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Eckington is a historic market town in North East Derbyshire, England. It is 7 miles (11 km) northeast of Chesterfield and 8.5 miles (14 km) southeast of Sheffield city centre, on the border with South Yorkshire. It lies on the B6052 and B6056 roads close to the A6135 for Sheffield and Junction 30 of the M1. It had a 2001 population of 11,152,[1] increasing to 11,855 (including Bramley, Renishaw Marsh Lane and Troway) at the 2011 Census.[2]

Eckington
Eckington town centre
Eckington Location within Derbyshire
Population	11,152 (civil parish, 2001)[1]
OS grid reference	SK434749
District	North East Derbyshire
Shire county	Derbyshire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SHEFFIELD
Postcode district	S21
Dialling code	01246
Police	Derbyshire
Fire	Derbyshire
Ambulance	East Midlands
UK Parliament	North East Derbyshire
List of places UK England Derbyshire 53.308°N 1.3643°W / 53.308; -1.3643

History

Ten Roman coins discovered in December 2008,[3] near Eckington Cemetery may be evidence of a Roman settlement or road in the area. The oldest of the silver and copper coins is from the reign of the emperor Domitian (AD 81 to 96) while the others are from the reigns of Trajan (AD 98 to 117) and Hadrian (AD 117 to 138).

Eckington is recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Echintune,[4] a manor given to Ralph Fitzhubert.[5] Some parts of the parish church of St Peter and St Paul date to 1100.

George Sitwell, son of George and Mary was baptised in 1601 in Eckington. George's father died whilst he was a child but as an adult he acquired the freehold of land in Eckington[6] and exploited it by mining iron ore.[7] In 1625, he built Renishaw Hall which is now owned by Sir Reresby Sitwell's daughter, Alexandra and her family.

Sitwell exploited the minerals beneath his estate, chiefly iron and built a blast furnace at Plumbley a mile north west of Eckington in the 1630s with his mother's second husband, Henry Wigfall. In 1652 Sitwell built a furnace at Foxbrooke, close to Renishaw, which became the core of the largest ironworks in Derbyshire. Sitwell made saws at Pleasley and in 1656, installed a rolling and slitting mill at Renishaw to supply the rod iron used by numerous local nailmakers.[7]

During the Industrial Revolution coal and iron ore were mined and local streams, such as the Moss Brook, were harnessed to provide power for factories. The Sitwells built a large foundry and ironworks. Scythes, sickles and nails were made in the town for local use and for export.[8] The Moss Brook was dammed to provide water power at eight sites including ChapelWheel, Carlton Wheel and Fields Wheel, to grind the blades. The remains of an old forge and drift mines exist in the valley.[9] Eckington had a coal mine in the eastern part of the town, one of the very few in the country which is still operated.

Governance

Eckington falls under the jurisdiction of Derbyshire County Council, North East Derbyshire District Council and Eckington Parish Council.

Electrical supply is by Western power distribution and Water is supplied by Severn Trent Water with waste water being treated by Yorkshire Water

Geography

Eckington covers an area of 2,089 acres. The geology is the coal measures containing coal and ironstone. The Chesterfield Canal and Midland Railway passed through the parish.[8] The Moss Brook is a tributary of the River Rother.

Schools

The oldest school in Eckington is Camms CE Primary School. In 1702, Thomas Camm endowed a schoolhouse and a schoolmaster to teach 24 poor children in the parish. In 1832, Robert Harrison moved the school to a new building which cost £600, and it was moved again to its current location on Castle Hill in 1975.[10]

Eckington School is a large comprehensive school, attracting pupils from the surrounding areas of Killamarsh, Renishaw, Beighton, Ridgeway and Mosborough. Despite being closer to several Sheffield residential areas the admissions policy favours pupils from Derbyshire feeder schools.[11] Eckington Grammar School in Halfway became Derbyshire's first comprehensive school in 1957, changing its name to the Westfield School, and since 1967 has been controlled by the city of Sheffield.

Eckington is also home to Eckington Junior School and Birk Hill Infants.

Culture

Located on the border between South Yorkshire and Derbyshire, Eckington and other towns such as Killamarsh, Mosborough and Ridgeway have their own local accent, a cross between the Sheffield (as opposed to Yorkshire) and Chesterfield accents.

Amenities

Eckington has a swimming pool[12] near the library,[13] built in the 1970s as part of a town centre improvement. The town has a bus station (halt).

Shopping

Eckington had a number of small businesses in the town centre such as Hair dressers, cafes, takeaways etc. There is a Ashgate hospice charity shop and the town still has a Lloyds Bank branch. The main supermarkets are Aldi and Central England Co-operative, a discount store known as the Job lot occupies a large unit on high Street West of the town centre.

Food and drink

As well as small cafes and takeaways the town also has traditional pubs such as the George and the Rose and Crown a Miner's Welfare club also operates. As well as a friendship club.

The civic centre also operates many clubs including the over 60's club as well as putting on its own entertainment

The Mossbrook is a well known pub and restaurant located to the east of the town.

Eckington Woods to the north of the town forms part of the Moss Valley conservation area. They are also known as the Bluebell Wood because of the quantity of bluebells in the springtime.

Transport

Eckington bus station serves Eckington and is on Pinfold Street. It has four stands and two rest stands.

The Buses operating as of 2022 are

TM Travel - 252 - Crystal Peaks - Sheffield

Stagecoach East Midlands - 53 - Sheffield - Mansfield

Stagecoach Yorkshire - 50 - Sheffield - Eckington (Birk Hill Estate)

Stagecoach Yorkshire - 50a - Sheffield - Chesterfield

Stagecoach Yorkshire - 73 - Crystal Peaks (early morning only) - Clowne (early morning only)

Bus fares vary significantly due to buses operating in both Derbyshire and South Yorkshire with Derbyshire County council and Sheffield City Council offering different Subsidies to the operating companies.

The Local Taxi firm is Street Cars located in the town but other companies from Sheffield and Chesterfield such as City both operate in Eckington Frequently. Uber is also available in Eckington.

People

Notable people from Eckington include:

• Ann Alexander, financier, was born here in the 1770s.[14]
• Walter Bussey, footballer
• Herbert Henry Elvin, trade union leader
• Joseph Gales, Sr., politician and journalist
• Joseph Gales, Jr., journalist and Mayor of Washington, D.C.
• Joan Hinde, trumpeter
• George Sitwell, ironmaster was born here in 1601[7]
• Paul West, writer
• Zoë Baker, swimmer

See also

• Listed buildings in Eckington, Derbyshire

Photos

• 
  Eckington War Memorial
• 
  St Peter & St Paul's
• 
  Old Market Street

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Bowlt, Eileen. M. (1994) Ruislip Past. London: Historical Publications ISBN 0-948667-29-X

External links

• Parish council
• Inside-Eckington Website
• Eckington in the Domesday Book
• Eckington Methodist with St Luke's church

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