Bakewell of much of the town in the 19th century. Bakewell is in the valley of the River Wye in central Derbyshire. The town centre is sited near the river at about above sea-level, with the highest parts of the town at about on the valley sides. The town is in the Derbyshire Dales district and is about southwest of Sheffield, southeast of Manchester, and north of Derby. Nearby towns include Matlock to the south east, Chesterfield to the east and Buxton to the west northwest. Villages near Bakewell include Ashford-in-the-Water, Elton, Great Longstone, Monyash, Over Haddon, Sheldon, Rowsley, Pilsley, Youlgreave
Bakewell means a spring or stream of a man named Badeca (or Beadeca) and derives from this personal name plus the Old English "wella". In 949 it was "Badecanwelle" and in the 11th century Domesday Book it was "Badequelle". Bakewell Parish Church, a Grade I listed building, was founded in 920 and has a 9th-century cross in the churchyard. The present church was constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries but was virtually rebuilt in the 1840s by William Flockton. By Norman times Bakewell had gained some importance: the town and its church (having two priests) being mentioned in the Domesday