Glow Up

Chesterfield is celebrating the refurbished market place this weekend with the Glow Up event. There is a big wheel in place and there will be a fun fair, night market and a light show projected on to the market hall. We have been a market town since 1204, when King John granted its market charter. We still host a traditional outdoor market and, hopefully, the rejuvenated market place will bring it back to when it was the largest open air market in the country.

Its got me thinking about the history of the town.

There has been a settlement here since AD80-100 when there was a Roman fort. The word Chesterfield derives from the Old English ceaster, meaning Roman fort, and feld, meaning field. Obviously, we have the Spire that I posted about earlier, but we also have a pub that dates back to the 16th Century. The Royal Oak pub, in the Shambles, was used as a resting house for the Knights Templar. It has recently re-opened after being closed for a couple of years. 

Can you remember Burtons clothes shop? The first ever shop was in Chesterfield, it opened in 1903. That same building, complete with original signage and a plaque showing its heritage, is now home Greggs!

George Stephenson, the man who built the first public railway, spent his final years linving in Tapton House and is buried at Trinity Church. There is a statue of him outside our railway station. Other notable residents include actor Sir John Hurt CBE, Phill Taylor of Motorhead, footballer Mille Bright, darts player John Lowe.

Just behind our house is the River Rother, with a lovely tree lined footpath to walk along. The River Hipper runs through too. We also have a canal with some really nice walks along it. Chesterfield Canal is 45.5 miles long and has 65 locks, it connects to the River Trent and it opened in 1777.

Its a very industrial town, a major area for coal mining, as it sits on a large coalfield. It also has roots in engineering and pottery. The estate behind our house has been used for both mining and engineering. The huge drill that drilled out the channel tunnel was built here.

We are just a 10 minute drive from the Peak District National Park. Home to beautiful places like Chatsworth, Bakewell, Grindleford, Hathersage, Tidewswell, Baslow, Castleton, Ladybower Reservoir, Mam Tor, Kinder Scout. We are just down the road from Matlock Bath and Sheffield too. There is so much right on our doorstep, we get a bit complacent about living so close to it all and forget its all there. I think this summer we need to live like tourists and see all the sights again.

Whats the town like where you are from?