Allestree is a suburb and

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

of the

city of Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby ga ...

, a unitary authority area, in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, England. It is the northernmost ward and is on the

A6 road This is a list of roads designated A6. * A006 road (Argentina), a road connecting Las Cuevas with the Christ the Redeemer monument in the border between Argentina and Chile * ''A6 highway (Australia)'' may refer to : ** A6 (Sydney), a road connec ...

, about north of Derby city centre. It is bordered by the district of

Amber Valley Amber Valley is a local government district and borough in the east of Derbyshire, England, taking its name from the River Amber. It covers a semi-rural zone with four main towns whose economy was based on coal mining and remains to some extent ...

along its western and northern edges and Erewash in its north-east corner. To the south it borders the ward of Mackworth and to the east the ward of

Darley Abbey Darley Abbey is a former historic mill village, now a suburb of the city of Derby, England. It is located approximately north of the city centre, on the west bank of the River Derwent, and forms part of the Darley ward along with Little Ches ...

. Allestree village was previously part of the Earl of Northumbria's estate before the Norman Conquest and was mentioned in the Domesday Book as part of the

Markeaton Markeaton is a suburban village within Derby in the East Midlands of England. It is in the Mackworth Ward of Derby City Council. The village lies on the narrow Markeaton Lane road. It is home to the popular Markeaton Park. The name is derived f ...

estate. The Allestree estate was acquired by the Mundy family in 1516 and stayed in the family until it was bought by Derby City Council in the early 20th century. The ward now contains the remaining parts of the village of Markeaton and became a parish in its own right in 1864 and was incorporated into the Borough of Derby in 1968. The ward is largely residential and has two parks, Allestree Park to the north and Markeaton Park to the south. Markeaton Park is the most used leisure facility in Derby with over 1 million visitors a year. The shopping needs of the area are met with the Park Farm shopping centre which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013 and at its inception was one of the largest of its kind in Europe.

History

Middle Ages

Before the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

, Allestree was a hamlet consisting of a few scattered dwellings that was part of the holding of the Earl of Northumbria. Later it was recorded in the

Domesday book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086 as ''Adelardestreu'', an outlier of the Manor of

held by Hugh, Earl of Chester. It was given by William the Conqueror to

Henry de Ferrers Henry de Ferrers (died by 1100), magnate and administrator, was a Norman who after the 1066 Norman conquest was awarded extensive lands in England. Origins He was the eldest son of Vauquelin de Ferrers and in about 1040 inherited his father's ...

as a reward for his work during the Conquest and later it passed to the Touchet family of Markeaton. During the 12th century, most of the land changed hands and was sold to the Abbey of St Mary, in Darley, and then rented back to the Touchet family. It was purchased by Sir John Mundy along with the estates of Markeaton and Mackworth from

Lord Audley Baron Audley is a title in the Peerage of England first created in 1313, by writ to the Parliament of England, for Sir Nicholas Audley of Heighley Castle, a member of the Anglo-Norman Audley family of Staffordshire. The third Baron, the last ...

in 1516 and stayed in the family's possession until it was sold to the Evans family in 1781. Between 1660 and 1690, Derby was represented in Parliament by

Roger Allestry Roger Allestry (ca. 1620 – 1 February 1665) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1665. Allestry was the son of Thomas Allestry of Alvaston, Derbyshire and his second wife Constance Isley. He was a commission ...

and his son William Allestry. They took their name from the village, rather than vice versa.

Allestree village

Allestree was formally a distinct rural settlement centred around St Edmund's Church. The old village centre was designated a Conservation Area by the City Council in September 1991. The designated area starts on Cornhill encompassing part of the golf course on Allestree Park. All houses on St Edmund Close, Siddals Lane, The Poplars and the area to the north of Church Walk are included, as well as St Edmund's Church and the adjacent Red Cow inn. The area surrounding the old village centre contains seven listed buildings, the church being the oldest." It dates from the 12th century, but all that remains of the original building is the ornately carved Romanesque doorway. The village became a parish in its own right in 1864 and was incorporated into the Borough of Derby in 1968. Parts of the civil parish of Markeaton were incorporated into Allestree in 1934. Markeaton was originally a large estate that spread out through the northwest of Derby. It contained three outlying settlements that would later become Manors in their own right: Allestree, Knivedon, and Mackworth. It was owned at the time, as was Allestree, by Earl Hugh of Chester and controlled by a member of the Touchet family. The area now within Allestree contains what is left of the old village centre, which is Markeaton Manor, its grounds and Markeaton park. Substantial development in the 1960s and 1970s led to the incorporation of Allestree into the borough of Derby in 1968.

Geography

Allestree is the northernmost ward of the district of Derby and as such its northern and western borders are mainly countryside as the ward gives way to the district of Amber Valley. The border with Darley to the east follows the A38 from Ashbourne Road

roundabout A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...

until it crosses the River Derwent. The border then follows the river, then crosses the A6 and follows the border of Allestree Park. To the south the border runs along Ashbourne Road from the A38 to Markeaton Lane until it meets Markeaton Brook, which it follows. It then runs along Kedleston Road which it leaves and goes behind

Woodlands Community School Allestree Woodlands School (formerly Woodlands School) is a coeducational academy secondary school and sixth form in Derby, England. Admissions The academy currently has around 1,350 students on roll. The school enrols an average of 220 student ...

and Laburnum Crescent and finishes at Allestree Park. The geology of the area consists of thick sandstones and marls formed in desert conditions in the Triassic period, some 250 million years ago, and thin-bedded sandstones and shales formed 300 million years ago in the Carboniferous period. Most of Britain at this time was a huge delta carrying vast amounts of sediment. These belong to the Millstone Grit formation which makes up much of the

Peak District The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southe ...

. Allestree's highest point is in the northern part of Allestree Park next to the water tower. This is also the highest part of the city of Derby.

Gallery

File:Geology Derby.png, Allestree lies on Upper Triassic sandstones and clays. File:St.Edmunds.Church.JPG, St Edmund's Church (2007). File:High-rise housing in Allestree, Derby.jpg, High-rise housing in Allestree (2021).

Climate

Because of its location in southern Derbyshire, Allestree has a

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Cfb'') with a small variation in daily and annual temperatures. The warmest month is July, with an average temperature range of 11.4 °C to 21.3 °C, and the coolest month is January, with a range of 1.2 °C to 6.9 °C. Maximum and minimum temperatures throughout the year are around the England average, and as with most of England, Allestree is in AHS Heat zone 2. South Derbyshire's average annual rainfall is about , with October to January being the wettest period but October being the wettest month, compared with the national average of .

Landmarks

Allestree Park and Hall

The area known as Allestree Park was

enclosed Enclosure or Inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or "common land" enclosing it and by doing so depriving commoners of their rights of access and privilege. Agreements to enclose land ...

in about 1818 and lies in the northern part of Allestree just inside the city boundaries. It has over of parkland, an 18-hole golf course, a permanent orienteering course and an angling lake. The park area, not including the golf course, has been designated a nature reserve because of the diversity of habitats and species present. The main habitats present within the reserve include a large area of woodland to the north, a number of fields with a mixture of quality of grassland and a stream that flows through the site and a number of associated marshes. Allestree Hall is a 19th-century former country house in Allestree Park. It is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

made of millstone grit from Derwent Bank. The house was begun by Bache Thornhill and completed by John Giradot (

High Sheriff of Derbyshire High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift t ...

) with three storeys and five bays, the central three bowed with an ionic columned porch. Since the 1980s the hall has been unoccupied, and was included in the English Heritage at Risk Register 2010, which states that the internal condition of the building is poor but fair overall. The city and English Heritage are looking to find a suitable scheme to enable its redevelopment. , it remained on the Heritage at Risk register.

Markeaton Park

Markeaton Park lies in the south of the suburb, bordering

Mackworth Estate Mackworth is a suburb and electoral ward of the city of Derby, England. Is it located on the north-west of the city near to Markeaton Park and the suburb of Mickleover. It is also known as Mackworth Estate, to distinguish it from the nearby Mackw ...

below and

to the east. The park has a long history, being used to raise deer and boar as far back as the 1500s. A hall was built on the estate in the 16th century though the exact dates are unknown; this was demolished in 1755 and a new hall erected in the same location designed by James Denstone of Derby. In 1964 Markeaton Hall was demolished because of neglect and structural damage caused during the army's stay there. The only remnants of the original hall are the late 18th-century Grade II listed

orangery An orangery or orangerie was a room or a dedicated building on the grounds of fashionable residences of Northern Europe from the 17th to the 19th centuries where orange and other fruit trees were protected during the winter, as a very large ...

that is used as a café, a number of walled gardens and ornamental gardens such as the formal terrace, the Rose Garden and herbaceous borders. In September 1975 the park and its surroundings were designated a Conservation Area and Markeaton Park today is a public park covering approximately and the most-used leisure facility in Derby, with over 1 million visitors per year. A variety of activities are spread throughout the park, including a boating lake, pitch and putt course, children's playground, mini golf course and a light railway. The park attracts people from around Derby but also from smaller surrounding towns such as Belper,

Ilkeston Ilkeston is a town in the Borough of Erewash, Derbyshire, England, on the River Erewash, from which the borough takes its name, with a population at the 2011 census of 38,640. Its major industries, coal mining, iron working and lace making/texti ...

and Ashbourne and even from as far as

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

and

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

. Markeaton Park can, therefore, be considered to be of regional significance.

Public houses

There are four public houses in Allestree: The Markeaton (a former hotel on Allestree Lane), The Woodlands (an "estate" pub on Blenheim Drive), The Red Cow (the old village pub next to St Edmund's Church), and Allestree British Legion (on Cornhill). During the 1960s the Park Farm Hotel was opened at Park Farm Shopping Centre, but this closed and was boarded up in October 2003 and has since been transformed into a fitness gym. A new micropub in the Park Farm Centre opened in 2017 named The Pothole, as a nod to the affectionate nickname given to the basement bar of the nearby Park Farm Hotel. Another micropub, No. 189, recently opened at Blenheim Parade. The Joiners Arms, The Jonty Farmer and The Broadway are all just outside outskirts of Allestree but are frequented by residents.

Old village centre

The historical village centre is centred on the junction of St Edmund's Close, Cornhill and Park Lane. This area has the majority of listed buildings within the ward, with the 12th-century St Edmund's Church, Red Cow inn and Old School house along St Edmund's Close and three properties along Cornhill. Yew Tree Cottage is further along Cornhill away from the village centre, but is the only timber-framed and thatched cottage left in the area.

Demography

At the 2011 census Allestree had a population of 13,622 spread out over its hectares. The population is predominantly white and born in England, with 95.6% declaring themselves white at the 2011 census. Only 8.24% of Allestree residents were born outside England with that figure dropping to 4.54% for outside the UK. Under-16s account for 17% of the population while over-75s account for 11.35%, which is higher than the national average 7.54%: this is reflected by a high mean age. The area is largely Christian, 68.8% identifying themselves as such, according to the 2011 census. The oldest church in the ward is St Edmund's Church (Anglican) which has parts that date back to the 12th century. There are six churches in total in the suburb. After Christianity the largest group is "No religion" then followed in descending order by Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism,

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

, Other and

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

. The ward experienced large expansion in the 1930s when the area surrounding the historic village centre was developed; this is reflected in the increase in population between the 1931 and 1951 Census. A second wave of development occurred during the 1960s and 1970s around the Park Farm and Blenheim Drive areas, which resulted in the ward being incorporated into the Borough of Derby.

Economy

Measured against the Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2010, Allestree falls within the top 5% least deprived with Derby as a whole being in the top 25%. Allestree is a largely residential ward and does not have large-scale business in the area. At the 2001 census the unemployment rate was lower at 3.6% than the English average of 5.8%, with 25.67% of those being long-term unemployed compared with the national average of 30.26%. Allestree residents are less likely to work within the city centre than other areas of the city and tend to travel further for work than other wards. The main employers within the ward are the University of Derby, which employs around 3000 people, and the shops and businesses within Park Farm. Park Farm Shopping Centre is a shopping centre located on Birchover way. It was opened in October 1963 and at the time was one of the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre was designed by Burton architects William Blair and Partners and was built on farmland. At the time of its 50th anniversary in 2013 it had a vacancy rate 4% lower than the national average. The centre contains a variety of shops and services, including a doctors' surgery, a library and small businesses. University of Derby

Education

There are two primary schools in Allestree: Portway Junior School on Robincroft Road, and Lawn Primary School on Norbury Close behind Park Farm. At the 2007

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...

inspection, Portway had 298 students from age 7–11. The report gave the school an overall score of Good, saying, however, that personal development and well-being were Outstanding. Lawn is a larger school than Portway (owing to Portway being split into separate infant and junior schools) and at the 2016 Ofsted report had 395 children from age 4–11 on roll. The school was said to be Outstanding.

Allestree Woodlands School Allestree Woodlands School (formerly Woodlands School) is a coeducational academy secondary school and sixth form in Derby, England. Admissions The academy currently has around 1,350 students on roll. The school enrols an average of 220 student ...

is the local secondary school with a

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

, catering for around 1150 pupils aged 11–18. In the 2014 Ofsted inspection report it was rated Good. It was a former secondary modern school, becoming comprehensive in September 1975. The

University of Derby , mottoeng = Experience is the best teacher , established = 1851 – Teacher Training College1992 – gained university status , type = Public , chancellor = William Cavendish, Ear ...

has its main campus within the ward. It is situated on Kedleston Road and has been since the buildings were opened in 1960 for the College of Technology.

Sport

Allestree Football Club is the main adult football team in the area; they play their home games at Eye's Meadow. Allestree Juniors Football Club are a youth football club within the Derby City Youth Football League. The club was founded in 1977 with a single team, but by their 25th anniversary in 2012 this had grown to 29, covering ages from under 7 to under 18. Their most famous alumnus is

Nigel Clough Nigel Howard Clough (born 19 March 1966) is an English professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Mansfield Town. Playing predominantly as a forward, but later in his career used as a midfielder, Clough was c ...

, whose father,

Brian Clough Brian Howard Clough ( ; 21 March 1935 – 20 September 2004) was an English football player and manager, primarily known for his successes as a manager with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. He is one of four managers to have won the Englis ...

, also acted as the club President at the time. Woodlands Football Club are a girls' football club, established in 2007, based at Woodlands School. The club has teams across seven age groups from under-9s to Ladies, and play competitive football in both the Derbyshire Girls and Ladies League and the Nottinghamshire Girls and Ladies League. Allestree Cricket Club is an English amateur

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

club, founded in 1860. The club has been based on Allestree Recreation Ground since 1895. Allestree have two Saturday senior XI teams that compete in the

Derbyshire County Cricket League The Premier Division of the Derbyshire County Cricket League is the top level of competition for recreational club cricket in Derbyshire, England, and is a designated ECB Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Assoc ...

, and a Sunday XI side for local friendly matches. Allestree Crown Green Bowls Club is a member of the South Derbyshire Crown Green Bowling Association. Allestree Park Golf Club, on Allestree Hall estate, was established in 1947 and is an 18-hole, par 68, course. Alan Bates BP IMG 0282

Notable people

Alan Bates Sir Alan Arthur Bates (17 February 1934 – 27 December 2003) was an English actor who came to prominence in the 1960s, when he appeared in films ranging from the popular children's story '' Whistle Down the Wind'' to the " kitchen sink" dram ...

, actor, was born here in 1934 and lived on Derwent Avenue. *

, football manager and player, lived in Ferrers Way, Allestree during the glory days of

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...

(1967–1973). *

, former manager of Derby County, Sheffield United and Burton Albion, and former Nottingham Forest and Liverpool footballer, attended both Lawn Primary and Woodlands Community Schools. He played for Allestree Juniors, the local Sunday League team. *

Septimus Atterbury Septimus Atterbury (18 October 1880 – 1964) was an English footballer who made 88 appearances in the Football League for Loughborough, Barnsley, Leicester Fosse and Plymouth Argyle, and 410 in the Southern League for Swindon Town and Plymout ...

, footballer, was born in Allestree. *

Felix Dodds Felix Dodds is a British author, futurist, and activist. Born as Michael Nicholas Dodds he took the name Felix Dodds, when he was 18. He stood in Mid Derbyshire (UK Parliament constituency) for the Liberal Democrats in the 2019 General Electio ...

, sustainable development activist and author, was born here in 1956.

References

External links

* {{Suburbs of Derby Areas of Derby Former civil parishes in Derbyshire Wards of Derby