Kirkby-in-Ashfield
Encyclopedia
Kirkby-in-Ashfield is a market town in Nottinghamshire
, England
, with a population of 25,265 (according to the 2001 National Census
). It is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area
. The Head Offices of Ashfield District Council are located there.
Kirkby-in-Ashfield lies on the eastern edge of the Erewash Valley which separates Nottinghamshire
and Derbyshire
. Kirkby-in-Ashfield, or Kirkby as it is locally known, was originally a Danish settlement (Kirk-by translates as 'Church Town' in Danish) and is a collection of small villages including Old Kirkby, The Folly (East Kirkby), Nuncargate and Kirkby Woodhouse. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book
and has two main churches, St Wilfrid's, a Norman church, which was gutted by fire 6 January 1907 but quickly re-built to its former glory and St Thomas's built in the early 1910s in neo-gothic style.
Kirkby-in-Ashfield was once an important centre of coal mining and railways in west Nottinghamshire, with three active coal mines and a several railway junctions . The former Mansfield and Pinxton Railway
from the Erewash Valley Line
was joined here by the later Midland Railway
line from Nottingham
. The Great Central Railway
main line passed to the south west side of the town and had a double junction with the Great Northern Railway
Leen Valley Extension line to Langwith Junction
and the Mansfield Railway
to Clipstone
.
The town rapidly expanded during the Victorian era. However the closure of the coal mines in the 1980s and early 1990s lead to a major slump in the local economy and the area suffered a high level of socio-economic depression.
The railways were closed during the Beeching era leaving the town without a fast link to central Nottingham
and nearby Mansfield
. The Railway re-opened in the 1990s as part of the 'Robin Hood' line.
The town is currently undergoing a revival and is progressively changing from a traditional mining town to a commuter base of the Greater Nottingham area, however the transition from industrial centre to commuter suburb is in its infancy and will take some years to develop.
The town has two large secondary schools, Ashfield Comprehensive School
and Kirkby College, or Kirkby Comprehensive School.
Local politics have been dominated by the Labour Party for much of the 20th century, however Ashfield attracted media attention in the late 1970s with a shock by election win for the Conservatives.
The current MP is Gloria De Piero
, best known for her work with GMTV. she took over from Geoff Hoon
, former Secretary of State for defence during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. She was elected to the seat with a majority of 192 votes.
The town's most famous resident is Harold Larwood
; the England cricketer who was born in Nuncargate in 1904. Best known for his 'fast leg theory'
in the Ashes
Test series of 1932-33.
The area around St Wilfrid's Church is designated a conservation area, and consists of former farm buildings built from local stone, some of which are listed. In the conservation area, at the junction of Church St, Chapel St, and Sutton Road, is Kirkby Cross. This is the remains of a thirteenth century village cross in dressed stone, and is a listed structure and designated ancient monument. It is thought the cross has been in place since 1218, some years before the village was granted a market and fair. It was nearly demolished by an articulated lorry in early December 1987, but has been restored.
On the edge of Kirkby is Portland Park (known to local people as "the quarries") a mixture of woodland and grassland areas which, together with a number of small ponds and streams, are home to a wide variety of wildlife. The visitor centre there was opened in October 1994, and is an environmentally friendly building and a centre of excellence for energy conservation.
The 1981 gentle Sunday evening programme 'Shillingbury Tales' was based on old Kirkby, as the writer Francis Essex's aunt lived nearby. The characters were based on locals who used to know his aunt. Filming was switched to Aldbury in Kent at the last minute because of costs and lack of space for filming.
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, with a population of 25,265 (according to the 2001 National Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
). It is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area
Mansfield Urban Area
The Mansfield Urban Area is an area of west Nottinghamshire that comprises the towns of Mansfield, Sutton in Ashfield, Kirkby in Ashfield and Mansfield Woodhouse. The 2001 census gives the total population of the area as 158,114, making it the 37th most populated urban area in England.-External...
. The Head Offices of Ashfield District Council are located there.
Kirkby-in-Ashfield lies on the eastern edge of the Erewash Valley which separates Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
and 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...
. Kirkby-in-Ashfield, or Kirkby as it is locally known, was originally a Danish settlement (Kirk-by translates as 'Church Town' in Danish) and is a collection of small villages including Old Kirkby, The Folly (East Kirkby), Nuncargate and Kirkby Woodhouse. It is mentioned 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...
and has two main churches, St Wilfrid's, a Norman church, which was gutted by fire 6 January 1907 but quickly re-built to its former glory and St Thomas's built in the early 1910s in neo-gothic style.
Kirkby-in-Ashfield was once an important centre of coal mining and railways in west Nottinghamshire, with three active coal mines and a several railway junctions . The former Mansfield and Pinxton Railway
Mansfield and Pinxton Railway
The Mansfield and Pinxton Railway was an early horse-drawn railway company in the United Kingdom, constructed in 1819 to transport coal between Mansfield and the head of the Pinxton branch of the Cromford Canal and thence by the Erewash Valley and the Trent to Leicester...
from the Erewash Valley Line
Erewash Valley Line
The Erewash Valley Line is a railway line in Britain running from south of Chesterfield along the Erewash Valley to Trent Junction at Long Eaton, joining the Midland Main Line at each end.- History :...
was joined here by the later 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....
line from 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...
. The Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
main line passed to the south west side of the town and had a double junction with the 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....
Leen Valley Extension line to Langwith Junction
Langwith Junction
Langwith Junction is an urban area, now included in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, England.It derives its name from a junction on the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway....
and the Mansfield Railway
to Clipstone
Clipstone railway station
Clipstone railway station was a station in Clipstone, Nottinghamshire. While primarily a goods station, it also handled passengers.Former Services-References:...
.
The town rapidly expanded during the Victorian era. However the closure of the coal mines in the 1980s and early 1990s lead to a major slump in the local economy and the area suffered a high level of socio-economic depression.
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 nearby Mansfield
Mansfield
Mansfield is a town in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the main town in the Mansfield local government district. Mansfield is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area....
. The Railway re-opened in the 1990s as part of the 'Robin Hood' line.
The town is currently undergoing a revival and is progressively changing from a traditional mining town to a commuter base of the Greater Nottingham area, however the transition from industrial centre to commuter suburb is in its infancy and will take some years to develop.
The town has two large secondary schools, Ashfield Comprehensive School
Ashfield Comprehensive School
Ashfield Comprehensive School is a school located in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, England, which educates children ages 11–19.Ashfield currently has approximately 3,500 students, split into 6 houses names Trent, Chesterfield, Thoroton, Byron, Hargreaves and Coates...
and Kirkby College, or Kirkby Comprehensive School.
Local politics have been dominated by the Labour Party for much of the 20th century, however Ashfield attracted media attention in the late 1970s with a shock by election win for the Conservatives.
The current MP is Gloria De Piero
Gloria De Piero
Gloria De Piero is a British Labour Party politician, journalist and presenter best known for her work with GMTV. In 2010, she was elected as the Member of Parliament for Ashfield.-Early life:...
, best known for her work with GMTV. she took over from Geoff Hoon
Geoff Hoon
Geoffrey "Geoff" William Hoon is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Ashfield from 1992 to 2010...
, former Secretary of State for defence during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. She was elected to the seat with a majority of 192 votes.
The town's most famous resident is Harold Larwood
Harold Larwood
Harold Larwood was an English cricket player, an extremely accurate fast bowler best known for his key role as the implementer of fast leg theory in the infamous "bodyline" Ashes Test series of 1932–33....
; the England cricketer who was born in Nuncargate in 1904. Best known for his 'fast leg theory'
Bodyline
Bodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia, specifically to combat the extraordinary batting skill of Australia's Don Bradman...
in the Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
Test series of 1932-33.
The area around St Wilfrid's Church is designated a conservation area, and consists of former farm buildings built from local stone, some of which are listed. In the conservation area, at the junction of Church St, Chapel St, and Sutton Road, is Kirkby Cross. This is the remains of a thirteenth century village cross in dressed stone, and is a listed structure and designated ancient monument. It is thought the cross has been in place since 1218, some years before the village was granted a market and fair. It was nearly demolished by an articulated lorry in early December 1987, but has been restored.
On the edge of Kirkby is Portland Park (known to local people as "the quarries") a mixture of woodland and grassland areas which, together with a number of small ponds and streams, are home to a wide variety of wildlife. The visitor centre there was opened in October 1994, and is an environmentally friendly building and a centre of excellence for energy conservation.
The 1981 gentle Sunday evening programme 'Shillingbury Tales' was based on old Kirkby, as the writer Francis Essex's aunt lived nearby. The characters were based on locals who used to know his aunt. Filming was switched to Aldbury in Kent at the last minute because of costs and lack of space for filming.
See also
- Kirkby-in-Ashfield railway stationKirkby-in-Ashfield railway stationKirkby-in-Ashfield railway station serves the town of Kirkby-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, England. The station is on the Robin Hood Line operated by East Midlands Trains between Nottingham and Worksop .-History:...
- St. John the Evanglist's Church, Kirkby-in-Ashfield
- St. Wilfrid's Church, Kirkby-in-AshfieldSt. Wilfrid's Church, Kirkby-in-AshfieldSt. Wilfrid's Church, Kirkby-in-Ashfield is a parish church in the Church of England in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire.The church is Grade II listed by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport as it is a building of special architectural or historic interest.-History:The medieval church was...
Notable people
- Sam Hynd - 2008 Paralympic, double gold medalist in swimming.
- Harold LarwoodHarold LarwoodHarold Larwood was an English cricket player, an extremely accurate fast bowler best known for his key role as the implementer of fast leg theory in the infamous "bodyline" Ashes Test series of 1932–33....
- English Cricket Player