Part 02 - Derwent Street to Joseph Street
w/e 15 September 2013
All this week's pictures were taken
with a Kodak DX6490
This second part of the Heritage Walk No. 2 in Belper
takes us into the same area featured in the No. 1 Walk but we
start back on Derwent Street opposite the former Thornton's factory.
A large yard and car park opposite the factory gives access to
the Derwentside Antiques Centre which is located in the Unity
Mill that began life in 1839 as a corn mill. It was built by
James Webster and enlarged by John Strutt after 1853, later being
converted to cotton spinning. In its long history the building
has also been used for furniture manufacture before becoming
a home to the antiques trade. As we saw in Part 01 at the De
Bradelie Mill, although not being used as originally intended
and having undergone some obvious structural changes, it is encouraging
to see these imposing buildings from our heritage still being
put to use.
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Returning along Derwent Street the route is now across
Bridge Street into Wellington Court via the arch at the side
of Frearson's Jewellery and Gift Shop. Established since 1954,
the shop also has an on site workshop for the repair and manufacture
of jewellery.
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Once in Wellington Court and immediately behind Frearson's premises
is a large house that for many would go largely unnoticed. This
is Wellington House and its claim to fame is the fact that actor
and comedian Will Hay (1888 - 1949) and star of comedy films
made at Ealing Studios stayed here as he began his career in
Belper.
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After Wellington House, Wellington Court continues past this
row of solidly built stone cottages to reach the rear of a supermarket
that fronts onto the town's main shopping area in King Street.
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  It also leads to a ramp that runs down
to the station on the railway line that runs right through the
middle of the town. Before walking down the ramp to the station
platform we crossed the bridge to view that station from above
just in time to catch two trains passing each other at high speed
almost in the station itself. The northbound train is on the
left and the southbound on the right in these two small images.
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The station was built in 1878 and in those days there were several
buildings on the platforms but now only the recesses where they
once stood can be made out. The stone-lined cutting designed
by George Stephenson through which the line passes however has
stood the test of time as have the bridges that carry roads across
the lines, the first two of which northwards can be seen from
here.
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We exited the station via this flight of steps after first examining
the decorative picture plaque on the wall at the bottom which
was headed "The Derwent Valley Walks" with "Belper
Station" as a sub heading.
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The steps rose to this narrow channel (left above) which runs
by the side of the railway to Field Lane and then another channel
(above right) continues through to Joseph Street. The second
channel is the same one viewed in the opposite direction in Part 05 of Heritage Walk
1 and this is The Ropewalk. The name comes from the fact
that it runs at right angles to a former ropewalk used for rope-plaiting
which took place along the back of the houses.
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At the end of the channel the leaflet describing this walk advises
that a look to the right will reveal the Telford/Macadam road
surface that has survived in this area of industrial housing
built by the Strutts.
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In the first Heritage Walk we walked all the way down Joseph
Street and into Crown Terrace at the corner passing the footpath
sign on the right with merely a glance into the channel. The
rest of this walk is in a similar area to that first walk and
passes several of the sites already seen but we'll continue in
Part 03 and try to pick out some different views before reaching
the Derwent Valley Heritage Centre in North Mill starting by
turning right at the sign and following the channel through to
George Street.
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