HALL’SWELL

DENIS EARDLEY continues his alphabetical stroll around some of the highlights of Derby and district, reaching the letters I, J and L.

KEDLESTON HALL

The present house was built for Nathaniel Curzon, the 1st Lord of Scarsdale, whose family has lived at Kedleston since the 12th century.

Sir Nathaniel Curzon was an enthusiastic art collector. In 1759 he decided the house was not big enough to display his paintings and other treasures, so he set about making plans for its replacement.

He appointed Matthew Brettingham, who drew up plans for a central block linked by corridors to two separate wings. Brettingham began building the north-east wing as the family home, but was then replaced by James Paine.

He, in turn, was succeeded by the much younger Robert Adam who was the more adventurous with his designs. This is evidenced when comparing the grand, but slightly dull north front with the livelier south front. The house passed into National Trust ownership in 1987, but the Curzon family still occupy a wing.

During the Second World War, Kedleston took on an altogether different appearance. In 1939, Richard Curzon, who had always been a military man, offered Kedleston to the War Department. This was readily accepted and during the war it was occupied by several different units. Temporary wooden huts were built in the park and rooms in the west wing of the house were used by officers.

Kedleston was also used as a mustering point for the British Expeditionary Forces before they set off for France and Dunkirk. Some of the survivors spent a short time on the estate. Kedleston did not escape war damage. The Germans dropped 17 bombs on the estate.

KIRK LANGLEY There was a church in Kirk Langley by 1218. The present church, St Michael’s, dates from around 1320 and has been considerably altered since then. The village hall is owned by the church and plays an essential part in community life. Originally it acted as the village school with an annexe added for the headmaster’s residence. The school is now located in Moor Lane.

JACOBEAN HOUSE The finest Jacobean House in Derby stands in the Wardwick, it was most probably built in 1611. Once much larger, it had five gables until 1855 when it was sympathetically reduced in size to make way for Becket Street. It is still a magnificent decorative building, despite being much diminished in size. Built of red brick, it was the first of its kind in Derby.

LITTLE EATON Little Eaton has expanded rapidly in recent years as a commuter village, but still does retain a measure of independence with shops, pubs and a primary school. Its industrial past goes back a long way. There was a working corn mill in the 13th century. Quarrying was one of the earliest industries and the opening of the canal encouraged business.

LITTLE EATON - RAILWAY Benjamin Outram laid one of the earliest railways in the world, which ran from Little Eaton to the collieries at Kilburn and Denby. In the early 1900s, Little Eaton was popular for excursions from Derby at weekends and public holidays. The Trent bus service ran a shuttle service to the annual fair at Easter, and was known to have carried as many as 12,000 people in one day.

LITTLE CHESTER The housing boom in Little Chester, Derby’s first suburb, took off in the 1890s when houses were erected in a semicrescent formation, along Chester Green Road. They were built to a good standard, with long back gardens running down to the Great Northern Railway line. The Romans established a large fortified settlement at Little Chester, which they named Derventio.

LITTLE CHESTER, MARCUS STREET In 1968, following the removal of the railway embankment, some of the remains of the Roman settlement of Derventio were revealed. Two wells were discovered and the one at the end of Marcus Street the local authority decided should be preserved, together with several postholes which had also been discovered.

LITTLE CHESTER, ST PAUL’S CHURCH By the mid-1800s the population of Little Chester had grown considerably to more than 500 people. To meet a growing need, St Paul’s Church was built and is now a Grade II listed building along with the war memorial, which is classed as an ancient monument. A heritage centre was set up at the church in 2001.