Ilkeston - Above The Rooftops
w/e 06 August 2006
All this week's pictures were taken with a Kodak DX6490

Life is full of ups and downs but you could certainly say this was the high point of my week as I climbed to the top of St Mary's Church tower to survey the surrounding district.

To The North

This is the view looking to the north and is directly down the hill that is Bath Street. From this height the slope is not readily apparent but in the middle distance the trees of Cotmanhay Wood rise above the rooftops on another piece of higher ground. Back in my childhood, I was told that Ilkeston was built on the last hill at the southern end of the Pennines and St Mary's stands on the top of that hill. The River Erewash runs through the valley to the right and forms the border with neighbouring Nottinghamshire. The river is crossed by the listed Bennerley Viaduct which can be seen at the right edge of the picture.
Southwards

In the opposite direction the view is over the Cantelupe Centre and Memorial Gardens in the foreground to the southern part of Ilkeston and beyond. From the left we can see the footbridge over Ilkeston's inner relief road, Chalons Way and the new housing development on the site that previously housed several schools. Just right of centre is the former Rutland Garments factory and almost in line with it is St Thomas' Roman Catholic Church beyond which are the white buildings of the South East Derbyshire College of Further Education. Market Street is the road on the right of the picture.
Cenotaph

The rest of the images on this page are towards the west, panning around the Market Place from the south to the north starting with this view of the Cenotaph. Behind the memorial and shrouded by the trees is the Carnegie Library and behind that is the Ritz Bingo Hall, formerly one of four cinemas in the town. Toll Bar House can be seen in the top left hand corner whilst most of the buildings fronting on to South Street and the Market Place on the right belong to the Ilkeston Co-Operative Society.
Co-Op

Wharncliffe Road runs from the Market Place between the Co-Op and the Town Hall and the church with the green spire that is visible on the Ilkeston skyline together with St Mary's tower from afar is the United Reformed. Directly above the flag on the Co-Op it is just possible to make out the training tower at Ilkeston's Fire Station whilst the housing in the distance is at Kirk Hallam.
Town Hall

Now looking almost due west over the Town Hall towards West Hallam and Stanley, the controversial new building on the Rutland Recreation Ground can plainly be seen and further to the right is a roof at Ilkeston School (formerly the Grammar School). In the foreground the ornamental fountain sits in front of the Sir John Warren public house.
Scala

The Warren and the fountain are also visible here as is the Moon and Sixpence behind which is the easily recognisable Scala cinema - the last surviving picture house in the town. It has been featured in several television programmes including 'Shine On Harvey Moon'. Old cottages used to stand where the car park at the side of the Scala is and the flat topped building is a major Severn Trent Water Authority pumping station. The industrial units towards the top right are on the site of the former Manners Colliery and the Independent Chapel on Burns Street immediately behind the Scala has now been converted into flats. In fact the Scala was built on the burial ground.

Continued on Page 2

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