Shining Cliff Woods are on the west bank of the River Derwent near to

Ambergate Ambergate () is a village in Derbyshire, England, situated where the River Amber joins the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent. It is about south of Matlock, Derbyshire, Matlock. The village forms part of the Heage and Ambergate ward of ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

, England. In medieval times "Schymynde-cliffe" was one of the seven

royal parks The Royal Parks make up land that was originally used for the recreation, mostly hunting, by the royal family. They are part of the hereditary possessions of The Crown, now managed by The Royal Parks, a charity which manages eight royal pa ...

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 ...

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 known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

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 ...

. 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 ...

some to the west), in the ownership of the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

, 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, now referred to as Ilam Park, Dovedale and the White Peak in National Trust publications althoug ...

. 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. Forest Enterprise, the precursor to Forestry England, was originally formed as a Great Britain-wide organizati ...

. 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 rebuilt in 1848 by Francis Hurt Francis Hurt (22 October 1803 at Cromford, Derbyshire – 1 April 1861 at Alderwasley ...

, a 19th-century Jacobean-

Arts and Crafts The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the Decorative arts, decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and ...

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 a private residential special school. The school is for children and young people aged 5 to 20 with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder, Asperger syndrome, pathological demand avoidance, and developmental langu ...

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

In popular culture

A well-known legend has it that the nursery rhyme ''

Rock-a-bye Baby "Rock-a-bye baby on the tree top" (sometimes "Hush-a-bye baby on the tree top") is a nursery rhyme and lullaby. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 2768. Words The rhyme exists in several versions. One modern example, quoted by the Nationa ...

'' relates to a local character in the late 18th century, Betty Kenny (Kate Kenyon), who lived in a huge yew tree in Shining Cliff Woods – now known as the "Betty Kenny Tree".

References

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