St Peter's Church, Chellaston - geograph

Chellaston is a suburban village on the southern outskirts 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 g ...

, 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.

History

An early mention of Chellaston is thought to be a reference to Ceolarde's hill. This is mentioned in a 1009 charter when nearby land was given to

Morcar Morcar (or Morkere) ( ang, Mōrcǣr) (died after 1087) was the son of Ælfgār (earl of Mercia) and brother of Ēadwine. He was the earl of Northumbria from 1065 to 1066, when he was replaced by William the Conqueror with Copsi. Dispute with t ...

by Ethelred the Unready. Historically, Chellaston has been part of the Hundred of Repton and Gresley. Chellaston was a separate village and was worth three shillings when the king gave it 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 ...

in the 11th century.''Domesday Book: A Complete Translation''. London: Penguin, 2003. p.748-9 It is mentioned as "Celerdestune" in the Domesday Book. Throughout the centuries, Chellaston grew slowly. By 1676, the village had grown to a population of around 140, and there were still only 42 houses in Chellaston in 1789. There may have been up to two manor houses in Chellaston, but these residences were abandoned sometime around the 17th century. One of them is thought to have been located at the end of the present-day Manor Road. It is rumoured that

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

was born at a manor house in Chellaston. This claim is mentioned in several directories and gazetteers published in the 19th century, but there is no evidence to substantiate this legend. However,

Philip Marc Philip Marc (also Mark) was a High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and the Royal Forests in 1208. Marc has been proposed as a candidate for the role of Sheriff of Nottingham in the legend of Robin Hood.sheriff at the time of the robin hoods legend, had real associations with Chellaston. Memoirs Illustrative of the History and Antiquities of the County and City of York
Communicated to the Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, York, July, 1816, p126, with a General Report of the Proceedings of the Meeting, and Catalogue of the Museum Formed on that Occasion By Royal Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Royal Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, accessed 16 September 2008 Chellaston was once one of the largest producers of mined

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral or rock that is soft, often used for carving, and is processed for plaster powder. Archaeologists and the stone processing industry use the word differently from geologists. The former use it in a wider sense that include ...

in the United Kingdom, which was used to produce Nottingham Alabaster. By the end of the 18th century, Chellaston was exporting its poor grades of alabaster as

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywal ...

and it was transported via the local canals for markets in Derby and The Potteries. It was even used by

Josiah Wedgwood Josiah Wedgwood (12 July 1730 – 3 January 1795) was an English potter, entrepreneur and abolitionist. Founding the Wedgwood company in 1759, he developed improved pottery bodies by systematic experimentation, and was the leader in the indus ...

for plaster moulds to shape his pottery. The remains of Chellaston's pits can be found at the bottom of Pit Close Lane and Woodgate Drive, and the site is now popular with BMX bikers and teenagers. Chellaston grew substantially between 1880 and 1950, with a number of areas being developed for housing. These developments included housing around Glenwood Road, Station Road, and north of Sutton Avenue. After 1950, the village grew even more: houses were built in the Springfield Road and St Peter's Road areas, among others. By the 1990s, extensive housing complexes had emerged, most notably on Sutton Avenue, Maple Drive, and Parkway. As of 2009, Chellaston has become a large Derby suburb; much larger than the original village. Two distinct housing estates to the east and west of the centre have been built. The eastern estate can be found on Snelsmoor Lane, and the west estate sprawls in an arc from the Bonnie Prince public house on Swarkestone Road to the bottom of Sinfin Moor Lane and Baltimore Bridge.

Government

Chellaston formerly lay within the

South Derbyshire South Derbyshire is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. The population of the local authority at the 2011 Census was 94,611. It contains a third of the National Forest, and the council offices are in Swadlincote. The district ...

parliamentary constituency, but moved to Derby South following the electoral boundaries review of 2007. The newly formed Chellaston Fields settlement to the southern edge of Chellaston continue to fall under

. In local council elections, Chellaston is part of the Chellaston ward. The current councillors for Chellaston and Shelton Lock are Conservative's Harvey Jennings and two independent candidates, husband & wife, Philip and Celia Ingall as of 6 May 2022, with Celia replacing Conservative councillor, Ross McCristal.

Geography

Chellaston lies about south of Derby city centre, and is the southernmost part of the city. It borders Shelton Lock to the north and

to the south. The southern edge of Chellaston also known as Chellaston Fields, formed by Regents Place Estate and the adjacent Retail Park, falls under

District and isn’t part of Derby City.

Demography

At the 2011 United Kingdom census the population was 15,198 - an increase of 24.95% from 2001. 86.2% are White British, compared to 75.3% for Derby as a whole.

Economy

Chellaston has a Co-operative supermarket on the corner of High Street and Derby Road. The Post Office is located on Derby Road near Station Road, next to Chellaston Garage (a small car repair business) and a Cantonese takeaway – Ming's Court (which used to be a petrol station). A

Tesco Express Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...

was housed on the site next to the garage until April 2011, when it moved to new premises in the former Red Lion public house.

Culture and community

Chellaston has five

pubs A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, including the bars at the Lawns Hotel, Chellaston Bowls Club and the R&R Club on High Street. A new Community bar, named 'The Crossbar' will be opening in spring 2021. The bar is part of the Community Pavilion at Chellaston Park. The bowls club can be traced back to 1905. The others are: the Corner Pin, and The Bonnie Prince. The Red Lion pub on Derby Road closed in late 2007. The Rose and Crown pub was demolished in 2019 along with the Catholic church building to make way for a Lidl supermarket. Before being converted into a public house, The Bonnie Prince used to be a grand private residence named Home Lea, home to the Osbourne family in 1901. There is also a children's playground next to the Chellaston Community Centre, which is situated on Barley Croft, off High Street. In the late 2000s, a local public library was built between the community centre and the Co-operative supermarket. The site of the former Chellaston Brickworks is now a designated Local Nature Reserve. Chellaston has intermittently hosted an annual summer carnival complete with floats. Floats were contributed by local groups such as the Scouts and Guides, churches of all denominations, and Chellaston Junior School. The carnival usually took place on the

recreation ground A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...

, next to the community centre on Barley Croft, but has not been held since the late 1990s. The Chellaston Beauty

tulip Tulips (''Tulipa'') are a genus of spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes (having bulbs as storage organs). The flowers are usually large, showy and brightly coloured, generally red, pink, yellow, or white (usually in warm ...

was developed in the early 1850s; its flower has a white base and variegated tips in near black.

Landmarks

No.4 Swarkestone Road probably originates from the 16th century but has been much altered since. White House Farm on the High Street is a Grade II-listed farmhouse and stables dating from the early 18th century. Pear Tree Cottage at No.49 Derby Road has a plaque dated 1799, though this date is disputed. Opposite the church, at No.84 High Street, is the former village shop, which is Grade II-listed as it is relatively unchanged since the early 19th century.

Transport

The main road through Chellaston is Derby Road A514, which becomes Swarkestone Road at the crossroads with High Street. Approximately 1000 new homes have been built to the west of Chellaston, close to the route of the disused and in-filled

Derby Canal The Derby Canal ran from the Trent and Mersey Canal at Swarkestone to Derby and Little Eaton, and to the Erewash Canal at Sandiacre, in Derbyshire, England. The canal was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1793 and was fully completed in 179 ...

. Formerly, the suburb had its own

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

(at the bottom of Station Road), but little trace of the site exists today. The station's full name was Chellaston and Swarkestone. The main public transport link is the bus service, which journeys either side of Chellaston as far as Derby and Swadlincote.

Education

There are five schools; Chellaston Infant School on School Lane, Chellaston Junior School on Maple Drive, Homefields Primary School on Parkway and Chellaston Academy (senior school and 6th form college) on Swarkestone Road. Chellaston Academy's

catchment area In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

includes the nearby villages of Melbourne, Aston-on-Trent,

Ticknall Ticknall is a small village and civil parish in South Derbyshire, England. The population of the civil parish (including Calke) at the 2011 Census was 642. Situated on the A514 road, close to Melbourne, it has three pubs, several small business ...

, Barrow upon Trent and Weston-on-Trent. chellaston fields is the fifth school located near Aldi.

Religious sites

There are two churches in Chellaston: St. Peter's Church (

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

) on St. Peter's Road, and the

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 ...

Church on High Street. St. Peter's dates from the 15th century although it was largely rebuilt in 1842. The two churches have a signed an ecumenical covenant together, and hold a joint service every month. There used to be a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

church in Chellaston near Pear Tree Cottage on Derby Road. There also used to be the St. Ralph Sherwin Church Catholic on Swarkestone Road next to Chellaston School, but this was demolished in 2019 along with the Rose and Crown pub to make way for a Lidl supermarket.

Sport

Chellaston Park on Snelsmoor Lane includes a children's playground, football 3G floodlit courts and grass pitches, a

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 str ...

pitch and changing facilities.
3G_courts_at_Chellaston_Park

The pavilion and sporting facilities are managed by 'not for profit' organisation, Chellaston Leisure Limited. Chellaston_Park_Pavilion

AFC Chellaston (formally Chellaston Boys & Girls FC); an FA Charter Standard Community Football Club founded in 1992. The club is based at Snelsmoor Park in Chellaston. The club, run by volunteers, has approx. 50 teams, playing in the Derby, Burton and Nottingham junior and adult football leagues. Players are aged from 3 right through to adult and there are approx. 500 registered players within the club. Chellaston Cricket Club plays in the Derbyshire County Cricket Leagues, with adult and junior teams were formed in 2021 and have adopted Chellaston Park as their home ground.

Notable people

The following came from Chellaston: * Paul Aldred (former

cricketer) * JTBD Platts (former Derbyshire cricketer) * Frederick Forman (former Derbyshire cricketer) * Roberto S P King, forensic research scientist *

Georgia Groome Georgia Isobel Groome (born 11 February 1992) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles in the films ''London to Brighton'' (2006) and '' Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging'' (2008). Early life Groome was born on 11 February 1992 i ...

, actress, was a member of Chellaston Players theatre group

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Areas of Derby Alabaster Wards of Derby Former civil parishes in Derbyshire