Belper is a town and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
in the
local government district
The districts of England (also known as local authority districts or local government districts to distinguish from unofficial city districts) are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. As the st ...
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 ...
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, located about north 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 gai ...
on the
River Derwent. As well as Belper itself, the parish also includes the village of
Milford Milford may refer to:
Place names Canada
* Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia
* Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia
* Milford, Ontario
England
* Milford, Derbyshire
* Milford, Devon, a place in Devon
* Milford on Sea, Hampshire
* Milford, Shro ...
and the hamlets of
Bargate
The Bargate is a Grade I listed medieval gatehouse in the city centre of Southampton, England. Constructed in Norman times as part of the Southampton town walls, it was the main gateway to the city. The building is a scheduled monument, which ...
, Blackbrook and Makeney. As of the
2011 Census, the parish had a population of 21,823. Originally a centre for the nail-making industry since Medieval times, Belper expanded during the early
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
to become one of the first
mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories, usually cotton mills or factories producing textiles. Europe
Italy
* ''Crespi d'Adda'', UNESCO World Her ...
s with the establishment of several
textile mill
Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...
s; as such, it forms part of the
Derwent Valley Mills
Derwent Valley Mills is a World Heritage Site along the River Derwent in Derbyshire, England, designated in December 2001. It is administered by the Derwent Valley Mills Partnership. The modern factory, or 'mill', system was born here in the 18 ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.
History
At the time of the
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
occupation, Belper was part of the land centred on
Duffield held by the family of
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 ...
. 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 records a manor of "Bradley" which is thought to have stood in an area of town now known as the Coppice. At that time it was probably within the
Forest of East Derbyshire
The Forest of East Derbyshire was, in the Middle Ages, an area of wooded heath between the rivers Derwent and the Erewash in Derbyshire.
Unlike the Forest of High Peak and Duffield Frith it was not taken over by William I, but became a royal fo ...
which covered the whole of the county east of the
Derwent. It was possibly appropriated by
William de Ferrers, 4th Earl of Derby
William II de Ferrers, 4th Earl of Derby (c. 1168 – c. 1247), was a favourite of King John of England. He succeeded to the estate (but not the title) upon the death of his father, William de Ferrers, 3rd Earl of Derby, at the Siege of Acre in 1 ...
at some time after it was disafforested in 1225 and became part of
Duffield Frith
Duffield Frith was, in medieval times, an area of Derbyshire in England, part of that bestowed upon Henry de Ferrers (or Ferrars) by King William, controlled from his seat at Duffield Castle. From 1266 it became part of the Duchy of Lancaster a ...
.
The town's name is thought to be a corruption of ''Beaurepaire'' – meaning beautiful retreat – the name given to a hunting lodge, the first record of which being in a charter of 1231. This would have been the property of
Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster
Edmund, Earl of Lancaster and Earl of Leicester (16 January 12455 June 1296) nicknamed Edmund Crouchback was a member of the House of Plantagenet. He was the second surviving son of King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence. In his chi ...
who died in 1296, the record of his estate mentioning "a capital mansion". The chapel built at that time still exists. Originally consecrated in 1250 as the Chapel of St Thomas, it was rededicated to St John during the reign of
King Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disag ...
. St John's Chapel is still in use today and is thought to be the oldest building still standing in Belper.
![Derwent Valley Mills East Mill Belper](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Derwent_Valley_Mills_East_Mill_Belper.JPG)
The coal deposits of Derbyshire are frequently associated with
ironstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical replacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron ore compound from which iron (Fe) can be smelted commercially. Not to be con ...
within the clay substrate. Initially obtained from surface workings, it would later have been mined in shallow bell pits. It is thought that this was important for the de Ferrers family, who were ironmasters in Normandy. By the reign of
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
Belper had grown to a substantial size. It is recorded that in 1609 fifty-one people died of
plague
Plague or The Plague may refer to:
Agriculture, fauna, and medicine
*Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis''
* An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural)
* A pandemic caused by such a disease
* A swarm of pes ...
. However, in a Parliamentary Commissioners' report of 1650 regarding Duffield and its chapelries, Belper is described as "a hamlet appertaining to Duffield".
From at least the 13th century there were forges in the Belper and Duffield areas and iron-working became a major source of income, particularly nail making. By the end of the 18th century there were around 500 workshops in the town supplying nails to the newly built
textile mill
Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...
s. The workshops were eventually superseded by machinery during the 19th century. Some of the nail-makers' houses are still in existence and form part of local tours of the town.
The
industrialist
A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...
Jedediah Strutt
Jedediah Strutt (1726 – 7 May 1797) or Jedidiah Strutt – as he spelled it – was a hosier and cotton spinner from Belper, England.
Strutt and his brother-in-law William Woollat developed an attachment to the stocking frame that allowed the ...
, a partner of
Richard Arkwright
Sir Richard Arkwright (23 December 1732 – 3 August 1792) was an English inventor and a leading entrepreneur during the early Industrial Revolution. He is credited as the driving force behind the development of the spinning frame, known as t ...
, built a water-powered cotton mill in Belper in the late 18th century: the second in the world at the time. With the expansion of the textile industry Belper became one of the first
mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories, usually cotton mills or factories producing textiles. Europe
Italy
* ''Crespi d'Adda'', UNESCO World Her ...
s. In 1784 Strutt built the
North Mill and, across the road, the West Mill. In 1803 the North Mill was burnt down and replaced by a new structure designed to be fireproof. Further extensions followed, culminating in the East Mill in 1913 – a present-day Belper landmark. Although no longer used to manufacture textiles the mill still derives electricity from the river, using turbine-driven generators.
Strutt had previously patented his "Derby Rib" for stockings, and the plentiful supply of cotton encouraged the trade of
framework knitting
A stocking frame was a mechanical knitting machine used in the textiles industry. It was invented by William Lee of Calverton near Nottingham in 1589. Its use, known traditionally as framework knitting, was the first major stage in the mechan ...
which had been carried on in the town and surrounding villages since the middle of the previous century. Mechanisation arrived about 1850, but by that time the fashion for stockings for men was disappearing. However elaborately patterned stockings, for ladies especially, were coming into vogue, and the output of the Belper "cheveners" was much in demand.
The construction of the
North Midland Railway
The North Midland Railway was a British railway company, which opened its line from Derby to Rotherham (Masbrough) and Leeds in 1840.
At Derby, it connected with the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at what ...
in 1840 brought further prosperity. Belper was the first place in the
UK to get gas lighting, at a works erected by the Strutts at
Milford Milford may refer to:
Place names Canada
* Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia
* Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia
* Milford, Ontario
England
* Milford, Derbyshire
* Milford, Devon, a place in Devon
* Milford on Sea, Hampshire
* Milford, Shro ...
. Demand was such that in 1850, the Belper Gas and Coke Company was formed, with a works in the present Goods Road. Electricity followed in 1922 from the Derby and Nottingham Electrical Power Company's works at
Spondon
Spondon is a ward of the city of Derby. Originally a small village, Spondon dates back to the Domesday Book and it became heavily industrialised in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with companies such as British Celanese.
History
The n ...
. The first telephones came in 1895 from the National Telephone Company. The end of the century also brought the motor car, CH218, owned by Mr. James Bakewell of The Elms being possibly the first.
Belper remained a textile and hosiery centre into the 20th century. Meanwhile, other companies were developing: iron founding led to Park Foundry becoming a leader in the solid-fuel central-heating market; Adshead and Ratcliffe had developed Arbolite putty for iron-framed windows; Dalton and Company, which had been producing lubricating oils, developed ways of recovering used engine oil proving useful during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. In 1938, A. B. Williamson had developed a substance for conditioning silk stockings; the introduction of nylon stockings after the Second World War seemed to make it redundant, but mechanics and fitters had discovered its usefulness in cleaning hands and it is still marketed by Deb Group as
Swarfega.
Government
Before 1983 the town gave its name to the
Belper constituency, which from 1945 to 1970 was the seat of
George Brown George Brown may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* George Loring Brown (1814–1889), American landscape painter
* George Douglas Brown (1869–1902), Scottish novelist
* George Williams Brown (1894–1963), Canadian historian and editor
* G ...
, the deputy leader of the Labour Party.
Administratively, Belper town council manages first tier local government services,
Amber Valley Borough and
Derbyshire County councils providing successively higher level services.
Geography
![Crossroads Farm at Blackbrook, Derbyshire (geograph 265210)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Crossroads_Farm_at_Blackbrook%2C_Derbyshire_%28geograph_265210%29.jpg)
Belper is north 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 gai ...
and is in the valley of the
River Derwent. The town had a population of 20,548 living in 8,790 households according to the
2001 census.
As well as Belper itself, the civil parish also includes the communities and hamlets of:
:*
Bargate
The Bargate is a Grade I listed medieval gatehouse in the city centre of Southampton, England. Constructed in Norman times as part of the Southampton town walls, it was the main gateway to the city. The building is a scheduled monument, which ...
:*
Belper Lane End
:* Blackbrook
:* Broadholm
:* Far Laund
:* Farnah Green
:* Makeney
:*
Milford Milford may refer to:
Place names Canada
* Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia
* Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia
* Milford, Ontario
England
* Milford, Derbyshire
* Milford, Devon, a place in Devon
* Milford on Sea, Hampshire
* Milford, Shro ...
:* Mount Pleasant
:* Openwoodgate
:* White Moor
Blackbrook
The hamlet of Blackbrook is located 2 miles (3 km) west of Belper on the
A517 Ashbourne road.
Openwoodgate
The adjoining community of Openwoodgate lies to the east, 1 mile from the centre of Belper. A small eastern portion, centred around Openwood Road and the Kilburn Lane section of the A609 road, containing the historic Ireton Houses cottages, and bordered by the
A38, is contained within
Denby
Denby is a village in the England, English county of Derbyshire that is notable as the birthplace of John Flamsteed, England's first Astronomer Royal, and the location of the Denby Pottery Company. The population at the 2001 Census was 1,827, in ...
parish.
Hills
Firestone Hill is to the west of the town by the parish boundary, and is the highest point at . Several masts for communications are positioned there.
Another local feature is Bessalone Hill at to the north. It also maintains radio masts.
Pinchom's Hill is north of Bargate, by Sandbed Lane. It is in height.
Wyver Nature Reserve
This lies west of the River Derwent and just north of Belper. The reserve lies on a nineteen-acre site and is part of the Derwent Valley Heritage Way. It is placed on a reoccurring flood plain which makes it an attractive place for wildlife, especially wading birds.
Economy
Belper's economy was traditionally reliant on manufacturing industry and numerous goods were made in the town. Cotton spinning and textile production were major employers virtually for much of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The large East Mill and the smaller North Mill are now all that remain of the industry and are preserved as part of the
Derwent Valley Mills
Derwent Valley Mills is a World Heritage Site along the River Derwent in Derbyshire, England, designated in December 2001. It is administered by the Derwent Valley Mills Partnership. The modern factory, or 'mill', system was born here in the 18 ...
world heritage site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.
During the Second World War,
Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to:
* Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct
Automobiles
* Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...
based the
Merlin
Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...
aero engine design team and
Robotham's engine design division developing the
Meteor
A meteoroid () is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space.
Meteoroids are defined as objects significantly smaller than asteroids, ranging in size from grains to objects up to a meter wide. Objects smaller than this are classified as micr ...
tank engine at Belper. After the Second World War, J. W. Thornton, the chocolate maker, moved into the town from
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 ...
, which helped to alleviate the employment problems arising from the contraction of the earlier industries. In 1985, the company relocated to a new site a few miles away in
Swanwick.
Today, the main employment sectors are retail and services although some manufacturing industry remains. The main shopping area is centred on King Street and Bridge Street. The town has three supermarkets, the Co-operative, Morrisons and Aldi. There are two discount shops, Poundland and B&M Bargains. There are smaller Tesco and Co-op supermarkets on the Whitemoor estate.
Transport
Road
The
A6 is the major through-road of the town and runs parallel to the River Derwent to the west.
Rail
Belper railway station is situated on the
Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway line in England from London to Nottingham and Sheffield in the Midlands. It comprises the lines from London's St Pancras station via Leicester, Derby/Nottingham and Chesterfield in the East Midlands.
...
. Regular trains between Derby and
Matlock on the
Derwent Valley Line are almost the only services to stop there, although one main line service to and from Sheffield stops on weekdays at times designed to assist Belper residents working in Sheffield. The group 'Friends of the Derwent Valley Line' are campaigning for more such services.
Buses
The town is served by regular bus services to Derby and surrounding towns and villages as well as longer routes to Manchester and London. The major operator is
Trent Barton
Trentbarton operates both local and regional bus services in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire, England. It is a subsidiary of the Wellglade Group.
History
In October 1913, Trent Motor Traction Company was found ...
who operate the bus garage on Bridge Street.
Religion
The oldest church still used for its original purpose is the Belper Unitarian Church, built in 1788. The present Methodist church was opened on 28 June 1807 and was originally built to hold 1,400 worshippers.
St Peter's Church, a prominent landmark in the town, was built in 1824 to replace the smaller 13th century St John's Chapel which is now used as a town council and heritage chamber. A second Anglican church,
Christ Church, was built in 1850. A local saying calls St Peter's "the
low church in the high place" and Christ Church "the
high church
The term ''high church'' refers to beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, liturgy, and theology that emphasize formality and resistance to modernisation. Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term originate ...
in the low place" based on their different liturgical traditions.
The town is also home to
Belper Baptist Church, a spiritualist, a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
,
Belper Congregational Church
Belper Congregational Church is a Grade II listed former congregational chapel on Green Lane in Belper, Derbyshire.
History
It was built to replace an earlier chapel of 1790 which the congregation had outgrown. It was designed by George Woodh ...
and a further
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
church at Openwoodgate, as well as Belper Community Church which meets at Whitemoor Day Centre three times a month.
Public services
Babington Hospital
Babington Hospital is a healthcare facility in Belper, Derbyshire, England. It is managed by the Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust.
History
The site chosen for the facility was known as Babington Meadow. The oldest part of ...
provides health services to the local people.
The town has a fire station, with one fire engine crewed by retained personnel.
Culture
Sport
Belper Town F.C.
Belper Town Football Club is a football club based in Belper, Derbyshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Christchurch Meadow. The club are nicknamed the "Nailers" due to the town's nail-making industry.
History
The club ...
play their home games at Christchurch Meadow
and are currently in the
Northern Premier League Premier Division
The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Division ...
. They are nicknamed the Nailers as a reference to the historical nail manufacturing industry in the town.
Belper Rugby Club play their home games at Strutt's Playing Field and are currently competing in RFU Midlands 3 East (North).
The club was founded in 1975.
Belper United F.C.
Belper United Football Club is a Association football, football club based in Belper, Derbyshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Coronation Park, the home of Eastwood C.F.C., Eastwood.
History
A Belper United was establ ...
is a football club based in Belper, Derbyshire, England. They are currently members of the
United Counties League
The United Counties League (also known after its sponsor as the ''Uhlsport United Counties League'') is an English football league covering Northamptonshire, Rutland and Bedfordshire and most of Leicestershire as well as parts of Buckinghamshi ...
Division One and play at Christchurch Meadow, the home of Belper Town.
Belper Meadows Cricket Club was founded in 1880 and still plays on Christchurch Meadows, formerly the private ground of Mr G H Strutt, which it took as its home when the ground on Derwent Street on which the Belper Cricket Club founded in 1857 had played became unavailable. The club was a founder member (1970) and three times champion of the Central Derbyshire Cricket League before that league merged with the Derbyshire County Cricket League in 1991.
Poetry Trail
In 2009, members from two of the town's poetry groups completed a poetry trail in memory of local poet Beth Fender, who died in 2002. Beth's Poetry Trail consists of 20 poems situated in a variety of locations in the town, such as outside Belper Library. Poems by
Emily Dickinson
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry.
Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massach ...
,
Philip Larkin
Philip Arthur Larkin (9 August 1922 – 2 December 1985) was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. His first book of poetry, '' The North Ship'', was published in 1945, followed by two novels, '' Jill'' (1946) and '' A Girl in Winter'' (1 ...
and
Spike Milligan
Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British Colonial India, where h ...
are included on the trail, as well as Beth's own poetry.
Awards
In 2014, Belper was presented with the High Street of the Year award for the Market Town category, as well as winning the award overall. The judges stated "Belper is blessed with a wonderful history as a World Heritage Site but has much to offer as a thriving market town as well. The judges felt that this outstanding application demonstrates how much more can be done to transform an outwardly successful town centre into a go-to destination for locals and visitors alike." Belper won against towns and high streets such as
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
,
Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay ( cy, Bae Colwyn) is a town, community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic county of Denbighshire. Eight neighbouring communities are incorpo ...
and many other places. Belper won a further award in the Champion High Street category in 2019.
Music
Belper Singers are an experienced chamber choir of some 25 voices, who sing both sacred and secular works. They give about five performances a year, including singing in various cathedrals.
Belper is also home to a weekly folk club welcoming singers, instrumentalists, poets, readers and audience members. Two traditional dance teams make their home in the town: Heage Windmillers (rapper) and Makeney Morris (Cotswold morris).
Andy Sneap
Andy Sneap (born 18 July 1969) is an English guitarist, record producer and composer with over 100 albums to his name, most of which have been produced at his Backstage Recording studios in rural Derbyshire. Some of the most critically acclaime ...
(born in Belper) is a Grammy-winning music producer, songwriter and guitarist with British
heavy metal band
Hell
In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...
. He is one of the most active and successful music producers in the metal music genre, with over 100 albums produced at his Backstage Recording studios in the rural outskirts of the town.
The Belper Moo
The Belper Moo began in March 2020, in response to the nationwide lockdown prompted by the
COVID-19 crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. Started by Belper resident Jasper Ward, it was advertised on social media as a means of 'fighting lockdown stress, boredom and loneliness'. At 6.30pm, every evening, Belper residents were encouraged to mimic a cow's moo from their windows, doorways and gardens while following social distancing guidelines. The idea quickly caught the imagination of the people and Belper and spread rapidly around the town. Many residents fashioned their own devices for amplifying their moos, which became known as 'Moocraphones', 'Didgerimoos', Megamoophones' and 'Saxamoophones'. Following coverage on BBC radio and on BBC Online, 'The Moo' attracted media attention worldwide. Residents uploaded their 'moos' to the internet and a number of creative responses followed including songs, craft projects and poems. By early May, The Belper Moo had been participated in by thousands of residents for over 50 days. The Moo was resurrected during the November 2020 lockdown.
Pride in Belper
Belper has an annual Pride event, supporting the LGBT community, usually the first Saturday in August. This started in 2019 and has grown into a large community event with a parade, music and arts activities.
Belper Arts Trail
The annual Belper Arts Trail is an artist led initiative which aims for artists to exhibit and promote their work. It began in 2014 when two artists wanted to help strengthen the local artistic community and to find interesting and creative solutions to the lack of dedicated space in Belper for artists to exhibit. Utilising every possible space as a venue over the Arts Trail weekend art can now be found in a variety of unusual spaces.
With Belper and Derbyshire overflowing with artistic talent it was felt that Belper really needed an interactive trail of creativity which has now grown each year to become a key Derbyshire event. The trail takes place annually over the May Day Bank Holiday.
Education
Primary schools
There are eight primary schools which feed the single secondary school:
* Holbrook Primary School;
* St Elizabeth's Catholic Voluntary Academy;
* St John's Church of England Primary School;
* Herbert Strutt Primary School;
* Pottery Primary School;
* Long Row Primary School;
* Ambergate Primary School;
* Milford Primary School.
Secondary schools
Belper School
Belper School and Sixth Form Centre is a foundation secondary school located in the north-east of Belper, Derbyshire, England. In October 2019, Ofsted reported that its overall effectiveness is 'Needs Improvement'.
It has received Healthy School ...
and Sixth Form Centre
has approximately 1,400 pupils aged 11–18. It was originally named "Belper High School" when it was built in 1973, and is adjacent to Belper Leisure Centre. Famous people to have attended the school include
Ross Davenport
Ross Paul Davenport (born 23 May 1984) is an English competitive swimmer who has represented Great Britain in the Olympics, world and European championships, and swam for England in the Commonwealth Games. He won two gold medals in the 2006 Com ...
– winner of two swimming gold medals at the
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 (Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...
– and
Alison Hargreaves
Alison Jane Hargreaves (17 February 1962 – 13 August 1995) was a British mountain climber. Her accomplishments included scaling Mount Everest alone, without supplementary oxygen or support from a Sherpa team, in 1995. She soloed all the great ...
, holder of a number of mountaineering records.
![Belper - Herbert Strutt School - Front](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Belper_-_Herbert_Strutt_School_-_Front.jpg)
Herbert Strutt Grammar School was among the Strutt family's bequests to the town. It became a middle school in 1973, with the opening of the new Belper High School, and latterly a primary school, in use as such until spring 2008 when it was replaced by a new building on a different site. Notable among its pupils were the actors
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 ...
and
Timothy Dalton
Timothy Leonard Dalton Leggett (; born 21 March 1946) is a British actor. Beginning his career on stage, he made his film debut as Philip II of France in the 1968 historical drama ''The Lion in Winter''. He gained international prominence as ...
.
For a number of years from 1979, the innovative
Rowen House School
Rowen House was an independent British boarding school founded in 1979 in Belper, Derbyshire. The name was not a misspelling, but a reference to the Utopian thinker and eutopian practitioner, Robert Owen. This "educational experiment" used the ...
provided education on
democratic principles
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...
. Also, during the 1970s and 1980s, Belper was the site of an experimental three-tier education system, comprising a number of primary schools (age 5–9 years, referred to as "first" schools), feeding into two main secondary schools (age 9–13 years, referred to as "middle schools"), pupils from both then usually attended a single American-style high school (age 13–18 years). In the mid-1980s, this scheme was abandoned, and the current two-tier system adopted. At the same time, one of the two secondary schools, Parks Secondary School, was closed down and the buildings, which were in a poor state of repair, demolished. In recent years, the site of the former Parks Secondary School has been used for a new school.
International links
Belper is
twinned with
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence and East Providence to the south, Central Falls ...
after
Samuel Slater
Samuel Slater (June 9, 1768 – April 21, 1835) was an early English-American industrialist known as the "Father of the American Industrial Revolution" (a phrase coined by Andrew Jackson) and the "Father of the American Factory System". In the ...
– an apprentice of Jedediah Strutt – went there and founded the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
cotton spinning industry.
Belper made international news in 2001 after rejecting a gift of a large fibreglass
Mr. Potato Head
Mr. Potato Head is an American toy brand consisting of a plastic model of a potato "head" to which a variety of plastic parts can attach — typically ears, eyes, shoes, hat, nose, pants and mouth.
Mr. Potato Head was invented and manufact ...
model from Pawtucket, as some residents considered it "hideous". The statue was refurbished and returned in 2015, though opinion is still divided.
Notable residents
*
Tom Ballard
Thomas Colin Ballard (born 26 November 1989) is an Australian comedian, radio and television presenter.
Early life
Ballard was born to parents Judy and Neil Ballard and grew up in Warrnambool, Victoria. He attended Brauer Secondary College ...
, rock climber and alpinist, who was the first mountaineer to climb the six major alpine north faces solo in a single winter season.
*
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, attended Strutt's School
*
Maxwell Caulfield
Maxwell Caulfield (né Maxwell P.J. Newby; born 23 November 1959) is a British-American film, stage, and television actor and singer. He has appeared in ''Grease 2'' (1982), '' Electric Dreams'' (1984), '' The Boys Next Door'' (1985), ''The Su ...
, stage, film and television actor
*
Barry Coope
Coope Boyes and Simpson was an English vocal Folk music, folk trio, formed around 1990. Their sound was rich and often had unusual vocal harmonies.
The group comprised singers Barry Coope, Jim Boyes (formerly of Swan Arcade) and Lester Simpson, a ...
(1954–2021), folk musician, was born here
*
Timothy Dalton
Timothy Leonard Dalton Leggett (; born 21 March 1946) is a British actor. Beginning his career on stage, he made his film debut as Philip II of France in the 1968 historical drama ''The Lion in Winter''. He gained international prominence as ...
, actor, the fourth
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
, was brought up here
*
Ross Davenport
Ross Paul Davenport (born 23 May 1984) is an English competitive swimmer who has represented Great Britain in the Olympics, world and European championships, and swam for England in the Commonwealth Games. He won two gold medals in the 2006 Com ...
, Commonwealth games double gold medalist swimmer
*
Monica Edwards
Monica Edwards (née Monica le Doux Newton; 8 November 1912 – 18 January 1998) was an English children's writer of the mid-twentieth century best known for her Romney Marsh and Punchbowl Farm series of children's novels.
Early life
She was ...
, children's writer, was born here in 1912
*
Alison Hargreaves
Alison Jane Hargreaves (17 February 1962 – 13 August 1995) was a British mountain climber. Her accomplishments included scaling Mount Everest alone, without supplementary oxygen or support from a Sherpa team, in 1995. She soloed all the great ...
, mountain climber, known for scaling Mount Everest unaided and soloing all the great north faces of the Alps in a single season, grew up in Belper and attended Belper High School
*
Will Hay
William Thomson Hay (6 December 1888 – 18 April 1949) was an English comedian who wrote and acted in a schoolmaster sketch that later transferred to the screen, where he also played other authority figures with comic failings. His film '' O ...
, comedian and actor, lived in Belper while performing locally in the 1920s
*
Andrew Jarrett
Andrew Jarrett (born 9 January 1958) is a former professional tennis player from the United Kingdom.
Jarrett was educated at Millfield from 1969 to 1975. He enjoyed most of his tennis success while playing doubles. During his career he won one ...
, tournament referee at
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
for 14 years from 2006
*
Suzy Kendall
Suzy Kendall (born Freda Harriet Harrison; 1 January 1937 ) is a British retired actress best known for her film roles in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Personal life
Born in Belper, Derbyshire, Kendall attended Derby & District College of A ...
, first wife of Dudley Moore, actress in British and Italian films
*
John Lawton, novelist, author of ''Black Out'' and ''Blue Rondo'', was born here
*
Penelope Mortimer
Penelope Ruth Mortimer (née Fletcher; 19 September 1918 – 19 October 1999) was a Welsh-born English journalist, biographer, and novelist. Her semi-autobiographical novel ''The Pumpkin Eater'' (1962) was made into a 1964 film of the same name. ...
, novelist, author of ''The Pumpkin Eater'', was the daughter of the vicar of St Peter's church
*
Tracy Shaw
Tracy Shaw (born 27 July 1973) is a British actress and singer.
Early life
Shaw was born into the hotel and pub trade, at the time when her parents ran the Talbot Hotel in Belper, Derbyshire. She attended Saint Ralph Sherwin Comprehensive Schoo ...
, actress, played
Maxine Peacock
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' in 1995, by order of first appearance.
Daniel Osbourne
Daniel Osbourne is the son of Ken Barlow (William Roache) and Denise Osbourne (Denis ...
(1995–2003) in ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
''
*
Samuel Slater
Samuel Slater (June 9, 1768 – April 21, 1835) was an early English-American industrialist known as the "Father of the American Industrial Revolution" (a phrase coined by Andrew Jackson) and the "Father of the American Factory System". In the ...
, "father of the
American Industrial Revolution
The technological and industrial history of the United States describes the United States' emergence as one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world. The availability of land and literate labor, the absence of a landed arist ...
", grew up on Chevin Road
[Everett et al. (Slater Study Group) (2006) ''"Samuel Slater – Hero or Traitor?"'' Milford, Derbyshire: Maypole Promotions] and apprenticed at
Milford Milford may refer to:
Place names Canada
* Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia
* Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia
* Milford, Ontario
England
* Milford, Derbyshire
* Milford, Devon, a place in Devon
* Milford on Sea, Hampshire
* Milford, Shro ...
*
Admiral Sir Trevor Alan Soar, former
Commander in Chief Fleet of the Royal Navy, was born in Belper.
*
Bombardier Charles Stone who was awarded the
VC was born, and is buried, here
*
Jedediah Strutt
Jedediah Strutt (1726 – 7 May 1797) or Jedidiah Strutt – as he spelled it – was a hosier and cotton spinner from Belper, England.
Strutt and his brother-in-law William Woollat developed an attachment to the stocking frame that allowed the ...
, inventor and industrialist, opened his first mill in Belper (1777)
*
Frank Swettenham
Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham (28 March 1850 – 11 June 1946) was a British colonial administrator who became the first Resident general of the Federated Malay States, which brought the Malay states of Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and ...
, colonial ruler of Malaya, author, was born in Belper in 1850.
Frank Swettenham at biography.com
Retrieved June 2007
*Nigel Vardy
Nigel Vardy is an English mountaineer whose experiences of recovering from severe frostbite injuries led him to become a motivational speaker and author.
Vardy was rescued after being overtaken by darkness at high altitude on a climb of Denali ...
, mountaineer, grew up in Belper and attended Long Row Primary School, Herbert Strutt Middle School and Belper High School
*Ron Webster
Ron Webster (born 21 June 1943, in Belper) is an English former association football player, who spent nearly all his career playing for his local team Derby County F.C., Derby County. Webster played at right back. Webster was always a fans' fa ...
, professional footballer, born in Belper in 1943. A full back, Webster played 455 league games for 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 ...
between 1960 and 1978.
See also
* Listed buildings in Belper
References
* Naylor, P. ''(Ed)'' (2000) ''An Illustrated History of Belper and its Environs'' Belper: M.G.Morris
External links
Love Belper Website
Belper Town Council
Belper Research Website
{{authority control
Towns in Derbyshire
Towns and villages of the Peak District
Geography of Amber Valley
Civil parishes in Derbyshire