St Alkmund's Church, Duffield

Saint Alkmund’s Church stands beside the River Derwent south of Duffield village in Derbyshire. The present building dates from the 14th century, though fragments of an earlier church survive from the first millennium. It once served the much larger Parish of Duffield, which included the area known as Duffield Frith. The church’s position beside Duffield Bridge made it a landmark for pilgrims and travellers passing through the valley. In 1847 James Piers St Aubyn led a major restoration, followed by John Oldrid Scott in 1896–97. Its weathercock, made in 1719 by Robert Bakewell, still turns above the nave. The church holds a Grade I listing and is one of only a few outside large towns to possess a ring of ten bells. Sir Arthur Heywood, 3rd Baronet, paid for the two additional bells added in 1887. A modern pipe organ by Cousans, installed in 1972, fills the chancel with sound during services. The church shares its benefice with nearby St Paul’s in Little Eaton, once part of the same ancient parish. Today the vicar, Rev. Dr. James Hughes, leads worship alongside licensed lay ministers. Inside, the nave and aisles show 14th-century arcades and windows. The tower contains the ten bells and the 1719 weathercock above. The 1972 organ occupies the west end of the north aisle. Outside, the churchyard overlooks the river and the green fields of the Derwent valley. A path along the bank leads back toward Duffield village centre.