Mackworth is a suburb of the city of

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

, England. It is located to the northwest of the city, near

Markeaton Park Markeaton Park is a large public park located in Markeaton, Derby, 207 acres in size. It attracts one million visitors a year, making it one of the most visited parks in the East Midlands. Markeaton Park is an important part of Derby history, whic ...

and the suburb of

Mickleover Mickleover is a village in the unitary authority of Derby, in Derbyshire, England. It is west of Derby, northeast of Burton upon Trent, southeast of Ashbourne and northeast of Uttoxeter. History The earliest recorded mention of Mickleov ...

, and forms part of the Mackworth &

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

ward. It is also known as Mackworth Estate, to distinguish it from the nearby village of Mackworth.

History

Development

The Mackworth Estate was built to meet the increasing demand for council housing in Derby. Construction began in May 1950, with the private company George Wimpey & Company initially handling the work. The first homes on Enfield Road were finished and occupied by 1951. The estate's main shopping centre on Prince Charles Avenue opened on 23 April 1959. The estate was home to Mackworth Secondary School (a mixed school) and Derby Parkfields Cedars School (for girls), which merged in 1975 to become Parkfields School. In 1989, Parkfields School combined with Mickleover School to form the

Murray Park School Murray Park School is a secondary school on Murray Road in Mickleover, Derby, England. It has about 1050 pupils, most of whom live in the Mickleover and Mackworth areas. Admissions It does not have a sixth form. History Murray Park was the f ...

. The Mackworth school site was later repurposed and became Mackworth College, which eventually became

Derby College Derby College is a further education provider with sites located within Derbyshire (Derby and South East Derbyshire – Ilkeston, Morley). It delivers training in workplace locations across England. Derby College Group is a member of the Colla ...

. After the school closed, the site was redeveloped for new housing in the 2010s.

Housing

A significant number of homes on the estate are now owner-occupied, though a significant amount of social housing remains. The area has low housing density and plenty of green space. There are also small bungalows, originally designed for older individuals. Greenwich Gardens, managed by Sanctuary Supported Living, provides apartments and communal facilities for over 55s. The extra care facility was built on the grounds of the Lois Ellis Home for the Blind after its closure.

Amenities

Amenities and facilities for local residents include shops, dentist, doctors, churches etc. A branch of the city library opened in late March 2010.

Road naming and design

During development in the 1950s, most of the roads in Mackworth were named after locations in London, with the exception of the main road, Prince Charles Avenue. Examples include Knightsbridge, Mayfair Crescent, Wembley Gardens, Bayswater Close, Mornington Crescent, and Sevenoaks Avenue. The estate was designed with curved streets to prevent people from using the roads as shortcuts or 'rat runs'.

Demographics

The 2021 Census reported a population of 15,498 for the Mackworth & New Zealand Ward, showing a 9.29% increase from 14,180 recorded in the 2011 Census.

Landmarks

Mackworth's most prominent landmark is a large water tower, owned by

Severn Trent Severn Trent plc is a water company based in Coventry, England. It supplies 4.6 million households and business across the Midlands and Wales. It is traded on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. Severn Trent, the ...

, which is visible from much of the estate.

Education

Mackworth is home to two primary schools and one independent school: Reigate Park Primary Academy on Reigate Drive, Brackensdale Spencer Academy on Walthamstow Drive, and Maple View School on Prince Charles Avenue.

Community facilities

Mackworth features three community spaces and shared common rooms. * Streatham Road managed by Derby Homes * Mackworth Youth and Community Centre managed by

Derby City Council Derby City Council is the Local government in England, local authority for the City status in the United Kingdom, city of Derby, in the ceremonial county of Derbyshire in the East Midlands region of England. Derby has had a council from medieval ...

* Mackworth Estate Community Hall managed b
Mackworth Estate Community Association

Places of worship

* St. Francis Mackworth on Prince Charles Avenue * Christ the King on Prince Charles Avenue * Mackworth United Reformed Church on Enfield Road

Transport

Bus routes

Mackworth bus services are operated by

Arriva Arriva Ltd. is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England. The company was originally established on 24 October 1938 as T Cowie Ltd. Initially focused on the sale of motorcycles, it relaunched shortl ...

, and Notts & Derby. * Arriva: 8 - Derby to Mackworth to Derby * Notts & Derby: Link 2 - Royal Derby Hospital - Mackworth - Royal Derby Hospital

Government

Mackworth and New Zealand is one of the eighteen wards in Derby, electing three councillors to

. The ward is represented by two councillors from the

Labour and Co-operative Party Labour and Co-operative Party (often abbreviated to Labour Co-op; ) is a description used by candidates in United Kingdom elections who stand on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party. Candidates contest elections under an el ...

and one from the Conservative Party. It is also part of the

Derby North Derby North () is a constituency formed of part of the city of Derby, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Catherine Atkinson from the Labour Party. It was previously held by Amanda Solloway, a Conservative. ...

constituency in the

UK Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...

, which has been represented in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

Catherine Atkinson Catherine Helen Atkinson is a British Labour Party politician and barrister serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Derby North since 2024. She defeated Conservative Amanda Solloway. Early life Two of her grandparents were Mexican-Amer ...

from the Labour Party since 2024.

References

External links

BBC community websiteMackworth Estate Community Association
{{Suburbs of Derby Areas of Derby Wards of Derby