Winster is a picturesque village on the limestone plateau four miles to the west of Matlock in the National Park. From the main street, the village rises from 700 to 900 feet above sea level on a steep north facing slope.
Historically, Winster was a main crossing point for many roads and trackways, one of the most important being The Portway, an ancient trading route that passes close to the village. Salt routes from Cheshire came through the village, as did the main turnpike from Nottingham to Newhaven in later years.
Geologically Winster is located on the dividing line between gritstones and shales to the north east and the limestone slope to the south. This has added much to the village character, with houses and cottages made from both local stones.
With more than 70 listed buildings and a designated conservation area, the village has one of the most impressive street scenes in the area and the main street is an array of impressive buildings which merge with a jumble of cottages up the bank on the southern side.
Lead was mined in the locality from Roman times, and there was once more than 20 mines operating nearby. At the height of the boom in lead mining, Winster's population topped 2,000, but the flooding of mines and deeper shafts made it unprofitable and the last mine closed in the 1930s. Now an active village with a population of around 700, the legacy of its former prosperity can still be seen in the remaining buildings.
Winster Hall was constructed using the same stone as that used in Trafalgar Square in London. The original building dates from the 1600s, although its Tuscan columns were added later. The Hall's chequered history includes a period as a firearms factory and a home for displaced persons during WWII. Legend has it that a daughter of the family leapt from the parapet to her death after falling in love with a servant and now haunts the area as a white lady!
At one end of the town, the Dower House was the original Manor House, the green man on its gateposts dating back to the 1600s, while at the opposite end, Winster Market Hall, which dates from the 1500s, stands unique in the village as it is made of brick and was the National Trust's first acquisition in Derbyshire. The five arches were later filled in but would have originally allowed entry to market carts.
Winster still has Wakes Week, pancake races and an annual Open Gardens weekend, which raises money for village causes. The Winster Morris Men have eight dances unknown by any other Morris Team.
See location of Winster on Google Maps
(Map reference: SK 239 604)
Winster is situated west of Matlock on the B5057.
