Ilkeston Walk: Town Centre【4K】

Located in the county of Derbyshire, and around nine miles northeast of Derby, is the town of Ilkeston.

Geographically Ilkeston is situated on one of the last hills at the southern end of the Pennines. It forms part of the Borough of Erewash, named after the River Erewash which runs just to the east of the town centre. It is believed to have been founded in the 6th century AD, whose name comes from its founder Elch or Elcha (the 'ton' suffix just means town).

Ilkeston's town centre is around 360 feet above sea level. At its heart is St Mary's Church, which was founded in 1150, although much of the present building is significantly younger. In 1252 Ilkeston was granted a market charter by Henry III.

In 1779 the Erewash Canal opened. This was followed, in 1793, by the Nutbrook Canal. These waterways transformed Ilkeston from a small market town into a thriving industrial hub. Coal could now be transported from the local coal fields to the River Trent, and then further afield. Other products carried included pottery, textiles and iron.

In the 19th century natural mineral waters were discovered in Ilkeston. In the early 1830s a bathhouse was opened at the bottom of Town Street, which was later renamed to Bath Street (seen throughout the second half of the video). This was a popular tourist attraction for over 60 years. The bathhouse was eventually demolished in 1899. This was attributed to a combination of general decline in the popularity of spa bathing, and alleged contamination of the waters from mining activities.

Ilkeston received its first railway connection in 1847 with the opening of Ilkeston Junction. This was followed by Ilkeston Town in the same year and Ilkeston North in 1878. By 1967, however, all three stations had closed. For fifty years the town was one of the biggest in the UK to be without a railway station. This was rectified in 2017 with the opening of the current station on the line between Nottingham and Leeds.

Throughout the 19th and 20th century Ilkeston was a significant producer of coal, iron, lace and textiles. Although most of the large-scale indstries that contributed to the social and economic development of the town have gone, their presence is still reflected to some extent in the architecture.

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Filmed: 29th July 2021

Link to the walk on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/nX4AaZCxKcR74KoL6

Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 South Street
3:10 Market Place
3:18 Ilkeston Cenotaph
3:25 Market Place
3:51 St Mary's Church
3:56 Market Place
5:56 Bath Street