Bakewell
Located in the East Midlands county of Derbyshire, Bakewell is a market town that is best known by many people as the home of the Bakewell Tart. Bakewell lies on the River Wye.
It is thought that Bakewell’s name came from its original name of Badeca’s Well. There has been some evidence of early settlement around the town but most experts agree that the town as it is today was essentially put together in Saxon times. At this point Bakewell was part of the Mercian kingdom in England.
By the times of the Domesday Book Bakewell looks like having been a fairly significant settlement. It was listed as a town with its own church and two priests which implies that it was considered to be an established town with a reasonable population.
Bakewell was given its market charter in the mid 13th century and the market is still held every Monday to this day in the town centre. In the 17th century a spring was discovered in the town and a bath house was built to tap into the water supply here. In Victorian times there was a move to turn Bakewell into a spa town on this basis.
It is thought that Bakewell’s world famous tart was first made in the town in the early 19th century. Legend has it that the tart was first made by mistake when a cook at an inn made up the wrong recipe and ended up creating a Bakewell Tart. In the town and surrounding area the Bakewell Tart is also often referred to as a Bakewell Pudding.
Visitors should take the time to look at the church in Bakewell (All Saints). The church was originally built in the 10th century and there is still a cross in its churchyard that dates back to this century. The church that stands on the site today was built in the 12th-13th century with significant alterations and rebuilding in the 19th century. The bridge that spans the Wye in the town is also of historical interest as it was built in the 13th century which helped establish the town as a trading hub.
Many visitors also enjoy walking or cycling along the old Matlock to Buxton railway line which passes through Bakewell itself. Visitors in June can also see the local tradition of Well Dressing and the Bakewell Agricultural Show is one of the largest events of its kind in the country. This show usually takes place in August every year. In this month the town also holds the Bakewell Arts Festival and the town hosts a Carnival every July.
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