Willersley Castle

Willersley Castle stands above the River Derwent at Cromford in Derbyshire, a late 18th-century country mansion built in Classical style with castellated towers. The house occupies 60 acres of grounds on the slopes of Wild Cat Tor, 400 feet above sea level. It was designed by William Thomas for Sir Richard Arkwright, the industrialist who bought the estate in 1782. The building was damaged by fire in 1791 but repaired and completed the following year. After Arkwright’s death in 1792, his family lived there until the First World War, when it served as a maternity hospital. The castle’s history reflects wider changes in ownership and use. Methodist businessmen converted it into a holiday centre in the 20th century, and it later operated as a Christian Guild hotel. During the Second World War it again became a maternity hospital. In 2020 the hotel closed and was sold, and in 2021 it was acquired by Manor Adventure for outdoor education. The grounds are recognised as internationally important and form part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Visitors now find residential accommodation for up to 90 school students engaged in outdoor activities. The castle’s three-storey frontage and round towers remain prominent features of the landscape. The pleasure grounds designed by John Webb include surviving elements of the original picturesque layout. Nearby, the Willersley Tunnel and Willersley Crag add to the area’s character. The estate’s past is still visible in the converted farm buildings and the former family chapel now known as St Mary’s Church.