The Derbyshire village of Ambergate is located where the river Amber joins the Derwent.
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| Canal towpath, the canal is on the right! |
| Information | |
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| County: | Derbyshire |
| District: | Amber Valley |
| Population: | 5,013 (2011 census) |
The village was originally a tiny hamlet known as Toadmoor until the 19th century, derived from "T'owd moor" in the local dialect. Amber Gate was originally the name given to a toll gate on the Nottingham Road, the railway station which opened in 1840 was called Ambergate. These new transport links and the growth of industry helped the village grow from a population of 206 in 1851 to 1,794 a century later. The parish church dedicated to St Anne was built in 1792.
Another transport link through Ambergate was the Cromford Canal. Nowadays the canal is unnavigable through Ambergate and indeed drains to a trickle in the village. The A6 road passes through the village.
Ambergate was once an important transport interchange. The railway station was a triangular one with lines to Leeds and Pye Bridge as well as the sole remaining line (and single platform) to Matlock.
In latter years Ambergate became known for pioneering telephone technology. The first electronic telephone exchange in Europe was in Ambergate, later it had the first TXE2 exchange, which for a long time was a backbone of the British telephone system.
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| House on the A6 |
