Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Chesterfield

  • Chesterfield – Cannon Mill

    Chesterfield – Cannon Mill

    I managed to stumble on this mill building (not literally) whilst meandering around Chesterfield, and it’s one of the oldest industrial buildings in the town. Formerly part of the Griffin Foundry of John & Ebenezer Smith & Co, it’s now standing looking a little redundant and not particularly in keeping with the local area.

    Just to confuse matters, this building was constructed prior to 1788, but there’s a date of 1816 on the front and a cannon design. Apparently this relates to the period when the building was used as part of a cannon foundry, which was a key part of the site’s role as they made cannon balls and ordnance for the Napoleonic Wars. The site was later sold to Chesterfield Gas & Water Company and then there were numerous other owners, with nearly all the buildings on this site demolished except for this former mill.

    An overshot iron water wheel (I copied that from the listed building record, I’m not a water wheel expert). The building was restored in 1957 and given the area is now being redeveloped for housing, another restoration is planned to ensure this piece of heritage remains intact.

  • Chesterfield – The Portland Hotel

    Chesterfield – The Portland Hotel

    This hotel was constructed in 1899 and it was designed to serve the new Market Place Railway Station which opened in the same year, the third station to be built in Chesterfield. Unfortunately, the railway station was entirely demolished in 1973, with rail services having long since been stopped to passengers in 1951 and to freight in 1957. It’s a JD Wetherspoon venue now, perhaps one of the few pub operators who can fully utilise a building of this size.

    The real ale selection is extensive, as I’d expect from JD Wetherspoons, with this being a rather lovely beer and from a brewery that I haven’t seen before. It’s from the local (well, local to this pub) Welbeck Abbey Brewery in Worksop and the beer is named ‘Wake Up and Smell the Coffee’. The beer doesn’t taste particularly rich, but it has deep aftertastes of coffee and I like that very much. Apparently they use the coffee grounds from the Harley Cafe in Worksop, a little bit of a back story for the beer.

    The service in the pub is friendly and everything seems sort of clean and organised, so it’s all comfortable. There are also numerous people tapping away happily on laptops, this must be an ideal location for those who fancy working from home. Well, not so much at home as in a pub, but it’s the same principle as far as I’m concerned.

  • Chesterfield – Greggs (Burlington Street)

    Chesterfield – Greggs (Burlington Street)

    It’s true to say that I talk and write quite a lot about Greggs, it’s certainly my favourite chain.

    So, I was pleased to be given this free savoury item from Vodafone Rewards. Actually, I think this is a stupid promotion for Greggs, it’s unusable for people who don’t live near a Greggs (although I accept that isn’t many people) as it has to be claimed within an hour and the codes frequently get used up quickly. It’s a strange way of rewarding non-customers over customers as well, I suspect that this has a negative overall impact on Greggs. But, since Greggs seem to know what they’re doing, I’ll just carry on accepting the rewards when they’re sent.

    As Greggs go, this was pretty average. The entrance mat was damaged, the hot food section display was broken with paper signs explaining the problem and the range of items was sparse. What they did have in the main counter was cold and my chicken bake, usually a product of quality, was unexciting. This wasn’t just a chicken bake that had just gone cold, it had clearly been there for far too long. The staff member, who was on her own despite a queue forming, was helpful and friendly, but it all felt a bit barren.

    But, my chicken bake was free, so I won’t complain….. And I’m prepared to give Greggs another chance. Actually, probably many tens of chances as they’re still my favourite chain and I’ve missed them on my travels.

  • Northern : Nottingham to Chesterfield

    Northern : Nottingham to Chesterfield

    The train journey from Nottingham to Chesterfield cost me £5.50 for the 38-minute journey, not a bad price, although this is only available as an advance fare. I hadn’t realised that the Northern Rail name was no longer in use, the company is now referred to as simply Northern. Since 1 March 2020, so just over a week ago, the company is now operated by the Department of Transport. The ‘Northern by Arriva’ branding appears to have been removed, simply now saying ‘Northern’.

    The service began in Nottingham and carried onto Leeds, not being particularly busy between Nottingham and Chesterfield at least. The train was clean and there were table and standard seats available, with power available at the seats. The guard who checked the tickets was quite an exuberant character, pleasant and keen to help customers. The train departed and arrived on time, with no delays en route.

    Arriving into Chesterfield railway station where there were no ticket barriers or ticket checks. As a keen supporter of the rail network, I’m pleased to be in Chesterfield, the burial location of George Stephenson, the “father of the railways”.