When Will Normal Service Be Resumed? (Heanor in general)

Member Name: Sarahjh

Product:	Heanor in general
Date:	04/04/09 (149 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A town that once had a thriving economy

Disadvantages: Not what it used to be.

Heanor is a small market town in Derbyshire. The area was associated with coal mining and textile production for generations. As we all know the mining industry all but came to an end in the 1980's and the textile industry collapsed in the 1990's, of course this had a dramatic economic effect on the local economy and the market town of Heanor was badly affected by the mine and factory closures.

Heanor lays between Nottingham and Derby and both cities are easy to travel to using public transport. There is a good and frequent bus service and a short way away at Langley Mill there is a train station that has live departure boards.
Though Heanor may have little to offer in the way of industry now it still has a flourishing college, a floral art group, a cricket and a running club, a sub aqua club and a cycling club and the Heanor Rotary club.

Heanor town is one long main road with smaller roads leading from off of the main road. It tends to be a place we pass through rather than stop in, this could be due to the lack of hustle and bustle that used to be apparent years ago.

As you head toward Heanor on the Nottingham road one of the first major stores you will see is the busy Tesco superstore, this has a petrol station on site too. On the other side of the road is a small but very handy retail park. Aldi, Argos, Brantano Footwear, Instore and New Look make up a large part of this small park, the car park is always busy and the shops are extremely well used.
For anyone who has mobility problems this is definitely the best area of Heanor, the main street is on a slow uphill climb.
Sadly first impressions count and as you climb your way up the hill toward the small town centre you get the feeling that business is not brisk, many of the smaller shops are either closed or boarded up.
At one time Heanor had a large Woolworth store but this now lays empty.
There are a few general shops at either side of the hill, a florists, a greetings card shop, a chemists, an opticians, Greggs the bakers and an independent baker. The Headway charity has a shop which is well supported too, as you reach the brow of the hill there is a large Somerfield store which sits opposite a NatWest bank.

Years ago there used to be a busy weekend market in Heanor but I suspect the stallholders are unable to successfully make a decent living nowadays and the market has just a handful of stalls.

Around the edge of the Market place there are other banks, a newsagents, a discount store, a small gaming store, a bookmakers, a mobile phone shop and a general clothing store.
The Market place is also home to the `Crest of the Wave` a very popular and well established fish and chip shop.
Just past the Market place lays the 12th century church which looks impressive sitting on the hill.
As you pass the church you head towards the Ilkeston road where there is a large antiques shop.

Like many towns Heanor has its fair share of charity shops and as one shop closes a charity shop seems to pop up in its wake.

Although there appears to no shortage of pubs in and around the town there also seems to be an alarming amount of pubs that are boarded up.
As you approach Heanor on the Nottingham road there is one large pub called the `John Warren` that has a restaurant,( I have not tried the John Warren restaurant myself ) other than that I can only think of the cafe inside of Tesco where you would be able to get a snack.
Agreed toward the town centre there is a large J D Wetherspoons but it is not the stereotypical old English pub!
However in one of the side streets that lay off of the main road called Ray street there is a small Chinese restaurant that opens at lunchtime and evenings.
Other than that maybe a pizza will suffice!

Heanor is like many other small towns, it has been badly hit by the economic downturn.
One ray of sunshine are the lovely hanging baskets that they put outside of the local council offices and another is the knowledge that the large green Shipley park is but a minute or twos drive away.
If you need to exercise your dog and you don't know the area then go around the roundabout by the Tesco super store and look out for the signposts to Shipley park, it is like entering another world!

If you pass through Heanor then park in the Pay and Display car park and sample some of those delicious fish and chips or go bargain hunting in the many different charity shops.

Summary: We visit what once was a bustling town to find it has all but gone.