Leawood Knoll – Excavation of a Hilltop Site in the Derwent Valley

The hill of Lea Wood stands, with its twin Bow Wood, on the east side of the Derwent Valley to the south of the industrial crucible of Cromford. It looms over the narrow defile of the Lea Brook and stands prominent over the villages around it. A known focus for medieval and post-medieval woodland industry, the summit of the hill is crowned by an enigmatic earthwork enclosure, hinting at activity in earlier centuries – and possibly millennia.

In spring 2017, a group of local volunteers, with support from the Heritage Lottery-funded DerwentWISE Landscape Partnership and Derbyshire County Council, mounted an archaeological investigation of the remains on Leawood Knoll. This volume tells the story of that project and the discoveries that were made.