Chesterfield stands in the Rother Valley among the clustering hills, set in the heart of Derbyshire's coal and iron, but within reach of some of its most famous beauty spots.
An old market-town, for centuries it has been famous for its twisted spire; for more than a hundred years its wealth has come along the straight lines planned by George Stephenson, to whom in the first place the town owes its present prosperity. He came here to supervise the construction of the Midland Line, and he lived and died at Tapton House, built on the crest of a wooded hill and now a school. He is buried in Holy Trinity Church, built in 1838 where his grave is under the altar and there is a memorial east window to him, as well as communion rails and a stone in the sanctuary. The Memorial Hall (which is the civic repertory theatre) keeps his name alive, as it should be, for he led Chesterfield along the straight way to industrial prosperity.
This busy town is not too busy to be concerned for its appearance, it finds its recreation in attractive parks and has re-clothes itself in some of its busiest haunts in Tudor dress of timber and gables. It has given itself a classical Town Hall, opened in 1938, set on a green slope looking over the town to the Derbyshire hills, and below this is the Court House, built in 1965 and one of the finest examples of modern architecture in the county. To the south of this are the large buildings of the Accountant-General's Department of the Post Office which moved here in 1964.
Chesterfield has nothing else so old or fine as its church of All Saints, with its crooked spire, rising 228 feet, as singular a curiosity as any church has. It is eight-sided, built of timber and covered with lead plates set in zig-zag fashion, so that in addition to its decided twist, nearly eight feet out of the perpendicular, the spire has the unusual appearance of being ridged and channelled. The Twist which had made it famous is due to the lack of adequate cross supports, accentuated by the warping of the wood under the expansion of the lead in the heat of the sun.
It was only the town's affection for the old spire which saved it last century, when experts declared it unsafe,and urged that a new one should be built and again in 1961 when it came near to being destroyed by fire.
Like the tower, the spire is of the 14th century, and it crowns a stately 14th century church built in the shape of a cross. Under the tower are four lofty pointed arches on clustered pillars, all resting on the foundation of a Norman church which William Rufus gave. Of this church there remains the font, the round bowl carved with crude foliage and stem-work. There are traces of the 13th century in the crossing piers, in the north and south transepts, and in a piscina in the northernmost of the four eastern chapels (originally the chapels of mediaeval trade guilds). Most of the rest of the church is of the 14th century, but the clerestory is of the 15th. The handsome 14th century porch has a gable cross and a recess over the entrance with a modern Madonna; a projecting stair turret to the roof ends in a pinnacle like a pyramid.
In the day of his triumph, rich and admired, with his engines thundering over railways that he and his son had laid in Europe as well as at home, George Stephenson came here for rest and happiness. A Northumbrian, born at Wylam in 1781, he passed from poverty and squalor through a superb triumph of invention to the luxury of Tapton House with its flowers, fruits, and agricultural experiments, the greatest mechanical genius of the age turned country squire.
He grew up in a cottage which had only one room to house the family of six; he earned twopence a day among the turnips and thought himself made for life with 12 shillings (.60p) a week, plus extras won from cobbling and the repair of clocks and watches. On those terms he married the country girl who was to become the mother of Robert, yet he managed to support a mother and father brought to poverty, and to raise £6 to buy himself out of the draft in which he was drawn to go to France and fight against Napoleon.
His work in gassy mines led him to hazardous experiments resulting in the invention of his famous safety lamp, for which, when he was 37 he received £1,000. While working in a colliery he mastered the principle of the steam engine by taking one to pieces, repairing and rebuilding it, but as he could not read until manhood (his son Robert then taught him) he wasted time and effort on schemes already in existence. Nevertheless he built a complete engine that began to draw the coal of Killingworth Colliery in 1814, and a year later, with the steam blast added, produced two more of greatly increased power.
The first railway in the open, running from Stockton to Darlington, was laid for horse-drawn vehicles, but Stephenson, with his infectious courage and confidence, induced the owners to try a locomotive, and on September 27th 1825, George drove the first steam train in the world, six wagons with coal and flour, and one coachful of passengers, with a mounted flagman patrolling ahead until the engine developed a speed that put him to flight.
This success did not persuade sceptics or disarm opponents, and the triumph of the 4-ton Rocket, with her 30 miles and hour, had become history before Stephenson could establish his right to enrich the country with the greatest improvement in locomotion that had been achieved by man. It was his fortune to see his work crowned with rich and abundant success, but he remained unspoiled, a born philosopher who loved laughter and played as hard as he worked.
Do visit Chesterfield market, on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. It is one of the largest (and certainly liveliest) in England.
Yet again, another area with so much to see and do. How about, firstly a thought about the shops? Having visited the market, a visit to the Shambles is recommended. Walk into them, and immediately imagine how Chesterfield looked in the Middle Ages. For example the butchers quarter...known as 'the flesh shambles'...though prhaps the sign and smells of Draper Row would be more pleasant. Bolts of cloth, brightly coloured ribbons and threads...Fisher Row?
Before leaving The Shambles note The Royal Oak public house...one of the oldest inns in Chesterfield. A board outside claims that it was first mentioned as an inn in 1722 formerly being a rest house for the Knights Templar - a band of ultra-fanatical Crusaders.
What better place to start investigating Chesterfield's past than at the towns new Museum and Art Gallery, just behind the 'Crooked Spire' church. Here you can walk around the 'Story of Chesterfield' and, for example, see how the Parish Church and its famous spire were built, or discover why the Romans came here. Even the Tourist Information Centre's office in Low Pavement is worth investigating, and not just for information that they have on hand...for it is housed in a timber framed building dating back to around 1500.
One cannot help noticing the Chesterfield Canal...The construction of the canal in the 1770s permitted the transportation of coal and iron from Chesterfield to the River Trent. The canal had the longest tunnel in the country at Norwood and one of the first multiple staircase lock flights. Today only the length from Worksop to West Stockwith is fully navigable but Chesterfield Canal Society has opened a section from Tapton Lock near Chesterfield town centre and boat trips are organised during the summer months at weekends.
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