Chesterfield is a historic market town in Derbyshire.
The town has been home to a market since 1204 and nowadays two hundred and fifty stalls can be found in the town centre every Monday, Friday and Saturday plus a flea market on Thursday.
Chesterfield benefited from the railway in 1837 as whilst under construction a large seam of coal was discovered. George Stevenson, builder of the railway line, exploited the ironstone and coal findings by setting up and trading a mineral company.
Chesterfield is known for the Crooker Spire of the church of St. Mary and All Saints. The spire both twists and leans at 45 degrees and 9ft. 6 ins from true centre. The problem is thought to arise from the fact that the builders were not very skilled as unseasoned timber was used and there is a lack of cross bracing.
During the last thirty years Chesterfield’s economy has undergone a major change. The town once had many coalmines but from 1981 to 2002 15,000 jobs in the coal industry were lost. All the collieries are now closed.
Many large factories and major employers have closed or relocated in the last ten years. The sites now have become a housing estate, leisure centre, business-park and a new football ground. GKN have downsized and Robinson’s have demolished several buildings and cut their work force by thousands.
Manufacturing has also been reduced by about 33% since 1991 though the number employed in manufacturing remains above the national average that shows how important it was to Chesterfield.
A new housing estate and shops are planned for a site next to Tescos.
The town’s biggest employer currently is the Post Office. A new Post Office is on the edge of town and also in town is the Royal Mail’s Pensions Service Centre.
There are plenty of shops in Chesterfield, Vicar Lane became pedestrianised in 2000 this large project created two new streets to house such stores as Woolworths, Argos and Bhs.
The Pavements Shopping Centre was opened in 1981 and large stores such as Boots opened here. This is commonly known as ‘The Precinct’. Somerfield was also situated here until a fire gutted the store in 2007 when the roof fell in luckily only a few shoppers’ received minor injuries.
The town’s library is sited over several floors and although it was part of the 1981 development it did not open until 1985. Chesterfield library, in 2003, was the eighth busiest library in the UK.
In the middle of town is an area of medieval streets known as ‘The Shambles’. The Royal Oak, one of Britain’s oldest pubs is situated here.
Property for rent is available in town with prices around £550 for a 2 bed bungalow and £500 for a 2 bed flat.
There is plenty of choice of restaurants in town including Chinese, Indian and Thai. Also in town are several nightclubs, pubs and bars. In the area known as the ‘Brampton Mile’ to the west of town has thirteen pubs. This year saw the town’s first lap dancing club open.
The Winding Wheel is a multi purpose venue that holds concerts, exhibitions, conferences and parties.
The Pomegranate Theatre is a Victorian listed building seating around 500 people and produces a variety of entertainment throughout the year.
The town provides facilities for many sports including athletics, rugby, football and cricket.
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