Sandiacre - Part 09 - Derby Road
w/e 4 June 2006
All this week's pictures were taken with a Kodak DX6490


Click here to read David Roberts' "Memories of Sandiacre" - opens in a popup window

Our walk around Sandiacre is nearing completion although there is still another part to come after this one. We concluded Part 8 on Victoria Road and a left turn from there leads us into Stevens Road and then to Derby Road. As we turn from Stevens Road, on the left in the image above, into the busy Derby Road, we can almost see the Market Place which marks the start and end of the walk but before we reach it, there are still some interesting features to be seen along the road.

The first point of interest is actually on the corner of the two roads where two blocks of almshouses were built in 1910. The building of the almshouse was financed with money left by a local practitioner Dr Bland and this fact is commemorated in the stonework on the houses (left). The stone surrounds to the windows are also worthy of note as are, and I quote, "the hipped tiled rooves that strongly project over the walls" (right).

A little further down the road is a 'bobbin' milepost which was cast by a Derby company, Harrisons. One side is marked 'Derby 9 miles' and the other 'Nottingham 7 miles'. Although nearer to Nottingham, Sandiacre of course sits within Derbyshire and it is interesting to learn that during the Second World War, Nottinghamshire mileposts were removed to confuse an invading enemy but the Derbyshire signs were not. In hindsight it does seem a little odd to comprehend the thinking behind these differing viewpoints. Surely if an army had made its way across the country to here - the nearest coastline being about 90 miles away - and even if it had dropped in by parachute you would have thought that it would have a pretty good idea about where they were. I'm with Derbyshire on this one.

Another fine example of Derbyshire craftsmanship can be seen in these terraced houses on Derby Road. The distinctive red and yellow pattern of the brickwork (right) probably dates from the first half of the nineteenth century and the facing bricks were made in the local Sandiacre Brickworks. This delightful example of the art was preserved for posterity when plans for the demolition of the properties were thwarted in the early 1970s. The site of the brickworks was off Bostocks Lane and is now long gone probably lying somewhere beneath Junction 25 of the M1 where it meets the A52 in the south west corner of Sandiacre.

Across the road from the terraced houses are a number of factories that are today engaged in various activities but when they were originally built circa 1900, they were used in the lace manufacturing industry.

We are now but a few steps away from the Market Place which is overlooked by the Red Lion public house. Before we reach it though we have to pass the White Lion pub. In a bygone age both pubs were once places where horses were changed but they have both undergone significant changes since. Like many establishments in England at the moment (June 2006) in the lead up to the World Cup in Germany, the White Lion is adorned with national flags and banners advertising the soccer tournament and tempting supporters to cheer on the team from within their premises. Only time will tell whether the black cloud over the pub is an omen. (It was!).  Back to Part 08  Forward to Part 10

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