Found on the banks of the River Derwent and surrounded by breath-taking countryside, the pretty and historic Amber Valley village of Milford was once a quiet hamlet situated in the large deer forest, from Duffield to Wirksworth and is mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086.
This changed when the renowned local industrialist Jedediah Strutt set up a water powered cotton mill here and subsequently built homes to house his workforce.
Some of the original housing from this time still remains and can be found in Hopping Hill, but much of the mill building was demolished between 1952 and 1964, including the cruciform warehouse of 1793, the second of Strutt’s fireproof buildings with brick arch floors, timber beams and iron pillars.
The bridge, with its two segmental arches, was built around 1790 but was widened in 1906 and is still carrying heavy traffic.
The area is part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and it’s easy to see why when you observe the village’s skyline, which is a wonderful and quirky mix of scenic beauty and the industry of old.
This lovely little village, which lies just 1.5 miles south of Belper and a similar distance north of the larger village of Duffield, can be easily accessed via the A6, is also well known for its friendly locals and active community.
In October 2024, Milford won ‘Gold’ in the village category of the hotly contested Britain in Bloom awards and also picked up an Outstanding Volunteer Involvement award in the same competition, with Milford earning more points than anyone else in the country, reflecting the huge efforts all the volunteers in the village put in.
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Original Strutt-built houses on Hopping Hill Photo: Ashley Franklin PROPERTIES
According to Rightmove, the UK’s largest online real estate property portal (rightmove.co.uk), properties in Milford had an overall average price of £223,143 over the past 12 months.
The majority of sales in Milford during the past year were semi-detached properties, selling for an average price of £243,125.
Terraced properties sold for an average of £227,500, with flats fetching £134,500.
Overall, sold prices in Milford over the past year were down 22% on the previous year and 26% down on the 2021 peak of £303,135.
It is worth noting though that, as a small village, there are relatively few sales at any given time and as a result any sale can have a significant impact on sold prices for any given year.
In the past 12 months, seven properties have been sold in Milford, including four semi-detached properties, two terraced properties and one flat. Of the seven properties, a July 2024 purchase of a semi-detached property commanded the highest sale (£325,000).
The population of Milford was recorded as 1,079 people in the 2021 Census, marking a 0.07% increase from the 2011 Census, which recorded a population of 1,072. At the turn of the century, the population of the village was recorded as 899 inhabitants.
Milford Primary School is a small village school which carries the motto: ‘Care, Share, Respect and Learn’. The school was rated ‘Good’ during the last Ofsted visit of 2020. There are many more education providers in the vicinity.
The village is well served by public transport, with the Trent Barton ‘Sixes’ service running through the village in both directions every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes in the evenings and on Sundays, while the TransPeak service offers a gateway to the Peak District.
There is also a train station in nearby Duffield and at Belper.
Milford Village Store is currently closed, however there are myriad shops a stone’s throw from the village, notably in the nearby town of Belper.
Milford benefits from a community-driven Milford Community GreenSpace, created from three overgrown allotments, and there is an abundance of community activity which regularly takes place in the village.
These include, but are not limited to, the MMCG (Milford and Makeney Community Group); Milford and Makeney WI; AND Milford Craft Club.
There are five public houses in Milford and Makeney, which provide catering and toilet facilities.
To learn more about the village and its community, visit milford-makeney.org.
DID YOU KNOW
Each year, Maypole Promotions brings to Milford a vibrant May Day festival and parade, complete with a uniquely portable maypole so children can dance around it at various stop-off points along the festival route. Maypole Promotions was set up in 1996 to promote cultural and community events in Milford and nearby Makeney but actually began organising Milford May Day – a key day in the village’s calendar – over 30 years ago.
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