St Anne's, Over Haddon
About St Anne's Church
St Anne’s Church, in the village of Over Haddon, is part of the same parish as Bakewell. The church is a ‘chapel of ease’ or daughter church of Bakewell Parish Church.
Built to an unusual Gothic design, St Anne’s is a smaller and less imposing building than All Saints’ in Bakewell. This makes it ideal for those services which are on a more intimate scale, including some weddings and baptisms. We are very fortunate to have the use of both church buildings!
In 1877, Earl Cowper (the Lord of the Manor) was asked to give the ground for the new church and burial ground. He agreed to this request and also gave £100. The baptistry and chancel were the gift of the then Vicar of Bakewell, the Ven Edward Balston. Over £700 was raised by public subscriptions and the rest by fundraising. The total cost of the building was just over £2000.
The foundation stone was laid by Miss Marianne Nesfield on St Anne’s Day, Saturday 26 July 1879 at a full choral service led by the Vicar of Bakewell.
The church was dedicated and the churchyard consecrated by the Bishop of Lichfield, the Rt Revd William Maclagan on St Anne’s Day 1880. Despite the rain, the clergy and Bakewell church choir robed and processed through the village to the new church. The service began in St Anne’s, and then 400 people gathered in a marquee erected in a nearby field to hear the bishop’s sermon.
The first burial in the churchyard took place in 1880, and the first baptism was in the same year. The first wedding at St Anne’s was not, however, until 1951, when the church was first licensed for that purpose.
The church extension, housing a vestry, toilet and small kitchen, was dedicated on St Anne’s Day 2001 by the then Bishop of Derby, the Rt Revd Jonathan Bailey.
On the outside of the south wall is a Welsh slate sundial by David Kindersley. It was placed there in 1977 as a memorial to a local resident, Janet Wadsworth, who is buried nearby. It bears the following inscription, from the poem Mattens by George Herbert:
Teach me Thy love to know;
That this new light, which now I see,
May both the work and workman show:
Then by a sunne-beam I will climbe to Thee.
Also in the churchyard is the grave of Sir Maurice Oldfield, who was born in the village and who was the Head of MI6 (the Secret Intelligence Service) from 1973 to 1978.
The village of Over Haddon sits high up on top of Lathkill Dale with outstanding views across the valley towards Youlgreave. St Anne’s churchyard is possibly the best place in the village to admire the view.
Friends of St Anne's
The Friends of St Anne’s is a trust whose aim is to ‘assist in the preservation, maintenance and improvement of the buildings and churchyard for the benefit of visitors to the church’.
For more information about the Friends of St Anne’s, or to make a donation, please contact the Secretary:
fosa@overhaddon.org.uk
Finding St Anne's Church
The village of Over Haddon is about 2 miles south west of Bakewell.
From the centre of Bakewell, leave the town via King Street, South Church Street and Monyash Road (the B5055). Turn left onto Bakewell Road, which winds its way up to Over Haddon.
Entering the village, at the T-junction turn right onto Main Street, and then left onto the road down into Lathkill Dale.
St Anne’s Church is 100m down the hill on the left. It’s usually possible to park on the road near the church, but alternatively there is a public car park at the top of the hill.