Birchover
It has been said that the original site of the village was at Uppertown, on the way to Winster. The original village and Norman built church are no longer to be seen, but their stones are still in use as the building blocks of field walls and cottages in the area. The stocks are still to be seen in the environs of Uppertown farm – these were restored in the 1950s by Mr. J C Heathcote; however, these may not be in their original positions.
Heathcote and his son lived at Birchover and were known locally as amateur historians; after excavating at Stanton Moor, the two established a museum at the old village post office. After Percy Heathcote's death, the collection was given to the Sheffield West Park Museum.
The bottom of the slope finds the "Druid Inn", which was given a 10 out of 10 score by the Sunday Times Newspaper. The restaurant is named after the druids who once practiced their ceremonies at the nearby Rowtor Rocks. These rocks are now seats, carved by the Reverend Thomas Eyre in order to have a place to sit and enjoy the scenery, and according to local lore, the Reverend also built a chapel down below where he would sit while writing his sermons.
Birchover in the Peak District is a place which is rich in history. By the road in the west side of the village, you'll find the Millennium stone, which represents the tradition of the millstone production industry in the region. These stones were made of the local grit stone and have been exported all over the world. The stone features a carved motif reminiscent of a Roman carving found on a wall at Uppertown. This stone's location is also the site of an 11th century church.
A village hall was built in 1907 and was open only to the men of the village, though this has changed since then. The village hall featured a reading room furnished with newspapers for the edification of local residents. In 1999, the reading room was refurbished and now serves as a computer room, part of the BBC's Web-Wise campaign which gives area residents an opportunity to surf the web. Many other community events are also held in the village hall.
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