The cottage, located next to the Trust’s Lea Wood Nature Reserve along the Cromford Canal, was lovingly and carefully restored over four years by a team of dedicated volunteers. Restoration work included a new roof, stabilising and repointing walls, new floors and tiling, installing an upstairs exhibition and community space, and creating wildlife friendly gardens.
The cottage is currently open to the public on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10am to 1pm. Throughout August the cottage will also open on Sundays to allow even more people to enjoy it. Visitors can look around the restored cottage and hear first hand from some of the volunteers who worked on the restoration.
Monthly workshops and training events are now planned to take place at the cottage over the Autumn including willow weaving, nature-based arts and traditional heritage crafts.
Lisa Witham, Director of Wilder Communities at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust said:
“Aqueduct Cottage provides an important gateway to Lea Wood Nature Reserve and the wider Derwent landscape, and we have thoroughly enjoyed welcoming visitors to showcase more about the area and its wildlife.
“This project would not have been possible without the hard work of our passionate volunteers and the generous donations of our supporters and members. Our hope is to expand our team of volunteers to enable us to continue making this a place for people to enjoy and we would ask anyone who is interested in joining us to get in touch and find out more.”
Find out more about volunteering opportunities.