Derbyshire 40 - Alfreton - Alfreds Town/the house of correction/a cenotaph/a country church/espresso, cappacino and toast at the Wagon and Horses


Advertisement
United Kingdom's flag
Europe » United Kingdom » England » Derbyshire » Alfreton
February 12th 2018
Published: February 12th 2018
Edit Blog Post

Where in the world is Gabby the panel van conversion ? There I have said it. Our Gabby isn't a motorhome. She is a panel van conversion and a pretty one at that. She has not come to Alfreds Town with us. She is at home languishing in the bitter cold of this February morning.

I get rather complacent in February. It is the second month of the year. The buds of the Azalea and the Magnolia are fattening up for Spring and the mauve crocus are pushing their little heads above ground. The nights are getting lighter by the week and I have a false sense of Spring just being round the corner. I even saw a host of golden daffodils last week. Not quite a host - a couple of stems King Alfred variety I think opened fully up. I had to look twice. They are too early to be out but there they were. In front garden. Had the owner just planted some indoor ones outside? Was it the warmth of the house walls that protected the blooms. I didn't know but there they were telling me Spring had arrived. Yet my windscreen on the car was covered in frost, it snowed heavily last night and there is still a wintery chill to the air.

We were off to Alfreton today. A few jobs needed doing. We expected no deliveries. The middle leg for the awning had finally arrived and the bracket for fixing a T,V had turned up. Ordered Monday from Germany it was delivered Thursday efficiently by DHL.

Alfreton is sadly one of those places you drive through to get to somewhere else. No by pass so you have to drive through its main street and put up with looking at an old mining town which has quite frankly gone to the dogs. Well that is on the face of it. As Glenn went to get his hair cut I decided to put a tourists head on and walk around the town to see what there was worth seeing. Said to be named after King Alfred, its name has changed over the years. Elstretune in Domesday , Aefredingtune - Alfred's farmstead but no real connection with the great man himself other than in legend. To its South West was a roman fortlet on the major roman road Ryknield Street and a further roman road named Lilley Street to the south. Most of the original town was centred around the top of King Street Hill. I am walking away from King Street and heading out of town in the direction of my first picture postcard stop of the morning. - the House of Correction. However before that I read that at the top of the hill there used to be a ancient meeting place a Moot Hall but this was demolished in 1914. What a wonderful thing thing that would have been.

From the top of the hill I headed off towards the church. The tiny street led out of town and I passed by the pretty Italianate design of a town hall.

My second destination after the House of Correction would be the manor house with the nearby church dedicated to St Martin and built around 1200. The manor of Alfreton spread over lands to the south and east, including the parishes of Somercotes which you might know as it now is the home to Thorntons chocolates , Swanwick , Riddings and Ironville. Alfreton ended up moving from an agricultural town to a mining one as mine and iron working grew in the area. Pits sprang up as coal was found close to the surface. However once the pits closed in the 1960's Alfreton suffered the same decline as other pit villages and towns.

Off I set down the hill wrapped up against the cold, scarfed and gloved with phone in hand ready to snap anything that looked remotely interesting. First stop that small round house that intrigued me. The stone building sits at the side of the road in the middle of new flats. Between the years 1802 and 1821 the population of the town like many others increased from 2301 souls to 4689 so there was an urgent need for a lock up for wrongdoers before they were removed to Derby Jail. It was built somewhere between 1823 and 1826. Sadly the plaque over the door just said the sad words "House of correction" A strongly constructed building it housed a stone slab and two windowless cells which lay behind the jailers room. This apparently had a fireplace. The last prisoner to be locked up there was a soldier who outstayed his leave, Once released he was returned to the front line.

Talking of the front line my next port of call was to be at the top of King Street where the towns memorial to its dead stands. Adorned with poppies and wreaths it tells of the sadness of the lives lost in the Great War. Another town where the sons, fathers, brothers and uncles died 100 years ago. This monument comprises of a bronze figure of a WW1 soldier in battledress holding a rifle. Beneath is the poignant inscription which probably is the same as on any other in our country. "To the glory of God and in memory of the men of Alfreton who gave their lives in the Great War 1914 -1918. Live thou for England. Live lest we forget. For King and Country" I wonder how many stand in front of the memorial and have forgotten.

I headed round the corner in the general direction of the large church passing a pretty Italianate building. I had little idea what it was but it seemed to have something to do with the town council. The church lay on a small lane giving the impression of being out of town as if in a country environment. The area around the church was in a conservation area and I wasn't the only one taking pictures. Me with my camera on my phone . The other lady with her digital beast around her neck. The church is a Grade 2* listed building as many English churches are. Dedicated to St Martin of Tours it dated back to the 12th and was built of grey stone in a gothic style. The oldest part of the church was the Priest Vestry and Tower but sadly the church door were firmly closed so I had little opportunity to see inside. The churchyard at the back was quiet and peaceful. The perfect place for a graveyard. The gardens to the front full of snowdrops.

."I thought that Alfreton had little to offer. Was I shocked? Yes I guess I was and the words of my morning thoughts come to mind "There is nothing insignificant anywhere". Alfreton had so much to offer if you look beneath the surface and dig a little.

Where did we finish the morning ? In the Waggon and Horses drinking capaccino and espressos with toast and bacon butties.


Additional photos below
Photos: 7, Displayed: 7


Advertisement



14th February 2018
A country scene in the middle of a town

Nice One
Lovely image Jen
15th February 2018
A country scene in the middle of a town

lovely image
Thankyou Dave - just a random old shot from a phone camera. Pure luck - but it was rather lovely in the snow

Tot: 0.074s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 18; qc: 27; dbt: 0.045s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.1mb