Spondon

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Coordinates: 52°55′12″N 1°24′04″W / 52.92°N 1.401°W / 52.92; -1.401
Spondon

Sitwell Street, Spondon village
Spondon

 Spondon shown within Derbyshire
OS grid reference SK403360
District Derby
Shire county Derbyshire
Region East Midlands
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town DERBY
Postcode district DE21
Police Derbyshire
Fire Derbyshire
Ambulance East Midlands
EU Parliament East Midlands
UK Parliament Mid Derbyshire
List of places
UK
England
Derbyshire

Spondon is a ward within the city of Derby. Prior to this, Spondon was a separate village which dated from before the Domesday Book of 1086.[1]

Description

The name Spondon is Anglo-Saxon and describes a gravelly hill.

The ancient village centre (around St. Werburgh's Church) and the modern commercial centre (Chapel Street - Sitwell Street) are situated atop a ridge which falls-away to the south. Spondon won the Urban Community award from Britain in Bloom in 2005.

The Great Fire of Spondon

In about 1333,[2] a great fire, starting at The Malt Shovel, a local pub, and aided by an easterly wind, swept through the village destroying the church and all but a few houses, with just one casualty, the mayor. The damage was so great that a judge, Roger de Bankwell, was sent to hear pleas for relief from taxes.[2] The Great Fire of Spondon is still commemorated and taught as part of the curriculum in local schools. On its 650th anniversary (circa.1990) a village fair was held.

Spondon Library

Landmarks

Shopping

Spondon holds a small number of chain shops but continues to support the business of many independent tradespeople too, including a men's barbers, a gift shop and a sweet shop. Chapel Street and Sitwell Street (in the centre) are the main areas of this retail activity. Dale Road (north-east) and Nottingham Road (south) also have a row of shops. Superstores (Asda and B&Q) off Nottingham Road (south-west) are also in Spondon.

Culture

There are many clubs/groups/societies serving Spondon.

Events - Spondon Village Festival (Carnival). First held in 2010 it is hoped to be an annual event combining carnival and fair.

Facilities - one library, two social clubs, six public houses (the names and numbers have not changed since 1961).

Parks - Brunswood (playground + playingfield), Dale Road (field + landscaping), South Avenue Rec (playground + field), Gravel Pit Lane (playingfield), Locko Park (country park), Spondon Woods (woods + scrub), Stony Cross (woods + scrub), Willowcroft (playing field) .

Sport - Spondon Cricket Club,[4] Spondon Dynamos Football Club.[5] Bowls club, Snooker club.

Venues - Asterdale Club (formerley the Celanese Workers' Club), club grounds, village parks, village hall, old school hall.

Education

There are five state schools located in the village.

Primary Schools - Asterdale (south-east), Borrowood (north-east)St.Werburgh's C of E and Springfield

Secondary Schools - West Park Academy.

West Park School represents the merger by default (fire/arson, 28/01/2002) of the former Spondon School (seniors) (State Comprehensive) which was located on two adjoining sites. These sites being the 'upper school' (1960s, grey brick, concrete and glass) at the top of the hillside, the current site, and the 'lower school' (1970s, grey brick, brown tile, timber and glass) at the foot of the hillside, which burned down. The new name comes from the two roads which lead to it.

Transport

Derby Canal (Derby - Sandiacre) opened in 1795, and enabled other industries. The canal closed in 1964. There was talk of reopening for leisure purposes, but without progress (in 2010).[6]

The Midland Counties Railway opened a line from Derby to Nottingham in 1839.[7] This line became part of the Midland Main Line to London St Pancras railway station. Spondon railway station has a rather limited service to both Derby and Nottingham.

The A52, 'Borrowash by-pass' recently named Brian Clough Way, cuts through the village and provides express road (dual-carriageway) links to the west (Derby) and the east (M1 and Nottingham).

Industry

The industrial belt lies to the south of the Nottingham Road (an old Roman road) as does the canal and the railway. These barriers separate the residential three quarters of the village from its industrial quarter. The various industries have included a dye works, electricity generating station, two scrapyards, sewerage works, British Celanese synthetic fibres works and a tannery.

Notable people

Born in Spondon -


Links to Spondon -

  • Drury Curzon Drury-Lowe, lieutenant-general and knight of the realm.
  • Henry Evans, cricketer.
  • Richard William Hunt, Keeper of the Western Manuscripts, Bodleian Library.
  • George Porter, cricketer.
  • Graham Coxon, guitarist with Blur.
  • Sir Henry Fowler,[8] Chief Engineer for the London Midland and Scottish Railway.
  • Ray Colledge, mountaineer who made the third British ascent of the North Face of the Eiger in 1969.

Gallery

  • Old School, Chapel Street

  • Spondon Village Hall

  • Seating area near Spondon Library

  • British Celanese Factory

  • St Werburgh's Church, Spondon

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spondon.
  1. ↑ Domesday Book: A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 2003. ISBN 0-14-143994-7 p.748
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Roger de Bankwell at Dictionary of National Biography now in the public domain
  3. ↑ St Werburghs church site
  4. ↑
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ Derby Canal
  7. ↑ Midland Counties Railway
  8. ↑ "Spondon, Derby". Derbyshire Life. Retrieved 24 January 2012. 

External links

Suburbs of Derby, Derbyshire, England
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