Ilam, Staffordshire

Ilam (pronounced "Eye-lam") is a village in the Staffordshire Peak District, lying on the River Manifold. The population of the civil parish as taken at the 2011 census was 402.

Ilam is best known as the location of the neo-Gothic Ilam Hall, a stately home built in the 1820s, and now a youth hostel owned by the National Trust. It is set in large parklands that are open to visitors.

Ilam is about 4 miles from Ashbourne at the entrance to the scenic Manifold Valley. Ilam is very picturesque, with its "Swiss chalet" style houses and matching school house. It also lies close to the popular Dovedale valley.

While most of the buildings in the village are from the past two centuries, Ilam dates from Saxon times or earlier.

Recently the village has attracted praise for its commitment to eco- friendly policies. Ilam became the first community in the United Kingdom to phase out incandescent light bulbs, cutting annual carbon emissions by 4 tonnes. The initiative was part of the Ilam Climate Change Project, supported by the Marches Energy Agency.

Ilam is situated in the Manifold Valley near the southern end where it joins the River Dove. The Dove forms the county boundary between Staffordshire and Derbyshire. Upstream from Ilam is the famous Dovedale walk to Milldale. At the Ilam end, the walk crosses the Dove on a famous line of stepping stones. A wide and picturesque curve of the Manifold provides an ideal setting for Ilam Hall.

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