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Ecclesbourne Valley Railway
Attractions in Wirksworth

Things to do in Wirksworth: Ecclesbourne Valley Railway and one other

Wirksworth and its surroundings hold 8 museums, 3 heritage railways and 3 attractions. The built-up area itself has 2 places on our list; 16 others are within 5 km of its edge. One of them is cared for by the National Trust. Drive 19 km to reach Derby Museum and Art Gallery.

Photo: Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, Pcgenius9 (CC BY 3.0)
In Wirksworth
2
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
16
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
8
in or near town
Castles & historic places
2
in or near town
Cared for
1
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

The best known in Wirksworth

Ecclesbourne Valley Railway aside, the next best known are 2 museums, a heritage railway and a historic house.

Heritage railwayEcclesbourne Valley Railwayin townHeritage railwaySteeple Grange Light Railwayin townMuseumNational Tramway Museum4.9 km outside town, to the eastHistoric houseRiber Castle3.6 km outside town, to the northMuseumNational Stone Centre100 m outside town, to the northTheme parkGulliver's Kingdom2.1 km outside town, to the north

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

Plotted on the map

On the map, most of the 16 sit to the north.

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The dashed line is Wirksworth’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022

By kind

What you can see

Count 8 museums or galleries and 5 zoos, theme parks or other days out.

Museums & galleries 8 museums0 in town · 8 nearby
Castles & historic places 1 historic house · 1 historic site0 in town · 2 nearby
Zoos, theme parks & days out 3 heritage railways · 1 theme park · 1 aquarium2 in town · 3 nearby
Other attractions 3 attractions0 in town · 3 nearby

Green: inside Wirksworth. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

1 place is cared for by the National Trust (Alport Height).

Every place

Place by place

First the 2 in town, then the 16 within 5 km of its edge.

The 2 inside Wirksworth come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.

97 listed buildings and 2 scheduled monuments are on Wirksworth’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Wirksworth →

Big names nearby

Within a day

The standout of the 12 is Derby Museum and Art Gallery, 19 km from town.

MuseumDerby Museum and Art Gallery19 km southHistoric houseChatsworth House17 km northMuseumPickford's House Museum18 km southMuseumMuseum of Making18 km southCastle · National TrustDuffield Castle11 km southeastCastleCodnor Castle15 km eastBig drawTheme parkAlton Towers Resort23 km southwest · 2.5M visitors a year (2024)CathedralDerby Cathedral19 km southHistoric house · National TrustKedleston Hall14 km southHistoric houseHistoric house · National TrustHardwick Hall20 km northeastHistoric houseHistoric houseHaddon Hall14 km northCastleNottingham Castle32 km southeast

Places well known beyond Wirksworth (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.

Quick answers on Wirksworth

What are the main attractions in Wirksworth?

The best known inside Wirksworth’s built-up area are Ecclesbourne Valley Railway and Steeple Grange Light Railway. In all, 2 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 16 more within 5 km.

Does Wirksworth have a museum?

8 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Wirksworth: National Tramway Museum, National Stone Centre, Peak District Mining Museum and The Great British Car Journey.

Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Wirksworth?

Yes. In or within 5 km of Wirksworth, 1 place is cared for by the National Trust (Alport Height).

What are the best-known days out near Wirksworth?

Within 40 km: Derby Museum and Art Gallery (19 km), Chatsworth House (17 km), Pickford's House Museum (18 km), Museum of Making (18 km).

Where are Wirksworth’s historic buildings listed?

Wirksworth has 97 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.

How is this list made?

From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Wirksworth when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (19)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.