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Derby (/ˈdɑːrbi/ (
listen) DAR-bee) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, of which it was traditionally the county town.[nb 1] Derby gained city status in 1977, and by the 2011 census its population was 248,700.
Derby was settled by Romans, who established the town of Derventio, later captured by the Saxons, and later still by the Vikings, who made their town of Djúra-bý one of the Five Boroughs of the Danelaw. Initially a market town, Derby grew rapidly in the industrial era. Home to Lombe's Mill, an early British factory, Derby has a claim to be one of the birthplaces of the Industrial Revolution[citation needed]. It contains the southern part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. With the arrival of the railways in the 19th century, Derby became a centre of the British rail industry.
Derby is a centre for advanced transport manufacturing, being home to the world's second largest aero-engine manufacturer: Rolls-Royce. Bombardier Transportation has a production facility at the Derby Litchurch Lane Works while Toyota Manufacturing UK's automobile headquarters is located southwest of the city at Burnaston.
With its winding cobbled streets, welcoming Market Place and handsome Tudor and Georgian heritage, picturesque Ashbourne is known as 'The Gateway to Dovedale'.
While there's no doubt that it's the perfect base if you want to explore the spectacular limestone landscapes of the southern White Peak, it also pays to take a leisurely walking tour around town to immerse yourself in its fascinating history and architecture.
With more than 200 listed buildings - including historic almshouses, fine coaching inns and genteel town houses - it's a visual feast for the discerning visitor. Don't miss the splendid facade of the Grade I listed Old Grammar School, the 'longest inn sign in the world' at The Greenman public house on St John Street; or the beautiful St Oswald's Parish Church with its striking 212 feet high spire, described by classic author George Eliot as the 'finest single spire in England'.
Another highlight is the 17th century mansion, once home to the 'King of Ashbourne', Dr. John Taylor, where Lichfield-born Dr. Samuel Johnson, author of the first-ever English dictionary, was a frequent visitor in the 1700s.
Ashbourne also has some fascinating foodie links. The original recipe for Ashbourne Gingerbread was acquired from French prisoners of war - in particular the personal chef of a captured French general - who were kept in the town during the Napoleonic wars (1799-1815).
The timber-framed Gingerbread Shop - now a Birds Bakery - can still be seen in St John Street and the Original Ashbourne Gingerbread can be purchased locally.
Shopping is pure pleasure thanks to its plethora of small, family-run businesses and weekly open-air market. Browse for fine antiques, quality food and drink, designer fashion and much more, then relax over morning coffee, lunch or afternoon tea in a selection of cafés, inns and tea rooms.
Ashbourne is also famous for its ancient tradition of Royal Shrovetide Football - 'turned up', or started, by such famous figures as Prince Charles, Sir Stanley Matthews and The Duke of Devonshire. Played each Shrovetide Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, it's a unique and unruly event that bears little resemblance to the modern game!
Walkers, cyclists and horse riders will appreciate the fact that the town also sits at the start of the traffic-free Tissington Trail - a green gateway to Dovedale and the Pennine Bridleway, linking up further north with the popular High Peak Trail.
Tamworth (/ˈtæmwərθ/, /ˈtæməθ/) is a market town and borough in Staffordshire, England, 14 miles (23 km) north-east of Birmingham and on the West Coast Main Line. The town borders North Warwickshire to the east and north, Lichfield to the north, south-west and west. The M6 Toll runs to the south of the town. It takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through it. The population of Tamworth borough (mid-2019 est.) was 76,696.[1] The wider urban area has a population of 81,964.
Tamworth was the principal centre of royal power of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia during the 8th and 9th centuries. It hosts a simple but elevated 12th century castle, a well-preserved medieval church (the Church of St Editha) and a Moat House. Tamworth was historically divided between Warwickshire and Staffordshire until 1889, when the town was placed entirely in Staffordshire.[2]
The town's industries include logistics, engineering, clothing, brick, tile and paper manufacture. Until 2001 one of its factories was Reliant, which produced the Reliant Robin three-wheeler car and the Reliant Scimitar sports car.
The Snowdome, a prototype real-snow indoor ski slope is in Tamworth and 1.7 miles (2.7 km) south is Drayton Manor Theme Park and one of the many marinas serving the Coventry Canal and Birmingham and Fazeley Canal which combine south of the town.
Tamworth is located at the confluence of the rivers Tame and Anker, which meet just south of the town centre. Tamworth is on the southeastern tip of Staffordshire, with the Warwickshire border just 3 miles (4.8 km) east of the town centre. The Derbyshire and Leicestershire borders are 6 miles (9.7 km) to the north-east.[35]
Tamworth's built-up area includes Fazeley which is to the south-west of Tamworth, on the opposite bank of the River Tame, Fazeley is not part of Tamworth borough, instead it is administered as part of the Lichfield District. The built-up area of Tamworth and Fazeley was recorded as having a population of 81,964 in the 2011 census.[36]
Tamworth is 13 miles (21 km) north-east of Birmingham city centre and 6 miles (9.7 km) from the Lichfield city centre. Other nearby places include Polesworth, Atherstone and Sutton Coldfield, with Nuneaton, Burton upon Trent, Walsall and Rugeley a bit further afield.
Swadlincote, a town famous for its rich pottery and mining heritage is the main town in South Derbyshire and is located at the heart of the National Forest. The story of the towns rich potting and mining history is told at Sharpe's Pottery Museum, located at the beginning of the main pedestrianised street.
Its tree-lined, pedestrianised high street and adjacent ‘Pipeworks’ retail area is home to 150 big name and independent retail and food outlets including Boots, Clarks, Sainsbury’s, Hallmark and Clinton Cards alongside lots of independent shops.
Vintage shops with unique gifts and interior furnishings are a speciality and the town can still boast a traditional sweet shop, family butcher, baker, florist, deli, pet shops, haberdashery and a bustling market every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.
The town has many opportunities for leisure including Swadlincote Ski and Snowboard Centre, Green Bank Leisure Centre and outdoor recreation spaces such as Swadlincote Woodlands, Maurice Lea Memorial Park and Eureka Park.
Three trails mark the town’s heritage roots – maps point out the places of interest and handy guides help you find your way around. Eureka Park also features a small Garden of Remembrance created by the local branch of the British Legion.
Leafy Swadlincote Woodlands is a place to relax and unwind with 40,000 trees, interpretative boards it is a haven for wildlife. There are two trails through the woodlands and you can test your skills on the orienteering course.
Lichfield (/ˈlɪtʃfiːld/) is a cathedral city and civil parish[2] in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly 18 miles (29 km) south-east of the county town of Stafford, 8.1 miles (13.0 km) south-east of Rugeley, 9 miles (14 km) north-east of Walsall, 7.9 miles (12.7 km) north-west of Tamworth and 13 miles (21 km) south-west of Burton Upon Trent. At the time of the 2011 Census, the population was estimated at 32,219 and the wider Lichfield District at 100,700.[3]
Notable for its three-spired medieval cathedral, Lichfield was the birthplace of Samuel Johnson, the writer of the first authoritative Dictionary of the English Language. The city's recorded history began when Chad of Mercia arrived to establish his Bishopric in 669 AD and the settlement grew as the ecclesiastical centre of Mercia. In 2009, the Staffordshire Hoard, the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork, was found 5.9 km (3.7 mi) south-west of Lichfield.
The development of the city was consolidated in the 12th century under Roger de Clinton, who fortified the Cathedral Close and also laid out the town with the ladder-shaped street pattern that survives to this day. Lichfield's heyday was in the 18th century, when it developed into a thriving coaching city. This was a period of great intellectual activity; the city was the home of many famous people including Samuel Johnson, David Garrick, Erasmus Darwin and Anna Seward, prompting Johnson's remark that Lichfield was "a city of philosophers".
Today, the city still retains its old importance as an ecclesiastical centre, and its industrial and commercial development has been limited. The centre of the city has over 230 listed buildings (including many examples of Georgian architecture) and preserves much of its historic character.
Lichfield covers an area of approximately 5.41 sq mi (14.0 km2) in the south-east of the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England. It is approximately 27 km (17 mi) north of Birmingham and 200 km (120 mi) north-west of London. The city is located between the high ground of Cannock Chase to the west and the valleys of the Rivers Trent and Tame to the east. It is underlain by red sandstone, deposited during the arid desert conditions of the Triassic period. Mercia Mudstone underlies the north and north-eastern edges of the city towards Elmhurst and Curborough. The red sandstone underlying the majority of Lichfield is present in many of its ancient buildings, including Lichfield Cathedral and the Church of St Chad.[25]
The ground within the city slopes down from 116m in the north-west to 86m on the sandstone shelf where Lichfield Cathedral stands. To the south and east of the city centre is a ridge which reaches 103 m at St Michael on Greenhill. Boley Park lies on top of a ridge with its highest point on Borrowcop Hill at 113m. To the south-east the level drops to 69 m where Tamworth Road crosses the city boundary into Freeford. There is another high ridge south-west of the city where there are two high points, one at Berry Hill Farm at 123 m and the other on Harehurst Hill near the city boundary at Aldershawe where the level reaches 134 m.[26]
The city is built on the two sides of a shallow valley, into which flow two streams from the west, the Trunkfield Brook and the Leamonsley Brook, and out of which the Curborough Brook runs to the north-east, eventually flowing into the River Trent. The two streams have been dammed south of the cathedral on Dam Street to form Minster Pool and near St Chad's Road to form Stowe Pool.
Brownhills is a town and former administrative centre in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands, England. A few miles south of Cannock Chase and close to the large Chasewater reservoir, it is 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of Walsall, a similar distance southwest of Lichfield and 13 miles (20.9 km) miles north-northwest of Birmingham. It is part of the Aldridge-Brownhills parliamentary constituency and neighbours the large suburban villages of Pelsall and Walsall Wood. It lies within the boundaries of the historic county of Staffordshire.
The town lies close to the route of the ancient Watling Street, and although there is no record of its existence before the 17th century, Ogley Hay – a district of the town today – is recorded as a settlement in the Domesday Book. Brownhills quickly grew around the coal-mining industry, especially after the town became linked to the canal and railway networks in the mid-19th century. By the end of the century, Brownhills had grown from a hamlet of only 300 inhabitants to a town of more than 13,000, of whom the vast majority were employed in the coal industry. Mining remained the town's principal industry until the 1950s; the subsequent closure of the pits led to a severe economic decline that has continued until the present. The local authority instituted a regeneration programme in 2007, which was hoped would revive the town's fortunes, but there has been little subsequent development.
At the 2011 census, 5,769 people in Brownhills were employed, with the largest percentages in retail (19.8%) and manufacturing (15.8%).[1] This represented a shift from a decade earlier, when manufacturing had been the largest sector, employing 28.5% of the workforce.[46] In 2011, 2.7% of usual residents aged 16 to 74 were classified as long-term unemployed.[1]
The decline of the mining industry in the 1950s caused a severe economic slump in Brownhills.[20] In 2007, the local authority created a "Townscape Masterplan" for the regeneration of Brownhills, which involved increased leisure provision, the improvement of the town centre's shopping facilities, a new transport interchange incorporating Park and Ride facilities and cycle links to the town centre and the National Cycle Route, and the refurbishment of run-down properties.[21] The plan involved the potential construction of a bypass to relieve the heavily congested High Street.[47] Among the areas highlighted for redevelopment was the Ravens Court shopping precinct. After many years of legal wranglings, including the collapse of a plan to build a supermarket on the site, a planning application was submitted in 2017,[48] but by late 2018 the precinct was still disused and a frequent target for anti-social behaviour.[22]
The headquarters of the One Stop convenience store chain, a subsidiary of Tesco plc, is located in the town.[49][50] Brownhills was formerly home to the wirings manufacturer Electrium's last UK-based factory, but this has closed, with manufacturing shifted overseas and commercial staff moved to a new site in Cannock.[51] Many people are employed at the town's Tesco store, which is open 24 hours a day on weekdays and is large enough to have its own petrol station.[52] Before being taken over by Tesco, the store was a branch of Hillards,[53] and an earlier Tesco store in the town had been forced to close as it could not compete with Hillards.[20] Plans to double the size of the current store were put forward but abandoned in 2013.[54]
