'Handley seems always to have been a place apart. It is tucked away in the north east corner of Derbyshire between Staveley, Whittington, Apperknowle and Eckington. Farms, cottages and houses are grouped into three hamlets now known has West Handley, Middle Handley and Nether Handley. Formerly there was a Methodist chapel, a school, a Post Office and several shops as well as a church and a pub but now there remain only the pub (of some fame)and a disused church.'
The little settlement of Handley in North East Derbyshire is full of surprises.
A former coachman of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia lived there once and it may have been the home of one of William the Conqueror's companions.
It has connections with St. John's College, Cambridge and with the Indian Mutiny.
It has its fair share of ghosts and many of the buildings are of historical or architectural importance.
A sad tale of obsession and murder brought shame to the community and caused a near-riot in Chesterfield.
Meanwhile the inhabitants have adapted to upheavals in farming and coal-mining as succesive waves of change have swept through the countryside.
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