Shining Cliff Woods are on the west bank of the River Derwent near to Ambergate Derbyshire. In medieval times "Schymynde-cliffe" was one of the seven

royal parks The Royal Parks of London are lands that were originally used for the recreation, mostly hunting, of the royal family. They are part of the hereditary possessions of The Crown, now managed by The Royal Parks Limited, a charity which manages ...

within

Duffield Frith Duffield Frith was, in medieval times, an area of Derbyshire in England, part of that bestowed upon Henry de Ferrers (or Ferrars) by King William, controlled from his seat at Duffield Castle. From 1266 it became part of the Duchy of Lancaster a ...

and, as such, belonged to Edmund Crouchback, Earl of Lancaster. It was an estate within the manor of Alderwasley and in 1284 was given to William Foun who was given the job of maintaining the boundaries between the Pendleton and Peatpits Brooks. They passed to Thomas Lowe by marriage in 1471 and in 1514 he was granted by

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

the right to "empark and empale" his estate and enjoy "free warren" within it. The woods include an

SSSI A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

. Some of the woodland is owned and managed by Grith Fyrd Pioneers, but the Eastern part is (like

Alport Height Alport Height is a hill near Wirksworth in Derbyshire. It is a popular picnic site, since it has extensive views to the South, and is the first hill over within easy reach of the Derby area. Like Shining Cliff Woods, 2 km to the east, it is ...

some 2 km to the west), in the ownership of the National Trust, and part of their

South Peak Estate The White Peak Estate (previously known as the South Peak Estate) of the National Trust comprises several land holdings in the Southern Peak District. The holdings, totaling some , are managed from the estate office in Ilam and comprise: *Ilam ...

. This woodland is managed by

Forestry England Forestry England is a division of the Forestry Commission, responsible for managing and promoting publicly owned forests in England. It was formed as Forest Enterprise in 1996, before devolving to Forest Enterprise England on 31 March 2003 and ...

. The woods contain a popular residential centre, once managed by the Youth Hostels Association but managed independently since 2009. The hostel stands in the lee of the Shining Cliff itself, a low gritstone rockface (). To the east of Shining Cliff Wood stands

Oakhurst House Oakhurst House is a derelict building in Shining Cliff Woods above the village of Ambergate in Derbyshire. The house was built in 1848 by Francis Hurt behind his iron forge in Ambergate. It was owned by the Johnson family of industrialists for ...

, a 19th-century Jacobean-Arts & Crafts country home which has fallen into partial ruin. It was built by Francis Hurt, landowner and resident of local

Alderwasley Hall Alderwasley Hall School is an independent residential special school. The school is for children and young people aged 5 to 20 with High-Functioning ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), Asperger's Syndrome, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), and ...

. The house is in private ownership and not accessible to the public.

References

Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Derbyshire Forests and woodlands of Derbyshire {{derbyshire-geo-stub