Derby Uncovered Issue 2

look back at another of Derby’s long-gone but iconic stores. This time the origins and history of Thurman and Malin are examined alongside some of your memories of it. We take a look at the life and career of Joseph Pickford – the architect of, and the inspiration behind, the wonderful Pickford’s House Museum. Some of the most beautiful artworks of Derby were created by S. H. Parkins – our research uncovers the story behind just who S. H. Parkins was.

COVERED Derbyshire UN Derby CONTENTS

FEATURED ARTICLES

PAGE 5

OLD IMAGES OF DERBY

In this issue we look at one of Derby’s greatest artists – Ernest Townsend - and at some of his works.

PAGES 6 & 7

THE DERBY PYCLET

With a centuries-old tradition behind it, we look at the famous – and delicious – Derby Pyclet.

PAGES 8 & 9

FRIAR GATE BRIDGE

We look at both the history and the future of one of Derby’s most iconic landmarks – Friar Gate Bridge.

PAGE 10

ROYAL CROWN DERBY

When one of America’s richest businessmen wanted the very best porcelain, Royal Crown Derby answered the call.

PAGE 11

BRILL-ME

Take hold of your emotional health and wellbeing with the help of Claire Austin and Brill-Me.

PAGES 12 & 13

THURMAN AND MALIN

We go back in time to look at another of Derby’s iconic and fondly remembered stores –Thurman and Malin.

PAGE 14

KALWINDER SINGH DHINDSA

Derby author, poet and creator Kalwinder Singh Dhindsa shares his work and thoughts with us.

PAGE 16

LAUNCHED INTO ETERNITY

Back by popular demand! Another chapter from Derbyshire’s crime and punishment past – this time the tale of Ellen Beare.

PAGE 20 & 21

KIP MCGRATH

Why children can sometimes need that extra Maths and English help - and how you can get it.

PAGE 22

DERBY COMPUTER MUSEUM

Win a family ticket to visit the Derby Computer Museum in our latest Derby Uncovered competition!

PAGE 26 & 27

FAMOUS FOOTPRINTS

In this issue we examine the life and work of Joseph Pickford – the inspiration and architect of the Pickford House Museum.

PAGES 28

NUTRITION AND RETREAT

Time to reflect, re-energise and be inspired. Reflect on Nature. Re-energise from Nutrition. Be inspired by us.

PAGE 30

HADDON HALL

Learn more about ‘the most perfect house to survive from the Middle Ages’.

PAGE 32

TAKE A SKYDIVE!

Skydive and raise funds for the Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity

PAGE 34

A BRAND-NEW DERBY EVENT!

Find out more about an exciting event launching in Derby this year!

PAGE 38

NATIONAL GARDEN SCHEME

Read about the Derbyshire garden open for the National Garden Scheme Snowdrop Festival.

PAGES 40 & 41

DERBY IN PICTURES

Mark Miley from derbyinpictures.com looks at the work and legacy of former Derby Borough Architect Charles Herbert Aslin.

PAGE 44

DERBY MUSEUMS

Come and see what’s happening and read the latest updates from the Derby Museums.

PAGES 45, 46 AND 47

S. H. PARKINS

Our research uncovers the story behind just who S. H. Parkins was.

PAGES 48 & 49

WARD’S OF FRIAR GATE

Ian Griffiths takes a look at the history of Ward’s of Friar Gate – and what a wonderful history it is.

PAGE 50

SEVEN STARS INN

We look at a wonderful painting of the Seven Stars Inn by Alfred John Keene.

PAGES 52 & 53

GHOSTLY DERBY

Three more spooky stories from the history of Derby – one of the most haunted cities in the UK.

PAGE 54

LOCAL STUDIES LIBRARY

We are proud to welcome a new and exciting partner to our newspaper – Derby Libraries.

PAGES 56 & 57

BAKEWELL

Picturesque, historic and the home of the Bakewell Pudding.

PAGES 60 AND 61

JOHN GERMAN ESTATE AGENTS

Looking

DID

The inventor of the hot dog – Harry Stevens - was born in 1855 at Litchurch, Derby. By the age of 21 he had married Mary Wragg and his first marital home was at 21 Russell Street in Derby. Having previously worked as a puddler – someone who was responsible for the stirring of molten pig iron to convert it to wrought iron, he soon moved into catering when he became a greengrocer. Stevens supplied, amongst others, the 95th Derbyshire and 54th West Norfolk Regiments at Normanton Barracks. In 1882, Harry and his family emigrated to the US and settled in Niles, Ohio. Whilst in the US, Harry began to acquire the rights to sell scorecards at baseball games and alongside the scorecards, he then acquired the right to sell food at the New York Giants’ baseball games. It is claimed that, on a particularly cold day, he came up with the idea of a placing a hot frankfurter sausage inside a bread roll. Sports cartoonist Thomas Dorgan, who had been inspired to draw a cartoon of a dachshund inside a bread roll, called it a ‘hot dog’ in his cartoon and the name stuck.

Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula was transformed into a stage play and had its premiere, not in the glitzy West End, but in Derby, at the Grand Theatre, Babington Lane in 1924. Here, Dracula’s trademark long black cape was first seen, and a nurse patrolled the aisles to aid terrorstricken members of the audience! It was the beginning of the long stage career of the vampire Count, which would take the play from Derby to London and then to New York, when Hollywood beckoned.

In 1635 the weather was so bad in the winter that four people froze to death between Derby and Spondon. Twenty-six years later it was so hot people could walk on the riverbed of the Derwent. One year after that a hurricane hit Derby that ‘blew up trees from the roots’.

Old images of Derby

As part of our ongoing series, we are again looking back and sharing some beautiful images of bygone Derby. In this issue all our images share two common themes. The first, and most obvious one, is that they are all set within the Market Place in Derby. The second is that they were all painted by the artist Ernest Townsend (1880-1944).

Born in Parliament Street, Derby in 1880, his early education was at Abbey Street School and at age 14 he became apprenticed to a firm of architects - Wright and Thorpe. It was whilst there that he started a part-time course at the Derby School of Art.

In 1898 he was elected a member of the Derby Sketching Club and ultimately moved from Derby, and his career in architecture, to pursue a full-time course at Heatherley’s School of Fine Art in Chelsea before gaining a place at the Royal Academy Schools in 1902.

In 1907 he returned to Derby where he had a studio in Full Street.

Townsend’s most well-known portrait was of Winston Churchill in 1915 – it now hangs in the National Liberal Club in Whitehall Palace, London.

A self-portrait of Ernest Townsend.

Hospital Carnival Day 1935.

His most important work for the citizens of Derby though, must surely be his idea and the work undertaken to disguise the Rolls-Royce works in Derby – responsible for the manufacture of the engines of the Spitfire and Hurricane fighter aircraft – by using paint to make sure that it instead looked like a village from the air.

His idea was used at locations such as bridges and gas works throughout the Midlands and many people believe that it was overworking in this period that contributed to his death in January 1944.

Townsend’s work now forms part of the Goodey Collection – a series of over 500 paintings and drawings of various Derby scenes - from various artists, that were collected by Alfred E. Goodey and donated to the Derby Museum in 1936.

A Glimpse of Derby Market Place on Carnival Day 1926.

Scene in Market Place during Gun Week, November 18-23, 1918.

Derby Fish Market by Night c.1929.

The Derby Pyclet Hundreds of years of history in a tasty mouthful

Derby has a few interesting claims when it comes to the world of food. Harry Stevens – the inventor of the hot dog – was born in Litchurch, Derby and Matthew Walker’s Famous Christmas Puddings trace their origins to ‘a humble Derbyshire farmer’s son all the way back in 1899’. Surely though, when it comes to a food that lays claim to the longest roots in our local history, it must be the unique Derby pyclet. What’s even more remarkable is that at one point it even disappeared from existence –only to make a stunning comeback.

With a history that can be traced back to Saxon times, the Derby pyclet was originally sold in the city of Derby all the way back in 1864 when we were a mere town. It was sold by the Monk family with the opening of their new pyclet bakery on the corner of Edward Street and North Parade. Whilst the men baked, the women sold the pyclets from barrows under the Guildhall arch in Derby.

Emily Monk took her place behind the barrow in 1914. In her own words she was to remain there ‘everyday bar high days and holidays’ until 1963. Upon Emily’s passing she was succeeded by a lady called Rose - who lived next door to the bakery and had, for many years, helped the family.

It was a combination of factors that led to the demise of the Derby pyclet in 1973. With the rise of the supermarkets and the oil crisis playing

a part, alongside the lack of desire from the younger members of the family, the end result was production of the Derby pyclet ceasing with the pyclet bakery being split into four houses the following year.

The Derby pyclet and all of the history and tradition behind it was, in all practicality, gone for ever. Or was it?

Some things aren’t meant to be over though and in 2011, when Mark Hughes bought his first home, the rebirth of the Derby pyclet began.

Mark’s first home just happened to be a converted shop and when his conveyancing solicitor recognised the name Monk on the deeds, he recalled their history. By June 21 that year, and after some experimentation, a recipe that bought the Derby pyclet back to life was created. After wowing friends with the new pyclets at a party, the next stop was to turn up to Derby Market Hall the following month with a pop-up. With the pyclets proving to be a roaring success they found themselves ready to move into a bespoke bakery inside the Market Hall itself.

After four successful years in the Market Hall, it was time for Mark to pass on the reigns and the ownership changed hands, this time to the immensely capable hands of Katie Gibson – the current business owner.

A recoloured picture of Emily Monk under the Guildhall arch in Derby.

Katie Gibson - the owner of Derby Pyclets.

Katie herself had been introduced to pyclets in 2016. After falling in love with them after she had stopped at the Pyclet Parlour with her sister for lunch, Katie became a regular and the parlour became her favourite lunch break venue while working in healthcare management at the University of Derby. Over the course of six months Mark had discussed with Katie his intentions of selling the business and seeing the potential, Katie purchased it from him. On September 1, 2016 the Derby Pyclet Parlour opened under her ownership.

From 2016 to 2018 the Derby Pyclet Parlour served countless happy customers. People would come from far and wide to sample this unique food. One gentleman from Arizona, upon his arrival in London, drove all the way to Derby so he could eat them for breakfast.

In 2018 major renovations began at the Market Hall necessitating a move. Although their initial new location – The Post House on Victoria Street – proved unsuitable as a long-term venue, it did allow Katie to reach a new audience and subsequently from July to October of that year Katie organised a temporary relocation to 85 Stepping Lane, where numerous businesses and individuals continued to order from. Whilst here, Katie planned the opening of their newest premises – Unit 41 in the Eagle Market which was opened later that year.

New and old faces flocked to buy their pyclets and the new location was a roaring success. The only thing that hadn’t been anticipated was the one thing that none of us anticipated or could be expected to –a global pandemic.

When COVID-19 caused a national lockdown, the unit was closed in line with national guidance. With supermarkets struggling to find delivery slots for people, Katie and her team came to the rescue of many of them. Working 24/7 they added fruit, veg and essentials goods to their deliveries. Katie herself made the huge sacrifice of shielding for nearly 12 months while baking, alongside increased deep cleaning, PPE and contactless deliveries.

In 2021, with normality somewhat beginning to resume, Katie organised a move to 12 Sadler Gate where she transformed a tired charity shop into a pyclet palace comprising of two kitchens, a dining

parlour and two exquisite private dining rooms over three floors. An immediate roaring success, it was again to suffer from something that couldn’t be anticipated – the sheer number of cases in the Omicron wave and the surge of COVID-19 that decimated the Christmas trade and which dragged on into the New Year.

Taking it as a signal to adapt and learn, Katie took the bold step of removing two dining tables from the front of the premises and extended the kitchen to bring the baking downstairs and into the full view of the shop window, with the first-floor landing converted into a dining space and a history display placed across the front of the counter.

Though a corner was turned with COVID-19, by March of 2022, the cost-of-living crisis began to emerge alongside Putin’s obscene attack on Ukraine and Katie, along with many other businesses, received a new energy quote for 2022/23 that was simply unworkable. Nine months after opening, Katie took the decision to close the premises.

Don’t despair though, Katie and the Derby pyclets are still very much a going concern. Katie still produces pyclets for local shops, and for click and collect and home delivery. Katie has also found time to release a book – Taste the Menu – which gives a much more in depth look at the history of the Derby pyclet as well as some delicious pyclet recipes.

Oh, and for the uninitiated who maybe aren’t sure what exactly a pyclet is, I think the description from the local food critic and journalist Ria Amber Tesia mentioned in Katie’s book is just perfect.

My personal recommendation? Order some pyclets, and when you fall in love with them as you will inevitably do, then buy the book.

"Think of it as a love-child of a sturdy crumpet and silken pancake, where opportune craters create wonderful pockets for gooey fillings (or melted butter if you are so inclined).”

The Derby Pyclet Parlour in the Eagle Market.

The delicious Derby Pyclet.

Something for the dessert lovers.

The Derby Pyclet Parlour in the Market Hall.

Friar Gate Bridge

What is the next stop for this iconic landmark?

I’ve been interested in our local history now for almost 30 years, but the other month a conversation I was having made me pause and ponder a question – what was it that first triggered the interest? Reaching back over the years I realised it was my memories of both Friar Gate and also Friar Gate Bridge.

As a young child we didn’t really venture far up Friar Gate that regularly. Pickford’s House Museum wasn’t opened until 1988 and our visits to the town centre were based around the Eagle Centre and its surrounds. It would be, for example, on the occasions that I had a doctor’s appointment on Vernon Street, that afterwards myself and my mother would stroll down Friar Gate into town.

Each time we did, three things would always stand out for me. The first was a childlike wonder at the, what seemed to me at the time, huge step-down kerbs. The second was the magnificence of many of the buildings on the street.

The third was Friar Gate Bridge and it was a combination of these things that first stirred my interest into what Derby had once been like.

For many people the bridge is one of the most iconic Derby landmarks. It appears in many paintings and pictures and it certainly has a very special place in our city’s legacy.

In just five years the bridge will be 150 years old. It was built in 1878 by Andrew Handyside and Company, a Derby-based iron foundry firm and was designated a Grade II listed structure in 1974. If you look around at the surrounds of Friar Gate and picture the elegant houses at the time of its erection, you won’t find it hard to imagine that a simple plate girder bridge would have been considered unsuitable for such a location. Instead, Friar Gate Bridge was designed with an elegant arch in cast iron, with moulded parapets and spandrels incorporating the town’s ‘buck-in-the-park’ emblem.

It was this bridge with its elegant arches that served as the inspiration for the 1932 song

‘Underneath the Arches’ - one of the most famous songs of the duo Flanagan and Allen. In 1957 Bud Flanagan told the story of how he had written the song in Derby in 1927, with its references to the arches of Derby's Friar Gate Railway Bridge and to the street homeless men who slept in the arches next to the bridge during the Great Depression.

The bridge became redundant in 1968 when, as part of the Beeching Report - a plan that intended to increase the efficiency of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain - the railway line closed. In the early 1970s the adjoining viaduct to the north-east was demolished and it seemed that the bridge itself might follow suit. It was passionate public support for the survival of the bridge that led to its Grade II listing.

In 1985 the bridge was purchased by Derby City Council from British Rail for the sum of £1 and alongside that purchase came the obligation to maintain it. Though sporadic painting has been carried out alongside some cosmetic restorations, the drainage of the bridge remains poor, it suffers from widespread corrosion and it is now covered in safety netting.

Thankfully for the citizens of Derby the bridge has an organisation fighting for its future –the Friends of Friar Gate Bridge (FFGB).

Gate Bridge c.1908.

Friar Gate Bridge in 1967.

cc-by-sa/2.0 - Friargate Bridge 1967 by Alan Murray-Rust - geograph.org.uk/p/6780586

In 2015, The Friends of Friar Gate Bridge was established to provide a single, recognised organisation for the public to channel their concerns over the condition of the bridge. For decades successive Council administrations had failed to treat the restoration of the bridge as a priority, despite their legal obligation to maintain it, but The Friends now have an ongoing dialogue with councillors and officers which keeps the bridge in focus. The Council has many serious challenges in trying to meet its wide range of responsibilities and no one expects it to find all the funds required to restore the bridge properly. Nevertheless, there is now a constant awareness that the bridge needs to be dealt with and, among other things, the Council submitted an application to the Government's Levelling Up Fund for the bridge's restoration (the result being due in January 2023).

Financed by Heritage Lottery, in 2018, the Friends commissioned a report from Latham's Architects on the viability of various future uses for the bridge. While standalone developments were seen as possible, the likely most viable solution would involve any future economic activity being linked to developments on the adjacent Goods Yard site. Subsequently, the Friends organised a meeting with the Council, Clowes Developments (owners of the Goods Yard) and Derby University to discuss possibilities. Although set back by both the Covid pandemic and the current economic climate, dialogue has continued with these parties and a plan is steadily emerging. It may be a few more years before the bridge is restored but the Friends are confident it will be.

Friar

Bud Flanagan from Flanagen and Allentheir song Underneath the Arches was inspired by Friar Gate Bridge.

Behind the Scenes at the Royal Crown Derby Museum

Did you know that Royal Crown Derby has a busy factory on the Osmaston Road and since the factory was first operational in 1878, it has been making stunning bespoke items for wealthy clients?

Next door to the factory is a museum containing over 4,000 items of porcelain made in Derby since 1750. One of the most eye-catching pieces is a cup and saucer from a dinner service made for Mr. Gary in 1909.

Elbert H. Gary, known to his friends as Judge Gary, was born in Illinois in America in 1846. With his friend J. P. Morgan, he set up the United States Steel Corporation, which grew into America’s first billion-dollar industrial organisation.

Mr. Gary owned several houses where he was famous for hosting elaborate dinners, to which he invited European royalty and captains of industry. Gary used these dinners, which were as much business as pleasure, to fix and stabilise the price of steel. Eventually the US Government stepped in and filed a case of monopolisation which put an end to the famous Gary dinners.

For such extravagant dinners Mr. Gary needed the finest dinner services he could possibly buy, and he commissioned these from Royal Crown Derby as well as Minton. The set we have part of in the Museum was commissioned through the famous luxury brand Tiffany’s. Mr. Gary wanted nothing but the best and asked that his initial G was included in the gilding of many of the pieces he commissioned.

This service was ordered in 1909 and contained 512 pieces, each one lavishly covered in raised gold! Each of the items was hand-decorated, and the floral vignettes were signed by the artist.

Mr. Gary bought at least three dinner services from Royal Crown Derby, totalling almost 1,000 items, before the US government caught up with him! It’s easy to imagine that such lavish items were simply for decoration, but Mr. Gary was flaunting his wealth by using such beautiful items. Imagine the dinner party served on plates as fine as these! I hope the food lived up to its presentation

Interestingly another of Mr Gary’s friends, Mr Deering, also ordered some extravagant dinner services from Royal Crown Derby, and unluckily for him one of them was being shipped over to him on the Titanic, apparently he was so wealthy he just shrugged and ordered a replacement!

If you would like to see this stunning item for yourself don’t forget you can arrange a private tour of the museum and archive for £15 pounds per person. You can book directly with the museum director at ewoledge@royalcrownderby.co.uk

A close-up of the hand painted floral details.

The raised gilding of the letter G.

Emotional health and wellbeing have, over recent years, finally begun to receive the important focus and recognition that they deserve. However, recognising the importance of something is only part of the solution. What can you do as an individual, organisation or business to improve the emotional health and wellbeing of yourself and those around you?

Everyone matters!

Supporting individuals with their emotional health & wellbeing

So, let’s start the year by prioritising our own health and wellbeing

But what do we mean by wellbeing?

Wellbeing or well-being refers to what is intrinsically valuable relative to someone. So, your wellbeing is what is ultimately good for you or is in your self-interest – no one can tell you what makes you happy, calm, peaceful or content.

For 2023, I would like to share with you some wellbeing activities and resources that might be just right for you!

For further information and contact details, visit Brill-me.com/resources

Peaky Pacas:

Explore, unwind and connect during wellbeing days and activities with:

■ Alpaca trekking

■ Crafting session - spinning fibre from alpacas into yarn

■ Guided meditation and breathing practices

■ Yoga (indoors or outdoors)

■ Crystal healing

■ Reiki.

January 2023 has me busy with:

Small Steps Big Changes (SSBC) CityCare Nottingham- Workforce Manager – devising the Workforce Strategy by engaging and coproducing cost effective and targeted training and events, including organising Trauma Awareness Raising Conference in March 2023.

Derbyshire Autism Services Designing training and managing a CPD accreditation.

Live Life Better Derbyshire – supporting the design and development of a new healthy eating game for Early Years children and practitioners.

Barlborough Junior School Wellbeing session for staff.

Derbyshire Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Monitoring and analysing visitor and pageview data from the Christmas period.

Pam Burrows: Motivational Mondays

Pam shares her knowledge and techniques that empower positive behaviour change and boost wellbeing.

Claire’s vision and passion for wellbeing and training development shines in the partnership work she has influenced over the past couple of years, and she creates the opportunity for her stakeholders to become equally absorbed. Claire recognises that stakeholder engagement delivers positive results for people and communities.

Kevin Parkinson Chief Executive for First

Richard Hale: Talking and Music Therapy

Richard is a qualified counsellor with over 20 years’ experience helping people through times of challenges and difficulties. He specialises in caring for those who are dealing with a range of issues by using Talking therapy and Music therapy.

Edmund Austin:

Engage with nature with supported bird watching sessions in the Peak District.

Derby and Derbyshire

Emotional Health and Wellbeing website:

This emotional health and wellbeing signposting website for Derby and Derbyshire contains local and national links and resources updated regularly.

Watch out for the next edition for more support and resources/signposting.

If you require training, sessions, project management or consultation services, please contact us at Hello@brill-me.com or telephone 07807 874918

I have worked with Claire for over 20 years. Her passion and drive to develop and deliver new inspiring training is outstanding. Claire has endless networks, resources and opportunities to offer to improve CPD. Highly recommended, a superb colleague.

Steps ED

Jayne Bacon Community Engagement Manager at Chesterfield FC Community Trust

Claire Austin – Founder of Brill-Me

Thurman and Malin

A look back at one of Derby’s finest stores

In Issue 1 we recalled the history of the Midland Drapery, with some of your favourite memories of it. We mentioned at the time that when people reminisced about old shops in Derby, alongside the Midland Drapery there was always frequent talk of Ranby’s, Barlow and Taylor’s and Thurman and Malin’s. Today we take a trip down memory lane to look at the origins and history of the latter.

It might come as a surprise to some to find out that the origins of Thurman and Malin actually stretch back further than the store itself which opened in 1879.

The origins can actually be traced back to another business on St. Peter’s Street – George & George – whose own origins go all the way back to the early 19th century.

It was here that both John Thurman and William Malin worked as young employees and when the business closed in 1878, they both announced their intention to open a shop at 64 St. Peter’s Street. It was in April the following year that an announcement in the Derby Mercury heralded the arrival of their new store.

The announcement of the opening of Thurman and Malin in the Derby Mercury – April 30, 1879.

Rapid expansion followed over the next few years with additional space being purchased and built upon St. Peter’s Street and St. Peter’s Churchyard.

Much of their early advertising would be considered ahead of its time. They used larger than average adverts and it certainly seems that, as a store, they were very much forward thinkers. As with all businesses, they faced challenges and as with many businesses in the area they shared the challenge of the aftermath of the Great Flood of 1932.

With a reported four feet of water in the basement, they suffered damage to stored stock and the lift engine but, unlike other stores, there was no advert placed afterwards for flood damaged stock.

It is often easy to gauge the depth of affection for an old shop by the memories of the people who visited it and when we talked on our Facebook Page about Thurman and Malin the memories came flooding back.

Eileen Robinson told us: “In the mid-sixties Thurman and Malin made my Bedford College of Physical Education cape for me. It was SO warm - navy blue and a plaid lining - all quality warm wool! I kept it for years and years and regret I don’t still have it."

Carolyn Barrett described it as ‘a lovely space to shop in...with chairs...to make shopping special and a pleasure’.

Patricia Shreeve summed it up very well with her words: "I would love to

be able to browse this store once more."

Christine Pooler recalled that when she ‘started grammar school it was one of the stores we had to go to for my uniform...so sad it is long gone." Unfortunately for residents of modern-day Derby it is now long-gone, though even as far into the store’s life as 1969 it was exhibiting its usual forward-thinking manner when it began taking Barclaycard payments.

The June 1970 announcement that the store was to close, came as a shock to a great many people. The news came in the Derby Evening Telegraph. Under the headline ‘THURMAN AND MALIN TO CLOSE: 100 STAFF AFFECTED’ the paper reported that Mr. Vernon Malin – chairman of the Board of Directors – stated at the time that the closure was due to ‘private family reasons’.

As was the case with the Midland Drapery, the store has now taken on an iconic place within Derby’s history, harking back to a day when the entire centre of Derby was a thriving area of shops and businesses. As is also the case of the Midland Drapery, Thurman and Malin may be gone but it is certainly not forgotten.

An old engraving of Thurman and Malin from 1905.

Second floor showroom for knitwear and blouses.

Scarves and fancy department on the ground floor.

The millinery showrooms on the first floor.

Perfumery and leather goods on the ground floor.

My name is Kalwinder Singh Dhindsa. I am a writer, author, poet and creator. A proud Derby man. Born and raised in Pear Tree, Normanton.

In this collection of poems each letter of the alphabet is dedicated to an iconic figure in the history of Derby.

In addition to this I will also include further poetry and information in relation to the iconic figure being shared.

Letter B

Over the last 17 years Steve Bloomer has become an integral companion in my life. He regularly appears in some artistic form or another in all my creative endeavours. He first materialised in my debut memoir, My Father & The Lost Legend of Pear Tree.

An Abode to Alf Quantrill

English blood Punjabi heart.

The boy from Rawalpindi to England depart.

Signed by Derby County in 1914.

Division One promotion in 1915.

A call to arms. Derbyshire Yeomanry.

Struck down with malaria. Sent back to Blighty.

Capped by England in 1920.

In the footsteps of a legend in-law to be.

Steve Bloomer of England and Derby County. The father of Hetty, Mrs Quantrill to be.

First of the Punjabi Rams of Derby.

Alf Quantrill's abode. The boy from Rawalpindi.

The two poems above are from my first collection of Poetry called Pear Tree Rambler, a rambling love letter of sorts and thoughts to the city of Derby and it's wonderful folk. A collection of poetry and prose, which follows the life of a Derby boy. Touching upon identity, community, culture and many other things that define and strengthen the man that I have become.

A son’s message in a obituary published by the Derby Evening Telegraph as he tries to come to terms with his father’s suicide. With the darkness looming he is thrust into a reaction by a reconnection with a ghostly pale face from the past who guides him on a journey of regeneration and discovery. A true story about a Doctor Who loving Sikh Derby boy and his quest for happiness.

He/Art

Impossible dreams he did avoke. Andy Edwards the man from Stoke. Get down here fast and leave your mark. Steve Bloomer's watching at Pride Park. Derby County's revered icons. Sculpt in clay and cast in bronze.

The boy from Pear Tree he did take part. Your broken heart he turned to art.

I will finish off this piece with another Letter from my Derby Collection and a final tribute to my fellow Punjabi.

Letter Q

We

Bookkeeping

Management Accounting

We are there for your business ALL year round and we get involved in the nitty-gritty, everyday essentials to keep your business finances on track. What businesses tell us they need is someone to be there to hold their hand, help them set up the systems and be at the end of the phone when they have a query. That is the service we deliver!

We love working with new businesses and start-ups, to give you the advice and assistance you need to start your business correctly and on a good foundation. We help you avoid the main mistakes that crash so many new businesses.

We also love to work with micro and small businesses where our input makes a real difference and allows you to run your business and leave your financial management in our safe and experienced hands.

Profitability

We will work with you and support you to make a positive impact on the profitability of your business. Our measured success is based on your success and your satisfaction with our service delivery and advice.

Commerciality

We believe in a no jargon approach and will ensure we translate our technical knowledge into useful business solutions for you and your company.

Personal support

Payroll and CIS

Sole Trader & Partnerships

Statutory Accounts

Taxation

Consultancy

Budgeting & Forecasting

We are here to support you as a business owner and not just your business. Your Solution’s Accountant will personally support you in every aspect of running your business and will help you achieve your personal goals as well as your business goals.

Understanding

We believe that we need a thorough understanding of your personal and business aspirations to help you to achieve your planned growth and development.

The notorious Ellen Beare.

It was at the Crown Inn that Rosamond Olleranshaw worked as a serving maid. It was also at the Crown Inn that John Hewitt, a butcher, aged around 30, from Stepping Lane, and his wife Hannah drank, and it was in the Crown Inn that the seeds of Hannah’s ultimate demise would be sown in 1732.

The marriage of John and Hannah was not a happy one. John was violent and kept his wife short of money and even the birth of a daughter had done nothing to improve their union of seven years. Although they drank at the Crown Inn they did so separately and it was here that Rosamond formed an attachment with John, perhaps naively believing his tall tales of how his relationship issues were all the fault of his wife. Between the three of them – Beare, Hewitt and Olleranshaw – a plot was hatched to help John dispose of his wife.

Probably due to the John Hewitt-imposed shortage of money, Hannah was said to have always looked undernourished. So, when Ellen Beare offered her a meal of pancakes it was more than understandable that she eagerly agreed. The pancakes were made by Ellen and served to Hannah by Rosamond. Within just three hours of eating them, Hannah was dead.

that she might tell the truth and save herself, but she unfortunately mistook the hint for its reverse and answered ’No’; by which she saved the life of her mistress and lost her own.”

John Hewitt and Rosamond Olleranshaw were executed on March 29, 1732.

As soon as the executions were over all attention turned to Ellen. Three days after the executions the Mayor of Derby ordered the digging up of her garden at the Crown Inn. Whomsoever gave him the tip is unknown, but the bones of a child aged around seven to eight months were discovered. At the July assizes of the same year, she stood to face more charges, although strangely none of the charges related to the bones found in her garden. Instead, she was charged with:

1. Endeavouring to help a man named Nicholas Wilson murder his wife.

2. Procuring an abortion for a woman named Grace Belfort, where she charged a fee of five guineas and used an iron skewer.

3. Destroying the foetus of an unnamed woman. Although the third charge was ultimately not proceeded with, she was found guilty of the first two and sentenced to stand in the pillory for an hour at the next two market days in Derby and to serve three years in prison.

On August 18 she was forcibly dragged to the pillory for her first hour. William Hutton himself, young but part of the witnessing crowd, wrote: “All the apples, eggs, and turnips that caught be bought, begged, or stolen, were directed at her devoted head. The stagnate kennels were robbed of their contents, and became the cleanest part of the street.”

After receiving such a positive response to the story of Hannah Bocking from our book ‘Launched into eternity: Twenty true stories of Crime & Punishment in Derbyshire’ in the last issue, we thought it only fair to let you see one more chapter from the book. As before, if you enjoy this and want to read more, then the full book is available on Kindle for £3.99 here www.amazon.co.uk/dp/ B0BFNN2TB3

Ellen Beare was described by the historian William Hutton as ‘handsome’, and she certainly was well sought after. Whether this was due to her looks, her personality or the services she could help with, it is very much open to debate.

Landlady of the Crown Inn on Nuns’ Green, she could perform abortions and could also provide the means to help a man dispose of his wife – usually with poison.

Although married to a man called Ebenezer, he carried no weight or say in either their relationship or their establishment and, according to Hutton, he had ‘no more influence over her than a mouse over a cat.’

As Hutton described it ‘the neighbours cried Foul play!’ and after Hannah’s body was examined by a coroner, enough arsenic to kill half-a-dozen people was found inside her. All three of the conspirators were arrested and at the assizes Hewitt, showing a previously very well-hidden streak of chivalry, attempted to help Rosamond.

According to Hutton:

“For the judge having asked her (Rosamond) whether Mrs. Beare was privy to the poisoning or ordered her to administer it, John trod upon her toe in order

With the pillory at the time needing repairs, Ellen managed to release herself and ran down the Morledge, being pelted every step of the way where ‘new kennels provided new ammunition; and she became a moving heap of filth.’ Upon her recapture she was placed back in the pillory for the remainder of her session and at the end of it was taken back to prison.

The Ellen Beare that returned for her second visit to the pillory was a very different woman. No longer the proud and confident young woman of previous times, she had the appearance of being old and decrepit. Her deviousness was still apparent though when she was found to be wearing numerous extra layers of clothing and a pewter plate to protect her head. With this removed she endured her second visit to the pillory before being taken back to prison to serve her threeyear sentence.

And what became of Ellen? Did the three years she served dampen her criminal nature?

By all accounts she recovered her health and looks but her nature stayed the same. After being released in August 1735, with the fickle-minded public greeting her outside the prison with a welcoming party complete with a band, she was soon remanded back in prison on a charge of receiving stolen goods – a charge for which she would serve one year. Hutton though, recalls that despite her numerous brushes with the law she ultimately died in ‘the meridian of life’

Digging Deeper into Derby and Derbyshire

Let somebody

…while you take a well-earned break

Life can be stressful for all of us. It often seems that there’s not quite enough hours in the day to get things done and if, like many are, you’re balancing the pressures of home life alongside the pressures of being a business owner or executive, these problems only intensify.

Even if you do manage to keep on top of the myriad of everyday tasks which must be done, it’s often at the expense of your happiness and stress levels.

Cath Harrison, Founder and owner of Bee-Assisted Ltd, with her small team of professional VA’s, will quite literally create

If you’re a business owner, and its business support you want, then your time is far more valuable if it’s spent generating revenue whilst Bee-Assisted takes care of the rest.

If you’re looking for support in your personal life, then it’s an investment in your own health and well-being.

The pressures of modern-day life can, at times,

extra time for you by taking care of the tasks you can’t do, don’t do, or shouldn’t do.

Whether the support you require is for your business, with services such as executive PA support, travel arrangements, event management, minute taking and much more, or for your personal life, which is under strain from your business commitments, Bee-Assisted also provides Lifestyle Management support.

Bee-Assisted provides you with a PA for your personal admin, helping you with tasks such as arranging personal appointments, car servicing, help with organising family

IT’S AN INVESTMENT

be crushing, but by using the services offered by Bee-Assisted there’s no reason why they have to crush you.

Cath has over 35 years experience in supporting Executives and business owners, within various private and public sector organisations, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Administrative Management (FinstAM)

events, researching home improvement services, childcare, pet care, window cleaners, gardeners, utility providers and insurance renewal quotes … the list goes on.

You might be wondering what the cost of all this is? It’s certainly not as much as you think it might be – you can pay for these services hourly at £30 per hour, for a little or as many hours as you require. Alternatively, there are package options, which start at just £270 for 10 hours per month!

and the Executive Personal Assistants Association (EPAA).

Now her experience and skills are available for others to benefits from.

Why not sit back and allow somebody else to handle many of the stressful issues in your life while you take a break? After all, you deserve it.

You choose from ad-hoc hours, or a great Package Deal

If you are looking for administrative

Cath is the lady for you!

Super organised and very efficient, you can be assured that your projects will get prompt and expert attention, freeing you up to focus on other areas

JulieT-411

else handle many of life’s issues…

It’s perhaps stating the obvious to declare that we are all different – but sometimes the obvious needs stating. Each of us, as we grow, find our own paths in life and our own way of doing things. Sometimes – as it was in my case – our own way of doings things might not fit ideally with the rigid structure of how, when we are younger, we are supposed to learn things during our educational journey.

I’d consider myself to have a reasonable degree of intelligence but at school, particularly in core subjects like English, maths and science. I underachieved. For me it was too easy to get lost, both accidentally and sometimes on purpose, amongst the other children, and the grades I achieved in those subjects don’t, I would like to think, reflect what I perhaps could have achieved.

Many of today’s children don’t just have that to consider either. A whole generation of children also face the unique challenges brought on by the disruption to their education caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully for those children, and for us as

parents, there’s a solution to this problem when it comes to the core subjects of English, maths and science.

Kip McGrath and their Education Centres were founded all the way back in 1976 in New South Wales, Australia by Kip and Dugnea McGrath. Their ideology was very simple - ‘every child can learn; they just need to be taught properly’.

Treating each child individually, Kip himself developed a remediation learning system, based on assessing the child to identify the gaps in their learning. Once each assessment is completed every child then has their own individual and tailored learning programme. The system works so well that with a combination of computer and written tasks, Kip’s methodology can bring a non-reader to functional literacy within 100 lessons.

Over the years this system has helped millions of children worldwide to catch up and keep up in the core subjects. With tutoring available both online and in their Ofsted Registered Education Centres, Kip McGrath’s qualified and experienced teachers

can ensure that your child receives the individual attention that they both need and deserve. Kip McGrath Derby West centre is based in The Square in Mickleover and is owned by former Principal and Ofsted Inspector, Malcolm Ferguson.

Each child is given a FREE educational assessment which tells their teachers exactly what level your child is working to and whether any gaps in learning have developed. Clear and personalised goals are then set which, when reached, are an immeasurable help to your child’s ability and self-esteem.

As we all know from our own experiences, a good start in life can stand you in good stead for the many years that follow – Kip McGrath enables you to make sure your child has that good start. Interested parents can contact Malcolm on 01332 517666.

Tutoring Times

Tuesday 4.00pm - 7.30pm

Wednesday 4.00pm - 7.30pm

Thursday 4.15pm - 7.30pm

Friday 4.15pm - 7.30pm

Melissa, Mum of Mitchell

Saturday 9.20am - 12.30pm Got

With 55 working exhibits allowing lots of hands-on retro fun, the Derby Computer Museum – located at the Top Floor of 3-4 Iron Gate, Derby – is a new and very exciting addition to the list of places to visit in Derby.

The museum is a registered charity dedicated to preserving the legacy and history of both computers and gaming consoles from the 1960s onwards.

The doors opened to the public on December 3 and the museum has already proved a massive hit with the residents of Derby. Open every Saturday, the museum is divided into various themed rooms such as the 70s/80s Room, the Apple Room and the Japanese Room which contains an impressive collection of gaming consoles from many years ago.

If you have denture problems –perhaps you’re uncomfortable, embarrassed when you smile, or unable to enjoy the food you like – we can help!

Our expert Clinical Dental Technician’s can create all types of comfortable, secure and lifelike dentures that will restore your smile and transform your appearance.

Strictly by appointment only. All measures possible will be taken to protect the safety of our patients with the guidelines provided.

Dedicate a tree in Derbyshire’s growing woodland.

Established in 1988, Heritage Wood is located just off the A52, halfway between Derby and Ashbourne and nestled in the delightful unspoilt Derbyshire countryside. A mix between nature, celebration and reflection, it offers a unique opportunity to dedicate a tree in memory of a loved one, to mark a variety of occasions and lifetime events, or maybe to offset your carbon footprint, or simply to enjoy seeing your sponsored tree grow. It is your opportunity to create your own personal bond with nature.

A visit to Heritage Wood provides the perfect setting for you to spend time with your thoughts, to remember happy times and to enjoy making new memories. A moment of contemplation and escapism, a pleasant walk or a picnic, or just time to sit, relax and enjoy the peaceful natural surroundings. We have 8 different tree varieties available for sponsorship. Once you have selected your tree you need

to decide on your wording which will be engraved on the plaque. Once complete, the plaque will be placed beside your tree and a certificate issued.

Heritage Wood has no gates and is free to visit at any time.

Our office is located just across the road from Heritage Wood at Ednaston Business Centre, located within Derbyshire Self Storage.

As part of an ongoing series, Derby Uncovered is looking at various historical figures with a strong connection to either Derby or Derbyshire.

We began in the last issue with the Derby-born artist Joseph Wright and this time round we turn our attention to Joseph Pickford who, although born outside Derby, nevertheless became synonymous with the area and is someone whose legacy can still be visited today.

If the many years of Derby’s history were viewed as a collection of fine wine, then 1734 must be counted as a very fine vintage indeed, as both Joseph Pickford and Joseph Wright (who featured in our last edition) were born in this year.

Unlike his contemporary, Joseph Pickford was not born in Derby. He was born in Ashow, Warwickshire, to 61-year-old William, a mason, and his second wife Mary.

Although details are scarce about Joseph’s early life, we do know that one of his first Derbyshire assignments was in 1759, supervising the workmen at Foremark Hall. Foremark Hall had been designed by David Hiorns of Warwick – an old associate of his father.

Relocating permanently, Joseph married Mary Wilkins at Longford Church in April 1762 and together they had two children who were painted by Joseph Wright of Derby.

Perhaps due to his connections with Mary’s father, Thomas, who owned Longford Hall and other large estates, Joseph was awarded the job of executive architect responsible for supervising the erection of the new County Assembly Rooms in the Market Place.

Joseph Pickford

Born: 1734. Died: 1782.

Orphaned at the age of seven, Joseph went to live in London, serving his apprenticeship in Hyde Park under the stonemason and sculptor Joseph Pickford (his uncle), who was one of the leading builders of his day.

Becoming acquainted with members of the Lunar Society - a dinner club and informal learned society of prominent figures in the Midlands Enlightenment – Joseph became a close personal friend of people such as Joseph Wright and John Whitehurst FRS – the famed clockmaker, scientist and geologist. These connections ultimately became some of his most important clients as, for example, in the case of John Whitehurst when he built a house for him in Queen Street, Derby.

Among his most notable works in Derby, there are two in particular that stand out –St. Helen’s House and his very own house at No. 41 Friar Gate. Now home to a museum entitled Pickford’s House, the property was built in 1770 as an elegant Georgian town house. It was only twelve years after this

Joseph Pickford painted by Joseph Wright of Derby.

Footprints

that Joseph died in 1782. If it was not for his untimely death, Joseph would have undoubtedly been regarded as one of the leading figures in his entire profession. For those of you yet to visit the museum, I would urge that you do so. Upgraded in 1977 from a Grade II to a Grade I listed building, the property is a stunning example of a Georgian town house.

Inside, there are period room sets illustrating various aspects of domestic life from the 18th to the 20th centuries including a drawing room, a dining room, a master bedroom, a kitchen and scullery and an air raid shelter. You will also be able to view The Tiny Room of Toy Theatre on the top floor which has

a collection of toy and model theatres so enchanting that it is worth a visit in itself. Outside, you can view the gardens which mainly incorporate species that would have been available during the Georgian period. One beauty of local history is that it affords the opportunity to local residents to see a glimpse of a small part of times passed in their area. In the case of Joseph Pickford and his contemporary Joseph Wright, with his collection at the Joseph Wright Gallery at the Derby Museum and Art Gallery, there is much more than just a glimpse on offer. There is the opportunity to stand surrounded by evidence of their genius. It’s an opportunity I would urge you to grasp.

St. Helen’s House, Derby.

Pickford’s House Museum, Derby.

Nutrition And Retreat

Time to reflect, re-energise and be inspired…

Reflect on nature, re-energise from

After the shopping, cooking, dining and entertaining frenzy of Christmas and New Year, we reach January and feel exhausted. It is a good time to take a rest, but the pressure is on, as friends and family start talking about resolutions, changes, and giving things up. This external pestering along with the bounty of articles, programmes and radio chatter full of selfhelp tips and latest diet trends, may make you feel like you ought to do something not to be left out. However, you may not want to participate, you might feel overwhelmed and drained by the events and weather. Your body and mind are shouting out to just relax. It is too wet to go out, too cold to walk and too windy to enjoy gardening.

Emotional eating is highly likely to kick in. You sit in the dark in the evening, watching the same old programmes and movies so why not have a snack. It is easily done! We reach out for the same treats … crisps, chocolates, nachos. Such foods are high in sugar and saturated fats. They tap into our dopamine production activating our pleasure centre. We think our bodies are rewarded when we eat the treats and soon enough, we start to ignore satiety and hunger signals in favour of the feel-good factor. This behaviour can become a habit and can lead to overeating and even obesity. The alternative then to the new year resolution trend may not be as rosy as it seems.

What can we do about this? There are a few things that can be altered. The key is to tune into your inner motivations, do what feels right for your body and start when you are ready. Firstly, when you are sitting down to that movie, make sure you prepare some healthy snacks in case you get peckish. Have some sliced apple or pear, unsalted popcorn or nuts instead of crisps, or a home-made banana smoothie with some seeds or a herbal tea instead of a beer.

If you feel hungry during the day as you sit in front of your laptop, start with moving around and having a drink. Ideally, you would go for a walk, but you could just do some stretches in your chair or walk to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. Exercise can give you the same kick as snacking, but it can be a much harder choice. Once you have the habit of taking regular short breaks from sitting down, maybe you will venture out. A day will come when you spot this meeting you could just listen to without needing your laptop. Why not get ready in the morning by having your trainers, coat and umbrella ready by the door and you might just get tempted enough to walk while listening to that call.

Or maybe during your lunch break, the sun comes out and you decide to go around the block or aim for your local store to purchase some fresh ingredients for your dinner.

Changes take time so remember that if you don’t want to join the Veganuary or dry January club, you don’t have to. It is good to have an aim so use this time to reflect and identify your goal. Look outside your window, appreciate a moment observing trees, clouds and birds like we used to for hours when we were kids. Let your mind wander for a minute. You could start a diary, especially a food mood diary. Jot down how you feel and what you eat. It can help you identify the causes and triggers for eating certain foods and also identify patterns. It could be that after a particular meeting each week you crave a sugar hit. Could you mitigate it by having a handful of berries instead?

Should you arrive at a point where you feel you could do more especially with your eating choices, it may be time to reach out for professional help. You may ask whether it is really worth the money or how to know who to trust. Start with the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists. These specialists have to have a recognised qualification from an established university. A registered nutritionist will ask you to sign a contract to ensure confidentiality and would usually offer an initial free consultation to understand your questions and targets.

In summary, tailor the start of the year and every day to suit your needs. Once you feel inspired to improve your eating habits, start straight away. Maybe even reach out to a professional, who will provide a personalised plan to meet your needs and expectations.

The most perfect house to survive from the middle ages

Haddon Hall, one of the country’s most elegant, historically important, and timeless stately homes, is located just outside Bakewell and is home to Lord and Lady Edward Manners. Over 900 years old and open to the public at various periods throughout the year, it is a magnificent example of a fortified manor house, enjoying fine Tudor and Elizabethan architecture, alongside beautiful Elizabethan walled gardens.

In 2022, the hall completed essential restoration work in The Long Gallery, after receiving funds from the Historic Houses Foundation, which is a major beneficiary of the Heritage Stimulus Fund. Designed by Robert Smythson in 1582, The Long Gallery is one of the highlights of a visit to the hall, with many visitors coming specifically to see it. Its impressive 110ft long size has seen it host a wide variety of activities, including civil ceremonies, music recitals, conferences, exhibitions, artisan markets and it’s also a firm favourite of film location managers and directors.

Prior to its restoration, The Long Gallery had been at immediate risk of irrevocable damage due to its central bay subsiding to a critical degree. The essential work carried out by local craftsmen and talented professionals has safeguarded this magnificent room for future generations.

In addition to this essential restoration work, Haddon also hosted its renowned Mercatum – Winter Artisan Markets, which saw thousands of people visit the hall in the run-up to Christmas, with a line-up of over 200 talented artisans and makers displaying their wares in and around a beautifully decorated Haddon. That’s not all. Throughout its opening, Haddon had something for everyone, with music recitals, free guided tours for both children and adults, Parkland Walks, spotlight talks and delicious locally sourced food and drink at Haddon’s restaurant, ensuring a wonderful day out for everyone.

Following a successful line-up of Parkland Walks, a more detailed calendar with a full line-up of Medieval Park events for 2023 will be confirmed this spring.

Open to the public for the first-time in 2021 and set across 187 hectares, Haddon’s Medieval Parkland was one of the first deer parks in the land, with the Vernon family applying for a ‘license to empark’ in 1330.

The park stayed intact for a remarkably long time, until c.1782, when the majority of it was converted into field systems by the 4th and 5th Dukes of Rutland. In 2009, the hall’s current custodian Lord Edward Manners decided to restore Haddon’s Medieval parkland, reverting two thirds of the farmed land back to a naturally regenerative open woodland pasture, just as it would have been 700 years ago.

Throughout the season, Haddon’s guides and a host of experts shared their knowledge during a series of walks, which focused on the plant and animal species, some very rare, which live within the park, and provided insight into how the park was managed in Medieval times for hunting, leisure, and the support of the hall and its household.

From Butterfly Walks to River Walks, there was a wonderful line-up of events and activities, which is set to expand and evolve even further this year, with lots of exciting plans in the pipeline.

For more information or to book tickets online, visit www.haddonhall.co.uk

Haddon Hall.

The Dovecote at Haddon Hall.

The Long Gallery at Haddon Hall.

The Medieval Park at Haddon Hall.

’’

My mum passed away suddenly so we needed to sort out care for my dad urgently as he has dementia. The ladies at Spectrum were amazing. They made suggestions about visits and a routine for Dad, which wasn’t about making money but what was best for Dad. They go above and beyond, keep us updated, review care plans, bring Dad treats, take him out and coaxing him to do what is needed whilst always being respectful and kind. It’s only a small team, the staff are consistent so, Dad has been able to build a rapport with them, and so have we. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them and frequently do to anyone I can. The role they have is invaluable to us, and they really supported us while we dealt with Mum’s death. If you’re looking for carers who treat your loved ones as if they were part of their own family, are experienced and competent and speak to you like human beings, this is the company for your care needs - and no, I’m not related to any of them, and they didn’t pay me!

’’

After a 4-month stay in the hospital, I was discharged home. I am still very weak and unsteady on my feet, so my family and myself decided to find carers to help me wash and dress in the morning and get me into bed at night. My daughter spoke to Spectrum, and straight away, she loved their happy, friendly and helpful demeanour. After a meeting with them, I decided to try them out.

I am absolutely thrilled to bits with the service that I’m receiving. The girls who visit me are always on time and always have a happy smile on their faces; they treat me with dignity and compassion. Nothing is too much trouble for them.

If I want anything done, I only have to ask. The girl's attention to detail is fantastic; they are trustworthy and thorough and are becoming good friends.

Our Mission

We are a global Christian organisation leading the fight against leprosy. Following Jesus Christ, we seek to bring about transformation; breaking the chains of leprosy and empowering people to attain healing, dignity and life in all its fullness.

How we do it

Sameer's story

Like many young boys, Sameer loves football. His favourite thing to do is to run around the field playing with his friends. But leprosy has robbed him of this hobby. The disease has attacked the nerves inside Sameer's hands and feet. This has caused foot-drop, which means he struggles to lift his feet to walk. He can't kick a football anymore and is ignored by his friends. Thankfully, Sameer has received the cure for leprosy. But he has a long road to recovery. He still needs surgery and physiotherapy. He longs for the day he can become a normal young boy again.

£24 to give someone the cure for leprosy £46 to pay for vital wound care for someone struggling with the effects of leprosy on their hands and feet £111 to fund a pop-up clinic in a tea garden, ensuring new cases of leprosy are diagnosed and people get treatment quickly.

There are 600,000 people living and working in the tea gardens of Bangladesh and almost every family is affected by leprosy. Will you act now to stop the spread of this disease and stop it devastating lives?

Derby

After a long winter it’s a delight to see the humble snowdrop emerging with the promise that spring is just around the corner. The weather may still be chilly, but the days are gradually growing longer, and the first of the season’s gardens throw open their garden gates raising funds for the nation’s best loved nursing and health charities.

So, don your warm clothing and step out to see an inspirational winter garden, don’t forget your camera and notebook for all those planting ideas!

‘The Dower House’ in Melbourne, just 6 miles south of Derby, is a ‘must see’ winter garden. Owned by garden writer and author of ‘The Apprehensive Gardener’ Griselda Kerr, the garden has featured in ‘Garden Magazine’.

‘The English Garden’ and ‘Historic Houses’ Magazine. From the balustraded terrace you will see a beautiful view of Melbourne Pool and within the garden a wealth of winter planting awaits.

As well as swathes of snowdrops you will find lots of late winter/early spring planting including aconites, hellebores and winter flowering shrubs. It’s also a good time to see the ‘structure’ of the garden.

The garden is open on Saturday the 10th and Sunday the 11th of February from 10 am until 4 pm, admission is just £5.00 (children free). Well behaved dogs on leads are welcome too, and there are some lovely walks nearby. The garden is also open ‘by arrangement’ for groups of 10 plus if you would prefer to arrange a more bespoke visit.

All the details of how to visit and full details of the charities that benefit from the National Garden Scheme can be found at www.ngs.org.uk

Some Snowdrop Facts

1. It’s a Greek name – ‘Galanthus’ translates as ‘milk flower’

2. A single Galanthus plicatus ‘Golden Fleece’ sold for £1,390 on eBay in 2015!

3. A naturally occurring substance within the plant, called galantamine, is used to help treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, although the bulbs themselves are poisonous.

4. Rare snowdrop varieties are not usually easy to propagate, hence the hefty price tag per bulb!

5. Snowdrops were named after earrings not drops of snow.

6. There are more than 2,500 varieties of snowdrop.

7. They are symbolic of spring, purity and religion.

8. Snowdrops are one of the first flowers to appear in the new year. In the northern hemisphere snowdrops can be seen appearing as early as January, weather permitting. They usually flower between the months of January and April.

Part of Dower House Garden.

Coming up in future articles we will be exploring the real ‘secret gardens’ that open for the National Garden Scheme and private gardens which are only open to the public on a handful of occasions each year – including picture postcard cottages, allotments, grand houses and inspirational suburban spaces.

The beauty that awaits in the Dower House Garden.

Snowdrops and aconites.

Derby Derby

in Pictures

In our last issue we were taken on a wonderful tour of Friar Gate and some of the history behind it – and what a fantastic article it was from Mark Miley.

by Mark Miley

In this issue Mark – owner of the wonderful Derby in Pictures website –www.derbyinpictures.com – looks at the work of Charles Herbert Aslin and the indelible mark his Central Improvement Plan left on Derby in the 1930’s.

The elegant Exeter Bridge, constructed of millstone grit and featuring pillars with bronze plaques of famous historical Derby worthies.

The beautiful interior of the Council House.

As with most towns in the UK, Derby grew up haphazardly over the centuries. By the early years of the 20th century, it had become heavily congested and there was a desire to create a more rational and coherent structure to parts of the town, particularly along the Western bank of the River Derwent.

Various plans were submitted but all were to fall through, often due to a lack of money. However, in 1929 a new borough architect was appointed named Charles Herbert Aslin.

Charles had been born in Ecclesfield, Sheffield in 1893. After serving as a Captain in the Royal Artillery during WW1 he took a job in the Sheffield City Architects Dept, later working in Rotherham and Hampshire before moving to Derby.

Charles presented a plan that involved the purchase and clearance of 12 acres of riverbank, redirecting a number of roads including Full Street and the Morledge and creating an improved crossing over the river. Known as the Central Improvement Plan (CIP) it was approved and work began in 1931.

Although financial problems in the 30's and the Second World War meant that the whole scheme was never fully realised, a great deal of it did go ahead. All along the river Aslin constructed his buildings from the bus station and outdoor market, Council House, Exeter Bridge, police station and magistrates’ court. These were linked by a riverside path and gardens with some beautiful architectural details.

Across the river he also built Exeter House, the regions first purpose-built council flats and elsewhere in the town he built the Queen Street Swimming baths, as well as a bandstand at the Arboretum and Homelands School, both of which have been lost.

Of the buildings within the CIP only the Council House continues to serve its original purpose. Although much rebuilt internally in the last few years to make it fit for the 21st century, the beautiful design of Aslin’s interior can still be seen in the formal entrance and staircase.

The former magistrates court, closed and vandalised for many years, has been sympathetically restored and is now home to the Local Studies library,

a café and offices. The beautiful detailing on the exterior has been cleaned and restored and the building looks equally amazing inside.

An interesting addition to the site is the large inscription on the river frontage informing passers-by that the site was once home to Exeter House, the building in which Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed when in Derby during his ill-fated attempt to reclaim the English throne for his family.

The remainder of Charles’ buildings have not been so lucky, however. The bus station was demolished to make way for a modern building, Exeter flats are at risk of demolition because of the city’s new flood defences and Queen Street baths is closed and its future uncertain.

Charles left Derby in 1945 becoming the County Architect for Hertfordshire where he was at the forefront in the revolutionary development of prefabricated schools, something for which he is feted worldwide. His final achievement was to be elected President of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1954.

The wonderfully restored entrance to the Magistrates Court, now the Local Studies Library.

Exeter House flats viewed across the river.

How do you protect your business when things change?

Sarah Roach, founder of Fishinwater shares her thoughts on how some basic change management approaches and processes can help protect your business.

I’ve worked around change for, well, all my working life; I’ve had change in personal life for my whole life. But that doesn’t make me special - because so have you!

“But what is an article about change, written by a change consultant and coach doing in an edition of Derby Uncovered?” I hear you exclaim!

“One common misunderstanding is that a project will deliver benefits – when in fact a project usually produces a new product or a new system; what ensures you get the benefit of the new product or system is change management – it makes sure you

achieve the adoption in your business, that people in your business are engaged, and believe in the change and make it work. People are key. That change management will cost money, but in comparison to the value a well implemented change can produce it is a small amount. And there is best practice to be aware of before you start”.

The first challenge a lot of businesses have is identifying change – not all change is glaringly obvious; so being able to identify change is key because it relies on us really understanding how things are now, our “baseline”. And then the application of some basic principles – a mini check list to be used when we make any decisions or look to progress our business will ensure that change is delivered and embedded correctly.

So here is a basic flow chart containing some key change management principles, and how you need to adopt them every day to maximise your business protection:

S. H. Parkins

Solving the mystery

In terms of doing my research, the difference between this version of Derby Uncovered, and the first version of Derby Uncovered back in 1998, is the same as the difference between night and day. Back then there were many trips to both Derby Local Studies Library – at that time on Iron Gate – and also to the Derbyshire Record Office in Matlock.

Whilst both are wonderful places to visit, and I’d recommend that you do, it did require a degree of planning. These days – almost twenty-five years later – we have a whole world of information at our fingertips without even leaving the house. Of course you can’t always find everything you want immediately, but more often than not it is possible to at least find information on where to physically go to find it. It’s rare – very rare – that you can find absolutely nothing of note even after googling extensively.

Very rare means that it must happen every now and then and this happened for me with a search for the mysterious S. H. Parkins.

To give you the full back story, in 1936 the Derby Museum and Art Gallery received a collection of over 500 paintings of various Derby scenes. The paintings were given by Alfred E. Goodey, a collector of paintings, prints and photographs, and included the work of artists such as Alfred John Keene, Ernest Townsend, Ernest Ellis Clark and C.T. Moore.

My personal favourites though always seemed to have the same signature – S. H. Parkins.

As usual, I had visited Google but each time I did I returned having gained no knowledge at all. I couldn’t find a name, a date of birth or even a gender. I saw the odd mention of the name next to images of their work but that was it.

of one of Derby’s greatest artists

An aerial view of Derby from the Shot Tower. The tower was demolished in 1932.

It became a part-time obsession over a few months. Every now and then I’d do a quick search hoping that something would pop up, but it never did. But in early December 2022, that all changed.

At the time I was on a website called newspapers. com – a fascinating site with literally millions of old newspaper pages viewable online – looking for information on one of the many executions that once took place in Derby. As it often did, a thought popped into my head: “Why not do a quick search for S. H. Parkins?”

I searched with low expectations – nothing I’d previously done had ever produced any helpful information – when suddenly I saw something.

It was a Derby Evening Telegraph newspaper article from October 12, 1945 with the headline: “We Forgot A Man Who Drew Forgotten Derby”. It seemed as I read the article that even as far back as then, the identity of S.H. Parkins was a mystery. The article ended with an appeal to the newspaper’s readers for any information they might have.

It was just four days later that the readers answered a great deal about that identity.

I learnt from the follow-up article that it was a Mr. Parkins so that was the gender solved. He had, it seemed, died around twelve years prior to the article and it went on to explain that he had moved to Derby from London in 1900. The reason for the move was for him to do ‘a couple of days work’ for Messrs. Bemrose and Sons, however he ended up staying there as an employee for 25 years!

Expanding further, it detailed how he had lived on Arboretum Street, and that he’d previously been the assistant editor of a Sunday paper and spent a lot of time in Paris devoting his spare hours to art. He was referred to by people who had met him as a ‘very small, quiet and most lovable man’ and invariably wore a silk hat and frock coat and was a ‘fine old Victorian character’. It was Alfred E. Goodey himself

that had commissioned him to do his paintings of Derby.

It seemed I’d gone from knowing virtually nothing to having a wealth of information and I was over the moon. One thing was still missing though, and it nagged at me – his first name. A visit to Ancestry. com soon took care of that. Armed with my newly gleaned knowledge, I soon found Mr. Parkins in the 1911 Census living at 34 Arboretum Street.

His name was Samuel. ‘Nice to meet you, Samuel’, I thought as I smiled.

By the end of my searches, I knew that Samuel was born around 1849 and had lived in Marylebone, London. He had been married twice. The first marriage was to Amelia F. Parkins, who I believe died around 1887, and the second to his wife who had been living with him in Derby – Maria. She was herself from Paris, which tied into what I had read in the Derby Evening Telegraph about the time he had spent there. As well as Arboretum Street he’d also previously lived at 47 Rosehill Street.

So, there you have it – mystery solved. Or almost.

The last mystery remains as to what the H stands for. According to the 1921 Census on Find My Past it stands for Henford, but I believe it also reads as Hereford. I let you as the reader decide what you think.

A view of St. Peter’s Street from The Spot, 1924.

A view looking up Babington Lane in 1922. Note that the Hunters Store has yet to be built and would arrive six years later.

Does that read Henford or Hereford?

And why was it so important to me to find all this out? Of course, part of it was an almost obsessive desire to solve a mystery but the other part I believe goes much deeper.

I’m a firm believer that history, especially local history, isn’t just about the actual paintings and photographs – as marvellous as they are. It’s about the people who made them, the people who are in them and the people who inhabited our area in times gone by. Their stories and lives are, for me at least, our true history.

Whatever your religious beliefs, or lack of, I think we all agree that you can’t take anything with you when you die. What you can be, and should be, is remembered, and I’m happy that Samuel H Parkins can now be remembered.

Oh, and one more thing. The fact that paintings like this survived in the first place is down to two things. One is, of course, the generosity of Alfred E. Goodey. The other is the sterling work done by all

If you haven’t visited them in a while, I’d gently suggest that you do – they are well worth a visit. Even if you have, then go again. Take a friend who hasn’t done so and introduce them to the wonderful world of our local history. If you want to keep up to date with what they have going on, here are their social media links at the bottom of this page.

three of the Derby Museums – the Museum and Art Gallery, Pickford’s House and the Museum of Making – to preserve our history and legacy.

Ward’s Ward’s

To enter Ward’s was to take a step back in time. Although the Victorian shop front appeared to occupy a small part of one of Friar Gate’s many Georgian houses, it stretched back into a top-lit gallery which soared up through three storeys. Every inch of the panelled walls was covered with paintings, some antique, some modern, and countless prints and engravings and a smattering of old Derby porcelain. At the rear, high up and definitely not for sale, hung a life-size portrait of the famous Derby Edwardian art collector and philanthropist Alfred E Goodey, painted by celebrated Derby artist Ernest Townsend (1880-1944).

This year marks twenty years since the passing of one of Derby’s best loved characters - a shop (some would say “institution”) keeper, Miss Margaret Ward. Margaret, who was an art dealer and restorer with her exquisite little shop and gallery at 12 Friar Gate, Derby, died in 2003 having spent virtually all her 94 years devoted to a family business dating back to the reign of King George III.

Ian Griffiths was born in Derby in 1963. He attended Bemrose Grammar School in Derby before studying law and becoming a solicitor, and for twenty years a senior partner, in the old Derby solicitors’ firm of Moody & Woolley (established 1846).

Ian has written numerous pieces for a number of local heritage group publications and a book - “Littleover, Portrait of a Village“ in 1990.

The shop, if indeed a Victorian time capsule, was nothing compared to the rich interior of the house it was attached to. Beyond the shop was a parlour, kitchen, workrooms and a charming walled garden. Upstairs there was a drawing room, music room, and endless bedrooms all crammed with paintings, porcelain, and furniture of the highest quality collected by generations of the family. Works by Derbyshire artists George Turner and the Gresley family were in virtually every room and the atmosphere was that of a quiet English country house.

Ian studied garden design and spent twenty years opening his town garden to the public in Derby for charity - under the National Garden Scheme.

Ian retired from law at the age of 52 and recently moved to Cornwall to live in an ancient family house and to undertake the rescue and restoration of its historic garden - which is also open to the public.

Margaret Ward carefully cleans the surface of an old seascape in the workshops at the back of Ward's.

Margaret Ward in an 80th birthday portrait.

Ward's in c.1914.

The shop decorated for Christmas in 1995.

By Ian Griffiths

A Victorian time capsule on Friar Gate

A Victorian time capsule on Friar Gate

The business had its origins in the early 19th century when the firm of H. Moseley & Co operated from premises at 36 Cornmarket, Derby, carving and gilding picture frames and mirrors. They were awarded the Royal Warrant as “carvers and gilders to His Majesty King George IV” and a huge carved golden Royal coat of arms graced the facade of the shop. (This coat of arms was later moved to the Friar Gate premises and remained on show in the shop until it’s closure in 2001. It can be seen today on display at Morley Hayes).

Moseley’s business was eventually taken over by Robert Ward in 1874 and the business moved to 12 Friar Gate around 1914. Robert’s son Charles followed him into the business in 1926 where he continued working until his death aged 89 in 1969. Charles, and his wife Elisabeth had an only daughter – Margaret.

Margaret was born in 1909 and from an early age shared with her father not just his passion for art but also fly fishing, fancy pigeon breeding and, most notably a fabulous social life. Margaret from a teenager onwards would accompany

her Father to art auctions in London and all over the country. The nature of their business provided them with an entrée into many an important house in Derbyshire and across the Midlands, and there were few aristocratic families and collectors whose valuable artworks had not at some point been either restored, bought, or sold through Ward’s. The old ledgers held countless references to eminent and master painters, such as Joseph Wright of Derby, whose works had passed through their workshop for restoration.

At the Friar Gate premises huge canvases would arrive from some stately home or museum and be taken through the specially tall side entrance to the rear workrooms where they would be assessed. The workrooms were full of pictures and frames awaiting restoration. Victorian bottles and jars full of chemicals stood alongside books of gold leaf, heavy flat irons, cloths, and brushes. Charles Ward could describe how delicate the restoration process was and how easy it was to make a mistake. He said he kept one bottle that contained a concoction he called “Redemption” and another he called “Damnation”!

Old master oil paintings often hundreds of years old would here be carefully examined. Often the original canvas beneath the oil painted surface of the picture might be torn or rotting. This would be painstakingly removed and the surface of the original painting would be adhered to a new canvas. This process was called relining.

The newly cleaned picture would then receive a protective coat of varnish. Of course, these traditional methods of restoration have been overtaken by today’s modern techniques, and often the old methods are criticised for being overrestoration or over-cleaning. Granted the new materials now available can provide impressive results, but it is a testimony to the old methods used by the Wards that many of the artworks still hanging in their original collections were saved from perishing. Many of the pictures in Derby Museums world-class Joseph Wright collection did indeed at some point receive care and attention at Ward’s Friar Gate workshop.

After Charles’s death in 1969 Margaret took over the business alone. I say alone, but she was never lonely. She had a small loyal staff. Margaret was assisted with the restoration by various people, particularly the Ruston family who helped with the framing, restoration, and heavy canvases. In the house the redoubtable Elsie was both housekeeper and companion, assisted by June and occasional chauffeur Julian.

There was a never-ending stream of visitors to the shop, and you could pop into Margaret’s private sitting room any day of the week and expect to find any one from The Duchess of Devonshire to a local Dustman, the odd nun, or one of her many connoisseur art collector clients.

Socially Margaret loved a party and was a warm and generous friend. She restored many important religious artworks for various local churches, including Derby Cathedral and St Mary’s Church, free of charge. Her hospitality at Friar Gate was legendary throughout the year from her Victorian music hall soirées around the grand piano in the upstairs drawing room, to her Christmas Eve knees up in the kitchen and parlour.

Life at 12 Friar Gate was eventful, full, and often hilarious, and my own stories and observations over my twenty-five years of friendship with Margaret I hope to recount in a future issue of this paper.

Charles Ward examines a damaged painting of Lady Curzon, from Kedleston Hall - before standing next to the restored work in 1966.

Margaret Ward in the shop at 12 Friar Gate in 1977.

Seven Stars Inn, King Street,

1913.

BY ALFRED JOHN KEENE

The Seven Stars on King Street is one of Derby’s oldest pubs. The building dates from 1680 although it wasn’t renamed the Seven Stars until 1749.

Although not a coaching inn it did have its own stables for many years and an annual Gooseberry Show was held there until 1825. One of Derby's oldest public houses the Seven Stars is very much worth a visit.

Steve Bonham

The award winning psychologist and vagabond philosopher.

Wide brimmed hat. Long dark coat. Guitar slung on back. 28 years on the road. 100,000 miles and half a thousand hotel rooms. From the Berlin Wall to the Atlas Mountains, from the Sahara Desert to the streets of Hong Kong: a man who has learned to watch and to listen, to walk and talk in the ebb and flow of meeting and parting.

A Performance Psychologist

You might find yourselves asking when you read this – what is a Performance Psychologist? You will of course be more familiar with the standalone term – psychologist – but what is the difference? The difference is in fact key, and also what makes Steve stand out from the crowd.

Steve himself lives in Derbyshire, and his work stretches through individuals, teams and organisations and is not just restricted to their ‘work’, but also all aspects of their life. His firm belief is that ‘success’ is a result of realising all that we might be. Steve’s Master's degree was in Occupational Psychology, but he soon realised that it was simply too restrictive a canvas as it focused largely on assessment and wellbeing.

Steve undertook a re-education in insights from Sports psychology and other disciplines and has since worked internationally helping leaders, sports people, businesses, artists, and teams

flourish. Understanding also that there is sometimes a requirement for therapeutic interventions, Steve has been trained in this accordingly.

So, what is a Performance Psychologist? In short, a Performance Psychologist can take an individual, business and organisation and empower them, so they can advance from being merely ‘okay’ to being great. If we take a moment to think about that, then we realise that’s something that could benefit us all.

Steve is an internationally experienced management consultant, award-winning business psychologist, entrepreneur as well as a speaker, blogger and provocateur on matters such as leadership in volatile environments and how to build resilience in challenging times. For nearly 30 years he has been a senior partner with the renowned consultancy Apter Development. He is the author of three leadership books, numerous articles and a regular blog.

Steve’s international consultancy experience includes major assignments

with Oracle, HSBC, Asahi, AIB, Commercial Bank of Dubai, the Boots Company, Scania, The Economist Group, Saudi British Bank, Reckitt Benckiser, and SABMiller.

His eclectic experience ensures he brings a unique, often humorous and radical perspective to what makes great leadership, innovation and teams.

Web: www.crossroadsct.co.uk Email: steve@crossroadsct.co.uk Phone: 07711 788248

Ghostly Derby

‘The Dead Centre of England’

In Issue 1 we looked at ghostly occurrences at the former Royal Bank of Scotland building in the Cornmarket, the ghosts of old prisoners at the meeting of the Cornmarket and St. Peter’s Street and the various hauntings reported at The Old Bell Hotel on Sadler Gate.

After many requests, here are three more ghostly tales that go towards proving that Derby is officially one of the most haunted cities in the UK – all of them first published on www.derbyuncovered.com.

Seymour’s Bar –Cheapside, Derby.

Based next to the old St.Werburgh’s Church, Seymour’s Bar has long since hosted the ghost of an elderly woman within its walls. There has been no explanation offered as to who the lady might be and what the purpose of her haunting is, however over the years multiple people have reported seeing an old lady dressed in grey.

Her appearance is often accompanied by the smell of lavender and some employees have described her as a ‘watchful presence’ while others say they have been touched by unseen hands.

One thing everybody has agreed on is that they never felt any danger or malevolence from the lady, so whoever she may be, and whatever the reason she has remained after her mortal time, she seems to offer no threat to anyone who has been visited by her.

Seymour’s Bar, Derby.

The Ghost of PC Joseph Moss – Lock-Up Yard, Derby.

The Lock-Up Yard or Derby Fishmarket was once the location of the Derby Borough Police Lock-Up. It was here on July 12, 1879 that PC Joseph Moss was fatally shot, losing his life the next day.

The culprit was Gerald Mainwaring who was staying at the time at the Royal Hotel in Victoria Street. During his stay he had purchased 300 rounds of ammunition for a revolver his brother had purchased for him.

On the fateful day in question, Mainwaring had got drunk with a local woman – Annie Green – and the pair of them had jumped into a horse and carriage on Bradshaw Street (now Bradshaw Way) to head to the city centre.

As they approached the corner of Cornmarket and Victoria Street, PC John Stamp had observed their reckless driving and had unsuccessfully attempted to stop them. Alongside another policeman – PC John Shirley – they pursued the carriage on foot along Ashbourne Road before finally apprehending Mainwaring at the Traveller’s Rest public house. With both Mainwaring and Annie Green becoming violent they were both escorted to the Lock-Up.

It was at the Lock-Up that, whilst Annie was being restrained by officers, Mainwaring pulled out the revolver and shot PC Moss in the side.

As PC Price moved to disarm him, Mainwaring fired more shots and before he was ultimately restrained, one hit him in the arm.

At 12.55pm the following day, PC Joseph Moss died from his injuries and was buried with full military honours in Nottingham Road Cemetery.

At Mainwaring’s trial, the jury were split on his guilt and decided to toss a coin to determine his fate. The coin landed on the side of guilty and he was sentenced to hang. However, news of the coin toss reached the local newspaper and upon an appeal to the Home Secretary, his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.

The Ghost of Richard Thorley – Agard Street, Derby.

On April 11, 1862, Richard Thorley became the last man to be publicly executed in Derby. His heinous crime was the brutal murder of Eliza Morrow on Agard Street on February 13, 1862. Thorley, 26, was in a relationship with Eliza, but was constantly jealous of any form of attention that she received from other men and had shown himself to be an abusive bully. On the night in question, he had forced his way into her house in a rage and

On many occasions since then, the ghost of PC Joseph Moss has been reported to have been both seen and heard in the Lock-Up yard. Due to the tragic nature of his death, it’s hardly surprising that something remains and echoes long after that fateful day.

cut her throat in a jealous frenzy. Covered in blood, he had gone to the nearest pub and claimed he had been in a fight with a gang, but his crime was uncovered and he met the hangman’s rope.

Workers at the old Longdon’s Fabrics Mill on Agard Street soon began to report unexplainable noises that happened with such a frequency that they eventually adjusted to them whilst others reported seeing the ghosts of both Thorley and Morrow on Agard Street on multiple occasions.

Now the site of student accommodation, many young adults arrive in Derby unaware of the ghastly history of where they live.

The murderer Richard Thorley and his victim Eliza Morrow. Derby Lock-Up Yard.

The Illustrated Police News depiction of the shooting with PC Moss already shot and PC Price being shot in the arm.

Bakewell

Picturesque, historic and the home of the Bakewell Pudding

Located in the Derbyshire Dales, Bakewell is both incredibly picturesque but also steeped in history. The market town lies on the River Wye, 13 miles south-west of Sheffield and close to both Haddon Hall and Chatsworth House – two of Derbyshire’s most beautiful tourist attractions in their own right. It has long been a popular destination for tourists, both from within Derbyshire itself and also from much further afield, however many may not know just how far back its history stretches.

It was first referenced in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles in 924 and was referred to as Badecanwiellon. By 949 it was referred to as Badecanwelle and by the time of the Domesday Book in 1086 it was known as Badequella. The name itself means a spring or stream of a woman named Badeca or Beadeca. It is thought that there may have been a Saxon by that name who settled by the warm springs which rose at Bakewell and the town was named after them.

Followers of Derby Uncovered social media

will have seen how this has happened in other places such as the Wardwick in Derby.

By the time of the Domesday Book - a great land survey commissioned by William the Conqueror – the town already had a church, a mill and a lead mine. The church, All Saints' Church, Bakewell, was founded in 920 during Anglo-Saxon times and the churchyard is home to two 9th century Saxon crosses. A market was established in the town in 1254. Back in that time it had very few shops, so

Digging Deeper into Derby and Derbyshire

in order to buy or sell anything, people had to go to the market. It very soon became a flourishing market town that also began to hold annual fairs in addition to the markets. Due to the increase in traffic and trade, a stone bridge was constructed in c.1300. The bridge has five arches and was widened in the 19th century. It is now Grade I listed.

Hidden behind All Saints' Church in Bakewell you can find the oldest standing building in the town. Now the Old House Museum, it dates all the way back to 1534 and was

Bakewell Bridge.

originally a tax collector's cottage. During the reign of Elizabeth I, the size of the house was increased and it even had it’s own garderobe - an internal Medieval toilet. In 1777 the Old House was divided into five cottages for mill workers by Richard Arkwright, founder of the modern factory system. By the 1950s the cottages were considered unfit for human habitation but were saved from demolition by the Bakewell & District Historical Society. Now, as a museum, you can explore the stories of the people who inhabited the house such as Christopher Plant, the Tudor title assessor and the Pitt family who lived in one of the cottages in Victorian times. The museum is open from March 25 to November 5.

county in the kingdom was required to send a number of men for army training.

With rumours abounding that Bakewell was being asked to give more than its fair share of men, many of them, including lead miners with picks and shovels, gathered in the surrounding villages and marched into a meeting of the magistrates. Looting commenced and the magistrates called in the soldiers which resulted in six men being imprisoned and a great deal of damage being dealt to the town.

When Richard Arkwright, in 1777 leased the site that would become Lumford Mill it resulted in around 350 people, mainly women and children, being employed there and the workforce were housed in cottages. The oldest part of the mill is now a Grade II listed building.

The modern layout that we see today in the town of Bakewell, only came about in the 19th century when Rutland Square was created and the Rutland Arms replaced the Old White Horse Inn in 1804. Jane Austen is believed to have stayed at the Rutland Arms in 1811 and it is further believed that she based the market town of ‘Lambton’ in Pride and Prejudice on Bakewell itself.

Bakewell Puddings - not to be confused with Bakewell Tarts - are a traditional dessert made from a flaky pastry base with a layer of sieved jam topped with a filling of egg and almond paste. It is said that they were first made accidentally in the kitchen of the Old White Horse Inn, (now the Rutland Arms). A cook was supposedly left with the instruction to cook a strawberry tart by Mrs. Greaves, the landlady at the time. The cook, instead of stirring the eggs and almond paste mixture into the pastry, spread it on top of the jam. Unexpectedly the result of her mistake was a resounding success.

When visitors now walk around the beautiful town it might be hard to picture, but back in 1779 Bakewell was in fact the scene of a riot. The backdrop to this was the practice of the time of men being chosen randomly under the Militia Ballot Act, in which each

No mention of Bakewell would, of course, be complete though without talking about the famous Bakewell Pudding.

Bakewell Tarts are actually a variant of the original Bakewell Pudding but whatever your preference is, the best location to purchase these desserts, which are now known worldwide, is the place from where they originated – Bakewell.

Ultimately whether its for the food, the beautiful views or the history, Bakewell is a very deserving location to put on your ‘must see’ list of places to visit.

Haddon Hall.

The Rutland Arms.

All Saints' Church, Bakewell.

The Peak District GeoWalk was launched on the 1st January 2023 and is now available as a free download online. This long distance circular walk passes through some of the finest scenery in the Peak District and the website explains how the local rocks and landforms have contributed to the landscape, influenced our heritage and fashioned modern day living.

Starting and finishing in Matlock, this 215 kilometre route may be enjoyed as a challenge over the course of 6-8 days, but for convenience it is divided into 14 Walk Sections that are numbered sequentially from Matlock. The route can be accessed from any point and undertaken as a series of day walks.

The website provides practical advice about the walk and an introduction to the geology of the Peak District. More detailed information is available in the 14 Walk Sections; each one includes a route map and, for those who prefer, there are written instructions for navigating. This narrative is combined with photographs and some insight into the various rock outcrops, wonderful views and spectacular landforms that are seen during the course of the walk. Each Walk Section is available as a free download and GPX files are also available.

For more information, please contact us at: pdgeotourism@gmail.com

Benghiat and Martin Whiteley Originators of the Peak District GeoWalk

A guide to the rocks and landforms on a long distance walk

Albert

Are you a landlord looking for

a letting agent’s

support?

John German have an expert lettings and property management team to provide all the support you need.

Allestree

Tenant Find

Tenant Find

Fully Managed

Tenant Find

We will find you a tenant and organise the tenancy agreement, leaving you with the day to day running of your rental property

We will find you a tenant and organise the tenancy agreement, leaving you with the day to day running of your rental property

John German Lettings offers a flexible service with Fully Managed and Tenant Find options available. Both options will be tailored to your needs.

The hassle-free option for landlords, a comprehensive lettings service designed to take care of everything for you

We will find you a tenant and organise the tenancy agreement, leaving you with the day to day running of your rental property

Duffield £172,500 Lovely addition grand Book

Allestree

Buxton Road, Ashbourne £675 pcm

Foxes Walk, Allestree £600 pcm

Washford £390,000

rent a detached double bedroom property with gas central Allestree Conservation area with allocated parking. EPC: E 293493 or lettings@johngerman.co.uk

A recently renovated two bedroom mid terraced property in the favourable market town of Ashbourne EPC: D

detached double bedroom property with gas central Conservation area with allocated parking. EPC: E 293493 or lettings@johngerman.co.uk

Book a viewing on 01335 340738 or lettings@johngerman.co.uk

A rare opportunity to rent a detached double bedroom property with gas central heating. Set in the Allestree Conservation area with allocated parking. EPC: E

Book a viewing on 01332 293493 or lettings@johngerman.co.uk

This IMPROVED breakfast worksurfaces EPC: Book or

Moving?

Moving?

Considering Moving?

get in touch with your local branch or visit www.johngerman.co.uk

in touch with your local branch or visit www.johngerman.co.uk

For advice simply get in touch with your local branch or visit www.johngerman.co.uk

Duffield Road, Derby £172,500

Lovely spacious ground floor apartment, built as an addition to the stunning Glendair House, one of Derby’s grand period homes. EPC: C

Book a viewing on 01332 943818 or derby@johngerman.co.uk

Chapel Street, Holbrook £200,000

This sweet little two bedroomed terrace cottage is ripe for refurbishment set in the centre of this thriving hilltop Derbyshire village with great country walks and village pubs on the doorstep. EPC: D

Book a viewing on 01332 943818 or derby@johngerman.co.uk

Normandy Road, Hilton £385,000

More than your average four bed detached! EXTENDED to include a STUNNING LIVING DINING KITCHEN with half vaulted ceiling and French doors, cosy lounge with log burner and polished stone fire surround as well as a generous dining room. EPC: D

Book a viewing on 01332 943818 or derby@johngerman.co.uk

Washford Road, Hilton £390,000

Oaklands Road, Etwall £415,000

Set on a lovely garden plot with open aspect over the Bowling Green, this much loved family home offers HUGE POTENTIAL to further improve or extend, being HIGHLY CONVENIENT for the excellent village amenities and schools. EPC: D

Main Street, Repton £440,000 (Offers over)

Located on the edge of this popular village and offering superb potential for a makeover to deliver a contemporary family home is this 3 bed detached house. EPC: D

Book a viewing on 01332 943818 or derby@johngerman.co.uk

Book a viewing on 01332 943818 or derby@johngerman.co.uk

Book a viewing on 01332 943818 or derby@johngerman.co.uk

Create

perfect space