#erewash

[glynnehather]

Bridge #countryside #erewash #risley #derbyshire #bnw #blackandwhite (at Risley, Derbyshire) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2uhamqHkp1/?igshid=11r14r2ah56pj

[glynnehather]

Pondlife #bnw #pond #water #blackandwhite #longeaton #erewash #forbeshole (at Forbes Hole) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2tnw_zH-D9/?igshid=10k7v8m2sx46r

[dry-valleys]

It must be allowed that the twelve miles between Nottingham and this town [Derby] , keeping the midway between the Trent on the left and the  mountains on the right, are as agreeable with respect to the situation, the soil, and the well planting of the country, as any spot of ground, at least that I have seen of that length, in England"  Daniel Defoe.

After my walk from Derby it was on to Elvaston Castle, where I met my friend in a socially distanced way (couldn't go anywhere indoors due to the covid 19 outbreak which has STILL not been fully resolved, though i hope it will be soon and have proudly had my own vaccination because I'm not a moron). This land was owned by Shelford Priory and was outlying land of a foundation based in Nottinghamshire, which was founded around 1160-1180 and  disestablished in 1536 with so many others.

The Crown sold the land to Sir Michael Stanhope in 1536, and it passed into a cadet branch of the family, with Sir John Stanhope founding the main house in 1633. (Sometimes used as a wedding venue, it was shut when we went). In 1730 William Harrington was created Baron Harrington, and in 1752 he became the first Earl of Harrington. Alongside the Curzon family of Kedleston, the earls showed a trend Defoe noted in 1727. "The Peak being so near, and taking up the larger part of the county, and being so inhospitable, so rugged and so wild a place, the gentry choose to reside at Derby, rather than upon their estates, as they do in other places”.

The modern age of Elvaston began in the 19th century; in 1830, Charles Stanhope, 4th earl, hired William Barron to design the gardens (Lancelot 'Capability' Brown having refused to do them decades earlier!), and the gardens are largely as they were then, though there are some areas which were shut and which I look forward to seeing next time I'm here.

The 4th earl also employed James Wyatt to design the house, which was built in 1833 in the newly fashionable Gothic Revival style. The work of both men has clearly stood the test of time and is now grade II listed and a place I’ve been to a number of times. (2 June 2019, 4 February 2020, 6 October 2019, the rest April 2021). Sadly, the general decline of the aristocracy charted by David Cannadine started to bite. In WW2 the grounds, still owned by the earls of Harrington, were used as a teacher training college which shut in 1947 and little was done with the estate; happily, this changed when William Harrington, 11th earl, sold the house and grounds to Derbyshire County Council in 1969; it became one of the new country parks. While this was popular, the house declined further until it was rescued by a project involving the National Trust in 2013-2015. It is now open to the public, as it has been since 1851, and is run by a charity, with many features such as the Italian Garden and English Garden which I will soon be taking the river walk back to.

[dry-valleys]

Hence we kept the Derwent on our right hand, but kept our distance, the waters being out; for the Derwent is a frightful creature when the hills load her current with water. Daniel Defoe.

The River Derwent, whose name comes from the Celtic words for a valley of oak trees, flows down from the Peak District and proves right Defoe's claim, especially during the floods of 2019, which I thankfully missed.

Settling down a bit, it flows through Chatsworth and on to the area between Matlock and Belper, which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage status as it is one of the crucibles of the Industrial Revolution.

Then the river flows on to Derby, which Defoe also admired as ‘a fine, beautiful and pleasant town’ whose genteel folk he admired; I didn't visit this time, though, as most of its indoor attractions are shut by the covid-19 pandemic, which is STILL ongoing but hopefully almost over  (I especially look forward to the new industrial museum opening on 21 May). Because I was off to meet my friend at Elvaston Country Park (subject of the next post), I hurled through Alvaston Park and along the riverside, though I was able to admire the river and the use humans have made of the landscape.

We still see the industry ongoing, alongside leisure uses; the whole journey was along a smooth and well-trodden path which I've taken a few times. (1,4 February 2020, 6,8 June 2019, 9 October 2019 and the rest April 2021).

The river flows down to meet the River Trent at the border with Leicestershire, and while I didn't go all this way, I saw the threads being tied together at the Sandiacre Canal (9,10) which links back to another and equally fine, though not as forceful, part of Erewash.   First laid down in 1796, designed by Benjamin Outram, the canal thrived until railways and roads ate into its trade, and it was bought by the M1 motorway for the token sum of one penny, so worthless was it thought to be. Although the M1 is now the main route through Erewash, few of whose users stay here long, I'm glad that the river, the first mass transit system, is now in use for leisure- as well as much work- and the second, the canal, is being restored since farmer Paul Turner has the idea of restoring the canal, which is largely as it was when filled in in 1994. It's unlikely that anyone will ever beautify the M1, but as you can see on the river and canal the circle here is coming around.

[theshutterthatneversleeps]

Bennerley Viaduct

[shinyrowletts]

This evening was such fun

[localhistorycafe]

Local History Cafe at Erewash Museum - Thursday 12th March

Another lovely session today although 4 people sent their apologies, some through not feeling 100% and others are on holiday. Hope they are all getting on well and we’ll see them soon.

Today we did a virtual tour of Ilkeston town. It’s like a walking tour but with photographs instead of actual walking. That way we can enjoy our walk from the comfort of our heated Hayloft with our tea and cake. We did enjoy it- one of the brilliant things about so many of us being local is at each place on the tour we’ve got stories to swap. This pub here, that pub there. The cinema. The library. The market. The church. All of them are redolent with memory for us.

We had a good old argue: “that picture can’t be from 1904 because the tram tracks are already in!” or “how can that be that shop when I bought my boots there in 1956?!” The old photos brought a great old vs. new aspect to the session which was great fun.

The volunteers have outdone themselves and bought extra nice cakes today. All in all it was a good session and we’re looking forward to the next one. Easter has thrown our timetable off so we’re meeting later in the month but the volunteers are making Easter treat baskets for everyone. Can’t wait.

Kate Crossley

Collections Officer

Erewash Museum

[glynnehather]

Sandiacre Lock House #sandiacre #derbyshire #erewash #blackandwhite #bnw #history #canal #towpath (at Sandiacre) https://www.instagram.com/p/B29vH6yng-S/?igshid=udqgro9wenbu