VISIT TANGE'S TOWN! (Chesterfield in General)

Member Name: tange

Product:	Chesterfield in General
Date:	14/08/02 (197 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: I live here!

Disadvantages: Not many!

Chesterfield is a great place to live and has lots to see and do...it's a good place to base yourself for touring the Peak District and is with easy reach of Sheffield, Nottingham and Derby.

HOW TO GET HERE - It's less than 10 minutes from Junction 29 of the M1. We have a Main line railway station; trains from London come via St Pancras (it takes about 2 hours on a good day!). We are on the National Express coach network and the nearest international airport 45 minutes away (at Manchester), there is an airport near Sheffield, but this only deals with European flights!

***WHAT IS THERE TO SEE? -

~~~THE CROOKED SPIRE. Chesterfield is famous for the 'Crooked Spire' of its Parish Church, St Mary & All Saints. It is visible on the skyline for miles and is our major landmark. On certain days (usually on Bank Holidays) and by arrangement you can go up the tower and look up to the spire (you used to be able to go further up, but that's been stopped for safety reasons). There are excellent views of the surrounding area too.

~~~THE MARKET. Chesterfield's other claim to fame is one of the largest open-air markets in the country. We have more than 250 stalls (this is sadly dwindling now) in the town centre every Monday, Friday and Saturday, and visitors on Thursdays can rummage around the flea market. We also have a popular Car Boot Sale on Sundays (on the Hollywell Cross car park) and a Medieval Market during July. There is also the famous Market Hall, built in 1847, that houses a variety of shops and a café. Around the Market there are some shops, banks and a lot of pubs. We have two Shopping Centres; the selection is pretty good and includes BHS, Marks & Spencers, Woolworths, Au Naturelle and Body Shop...as well as the usual round of mobile phone shops and card shops!

~~~STATELY HOMES. The Peak District National Park, with its stunning scenery, and many other beautiful places, are within a short dista
nce of Chesterfield. Chatsworth House - the world famous 'Palace of the Peaks' and home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, Haddon Hall - a lovely medieval building which retains many original features and has wonderful gardens and Elizabethan Hardwick Hall can all be easily reached by car or by bus.

~~~BOLSOVER CASTLE. Bolsover Castle is a semi-ruined 17th century castle set high on a hilltop, looking west towards the heights of the Peak District. They often hold historical re-enactments and you can even have your wedding there! It's a beautiful place and is well worth a visit. I am lucky enough to live very close by...the firework displays they hold there are a real treat!

~~~THE SHAMBLES. This was the place where the first shops in Chesterfield were sited. It houses the oldest pub is Chesterfield, The Royal Oak, which was apparently built in the Middle Ages (and serves London Pride Beer !). The old shop fronts are still in evidence and the pub serves some excellent Real Ale and home cooked food. A sign outside, records the fact that a pub has been sited here since 1772 and before that a rest house for ' the knights templar, a band of crusaders'.

~~~AMERICAN ADVENTURE. This can be found Ilkeston, Derbyshire. It?s a theme park with over 100 rides and attractions, shops and diners. We always used to go there and pretend it was Alton Towers!

~~~CHESTERFIELD LIBRARY. A very important place in Chesterfield for me! I work there and it is here that I met my husband. The library has many facilities; notably free internet access, even for non-residents ...just bring some proof of address and you're sorted! It has lots of information on the local area and some really friendly staff!!!!

~~~CHESTERFIELD MUSEUM & ART GALLERY. Until recent years we didn't have a museum, but now there is an excellent one located on St. Mary's Gate. They have special events and exhibitions showing our Industrial
heritage and history. Well worth a visit and a good addition to our town!

***FAMOUS CHESTERFIELD PEOPLE -

~~~GEORGE STEVENSON. George Stevenson, famous inventor, is buried at the Holy Trinity church on Newbold Road, Chesterfield. The Stevenson Memorial Hall was built in his memory.

~~~SPORTSPEOPLE. The former England goalkeeper Gordon Banks. John Lukic, Bob Wilson, Kevin Pressman and Steve Ogrisovic all started off here. John Lowe lived here, and even owned a pub in the town!

~~~OTHERS. Bernie Clifton, the comedian famous for riding (?) an ostrich lived in the town for a number of years. Our MP was Tony Benn for many years and the infamous Dennis Skinner is MP for nearby Bolsover... where the castle is!

***TWINNING. Chesterfield is twinned with;

Chesterfield/Tsumeb
Our twin town in South-West Africa

Chesterfield/Yangquan
Our twin town in China

Chesterfield/Troyes
Our twin town in Northern France

Chesterfield/Darmstadt
Our twin town in Germany

...and there are often events related to our twin towns.

I really like the town I am fortunate enough to live in. There's a great atmosphere here, loads of pubs and a good transport system that links us with the rest of the country. Sheffield and Derby are very close and we can easily get the bus or train to Nottingham. Most of the time we just stay here - why bother travelling when we have all the shops and entertainment we need so close to home?

I hope you will visit my wonderful town one day and that this has given you a taster of what you will find here. Thanks for reading.

Useful Information:

The Peacock Centre
Lower Pavement
Chesterfield
S40 1PB

Tel: 01246 345777
Fax: 01246 345770

Chesterfield Borough Council

Town Hall
Rose Hill
Chesterfield
Derbyshire
S40 1LP

Email:info@chesterfieldbc.gov.uk <
br><br>Tel.: 01246 345345
Fax.: 01246 345252
Text: 07960 910264

http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/discod/discindex. htm

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