.uk and www.tansleyvillagehall.org.uk
In February 2010 Tansley featured in the Sunday Times Property Section as a village that was "alive and kicking", one where community spirit still thrives.
The church was started in 1839, built of stone quarried locally, and opened 1 year later dedicated to the Holy Trinity.
By the middle of the 1860s, Matlock Bank, just over a mile away, had become popular with visitors coming to take the waters and although Holy Trinity church was large enough for local residents, it was not big enough to cope with additional visitors from Matlock Bank. The church was enlarged in 1870 by adding a North Aisle. New pews replaced the box pews and the altar area was changed. It was recognised that the addition of one aisle “ ..... produced an oddity but it is intended to add a corresponding wing should further accommodation be necessary”. In the event, it obviously did not prove to be necessary.
It replaced the smaller old Chapel, an octagonal building at The Knoll, built in 1811 on the site of a former cock-fighting pit.
The present church has been modernised in recent years. It has its own schoolroom behind it.
The hall, opened in 1843, was used as a school until 1949.
The hall is currently (September 2011) undergoing a major refurbishment, though it is still fully usable. A new entrance, with oak door and disabled access, a new ground floor roof and new toilet facilities have already been completed.
Today groups meet there, including Brownies, Rainbows and Tansley Tots.
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
, two miles east of Matlock.
History
Tansley is recorded in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as Tanslege, and its name comes from the combination of the Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
words lega, meaning "wood or glade" and tan meaning "a branch of a valley".
Tansley grew during the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, its main industry being the quarrying of millstone grit (for making mill-stones, now adopted as the symbol of the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
National Park). A copious amount of water runs off Tansley moor above the village, eventually running into Bentley Brook
Bentley Brook
Bentley Brook is a stream located in Derbyshire, England. It rises at Matlock Moor, flowing south through Cuckoostone Dale, under the A632, into Lumsdale, gathering the valley's waters--notably from Knabhall Brook, out of Tansley, itself dammed and supporting large mills...
, a tributary of the Derwent
Derwent
Derwent derives from the Brythonic term Derventio, meaning "valley thick with oaks". It may refer to:-Places:Australia* Derwent River * Derwent Valley Council* Electoral division of Derwent, TasmaniaUnited Kingdom...
. Bentley Brook
Bentley Brook
Bentley Brook is a stream located in Derbyshire, England. It rises at Matlock Moor, flowing south through Cuckoostone Dale, under the A632, into Lumsdale, gathering the valley's waters--notably from Knabhall Brook, out of Tansley, itself dammed and supporting large mills...
and three of its feeder streams have been dammed in the past to make artificial lakes which provided water to power mills. As well as five mills in Lumsdale there were also three mills in Tansley village, two of which remain having been restored for new uses. Nowadays the surviving lakes are stocked with fish for angling. The water also led to the establishment of Tansley Hydro (now Tansley House residential adult care home) when spa
Thermal bath
A thermal bath is a warm body of water. It is often referred to as a spa, which is traditionally used to mean a place where the water is believed to have special health-giving properties, though note that many spas offer cold water or mineral water treatments.A thermal bath may be part of a...
s and hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy, involves the use of water for pain-relief and treating illness. The term hydrotherapy itself is synonymous with the term water cure as it was originally marketed by practitioners and promoters in the 19th century...
were in fashion and Victorian tourists came to the Matlock area for its Romantic
Romantic love
Romance is the pleasurable feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love.In the context of romantic love relationships, romance usually implies an expression of one's love, or one's deep emotional desires to connect with another person....
charm.
Tansley is now more famous for its many garden centre
Garden centre
A garden centre is a retail firm that sells plants and products related to gardens as its primary business. It is open to the public, with facilities to care for and display plants.- UK :...
s and plant nurseries, its many small businesses and its large Sunday car-boot market.
Twinning Arrangements
Tansley has an informal twinning arrangement with the small town of BabadagBabadag
Babadag is a town in Tulcea county, Romania, located on a small lake formed by the Taiţa river, in the densely wooded highlands of northern Dobruja. Its name means "the mountain of the father" in Turkish...
in Tulcea County
Tulcea County
Tulcea is a county of Romania, in the historical region Dobruja, with the capital city at Tulcea.-Demographics:In 2002, Tulcea County had a population of 256,492...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. The two communities have occasional exchange visits, and more frequent postal and email contact, arranged through an organisation named TABALINK (the Tansley Babadag Association). The aims of TABALINK are:
- to promote friendship and understanding between the people of the village of Tansley, and the wider area of Derbyshire, England; and the people of the town of Babadag and the surrounding area of Tulcea, Eastern Romania.
- to build links between the peoples of the communities concerned in all possible ways - educational, cultural and commercial.
- to stimulate and foster mutual exchanges between individuals, families and societies within the communities.
- to organize social and fund raising events and activities to support the objects of the Association.
Media
The Tansley Village Hall was used in Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's How to Look Good Naked
How to Look Good Naked
How to Look Good Naked is a television program, first aired on British Channel 4 in 2006, in which fashion stylist Gok Wan encourages women and men who are insecure with their bodies to strip nude for the camera...
in 2009. Tansley was also used a filming location for Shane Meadows' 2004 films Dead Man's Shoes.
Tansley's communications network includes the Tansley Hotwire, a village e-mail service which distributes news and information to residents, and two websites: www.tansleyvillage.org.uk and www.tansleyvillagehall.org.uk
In February 2010 Tansley featured in the Sunday Times Property Section as a village that was "alive and kicking", one where community spirit still thrives.
Anglican Church
In 1839 Tansley was part of the parish of Crich. At that time it is recorded in a petition by the churchwardens and other parishioners of the parish of Crich that “the hamlet of Tansley contains a population of upwards of 500 souls and is distant from the Parish Church (of Crich) of four miles and that it is extremely inconvenient for the inhabitants of the said hamlet to attend divine service in the said parish of Crich, and in order to provide some church accommodation and aid for spiritual wants of the people residing therein considerable funds have been raised by voluntary contributions together with other grants to build a chapel”.The church was started in 1839, built of stone quarried locally, and opened 1 year later dedicated to the Holy Trinity.
By the middle of the 1860s, Matlock Bank, just over a mile away, had become popular with visitors coming to take the waters and although Holy Trinity church was large enough for local residents, it was not big enough to cope with additional visitors from Matlock Bank. The church was enlarged in 1870 by adding a North Aisle. New pews replaced the box pews and the altar area was changed. It was recognised that the addition of one aisle “ ..... produced an oddity but it is intended to add a corresponding wing should further accommodation be necessary”. In the event, it obviously did not prove to be necessary.
Methodist Church
The Methodist church was built in Church Street in 1829, 11 years before the Anglican church (Holy Trinity).It replaced the smaller old Chapel, an octagonal building at The Knoll, built in 1811 on the site of a former cock-fighting pit.
The present church has been modernised in recent years. It has its own schoolroom behind it.
Village Hall
Tansley Village Hall is located at the heart of Tansley in the scenic Derbyshire Dales, 1.5 miles east of Matlock, on the fringes of the Peak District National Park. Its location next to Tansley village green makes the hall a focal point for activities, and a popular venue for clubs, groups and parties. It is home to Tansley Film Club, hosts live comedy and musical shows (including Live & Local), and provides a meeting place for Tansley Ladies Group, Tansley Garden & Countryside Club, Tansley Tuesday Club and the 2*30 movie club for children.The hall, opened in 1843, was used as a school until 1949.
The hall is currently (September 2011) undergoing a major refurbishment, though it is still fully usable. A new entrance, with oak door and disabled access, a new ground floor roof and new toilet facilities have already been completed.
Community Hall
The Community Hall, at the lower end of Church Street, was built in 1887 as the Liberal Club. Stones in the front wall are inscribed with the names of eminent men from the parish, including Lowe, Scholes, Staley, Clarke, Knowles and Gregory. Its ownership was later transferred to the Parish Council, as seen by the inscription "Parish Building" over the entrance. The Parish Council sub-let it in 1906 to the Tansley Institute as a Reading Room, to replace the one within The Church School (now Tansley Village Hall). The Institute also used it as a non-sectarian Adult Sunday School and for Technical Education. Later it was also used for general recreation such as snooker and billiards and a youth club.Today groups meet there, including Brownies, Rainbows and Tansley Tots.