The OldLock-Up

Built in 1842 as a magistrates' house, the building on North End in Wirksworth later served as the town's police station for a century, complete with holding cells in what is now the coach house. Shortly after the First World War, the writer D.H. Lawrence and his German-born wife Frieda lived nearby and were required to report to officials at the building weekly, since Frieda was classed as an alien under wartime restrictions. Host Tim now runs it as a four-room guesthouse split between the Magistrate's Room and Solicitor's Room in the main house and the Hayloft and Coachman's Room in the former coach house, each furnished with antique beds and period detail. A home-cooked breakfast is included, and Tim offers guided walks around Wirksworth's stone circles and sacred sites for interested guests.