Ilkeston - More Requests
w/e 12 September 2004 All this week's pictures were taken
with a Kodak DX6490
All of this week's images are as a result of emails sent
to me mentioning the locations shown on the map on the left.
The images were captured last week and cover three sites starting
at Kirk Hallam then travelling north to Heanor Road before returning
southwards to the Derby Road area. If there is a particular area
of the town, or in the vicinity that you would like to see, just
drop me a line and I'll do my best to oblige.
Jim
Garner wrote to me a little while ago from his home in Canada
and sent me a number of images which can be seen on the guest
page. He also mentioned Kirk Hallam and asked if I could take
a shot or two around the old part of the village such as the
church. It's always difficult to get a good angle from the gate
or of the tower due to the proximity of the trees but the view
above shows the church (dating mainly from the 14th and 15th
centuries although its origin is Norman) from the eastern end.
Jim also mentioned Ladywood Road which was his home before he
left Ilkeston and he wondered how much it had changed over the
years. Well this picture is in the vicinity of Jim's old abode
so no doubt he will notice any differences. One obvious change
will be the traffic light controlled pedestrian crossing outside
Ladywood Primary School in the middle distance.
Another school towards the other end of town is the subject of
the second request. Vicki Jeffery has also left Ilkeston but
has not gone quite as far away as Jim. She now lives just over
the Nottinghamshire border in Hucknall but only a couple of years
ago, Vicki was a pupil here at Granby Junior School on Heanor
Road.
The road has just been resurfaced
and is now resplendent with copious amounts of yellow and white
lines. Vicki has many happy memories of her time at Granby School
and probably passed through the gate shown above to the right
of the picture which is the main entrance to the school quite
often but she also has one very sad one. In her email to me she
recalls teacher Mr. Steve Stone who died of a form of cancer
and is missed by many of his former pupils. As a mark of respect
she asked for these images to mark the second anniversary of
his death. Happy to oblige Vicki.
For our final request in this selection we return southwards
to the former Oakwell Brickworks site off Derby Road. Harry Tizard
still lives in Ilkeston but said he would be delighted to see
some pictures of the area. The site has not been operational
for many years, is now derelict and has returned to nature. At
one point it was included in the Local Plan as a housing redevelopment
area but had to be withdrawn due to "contamination"
of the soil.
In its heyday the brickworks must
have been a wonderful sight to see but the Hoffman kiln that
is still there is now in a very sorry and dangerous state. Notices
warn of its condition and advise everyone to "KEEP OUT"
but they have not deterred the graffiti artists from leaving
their mark on the walls. The design of a Hoffman kiln was such
that it allowed brick production by perfecting the moving firing
zone thus allowing continuous loading and unloading. As this
is part of Ilkeston's heritage, it is worth recording it here
even in this dilapidated state before it eventually falls down
and is lost for ever. Thanks for the suggestion, Harry.