There are many local places of interest in Disley as well as a number of listed buildings. The centre of the village and part of Higher Disley have been designated conservation areas so that any changes have to be in keeping with the appearance and character of the area.
The Ram’s Head in the centre of the village is said to have been established in the mid 17th century as a coaching inn. The present building dates from 1840 when it was an important coaching inn on the route between Manchester and Buxton. Some of the extensive stabling is still to be seen to the right of the building. In front of the building, there is a mounting block to help riders get into the saddle or even into or out of the coach.
The Fountain, standing in the centre of Fountain Square, was presented to the village by the Orford family in 1834. Water was collected from the hillside near the parish church and piped into the fountain, where is was stored in a lead tank at the top. The three arm bracket light fitting was added in December 1999, replacing an earlier light, as a permanent memorial to the Millenium. Just outside the railings surrounding the fountain is a late 19th century milestone giving the distances to Stockport and Manchester.
Also in the centre of the village are two buildings from the mid 19th century, No 5 Market street, which dates from 1824 and across the road, No 6, which dates from 1842. Further along, the Dandy Cock is one of several public houses that existed in the 19th century in the centre of the village. Originally, its main entrance faced Hollingwood Road, but the building was turned round when the present main road was constructed in the early 19th century.
In Higher Disley, Disley Hall, on Corks Lane, is believed to be on the site of the original Anglo Saxon settlement in the area. The building itself has been altered with the passage of time, but still retains a sturdiness that is characteristic of such former farming buildings. Another remainder of the agricultural origins of the village can be seen at Stanley Hall on the Golf Course. The adjacent barn is probably late mediaeval and still retains its cruck framed construction.
The Bow Stones are two up-right stones on the highest part of the moorland above Lyme Park. The origins of these stones is unknown, but it has been suggested that they had some religious significance. They have always given rise to discussion amongst historians and others as to their origins and importance. In Lyme Hall itself, there are two Anglo-Saxon Crosses which were found near the parish church. In the churchyard there is a stone block in which there are two holes which is believed to be the base of the crosses. From a view finder plaque (presented by the Society for the Protection of Rural England in 1975) near the Bow Stones, it is possible to see seven counties (Cheshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Clwyd, Yorkshire, Shropshire and Lancashire).
St Mary’s Parish Church dates from the 16th century although it was enlarged in the early 19th century as the population of the area grew. The tower is the only remaining portion of the original chapel. The church contains a fine example of 16th century glass, which came from Steinfeld Abbey in Southern Germany. There are also many monuments to the Legh family in the church together with the grave of Joseph Watson (born 1648), who lived to be 104 and was Park Keeper at Lyme for 64 years. Watson drove 12 brace of stags from Lyme to Windsor as a present for Queen Anne to win a 500 guinea wager for his master. The graveyard includes a number of fine tombstones of former residents of Disley and the surrounding area.
Higher Disley Methodist Chapel, now closed, is a good example of a small Methodist chapel that was built to serve a local community without a chapel within easy reach.
Other buildings that are worthy of mention include the “Ring o’Bells”, which dates from the 17th century and still retains some of the original wattle and daub wall inside, the Chantry House on Buxton Old Road as well as several stone built houses and cottages on Jackson’s Edge Road, Green Lane and in Higher Disley.
