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Information on
Ilkeston |
| Ilkeston |
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Ilkeston town is situated in the Erewash Valley,
9 miles N.E of Derby and 8 miles N.W of Nottingham. It
is the third largest town in Derbyshire.
Standin g on a hill,
this former mining community was mentioned in Domesday
when it was known as Tilchestune. The pits have closed
in Ilkeston but it still a busy industrial town, whose
many industries include engineering,hosiery, lace and
fabrics, electronics, plastic and food distribution. A
history of the town's industrial past is told in the
Erewash Museum, housed in a fine Georgian building in
the High Street. Despite it's industrial outlook, parks, trees and
flower beds are a feature of the community and there is
some pleasant countryside around the towm.
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| Perfectly placed
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Ilkeston offers an unrivalled shopping and
leisure experience, being perfectly placed between
Nottingham and Derby, with excellent transport links.
Ilkeston appears to have begun as a hilltop
settlement of the Anglo Saxon Chief Ealac (or ‘The Elk’)
around the 6th century AD. Later, in 1252 the Lord of
the manor was awarded a Charter, permitting a weekly
market and annual fair. The market and fair continue to
flourish in the town. The market place is brought to
life every Thursday and Saturday offering an excellent
range of goods, from toys, confectionery and greeting
cards to electrical goods, books and clothes. The
Ilkeston fair, in October, has become an event not to be
missed, which is now one of the largest street fairs in
Britain. |
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| Superb range
of shops |
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Ilkeston has over 200
shops of all sizes, offering a wide variety of goods and
services to the discerning customer. Many of the leading
high street retailers are in the town, along with a
superb range of independent shops. A variety of these
can be found in the pleasant surroundings of the
covered Albion Centre. This diversity of shops in
Ilkeston enables all your shopping needs to be catered
for in one visit, saving you time and money. So, whether
you are looking for toys and china gifts, or a morning
suit and millinery for a wedding, Ilkeston has it all
for you
St Mary's Church dates back to around the year
1200, but little is left from this period apart from the
3 East piers between the nave and the South aisle. The
nave was doubled in length when the church w as enlarged
in 1909-10 by P. H. Currey, and the tower was rebuilt in
a new position. It contains a rare and remarkable early
14th century stone screen. There is a well preserved
effigy of a cross-legged knight, presumed to be that of
Nicholas de Cantelupe, who died in 1272. The Cantelupes
were lords of the manor in the 13th century.
Opposite the church is the Town Hall, a modest
barogue brick building of 1868. It was extended in 1974.
Another interesting building in the market place is
large red brick Carnegie Library, built in 1904 by
Hunter and Woodhouse of Belper, with it's decorative Art
Nouveau stone panels between the small windows under the
eaves.
Sport is well catered for in Ilkeston, with an 18
hole golf club just south of the town. Cricket is played
at the Rutland Recreation Ground, so called, because the
Dukes of Rutland once owned much of the land here. It
has a football team and a rugby team. A swimming complex
known as the Victoria Park Leisure Centre is situated in
Manner Road and there is a 10 pin bowling alley in the
town centre. |
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| Twinning |
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Twinning became popular following the
Second World War and was encouraged as a means of
redeveloping links with other countries and communities.
The processs was encouraged to break down barriers and
prejudices between nations with the aim that this could
help prevent another global conflict.
Twinning in the
Borough The borough's
two principal towns Long Eaton and Ilkeston have well
established twinning links with European towns under
which there is an active programme of exchange visits.
The Borough Council is pleased to support these twin
town arrangements wich are described below, and extends
a sincere welcome to all visitors to Erewash from
overseas. Ilkeston Twinning Association The towns
of Ilkeston and Châlons-sur-Marne (later to be renamed
Châlons-en-Champagne) signed a twinning charter on 11
April 1957, but the story had really begun some ten
years earlier. In the grim atmosphere of an exhausted
and devastated Europe the city of Bristol decided to
send a goodwill mission to Hanover, to offer the hand of
friendship and help. It was accepted. Further twinning
links between some of the leading British and German
cities and towns followed in 1948 and 1949. The idea
caught on. This was a way to develop real understanding
between people, to prevent discord and war. It could add
another dimension to local community life. It provided
activity for young people. Ideas and culture could
grow. Twinning also began between French and German
cities and then in the 1950's the Société Bilingue
with the help of the British local authority
associations assumed the role of broker and began to
urge British towns and cities to sponsor twinning links.
They wrote to Ilkeston and in 1955 the Borough Council
of Ilkeston decided to seize the opportunity. The rest,
as they say, is history ...
Originally, the link was primarily a
civic one between the former Borough of Ilkeston and the
Municipality of Châlons. Whilst the civic link with the
twinning association remains, twinning activities have
been extended in recent years to include exchanges
between groups and societies in the two towns. Sporting
exchanges are very popular with strong links through
athletics, basketball, football, gymnastics, judo, rifle
shooting, rugby, squash and table tennis.
Châlons-en-Champagne (population approximately 60,000)
is notes for the many historical associations and its
connections with the production of
champagne.
Visits between the two towns take
place on a two yearly cycle. The last visit by Ilkeston
to Chalons-en-Champagne took place at Easter 2005. The
50th anniversary of the twinning link will be celebrated
in Ilkeston at Easter 2007. The Ilkeston Association
is managed by an Executive Committee which is elected
annually by the Association and which meets, very
approximately, at monthly
intervals. |
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- Information Source -
Erewash Borough
Council | | |
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Direct Links
and Gallery |
Ilkeston |
| Related: United
Kingdom Geography
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| (Ĭl´kĕsten) ,
town (1991 pop. 34,683), Derbyshire, central England.
Iron and coal mines lie to the south. Rayon, lace,
hosiery, and iron goods are manufactured. Ilkeston is
mentioned in the Domesday
Book . Eastwood, a nearby mining village, is the
birthplace of D. H. Lawrence
, and many of his novels are set in the area. |
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| Ilkeston In film |
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The town has been used as a filming location for the
hit television series Playing The
Field shown on BBC 1. Also a number of
other shows have used Ilkeston and surrounding
areas.
Ilkeston is also the
birthplace of actor Robert
Lindsay, well known for his part in `Me and My
Girl`, 'My Family' and more recently 'Horatio
Hornblower'. |
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| Ilkeston Fair |
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Until the second half of the
18th century, Ilkeston
was a relatively small, agricultural settlement. In 1252
the Lord of the Manor of 'Elkesdon' was awarded a
charter, permitting a weekly market and an annual fair.
The fair was originally held in August, but later
evolved into a 'statutes' or hiring fair in October.
From the mid-19th century onwards, the entertainment
aspect took over, leading to the popular annual event
which continues to this day. More |
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| Essential
Erewash! |
| Download our guide to the best
of the borough, by clicking below:
Essential
Erewash (1.75MB)
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