Behind the Blackshead pub in Wirksworth and accessed only though a small gateway between the antiques shop and the Building Society is a small and hidden away awkward piece of land which few Wirksworth inhabitants are aware of.

This land was once a small quarry, but more recently the site of two cottages, but these have been empty for at least 50 years and little remains. We saw an opportunity to build new houses which were in the spirit of historic Wirksworth - tightly grouped, irregularly planned and accessed to the roadway via steps and a . There was initial resistance to this idea but by putting the case that these houses were more attuned to their setting that many of the estate houses that mark the edge of Wirksworth, and that by virtue of being close to the market place, buses, and shops, they would suit someone with no need for a car, we were able to obtain planning consent.