Ogston Hall

Ogston Reservoir is a reservoir operated by Severn Trent Water in Derbyshire. It is near the villages of Brackenfield and Ashover and the town of Clay Cross. The reservoir takes its water from the River Amber and was originally created to supply the National Coal Board's Carbonisation Plant at Wingerworth; the reservoir now supplies water for the local area and is used as a holding ground for water for nearby Carsington Reservoir. The reservoir covers 200 acres (800,000 m2) and holds 1.3 billion imperial gallons (5.9 billion litres) of water. The valley was flooded in 1958 and completely submerged farmland, roads and part of the Ashover Light Railway. The reservoir also destroyed most of the village of Woolley, including the Woolley House Hydro, the village store, the blacksmiths, the joiners, the laundry, the sheep dip and 'Napoleons Home', the local public house. The villagers were relocated into council houses built in another local hamlet, Badger Lane, which eventually became known as the village of Woolley on the Moor, which subsequently became the present village of Woolley Moor. The reservoir provides many leisure activities including sailing, windsurfing and trout-fishing. It is especially well known for its bird-life and over 200 species have been recorded at Ogston including Wilson's phalarope, Sabine's gull and long-tailed skuas. Ellen MacArthur, best known as a solo long-distance yachtswoman who, on February 7, 2005, broke the world record for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe, trained to become a yachtswoman on Ogston Reservoir. This article was prepared using information found on the website of the 'Woolley Trail', maintained by the local primary school.

Hurst Lane railway station served the hamlet of Ogston, North East Derbyshire, England, from 1925 to 1936 on the Ashover Light Railway.

Brackenfield is a village and civil parish in the North East Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England. The population of the civil parish as of the 2011 census was 214.The village is about five miles east of Matlock and four and a half miles northwest of Alfreton. It is also close to Clay Cross. Set in farming country, the village is located around a large village green. The parish of Brackenfield includes much of the attractive Ogston Reservoir.Brackenfield was originally known as Brackenthwaite, which probably meant "a bracken clearing". The suffix -thwaite is unusual in this part of the county, as it is commonly associated with more northern areas. It is of significance etymologically as it seems to point to the existence of a small colony of Norsemen or Norwegians, separate from the incursion of the Danes. The village later became known as Brackenfeld, and then Brackenfield. The parish of Brackenfield was originally a township of nearby Morton. It was divided from it in 1758. The parish has the smallest population of all parishes in the North East Derbyshire district. Wessington had a population of 509 in 2001, however in the 19th century it was around 350. A horse named after the village unseated its rider when competing in the 1996 Grand National.

Woolley railway station was a small station on the Ashover Light Railway and it served the small village of Woolley Moor in North East Derbyshire, England. The station had a wooden shelter and a telephone box. As well as a platelayers hut. It was located just north of Ogston Reservoir, passenger traffic was initially good. After closure in 1950, the site was demolished and nothing remains of the station but the trackbed is visible although the section to Stretton has been submerged.

The Ashover Light Railway was a 1 ft 11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) narrow gauge railway in Derbyshire, England that connected Clay Cross and Ashover. It was built by the Clay Cross Company to transport minerals such as limestone, fluorite, barytes and gritstone to its works at Clay Cross and for transport around the country by the LMS.

Stretton railway station was a railway station at Stretton, Derbyshire, England built by the North Midland Railway.

Higham is a small village in Derbyshire, England. It is on the B6013 and A61 roads. Nearby settlements include Shirland, Stretton, Alfreton and Clay Cross. It is in the civil parish of Shirland and Higham. The name Higham is of Saxon origin. The village has two public houses, the Crown Inn and the Greyhound. It does not have a church of its own, sharing St Leonard's church with neighbouring Shirland.

Wessington is a village and civil parish in the English county of Derbyshire. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 576. It is in the North East Derbyshire district of the county. It is near to the towns of Matlock, Alfreton and the village of Brackenfield. Situated 740 ft above sea level. The civil parish of Wessington is, along with Shirland and Higham, the most southerly parish in the district. It stands on the west side of the Amber Valley on the Alfreton to Matlock Road. The settlement is centered on a large village green, a fish and chip shop and an old pub, "The Horse and Jockey".

Woolley Moor is a small village in the North East Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England. Its amenities include a school, a church and a public house called the White Horse. Almost all of the villagers work outside the village although there are two family run dairy farms creating employment for a handful of people.

Shirland and Higham is a civil parish within the North East Derbyshire district, which is in the county of Derbyshire, England. Mainly built up with rural fringes, its population was 4,802 residents in the 2011 census. The parish is 120 miles (190 km) north west of London, 14 miles (23 km) north east of the county city of Derby, and 1+3⁄4 miles (2.8 km) north of the nearest market town of Alfreton. It shares a boundary with the parishes of Alfreton, Blackwell, Brackenfield, Morton, South Normanton, South Wingfield, Stretton, Tibshelf and Wessington.

Stretton is a small village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England. The population of the civil parish as at the 2011 Census was 525. It is located near the towns of Clay Cross and three and a half miles from Alfreton on the A61. The nearest waterways are the River Amber and Smithy Brook. Since 1964, Stretton has been beside Ogston Reservoir which still has the remains of a pub (Napoleon's Home) and a light railway within its depths.The parish includes the settlement of Woolley Moor. There was once a railway station — Stretton railway station. Stretton means "settlement on a Roman Road" (from the Old English stræt and tun). In this case the road is Ryknild Street.

Shirland is a former pit village in Derbyshire, England. Together with the neighbouring villages of Higham, Stretton and Stonebroom, it forms part of the civil parish of Shirland and Higham, which had a population of 4,802 at the 2011 Census. The River Amber flows through the parish.