Lud's Church

Lud’s Church is a steep-sided chasm cut into Millstone Grit near Gradbach in the Dark Peak, part of the Peak District National Park. The slip happened long ago when a great slab of rock broke away and slid downhill towards the River Dane. Over one hundred metres long and nearly twenty metres deep, the ravine stays damp and cool even in summer. Moss covers the walls and ferns grow thick on the floor, making the air feel older than the centuries. The chasm lies within Back Forest, a quiet wood that adds to the sense of seclusion. The site matters because it was once a hiding place for Lollards, followers of John Wycliffe who met here in the early 1400s. A carved wooden figure called ‘Lady Lud’ once stood above the chasm, placed there by Philip Brocklehurst of Swythamley Hall in the 19th century. Scholars once argued that this ravine inspired the Green Chapel in the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Later writers such as Alan Garner and Marcus Sedgwick used the place in their novels. Visitors walk along the edge or descend carefully to the floor where the light is green and still. The walls show layers of sandstone tilted by ancient earth movements. Climbing was tried in the last century but stopped to protect the delicate plants that cling to the damp rock. The silence is broken only by the sound of water dripping from the mossy ledges.