This is the third in a series of events to highlight some of the sites of correction used during the past in Derbyshire, with this one bringing us to the roundhouse in Curbar.
Very common in the 18th & 19th centuries, a roundhouse was a type of lockup, which was circular in shape, hence the name. They were often positioned at the edge of a settlement & used for the temporary detention of prisoners. This may have simply been the village drunk or someone awaiting trial or a visit from the local magistrate. Sometimes they were used to hold prisoners being transported across country who needed housing overnight. The buildings were typically single rooms with a heavy door & a slit or barred window. In 1790 the Derbyshire Court of Quarter Sessions decreed that "all parishes in the county where there is not already a Round House, House of Correction or Gaol, shall provide a place of temporary confinement for the reception of vagrants, paupers, felons and the like".
Curbar Roundhouse dates from around 1780 & consists of two rooms, one above the other. Built from local gritstone, it features an unusual conical roof, constructed from stepped squared stone tiles. It is Grade II Listed & was actually used as domestic accomodation before it was condemned in 1935 as being unfit for habitation. It is now privately owned & can only be viewed from the nearby footpath.
This short event will give us an opportunity to meet up safely outside for some geochat & to swap trackables in hopefully peaceful & beautiful surroundings. Parking in Curbar can be tricky as the roads are narrow, so I have suggested parking near to the school. It is then a decent walk of around a kilometre up Curbar Hill to the roundhouse. An alternative parking waypoint has been provided for Curbar Gap National Trust Car Park, where charges apply, although it is free for NT Members. This walk is also around a kilometre, but downhill! There are a few caches in the area if you haven't found them previously. There may even be a new cache published for the occasion...