Allenton (Derby)
Encyclopedia
Allenton is a suburb of the city of Derby
, England, situated about three miles south of the city centre. It is located between the suburbs of Osmaston
, Boulton
, Alvaston
and Shelton Lock
.
, elephant
, brown bear
, hyena
and bison
have been found there. The Allenton hippopotamus
was found underneath the Crown Hotel (established in 1891) and its well-preserved skeleton is displayed at nearby Derby Museum and Art Gallery
.
Allenton has a cosmopolitan outdoor market, although this has been in decline in recent years. The suburban shopping centre is among the largest in Derby although there are few high street chains except for Boots, Somerfield
and Greggs
. A functional sculpture by Michael Dan Archer was installed in the shopping centre in 2007. Commissioned by Derby City Council, it forms a circular seating area on which are laser-scanned copies and models of some of the key bones of the Allenton Hippo skeleton at Derby Museum and Art Gallery
has long since been transformed into a bicycle track with tarmacadam surface. This track offers access by bicycle from Allenton into Derby city centre – it is part of the National Cycle Network
. Allenton has a large number of employees in the aero-engine industry as Rolls-Royce plc
has its jet engine production facility adjacent to Allenton.
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, England, situated about three miles south of the city centre. It is located between the suburbs of Osmaston
Osmaston, Derby
Osmaston is a suburb of the city of Derby, England. It is situated about 4 km south of the city centre, it is written in the Domesday Book as Osmundestune. In 1307 the manor of Osmaston was granted to Robert Holland. It was the location of Osmaston Hall the residence of the Wilmots Baronets...
, Boulton
Boulton, Derby
Boulton is a suburb and local government ward of the city of Derby, England, and is located about four miles to the south-east of Derby city centre. It is closely associated with the neighbouring suburb of Alvaston with which it shares its postal code and postal area address...
, Alvaston
Alvaston
Alvaston is a suburb and ward of Derby, England. Alvaston is situated on the A6, three miles south-east of Derby city centre. It is bordered to the north by the wards of Derwent, Chaddesden and Spondon, to the east is the City Centre, to the south are Sinfin and Chellaston and to the west the...
and Shelton Lock
Shelton Lock
Shelton Lock is a small suburb in the south of the city of Derby, England, United Kingdom, located between Chellaston and Allenton.The area gets its name from the lock on the Derby Canal that once ran through the area. The only traces of the canal's existence are seen in the form of a road bridge,...
.
History
Allenton (formerly Allentown) was named after Isaac Allen who built the first houses there in 1878. One hundred and twenty thousand years ago, during a warmer part of the Ice Age, the whole area was a riverside swamp, and skeletons of a hippopotamusHippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
, elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
, brown bear
Brown Bear
The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
, hyena
Hyena
Hyenas or Hyaenas are the animals of the family Hyaenidae of suborder feliforms of the Carnivora. It is the fourth smallest biological family in the Carnivora , and one of the smallest in the mammalia...
and bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
have been found there. The Allenton hippopotamus
Allenton hippopotamus
The Allenton Hippo is a substantive hippopotamus skeleton that was found in Allenton, Derby, England in 1895. The skeleton is exhibited in Derby Museum and Art Gallery and is in length. It is celebrated today in a sculpture near to where the skeleton was discovered.-History:The suburb of Derby...
was found underneath the Crown Hotel (established in 1891) and its well-preserved skeleton is displayed at nearby Derby Museum and Art Gallery
Derby Museum and Art Gallery
Derby Museum and Art Gallery was established in 1879, along with Derby Central Library, in a new building designed by Richard Knill Freeman and given to Derby by Michael Thomas Bass. The collection includes a whole gallery displaying the paintings of Joseph Wright of Derby; there is also a large...
.
Landmarks
Allenton is as well known by its main landmark, the Spider Bridge. This footbridge over a roundabout is so named because it has eight 'legs' in four directions. Each direction has a set of steep steps and a stepped ramp (for easier disabled access). The Spider Bridge was erected in July 1971 and has been painted various colours over the years.Allenton has a cosmopolitan outdoor market, although this has been in decline in recent years. The suburban shopping centre is among the largest in Derby although there are few high street chains except for Boots, Somerfield
Somerfield
Somerfield was a chain of small to medium sized supermarkets operating in the United Kingdom. The company was taken over by the Co-operative Group on 2 March 2009 in a £1.57 billion deal, creating the UK's fifth largest food retailer. The name is currently being phased out and replaced by the...
and Greggs
Greggs
Greggs plc is the largest specialist retail bakery chain in the United Kingdom. It was established in the 1930s as a single shop but has approximately 1,500 outlets....
. A functional sculpture by Michael Dan Archer was installed in the shopping centre in 2007. Commissioned by Derby City Council, it forms a circular seating area on which are laser-scanned copies and models of some of the key bones of the Allenton Hippo skeleton at Derby Museum and Art Gallery
Derby Museum and Art Gallery
Derby Museum and Art Gallery was established in 1879, along with Derby Central Library, in a new building designed by Richard Knill Freeman and given to Derby by Michael Thomas Bass. The collection includes a whole gallery displaying the paintings of Joseph Wright of Derby; there is also a large...
Culture
Allenton has several fast food outlets including Al Pharoh, the Egyptian and Mediterranean takeaway, The Crest of the Wave, Chip Shop, Fung Wong Chinese, Balti House, Allenton Kebabs, Pizza Romance. Within the shopping area and at each end of the shops is a public house: The Mitre and The Crown Inn (see Crown Hotel above). There are schools, dentists and doctors, beauty salons, hairdressers and a flower shop. The local fire station is just a few hundred yards from the shops offering an excellent level of response. The old Derby CanalDerby Canal
The Derby Canal ran from the Trent and Mersey Canal at Swarkestone to Derby and Little Eaton, and to the Erewash Canal at Sandiacre, Derbyshire, England. The canal gained its Act of Parliament in 1793 and was fully completed in 1796...
has long since been transformed into a bicycle track with tarmacadam surface. This track offers access by bicycle from Allenton into Derby city centre – it is part of the National Cycle Network
National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
. Allenton has a large number of employees in the aero-engine industry as Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Group plc is a global power systems company headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second-largest maker of aircraft engines , and also has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Through its defence-related activities...
has its jet engine production facility adjacent to Allenton.