Martyn's Blog

Back in June 2022, I had a short walk around Chesterfield in between a trip to Dronfield in Derbyshire while awaiting a train. I said back then that I would come back to Chesterfield one day, and that one day arrived on Tuesday 13th February.

I caught the train from Burton on Trent to Derby, from where I could catch an East Midlands Railway service to Chesterfield. The train was becoming more and more delayed until it arrived 17 minutes late, which qualifies for a Delay Repay from EMR, so that was a good result.

Chesterfield’s railway station has a long history. A station was first opened in the town in 1840 and was re-sited in 1870. It was rebuilt in 1963, and rebuilt again in the late 1990s. The current station was briefly named Chesterfield St Mary’s in 1950-51 (after the local church, more of which later) and Chesterfield Midland (after the Midland Railway company). It took its current name in 1964, after the other two stations in the town (Market Place and Central) were closed and later demolished.

The station is staffed and has a ticket office and waiting rooms. There are three platforms, the third being completed in 2010 at the back of platform 2, although this is not often used for passengers. The platforms are traversed via an underground subway, much like at Stoke on Trent and Derby, although there are lifts to take passengers who can’t use stairs down to the subway.

Outside the station is a statue of railway pioneer George Stephenson. The inventor of the pioneering Rocket steam locomotive lived in Chesterfield for the last ten years of his life, and is buried in the town. The bronze sculpture was installed in 2005 and was designed by Stephen Hicklin.

I left the station and had a five minute walk to another local sculpture, Mollusc.

Known locally as “the Snail”, the steel sculpture was installed in 2003 and designed by Liz Lemon. Ms Lemon also designed the “Another Gift” sculpture which I saw in Stoke-on-Trent the previous week. It represents the Markham Works which previously operated on the site, as well as the fossils which were found on the site. It apparently lights up in the dark, though I don’t know if the lights still work after 21 years. On the base of the sculpture are signatures of former workers at the Markham Works, which was an iron and steel works that closed in 1998.

My next destination was the Spital trail, a footpath which would take me to Queen’s Park. The path is less than hospitable; with graffiti everywhere and paths caked in mud. Having left the worst of it, I walked over a long pedestrian footbridge which spans two major roads. It was only when I was halfway across that I remembered that I am not keen on heights, so I was careful not to look down. On the way over, I saw a replica of the Trotters’ three-wheeled Reliant Regal van from the BBC TV comedy series Only Fools and Horses perched on the roof of a building on an industrial estate.

On the other side of the bridge is a view of another sculpture. “Growth” was installed in 2014 on a recently-completed traffic island.

The sculpture was designed by Melanie Jackson, a Derbyshire-based artist. The base of the sculpture represents a cog or wheel, depicting the old industry, while the main part of the sculpture represents a budding flower, symbolising the post-industrial growth of the town.

The path took me to the main park in the town, Queen’s Park. Opened in 1893 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria (albeit six years after the event), the park also incorporates the local cricket ground and pavilion. The Derbyshire County Cricket team have previously played there, and big-name cricketers such as W.G. Grace and Don Bradman have played on the pitch.

Close to the pavilion is a sculpture unveiled in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The sculpture has 60 panels inscribed with both local and international events which occurred from 1952-2012.

The park also has a miniature railway, which was closed. On the station building, there are three notices pinned up stating the opening times, the price (£2.50 a ride) and the fact they take cash payments only. All three notices end with a plaintive “sorry for any inconvenience”, which amused me.

I left the park on the north side and passed through the grounds of the Royal Mail building. Within the grounds are two sculptures, one of which I missed. The other was called “Poise” and was unveiled in 2002. Designed by Angela Conner, the piece is made from six onyx marble dust sections which are meant to flap in the wind.

Across the road from the Royal Mail building is Shentall Gardens, a grand tree-lined walkway which leads up to the impressive Chesterfield Town Hall.

The town hall was built in 1938 and replaced two previous town halls, which were outgrown as Chesterfield expanded over the years. It was designed by the Bolton-based Bradshaw Gass & Hope architects.

After gazing at the town hall, I had a stroll through the thriving town centre shops and the Three Spires shopping centre before arriving at Chesterfield’s most famous landmark, the Church of St Mary’s and All Saints.

The church dates from the 14th Century. The spire was erected in 1362 and stands 228 feet tall. It is twisted and leans some 9.5 feet from the centre. Nobody is certain why it leans; theories include poorly-skilled workers who put it up, the addition of heavy lead on a framework which couldn’t support the weight, or the sunlight on one side causing it to expand.

Local folk legends have other ideas as to the cause, most of which feature the Devil either sitting on top of it or kicking it over. It is open to the public, and organised tours enable people to climb partway up the spire.

Local football team Chesterfield F.C. play in the National League (the top division in non-league football) at the new SMH Group Stadium in the north of the town. They previously played at Saltergate nearer the town centre. That site was cleared in the 2010s for housing. One of the streets there is called Spire Heights, a play on the club’s nickname The Spireites, which I found amusing.

I would have visited the local museum and art gallery, but it is currently closed for a major renovation, and won’t reopen until 2025. So I decided to head home instead and caught the next train back to Burton from Chesterfield. Which was late.

That’s it for this post, thanks very much for reading.