Country Images Magazine North Edition July 2017 | Page 44

Alfreton With historic roots and a one-time mining background, both coal and ironstone, Alfreton is a town waiting to be explored. When the Romans engineered their Rykneild Street from Derby to Chesterfield, they built a small wayside fortlet above what later became Pentrich. It is said that the name Alfreton means ‘Alfred’s Town’ after King Alfred who between burning the cakes managed to keep the Danes in their place. Whether or not the story is true there was certainly a settlement here when the Domesday scribes recorded it as Elestretune. A later turnpike road to the east of Rykneild Street put the town well and truly on the map. As a result several coaching inns were opened to cater for weary travellers and though a few have been converted to other uses, their frontages speak evocatively of the long gone days of coach travel. One such inn is, or was, the George which stands on the cross roads of King Street and High Street, and is now converted into flats. Alfreton seems to have recovered and now has two busy industrial estates along with firms closer to the town centre. To the south of the town Cotes Park estate serves a range of heavy industry and then across the B600 Nottingham Road can be found the cloistered headquarters of Country Images magazine along with a whole range of thriving industries. There are still a number of independent shops amongst the inevitable charity shops and a frequent indoor market on and around High Street; there is even a Burton’s gent’s outfitters. Continuing out of town, the road drops down to the railway station, a stop on the line linking Alfreton to Nottingham, Chesterfield and beyond. Standing on the corner of the George where the road continues along its way to Chesterfield, is a cast-iron marker correctly giving the mileage to Alfreton as zero. This anomaly came about through the apparent misinterpretation of the Turnpike Act which insisted that all distances between turnpike gates must be shown. Back in the town and left at the traffic lights at the market place cross roads, the main road drops down towards the A38 traffic island, past a single story stone building with a heavy studded oak door, two circular fan lights high in the wall and a single central chimney which stands oddly amongst modern properties. The structure dates from around 1821 and was termed a ‘House of Confinement’, a small lock up. Despite the loss of its coal mining activities From Coal to Skips JB England are proud to be a local Alfreton business • Affordable skip hire • Same day delivery service • Environmentally friendly recycling • Competitive rates • Short and long term hire • Mini skips available • Domestic and commercial • Free initial consultation J.B. England & Son Ltd Telephone: [phone] Email: [email protected] 2a Lydford Road, Meadow Lane Industrial Estate, Alfreton, Derbyshire, DE55 7RQ Open: Mon to Fri 8am - 5pm, Sat 8am - 12pm 44 | CountryImagesMagazine.co.uk M.A.D.E @ No 18 (Made in Alfreton Derbyshire England) is the place to come to discover arts and crafts, develop your own creativity, see original theatre, enjoy a film. At the same time you can enjoy scrumptious freshly made breakfasts, lunch or tea in our Cafe Bistro or eat Alfresco on our terrace and cottage style garden. New for 2017 is our Small shabby chic function room available to hire with a bar. Transform the Outside with our driveway solutions • Driveways • Forecourts • Paths • Car Parks • Slabbing and Block Paving • Dropped Kerbs • Patio • Fencing • Concreting Joe Brown Contractors Ltd Domestic and Commercial Tarmac and Paving Specialists 01773 834455 [email protected] www. joebrowncontractors .co.uk All our work is guaranteed for 2 years