 |
Chesterfield
An introduction...
Chesterfield, dominated by the famous crooked spire, is today rebuilding its image after the closure of the iron foundries, coal mines and associated industries, with the redevelopment of brownfield sites for housing, leisure and industrial, warehousing and business parks, including the Innovation Centres at Tapton and Dunston.
The retention of the street market and historic street layout brings in visitors as does the town's position near the Peak District National Park and the development of cycling and walking paths, particularly the superb restoration of the Chesterfield Canal from the visitor centre at Tapton to Staveley. The world renowned crooked spire, local sports facilities and the proximity of the Peak District and many of Derbyshire's historic houses makes Chesterfield an excellent choice for visitors to the county.
The M1 is just 7kms to the east of the town, accessed via the new junction 29A, the A61 runs to Alfreton where the A38 can be joined, the A632 runs south-west to join the A6 at Matlock and the A61 runs north to Dronfield and Sheffield. Chesterfield, both the town and surrounding areas, is well served by local bus operators and there are several coach services from the town.
Chesterfield railway station is on the main line between Sheffield (20kms) and Derby (40kms) providing frequent services to the north-west, the midlands and the south-west. The nearest airports are East Midlands (55kms) and Robin Hood near Doncaster (55kms). The Leeds-Bradford Airport is ninety kilometres distant.
A brief history...
An Iron Age fort preceded the Roman fort, built about 70AD on a spur of land overlooking the then boggy area just south of the confluence of the River Rother and the River Hipper, probably sited to guard the line of the Ryknield Road from Derby to Rotherham, although its exact route here is uncertain.
After the Celts and Britons were conquered the fort and its surrounding civilian areas became a staging post for supplies and soldiers, going north before Hadrian's Wall was constructed, eventually being abandoned at the end of the second century. Finds from the Roman occupation are on display at Chesterfield Museum.
The Church of Our Lady and All Saints was mainly built in the 14th.C. although there is some earlier work and a Saxon font. Theories abound for the reason the spire is crooked, the probable cause was insufficient bracing and the use of green timber by relatively unskilled workmen as the construction of the spire started only a few years after the Black Death decimated the population.
As Chesterfield grew the manufacture of gloves, hats, stockings and earthenware was joined by iron-founding. For a short time in the early eighteenth century there was a salt works, processing rock salt from Cheshire. In 1771 work started on the Chesterfield Canal to link the town with the River Trent just north of Gainsborough, the intention being to ship coal to compete with the South Yorkshire coalfields.
« Previous Page | Back to top ^^
|
|
