Ilkeston
Encyclopedia
Ilkeston is a town within the Borough of Erewash
, in Derbyshire
, England. It lies on the River Erewash
, from which the local borough takes its name. Its population at the 2001 census
was 37,550. Its major industries were traditionally coal
mining, iron
working and lace making / textile
s, but these have all but disappeared in the last few decades.
The town is close to both Derby
and Nottingham
and is near to the M1 motorway
. Although Ilkeston lies within Derbyshire, it is closer to Nottingham than it is to Derby. The eastern boundary of Ilkeston is only two miles from Nottingham's western edge. Ilkeston is considered by the Office for National Statistics to be part of the Nottingham Urban Area.
chieftain ("Elka's Tun" = Elka's Town). The town appears as Tilchestune in the Domesday Book
when it was owned principally by Gilbert de Ghent. Gilbert also controlled nearby Shipley
, West Hallam
and Stanton by Dale
. Ilkeston was created a borough by Queen Victoria in 1887.
Ilkeston is one of the few places where the distinctive dialect of East Midlands English
is extensively spoken. Ilkeston is referred to as 'Ilson' in this dialect. One might greet a friend with "Eh up, me duck!" or "Ah do?".
The American Adventure, a large theme park which closed in 2007, was located on the outskirts of Ilkeston on the former Woodside Colliery adjoining Shipley Country Park
.
times and the industry began blossoming into a huge industrial concern in the 1780s. By the mid 19th century there were several blast furnaces and the production rose from around 500 tons of pig iron per month to 7,000 at the end of the century. Steel pipe manufacturing began at Stanton after World War I and later concrete pipes were produced, Stanton being the first in the UK to develop the 'spun pipe' process.
In the mid 19th century the works produced 20,000 tons of iron castings per year, 2.5 millions by 1905. Up to 12,500 people were employed during the period when the works were part of British Steel Corporation of which 7,000 worked at the Stanton works.
During its long existence the works produced huge quantities of a variety of products including pig iron, tunnel castings, (used in projects such as the London Underground
), pipes and street furniture as well as bitumen, roadstone, chemicals and munition casings. It is likely that if you live in the UK, you are not far away from a S&S manhole cover or lamp post.
The works gradually declined, the business being run from 1985 by the French Saint-Gobain
Group. The last casting was an emotional event in 2007. The huge Stanton site has been partially given over to business park and the rest of the site is earmarked for redevelopment which is subject to local opposition.
. The fair celebrated its 750th anniversary in 2002, the Charter being granted by King Henry III
in 1252. This makes the fair older than Nottingham
's famous Goose Fair
and it is one of the largest street fairs in the Country, indeed in Europe.
The present fair developed from two separate fairs, as another 'agricultural hiring fair' or 'Statutes Fair' was traditionally held on Wakes week
in October as well as the original Charter Fair which was held on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (15 August). The two fairs were combined in 1888 and the one Charter Fair has been held in October ever since.
Since 1931 the fair has been officially opened by the Mayor - first of Ilkeston and since 1974 of Erewash
- on the Fair Thursday at noon with the Town Clerk or latterly the Council's Solicitor reading the Charter from the steps of the Town Hall.
(formerly part of the Midland Railway
, later the LMS
) skirts the eastern edge of the town.
Ilkeston once had three stations. Ilkeston Junction station
, also known as "Ilkeston Junction & Cossall" was on the Midland Main Line: this station closed in January 1967. Plans to build a new station (thought to be close to the former Ilkeston Junction) have often been speculated about and announced, but to date little action has been seen. A short branch led from this station to Ilkeston Town station
, at the north end of Bath Street, which closed to passengers in June 1947.
Ilkeston's third station was Ilkeston North
, on the former Great Northern Railway
(later LNER) line from Nottingham to Derby Friargate station
, closed in September 1964. A major feature of this line was Bennerley Viaduct
, a 1452 feet (442.6 m) long, 61 feet (18.6 m) high, wrought iron structure which still crosses the Erewash valley just to the north east of Ilkeston. Once threatened with demolition, it is now a Grade 2 listed building, though the removal of the embankments at either end have left it an oddly isolated free-standing structure surrounded by fields.
The nearest currently operating station is Langley Mill
.
played one or two first-class cricket
matches per season on the Rutland Recreation Ground between 1925 and 1994 and one-day matches at the ground from 1970 to 1994.
Local football club Ilkeston Town
was disestablished in 2010, after a 114 year history. It was reformed as Ilkeston F.C. in 2011.
Erewash
Erewash is a local government district and borough in eastern Derbyshire, England, to the east of Derby and the west of Nottingham. It contains the towns of Ilkeston, Long Eaton and Sandiacre and fourteen civil parishes....
, in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, England. It lies on the River Erewash
River Erewash
The River Erewash is a river in England that flows roughly southwards through Derbyshire, close to its eastern border with Nottinghamshire.-Etymology:...
, from which the local borough takes its name. Its population at the 2001 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
was 37,550. Its major industries were traditionally coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
mining, iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
working and lace making / textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
s, but these have all but disappeared in the last few decades.
The town is close to both Derby
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...
and Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
and is near to the M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
. Although Ilkeston lies within Derbyshire, it is closer to Nottingham than it is to Derby. The eastern boundary of Ilkeston is only two miles from Nottingham's western edge. Ilkeston is considered by the Office for National Statistics to be part of the Nottingham Urban Area.
History and Culture
Ilkeston was probably founded in the 6th century AD, and gets its name from its supposed founder, Elch or Elcha, who was an AnglianEast Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
chieftain ("Elka's Tun" = Elka's Town). The town appears as Tilchestune in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
when it was owned principally by Gilbert de Ghent. Gilbert also controlled nearby Shipley
Shipley, Derbyshire
Shipley is a village in the south-east of Derbyshire in the East Midlands of England. Since 1974 it has been part of the Borough of Amber Valley.Shipley separates the Ilkeston and Heanor urban areas, which are linked by the main A6007 road...
, West Hallam
West Hallam
West Hallam is a large village close to Ilkeston in the County of Derbyshire in the East Midlands region of England.West Hallam has had its own parish council since 1894 and, since 1974, has been part of the Erewash Borough.-Early history:...
and Stanton by Dale
Stanton by Dale
Stanton by Dale is a village in the South East of Derbyshire, England. It lies south of Ilkeston and North of Sandiacre. Since 1974 it has been part of the Erewash Borough.-Early history:...
. Ilkeston was created a borough by Queen Victoria in 1887.
Ilkeston is one of the few places where the distinctive dialect of East Midlands English
East Midlands English
East Midlands English is a dialect traditionally spoken in those parts of English Midlands lying East of Watling Street...
is extensively spoken. Ilkeston is referred to as 'Ilson' in this dialect. One might greet a friend with "Eh up, me duck!" or "Ah do?".
The American Adventure, a large theme park which closed in 2007, was located on the outskirts of Ilkeston on the former Woodside Colliery adjoining Shipley Country Park
Shipley Hall
Shipley Hall was a Hall and country estate near Heanor and Ilkeston in Derbyshire, England which now forms a Country Park.-Early history:The Shipley Estate is an ancient manor which was referenced in the Domesday Book. From the 14th century the land was extensive forest used for hunting, with a...
.
Stanton Ironworks
One of the biggest and most important local employers was the Stanton Ironworks, later known as Stanton and Staveley - the continuation of a long stading tradition of iron working in this area. There has been evidence of iron working and quarrying in the area since RomanRoman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
times and the industry began blossoming into a huge industrial concern in the 1780s. By the mid 19th century there were several blast furnaces and the production rose from around 500 tons of pig iron per month to 7,000 at the end of the century. Steel pipe manufacturing began at Stanton after World War I and later concrete pipes were produced, Stanton being the first in the UK to develop the 'spun pipe' process.
During its long existence the works produced huge quantities of a variety of products including pig iron, tunnel castings, (used in projects such as the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
), pipes and street furniture as well as bitumen, roadstone, chemicals and munition casings. It is likely that if you live in the UK, you are not far away from a S&S manhole cover or lamp post.
The works gradually declined, the business being run from 1985 by the French Saint-Gobain
Saint-Gobain
Saint-Gobain S.A. is a French multinational corporation, founded in 1665 in Paris and headquartered on the outskirts of Paris at La Défense and in Courbevoie. Originally a mirror manufacturer, it now also produces a variety of construction and high-performance materials.The company has its head...
Group. The last casting was an emotional event in 2007. The huge Stanton site has been partially given over to business park and the rest of the site is earmarked for redevelopment which is subject to local opposition.
Ilkeston Charter Fair
Ilkeston Market Place is the site of a Charter fairCharter fair
A charter fair in England is a street fair or market which was established by Royal Charter. Many charter fairs date back to the Middle Ages, with their heyday occurring during the 13th century...
. The fair celebrated its 750th anniversary in 2002, the Charter being granted by King Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
in 1252. This makes the fair older than Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
's famous Goose Fair
Nottingham Goose Fair
The Nottingham Goose Fair is an annual fun fair held in Nottingham, England, during the first week of October. It is largely provided by travelling fair people...
and it is one of the largest street fairs in the Country, indeed in Europe.
The present fair developed from two separate fairs, as another 'agricultural hiring fair' or 'Statutes Fair' was traditionally held on Wakes week
Wakes week
The wakes week is a holiday period in parts of England and Scotland.- History :Wakes were originally religious festivals that commemorated church dedications...
in October as well as the original Charter Fair which was held on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (15 August). The two fairs were combined in 1888 and the one Charter Fair has been held in October ever since.
Since 1931 the fair has been officially opened by the Mayor - first of Ilkeston and since 1974 of Erewash
Erewash
Erewash is a local government district and borough in eastern Derbyshire, England, to the east of Derby and the west of Nottingham. It contains the towns of Ilkeston, Long Eaton and Sandiacre and fourteen civil parishes....
- on the Fair Thursday at noon with the Town Clerk or latterly the Council's Solicitor reading the Charter from the steps of the Town Hall.
Railway
Ilkeston no longer has a railway station despite its substantial population and the fact that the Midland Main LineMidland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway route in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system.The present-day line links London St...
(formerly part of the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
, later the LMS
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
) skirts the eastern edge of the town.
Ilkeston once had three stations. Ilkeston Junction station
Ilkeston Junction and Cossall railway station
Ilkeston Junction and Cossall railway station was a railway station which served the town of Ilkeston in Derbyshire, England. It was opened in 1847 by the Midland Railway on the Erewash Valley Line at the junction of a short branch to the town itself....
, also known as "Ilkeston Junction & Cossall" was on the Midland Main Line: this station closed in January 1967. Plans to build a new station (thought to be close to the former Ilkeston Junction) have often been speculated about and announced, but to date little action has been seen. A short branch led from this station to Ilkeston Town station
Ilkeston Town railway station
Ilkeston Town railway station was a railway station which served the town of Ilkeston in Derbyshire, England. it was opened in 1847 by the Midland Railway on a short branch from the Erewash Valley Line....
, at the north end of Bath Street, which closed to passengers in June 1947.
Ilkeston's third station was Ilkeston North
Ilkeston North railway station
Ilkeston North railway station was a former railway station in Ilkeston, Derbyshire. It was opened by the Great Northern Railway on its Derbyshire Extension in 1878 and closed in 1964.- History :...
, on the former Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
(later LNER) line from Nottingham to Derby Friargate station
Derby Friargate railway station
Derby Friargate Station was the main station in Derby on the Great Northern Railway Derbyshire Extension popularly known as the Friargate Line.- History :-Friargate Bridge:...
, closed in September 1964. A major feature of this line was Bennerley Viaduct
Bennerley Viaduct
Bennerley Viaduct is a disused railway viaduct spanning the Erewash Valley between Awsworth in Nottinghamshire and Ilkeston in Derbyshire.- Origins :...
, a 1452 feet (442.6 m) long, 61 feet (18.6 m) high, wrought iron structure which still crosses the Erewash valley just to the north east of Ilkeston. Once threatened with demolition, it is now a Grade 2 listed building, though the removal of the embankments at either end have left it an oddly isolated free-standing structure surrounded by fields.
The nearest currently operating station is Langley Mill
Langley Mill railway station
Langley Mill railway station on the Erewash Valley Line serves the village of Langley Mill and the towns of Heanor in Derbyshire and Eastwood in Nottinghamshire, England...
.
Ilkeston spa baths
From early in the 19th century the existence of natural mineral waters was noted here and exploited. A local businessman Thomas Potter built, in 1831, the famous Ilkeston Bath at the bottom of Town Street attached to the Rutland Hotel. For over 60 years the baths helped tourism to the town at a time when spa towns like Bath and Harrogate enjoyed popularity. 'If you're doubled in pain and thin as a lath, Come at once then and try, the famed Ilkeston Bath,' was a well known advertising slogan. A mixture of a general decline in the popularity of spa bathing and, reportable, contamination of the waters from mining activities led to the eventual closure of the baths just before 1900. The baths and the adjacent Rutland Hotel, which also enjoyed a revenue from tourism, no longer exist though they are remembered in the name of 'Bath Street'.Sport
Derbyshire County Cricket ClubDerbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
played one or two first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
matches per season on the Rutland Recreation Ground between 1925 and 1994 and one-day matches at the ground from 1970 to 1994.
Local football club Ilkeston Town
Ilkeston Town F.C.
Ilkeston Football Club is an English football club based at the New Manor Ground in Ilkeston, Derbyshire.-History:The club was established in 1894 as Ilkeston Town F.C.....
was disestablished in 2010, after a 114 year history. It was reformed as Ilkeston F.C. in 2011.
Notable residents
- William RoacheWilliam RoacheWilliam Patrick Harry Roache MBE is a British actor, best known for his role as Ken Barlow in the soap opera Coronation Street...
, (who plays Ken Barlow in Coronation StreetCoronation StreetCoronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
) was born at Ilkeston in 1932, though he now lives at WilmslowWilmslow-Economy:Wilmslow is well known, like Alderley Edge, for having many famous residents, notably footballers, stars of Coronation Street and rich North West businessmen. The town is part of the so-called Golden Triangle in the north west together with Alderley Edge and Prestbury...
in CheshireCheshireCheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. He now holds the world record, as the longest-serving actor to play the same role continuously, having been with the show since its inception in December 1960. - Robert LindsayRobert Lindsay (actor)Robert Lindsay is an English actor who is best known for his television work, especially his roles of Wolfie Smith in Citizen Smith, Michael Murray in G.B.H., Captain Sir Edward Pellew in Hornblower and Ben Harper in My Family which has been on television screens since 2000.-Early life:Lindsay was...
, the stage and television actor probably best known for his parts in Citizen SmithCitizen SmithCitizen Smith is a British television sitcom. The show was written by John Sullivan, who later wrote Only Fools and Horses. The pilot was transmitted on 12 April 1977 in the Comedy Special series of one-off plays, and the series proper ran from 3 November 1977 to 31 December 1980.Citizen Smith...
and latterly My Family, was born as Robert Lindsay Stevenson in Ilkeston on December 13, 1949. Before he became an actor he worked at the nearby Stanton & StaveleyStaveley Coal and Iron CompanyThe Staveley Coal and Iron Company Limited was an industrial company based in Staveley, near Chesterfield, North Derbyshire. It exploited local ironstone quarried from land owned by the Duke of Devonshire on the outskirts of the village...
steel works. - Samuel Taylor (1816–1875) the famous 'Il'son Giant' who reached the height of 7' 4" was born nearby at Hallam Fields. His grave in Stanton Road Cemetery was restored by the Cemetery's Friends in 2008.
External links
- Stanton Ironworks a journey through past times
- Ilkeston news from the Derby Telegraph
- The Ilkeston Community Homepage
- Ilkeston Cam pictures of the town and surrounding area
- Ilkeston Folk Club
- Ilkeston Arts & Camera Club
- Ilkeston & District Local History Society
- Ilkeston Ladies Circle
- Ilkeston & District Round Table
- The Stanton Ironworks
- Erewash Borough Council
- The Ilkeston Advertiser (newspaper)
- Erewash Sound (radio station)