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Return To View All Towns In Derbyshire Bed And Breakfast In ChesterfieldTelephone: 01246 556851 Hornbeam HouseTelephone: 01246 221333 Hotel IbisTelephone: 0870 8329907 Legacy Chesterfield HotelTelephone: 01246 275844 Lockoford InnTelephone: 01246 273332 LocksleyTelephone: 01246 568 708 Mardon HouseTelephone: 01246 222027 Ponderosa LodgeTelephone: 01246 477114 Poolsbrook HotelTelephone: 01246 293600 Portland HotelTelephone: 01246 590271 Red Lion HotelMore Information About ChesterfieldChesterfield is a market town and a borough of Derbyshire, England. It lies north of the city of Derby, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper. Including Staveley, the population (2001) is 100,879, although that of the town itself is 70,260. It is Derbyshire's largest town, although the county town of Derbyshire is Matlock in the Derbyshire Dales. Around 250,000 people live in the immediate area nearby including Dronfield, Bolsover, Staveley, Shirebrook and Clay Cross. It is located on the A61, fairly close to the M1 (via the A617 to junction 29), and forms part of the Sheffield City Region History The town received its market charter in the year 1204 from King John and around two hundred and fifty stalls can still be found in the town centre every Monday, Friday and Saturday. The 1204 charter also constituted the town as free borough, granting the burgesses of Chesterfield the same privileges as those of Nottingham. Elizabeth I granted a charter of incorporation in 1594, creating a corporation consisting of a mayor, six aldermen, six brethren, and twelve capital burgesses.[2] This remained the governing charter until the borough was reformed under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835.[3] The borough originally consisted only of the township of Chesterfield, but was extended in 1892 to include parts of surrounding townships. In 1920 there was a major extension to the borough when it absorbed Whittington and Newbold urban district.[4] Chesterfield's current boundaries date from April 1, 1974, when under the Local Government Act 1972, the Borough of Chesterfield was formed by the amalgamation of the municipal borough with the urban district of Staveley and the parish of Brimington from Chesterfield Rural District. Chesterfield benefited greatly from the building of the Chesterfield Line - part of the Derby to Leeds railway (North Midland Line), which was begun in 1837 by George Stephenson. During its construction, a sizeable seam of coal was discovered during the construction of the Clay Cross Tunnel. This and the local ironstone were promptly exploited by Stephenson who set up a company in Clay Cross to trade in the minerals. During his time in Chesterfield, Stephenson lived at Tapton House, and remained there until his death in 1848. He is interred in Trinity Church. In 2006, a statue of Stephenson was erected outside Chesterfield railway station. A new landmark was planned to be erected on the outskirts of the town—the Solar Pyramid, which would have been built by the side of the M1 at Poolsbrook. Work on the 'sculpture', which would have been the largest in the UK, commenced late Summer 2007 and was expected to be completed by mid-2008. This sculpture has now been cancelled due to a lack of funds. Economy In the last 30 years, the economy in and around Chesterfield has experienced major change, moving the employment base away from the primary and secondary sectors, and towards the tertiary area. The area sits on a large coalfield and the area played host to many coal mines, including:
From 1981 to 2002, 15,000 jobs in the coal industry disappeared[14] and not a single colliery remains open, although open cast mining continued at Arkwright until a few years ago. Many of the sites were restored by contractor Killingleys for Derbyshire County Council. Very little evidence of the industry remains today; a cyclist and walkers route, the so called "Five Pits Trail" now links some of the former collieries and most of the sites are now indistinguishable from the surrounding countryside. Within the town itself, large factories and major employers have disappeared or relocated in the last 10 years including:
Whilst others have downsized significantly:
Manufacturing employment has fallen by a third since 1991, though the percentage of the population employed in manufacturing is still above the national average[14], underlining how critical it has been to Chesterfield in the past. Today, smaller scale firms are to be found on several industrial estates, the largest of which is located at Sheepbridge. Business located on the estate include SIG plc subsidiary Warren Insulations, Franke Sisons Ltd (founded in 1784 in Sheffield, and one of the first to manufacture stainless steel kitchen sinks in the 1930s), Rhodes engineering, Chesterfield Felt, and others. Next to Tesco there is a 40 acre clearing due to Arnold Laver's relocating to a modern sawmill at Halfway, on the Sheffield border. The former sawmill being demolished, with plans being proposed for a new waterside village built around a new marina at the end of the Chesterfield Canal which currently terminates at a weir adjacent to the site. There is a Morrisons on the junction of Chatsworth Road (A619) and Walton Road (A632), a Sainsburys on Rother Way (A619 for Staveley), and a Tesco on the junction of the A619 and A61 (known locally as the Tesco Roundabout). The Institute of Business Advisers][15] is based on Queen Street North. The Chesterfield Royal Hospital[16] is on the A632 out towards Calow and Bolsover. Peak FM broadcasts from Sheepbridge on 107.4FM and 102FM via the nearby Chesterfield Transmitter, which also hosts BBC Radio Sheffield on 94.7FM. DAB transmissions for Chesterfield come from the Chesterfield Transmitter, however only Digital One is currently broadcast and NOW Derbyshire is due to start soon, although some digital radio stations can be received from outlying transmitters. The local television stations are ITV Yorkshire and BBC Look North, both transmitted from Leeds. The digital switchover date for the area is 2011. Also in the town are the headquarters of the Derbyshire Times, the local newspaper, which does not cover all of the county. Chesterfield is also home to the area's only RSPCA Branch. Other centres are further afield and obviously do not cover the same area. These are in Sheffield, Derby, Radcliffe on Trent and Bawtry. The Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Branch][17] serves the whole of the North East Derbyshire area, and is not government funded, relying on the good people of Derbyshire to keep it going. The centre holds many events to raise money, one being an annual Dog Show held in the summer. The centre itself is on the verge of a major rebuild. The town's biggest employer is now the "Post Office" administration deptment located in a newly constructed building located on the edge of the town centre. The Royal Mail's Pensions Service Centre is near the town on Boythorpe Road, in Rowland Hill House. There is another Royal Mail building in the town on West Bars called Future Walk. Formerly this was Chetwynd House, now substantially demolished and replaced by the new Post Office building. Shopping, entertainment and leisure Town centre The Town centre of Chesterfield has retained much of its pre-war era layout. Chesterfield is home to one of the largest open air markets in Britain, the stalls sitting either side of the historic Market Hall. In the middle of town, a collection of narrow medieval streets make up "The Shambles", which houses The Royal Oak, one of Britain's oldest pubs. Near Holywell Cross is Chesterfield's largest department store, the local Co-op, more correctly "The Chesterfield and District Co-operative Society". Their buildings occupy the majority of Elder Way and include an enclosed bridge. Since 2001, this has been incorporated within Midlands Co-operative Society Limited—or Midlands Co-op as it is better known—which is the second largest independent retail Society in the UK The Pavements In the late 1970s a large area between Low Pavement (in the Market Square) and New Beetwell Street was completely demolished (except the original shop fronts) to build "The Pavements" shopping centre, known by some local residents as "The Precinct", with larger shops such as Boots the Chemist, which was opened in November 1981 by the Prince and Princess of Wales. It has entrances located opposite Chesterfield Market and escalators leading down to New Beetwell Street and the Bus station. An enclosed bridge links the site to a multi-storey car park built at the same time adjacent to the town's coach station. Chesterfield Library's main entrance is located just outside The Pavements at the exit that is next to McDonald's with steps leading down to New Beetwell Street. The library spans several floors and was planned as part of the development. The building was erected later and opened in 1985. In 2007 Chesterfield Library was the 8th busiest in England with over three quarters of a million visitors, according to a study by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.[18] The area to the side of the library was redeveloped retaining the old narrow passage ways but creating various small shop units & offices in the style of "The Shambles". On 27 June 2007 the Somerfield store in the Precinct was completely gutted in a fire during which the roof collapsed. Only a few shoppers suffered minor injuries.[19] The fire was reportedly the result of an accidental ignition. The fire started at 13:10 on 27 June and was not extinguished until 23:30 the same day. All the shops in The Pavements were closed and evacuated. Other areas including the Market Hall were later evacuated as cordons were placed as a result of the smoke becoming worse.[19] Following the fire, Somerfield announced their intention to cease trading in Chesterfield. It re-opened in September 2008 as a Tesco Metro store. Vicar Lane Vicar Lane was redeveloped in 2000 to become a pedestrianised, open-air shopping area, that involved almost all of the existing buildings being demolished including the now closed Woolworths and the old bus station.[20] The project was so large that two new shopping streets were created as part of the development. It now hosts major chains such as BHS and Argos.[21] The development was originally planned in the 1980s but was delayed due to the economics at the time. A new multistorey car park on Beetwell Street was added as part of the revised plan. The area is located between the "Pavements Centre" & Markets and the "crooked spire". Food and Drink Cuisine available in the area includes Chinese, Indian and Thai restaurants and takeaways. Several night clubs are located around the town, predominantly towards "The Doughnut", more correctly called "Holywell Cross Car Park". Scattered around the town are many bars and pubs and west of the town centre the "Brampton Mile" provides 13 pubs on a one mile section of Chatsworth Road. Chesterfield's night-life is well-regarded by many within the area for both its variety and number of venues located within a relatively compact area, although there are now very little if any that cater for alternative tastes The ArtsThe Winding Wheel, previously an Odeon Cinema and Fusion nightclub, is a multi-purpose venue, hosting concerts, exhibitions, conferences, dinners, family parties, dances, banquets, wedding receptions, meetings, product launches and lectures[22]. Past notable appearances include Ricky Tomlinson and Patrick McGuinness. Chesterfield Symphony Orchestra[23] give three concerts a year at the Winding Wheel. "The Pomegranate Theatre" (formerly known for many years as 'Chesterfield Civic Theatre', and prior to that 'The Stephenson Memorial Theatre') is a listed Victorian building (in what is now known as the Stephenson Memorial Building), with a small auditorium, seating around 500 people [24]. A variety of shows are performed throughout the year. Also in the Stephenson Memorial Building is the Chesterfield Museum, until 1984 it was used for the town's lending library. The museum is owned by Chesterfield Borough Council, as are the Winding Wheel and the Pomegranate Theatre. The box office for both entertainment venues is located in the entrance area of the theatre. The Royal Mail building Future Walk, on West Bars, was the former site of Chetwynd House (referred to locally as "the AGD"). Here a work by sculptor Barbara Hepworth Carved Reclining Form or Rosewall was prominently displayed for many years and nicknamed Isaiah by local critics, due to it resembling a crude human face with one eye higher than the other ("eye's higher"). Soon after its installation a painted nose and mouth were added, and the work was surrounded by screens for some time while cleaning took place. The work was under the threat of being sold in 2005, but the plan was eventually scrapped, recognising the piece's national significance.[25] Other artworks of note include 'A System of Support and Balance' by Paul Lewthwaite located outside Chesterfield Magistrates' Court. Sports and Leisure Chesterfield is home to the Football League Two club Chesterfield F.C. who play at the Recreation Ground (usually referred to as Saltergate). Chesterfield FC are known as the Spireites, after the Crooked Spire in the town. In 2005 plans were announced to build a new stadium on the old Dema Glass site north of the town in Whittington Moor. Construction of the new stadium, named the 'B2net Stadium' began in summer 2009 and should be completed for the start of the 2010/2011 season. The team's most notable achievement of recent years occurred in April 1997, when they reached the semi-final of the FA Cup, losing to Middlesbrough in a replay following a 3–3 draw at Old Trafford. It turned out to be one of the most controversial games in recent history with Chesterfield having a goal not given when referee David Elleray decided the ball had not crossed the goal line from a Jonathan Howard shot, a decision which was later proved incorrect by video replays. Had the goal stood the club would have progressed to the final of the FA Cup for the first time in its history—a feat which no club in the third tier of the league has achieved. The team has a fierce rivalry with neighbouring town Mansfield. In 2006 Chesterfield FC beat Premiership heavyweights Manchester City and West Ham to move into the last 16 of the Carling Cup where they were narrowly beaten on penalties by Charlton. Despite their Carling Cup exploits, Chesterfield were relegated on the penultimate game of the season Also Chesterfield has a competitive athletic team which competes regularly all over England. Chesterfield & District Athletic Club[28] is based at Queen’s Park Annexe[29] - near Boythorpe Road south of the town centre, close to the cricket club.[30] Chesterfield Swimming Club is based at the Queens Park Sports Centre on Boythorpe Road.[31] Queen's Park also plays host to Chesterfield Cricket Club and is an outground of Derbyshire County Cricket Club Chesterfield also has its own amateur Sunday football league that plays host to over 100 teams on a Sunday morning. The Chesterfield and District Sunday Football League consists of nine divisions and 3 cup competitions. Chesterfield Spires RLFC are a Rugby League club formed in the town in 2003 and currently play in the RL Merit League A speedway training track operated at Glasshouse Farm in the early 1950s. Chesterfield Rugby Union Football Club was initially formed in 1919 and played their first game in 1920 Healthy Living Centre, Staveley The town also has a brand new £8m Healthy Living Centre[34] within the Borough at Staveley (opened in Spring 2008), which has a 25m swimming pool with a movable platform, an 11m climbing wall, leisure facilities including an indoor children's soft play area, crèche facilities, a fitness suite, health spa and dance studios. Notable people Notable people to come from Chesterfield include:
Other prominent people connected with the town:
Twinnings Chesterfield is twinned with:
International events Chesterfield is home to gluten free beer, with the first ever international gluten free beer festival held in Chesterfield in February 2006[46]. The event was hailed internationally as a success, organisers are working to repeat the event for the future. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) hosted the event with the cooperation of Glutenfreebeerfestival.com and brewers of gluten free beer from all parts of the globe have announced that they wish to attend and present their brews to the public at the next Chesterfield event, which is under discussion between the organisers and the local authori This Article was sourced using Wikipedia |
