Ilkeston Town Walk - Stage 26 - Heanor Road
w/e 19 September 2004
All this week's pictures were taken with a Kodak DX6490

In this stage we deviate from the published route to follow my alternative to Heanor Road via the site of Ilkeston North railway station. The footpath from the Manners Link leads by the side of the Old Station Surgery to an access road which also leads to the only station on the site these days since the demise of the railways - Ilkeston's new Police Station. The old Police Station can be seen in Stage 20 of the Town Walk.

Where the access road meets Heanor Road our route is to turn left and go up the hill. Shortly we will pass the last reminder of the railways (where the white van is in this picture) where the walls of the bridge over the tracks are still clearly visible. We will return to the route of the railway line later in the walk.

But before we move off up Heanor Road, we can first look the opposite way to see the distinctively shaped building that is the headquarters of Weleda (UK) Ltd. Founded in Switzerland in 1921, the UK company was set up in 1925 to manufacture anthroposophic and homeopathic medicines. The name was originally given to the company by Rudolf Steiner after Weleda, a priestess of healing. Steiner (1861-1925) was a philosopher and educator and today there are about 700 schools worldwide founded on Steiner's principles. One such school, Michael House, once occupied this building but is now in premises bordering Shipley Country Park. (Ignore the clock, this picture was taken one morning at 09.42)

Now moving up Heanor Road, we soon come to the entrance to a housing estate at Boweswell Road. This is the only vehicular access to the estate which is officially called "Rutland" although I believe the name is now very rarely used. Had we followed the published route via footpaths and allotment gardens this is where we would have reached Heanor Road.

Before we continue the Town Walk a quick look at the estate reveals that it is typical of many housing developments of the years between the two World Wars although on this estate, a one way system has now been introduced on Boweswell Road and Peveril Crescent (above). Parking bays have been constructed in front of many of the properties thus reducing the width of the thoroughfares.

Back at the entrance to the estate, a closer look at the pillars show they bear initials and dates. Originally the initials of the Ilkeston Corporation were shown but it appears this has been updated to EBC - Erewash Borough Council. One pillar bears the date "1995" and I assume this was when the update was made. The one pictured above shows the year the estate was built, 1933.  Back to Stage 25  Town Walk Index Forward to Stage 27

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