Grindleford is a village and civil parish in the county of Derbyshire. It lies at an altitude of 492 feet (150 m) in the valley of the River Derwent in the Peak District National Park. In 1898 the station house was built to support the train station at Grindleford, after the completion of the Totley tunnel which is now the longest wholly underland tunnel in the UK In 1973, Mr Philip and Mrs Margaret Eastwood took over the station house and turned it into a working café. Phil started from humble beginnings, working as a nightclub bouncer and later with a hotdog and kebab van, selling to revellers in Barker’s Pool at the weekend as they turned out of the clubs. In 1973 he saw Grindleford Cafe advertised for sale, he spoke to the owner, Mrs. Reynolds, and agreed to purchase it, the only problem being that he could not afford it. Philip worked at the café with the long serving incumbent, Frank, and with the money saved from his hotdog sales, he gradually paid off the balance to Mrs. Reynolds. Phil’s first week’s takings of £3 went direct to Mrs. Reynolds. A man of many firm views, likes and dislikes, Phil either said what he thought and/or put notices up accordingly. Badly behaved children, social workers, politicians, mushrooms, Inland Revenue, Environmental Health, British Rail, Women’s Libbers (sic), Derbyshire County Council, all received the benefit of Phil’s wisdom. In 2003 he formed the British Rural Independent Party and stood in the local council elections. Some of these notices can still be found dotted around the café today side by side by some of the original waiting room fixtures and fittings. Phil and Margaret made some changes to the café over the years such as building customer toilets and extending the building to make extra seating. They also introduced the cooking and sale of hot food, previously only tea and cakes were sold at the café. They were keen to retain the character of the original building and make the café a haven for outdoor enthusiasts such as bikers, walkers, cyclists hence the hearty, wholesome menu we continue to serve to this day. In 1977, Phil also put in a bottling plant next to the natural spring on the Eastwood family land and sold the spring water to the offices and nightclubs of Sheffield. To this day, the water is still supplied to local businesses and the café is the only place you can buy 500ml bottles! Phil Eastwood lost his wife Margaret in 1996 and himself passed away in 2007.
The café has stayed in the Eastwood family for over 40 years and is now run by his son also called Phillip.
The café serves traditional hearty fayre and is open:
Monday – Friday – 9am – 3.30pm / Saturday – Sunday – 9am – 4pm
Last food orders 1 hour before closing
Grindleford Station Cafe 