Alvaston (/ˈɒlvəstən/ or /ˈælvəstən/) is a village and ward of

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

, in the ceremonial county of

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

, England. Alvaston is on the A6 three miles south-east of Derby city centre and probably owes its name to an individual called Ælfwald. The village of Alvaston has existed since at least the 11th century.''Domesday Book: A Complete Translation''. London: Penguin, 2003. p.750-2 Rapid expansion came in the second half of the 19th century and in 1904 the electric tram replaced the horse-bus service and, with the advent of the motor car, London Road became the A6. It became part of Derby in the late 20th century. The smaller, neighbouring village of Boulton has been swallowed up by Alvaston, and Boulton is rarely referred to by name.

History

The village is recorded in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

of 1086. It expanded rapidly with the coming of improved

public transport Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...

to Derby, and the arrival of the railways and associated employment in the mid-19th century. Alvaston was the terminus of a tram route, and later a trolleybus route, which ran along London Road. Few of the buildings in Alvaston date from before this era. There are several parallel streets of terraced

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

housing in the Crewton district, large

Edwardian In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...

detached villas stringing out away from the village centre, 1930s semi-detached homes, and a large expanse of post-

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

council housing.

Governance

Alvaston is part of the

Derby South (UK Parliament constituency) Derby South () is a constituency formed of part of the city of Derby, most recently represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Baggy Shanker of the Labour and Co-op Party. Previous MP, Margaret Beckett, served the ...

constituency for Westminster elections. In the 2023 Derby City Council election, all 6 of Alvaston's members of

Derby City Council Derby City Council is the Local government in England, local authority for the City status in the United Kingdom, city of Derby, in the ceremonial county of Derbyshire in the East Midlands region of England. Derby has had a council from medieval ...

were from

Reform UK Reform UK is a right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Nigel Farage has been Leader of Reform UK and Richard Tice deputy leader since 2024. It has five members of Parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons and one membe ...

. In 1881 the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

had a population of 1302. On 25 March 1884 the parish was abolished to form Alvaston and Boulton, part also went to Elvaston. It is now in the

unparished area In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish (the lowest level of local government, not to be confused with an ecclesiastical parish). Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparis ...

of Derby, in the Derby district.

Geography

Alvaston lies to the southeast of Derby city centre, bounded to the east by the A6 dual carriageway, and to the north by the River Derwent. It is bordered to the north by the wards of

Chaddesden Chaddesden, also known locally as Chadd, is a large residential suburb of Derby, in the ceremonial county of Derbyshire, England. Historically a separate village centred on Chaddesden Hall and the 14th century St Mary's Church, the area was sig ...

East, Chaddesden West and

Spondon Spondon is a ward of the city of Derby, in the ceremonial county of Derbyshire, England. Originally a small village, Spondon dates back to the Domesday Book and it became heavily industrialised in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with com ...

; to the west by the city centre,

Sinfin Sinfin is a suburb of Derby, England, southwest of the city centre on its southern outskirts. The ward, which includes Osmaston as well as Sinfin itself, had a population of 15,128 in 2011. Historically, Sinfin and Osmaston were separate vill ...

and Osmaston; to the south by Chellaston and Shelton Lock; and to the east by the district of

South Derbyshire South Derbyshire is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Derbyshire, England. The district covers the towns of Melbourne, Derbyshire, Melbourne and Swadlincote as well as numerous villages and hamlets such as Hilton, Derbys ...

. Two miles to the west lies the site of the

Derby Canal The Derby Canal ran from the Trent and Mersey Canal at Swarkestone to Derby and Little Eaton, and to the Erewash Canal at Sandiacre, in Derbyshire, England. The canal was authorised by an act of Parliament, the Derby Canal Act 1793 ( 33 Geo. ...

, the 19th-century township of Allenton, and the Osmaston Park Industrial Estate. To the north-west on the A6 towards Derby, a small settlement of Victorian terraced homes forms

Wilmorton Wilmorton is a suburb of the city of Derby, England. It is situated between Alvaston and Osmaston, Derby, Osmaston, to the south of the city centre on the A6 road (Great Britain), A6 from Deadman's Lane to the Canal Bridge; the former is aligned ...

. The Pride Park development, which includes the

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...

football stadium, is a short walk away. To the north, the River Derwent flows from Derby towards its confluence with the

River Trent The Trent is the third Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, longest river in the United Kingdom. Its Source (river or stream), source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midlands ...

. The long-established chemical works o
Celenese
formally Accordis and Courtaulds) are the northern bank, towards

. To the east lies the open countryside of

and Elvaston Castle Country Park, a favourite place for picnics and lakeside walks. To the south,

Boulton Moor Boulton is a suburb and former local government ward of the city of Derby, in the ceremonial county of Derbyshire, England, and is located about four miles to the south-east of Derby city centre. It is closely associated with Alvaston and comes ...

stretches towards Chellaston and

Aston-on-Trent Aston-on-Trent is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the South Derbyshire district, in the county of Derbyshire, England. The parish had a population of 1,682 at the 2011 Census. It is adjacent to Weston-on-Trent and near ...

. Perched on the edge of the settlement, on Stocker Flat and overlooking

may be found a maze of 1970s–1980s-built culs-de-sac and footpaths, leading to council and privately built homes.

Demography

At the 2011 census the population of Alvaston was 16,255 and is made up of approximately 50% females and 50% males. The average age of people in Alvaston is 37 (2011 Census). 87.5% of people living in Alvaston were born in England. Other top answers for country of birth were 1.1% Scotland, 0.9% India, 0.8% Ireland, 0.6% Jamaica, 0.5% Pakistan, 0.5% Philippines, 0.5% Northern Ireland, 0.5% Wales, 0.4% Zimbabwe. (2011 Census) 93.6% of people living in Alvaston speak English. The other top languages spoken are 1.6% Polish, 0.4% Panjabi, 0.4% Urdu, 0.4% Tagalog/Filipino, 0.3% Russian, 0.3% Czech, 0.2% Kurdish, 0.2% Latvian, 0.2% Italian. (2011 Census) The religious make up of Alvaston is 53.6% Christian, 34.0% No religion, 2.5% Muslim, 1.2% Sikh, 0.4% Hindu, 0.3% Buddhist, 0.1% Jewish. (2011 Census)

Economy

Alvaston is mainly residential. The main shopping centre of Alvaston can be found at the junction of the A6 London Road and the A5111

Ring Road. Alvaston shopping centre holds a small number of chain and independent shops, including a men's barbers, and two card shops In recent years a lot of independent shops have closed down and have been replaced with many takeaways.

Culture and community

The main parks are Alvaston Park, Keldholme Lane Park and Kiwi Park. Alvaston Park is a picturesque, riverside park covering 85 acres. As well as the sports facilities mentioned below, it has a lake with fishing and a model boat club, a science garden, play area and a new café. The park opened to the public in 1913 after William Curzon of Breedon Hall made some of his land available. It was landscaped by William Barron and Son of Borrowash – a firm founded by the young Scotsman who laid out the park at Elvaston Castle for Lord Harrington in 1830. A five-acre lake was added in 1923 but in 1934 it was found to be badly polluted and the town council had to urgently clear Cotton Brook to restore the water purity of the lake in time for the carnival. During the Second World War the park was used as a prisoner of war camp, part of which was for Germans and the other for Italians. The Italians worked in the fields of local farmers and the Germans worked at the ordnance depot on Sinfin Lane. A further 61.8 acres was added after the Second World War for use as playing fields.

Landmarks

Aside from the church, listed buildings in the village include Church Farm and its associated cottages on Church Street, which date to the early 16th or early 17th century. There is another Grade-II-listed farmhouse dating from the 18th century on Boulton Lane. The Poplars, in Ellastone Gardens, is a Grade-II Georgian building with an iron shield of arms on the side elevation.

Transport

Bus routes

*ARRIVA DERBY – 1A, 1C, 1B – Derby > Alvaston Circular (1C, 1A) / Pride Park > Alvaston > Boulton Moor > Chellaston > Holbrook Park (1B) *ARRIVA DERBY – 4 – Derby > Allenton > Alvaston Blue Peter > Derby Commercial Park *KINCHBUS – Skylink – Derby > Alvaston > Shardlow > Castle Donington > East Midlands Airport > East Midlands Gateway > Kegworth > Hathern > Loughborough > Birstall > Leicester *DIAMOND BUS EAST MIDLANDS - 70, 70A - Derby > Allenton > Shelton Lock > Chellaston > Barrow upon Trent > Weston-on-Trent > Aston-on-Trent > Alvaston > Derby (70; 70A runs in opposite direction)

Education

Alvaston has two secondary schools:

Noel-Baker Academy Noel-Baker Academy (formerly Noel-Baker Community School) is a co-educational secondary school located in Alvaston, Derby, England. The school takes students from the Alvaston, Boulton and Crewton areas of Derby. In September 2004, the school ...

and Alvaston Moor Academy. The suburb has several primary schools, Wyndham Primary Academy, notably Alvaston Junior Community School (AJCS), St John Fisher and Oakwood infant and junior school.

Religious sites

There are several churches, of

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

, United Reformed and

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

denominations. There are two Anglican churches: St Michael and All Angels' Church is at the heart of the old village of Alvaston, serving the ecclesiastical parish of Alvaston, which includes Boulton Moor; and Boulton St. Mary's Church which is thought to be of Norman origin.

Sport and recreation

There are recreation grounds on Field Lane and Elvaston Lane. Alvaston & Boulton Cricket Club (est. 1857) is an English amateur

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

club that is based on the Raygar Ground, on the Raynesway bypass. Alvaston & Boulton have 4 Saturday senior XI teams that compete in the Derbyshire County Cricket League, and they became Premier league champions in 2000. The club have a mixed Development Team which takes part in the Derbyshire Cricket Foundation Competitions which are run by the club and a Women's team. Their junior section play competitive cricket in the Derby and District Youth League.

Charlie Keetley Frederick Charles "Charlie" "Wag" Keetley (10 March 1906 — 1979) was an English football centre forward born in Derby. He played for Leeds United, Bradford City and Reading. Keetley was the youngest of eleven brothers and one sister. Several ...

scored 80 goals for the football club in the 1926–27 season, before going on to play for Leeds and Bradford. Alvaston Park has a National Standard BMX track, which has hosted regional and national race meetings, as well as pitches and a skateboard park and adiZone outdoor gym. On 7 December 2009 the deputy mayor of Derby Councillor Fareed Hussain opened an outdoor gymnasium called the AdiZone and new changing rooms were opened on 2 May 2011. Since 25 May 2019 Alvaston Park has hosted a weekly 5 km

Parkrun Parkrun (stylised as parkrun) is a collection of 5K run, events for runners, walkers and volunteers that take place every Saturday morning at more than 2,000 locations in 23 countries across five continents. Parkrun was founded by Paul Sinto ...

Climate

Notable people

Mark Hateley Mark Wayne Hateley (born 7 November 1961) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), striker. He started his career with Coventry City F.C., Coventry City in the Football L ...

, an England international footballer *

Tony Hateley Anthony Hateley (13 June 1941 – 1 February 2014) was an English professional footballer who played as a centre forward. He scored 249 goals from 499 appearances in the Football League, and played First Division football for Aston Villa, Che ...

, a footballer who was Chelsea's record signing in 1966 and father of Mark * Craig Ramage, an Ex England U21 footballer who played for

* Jordon Mutch, an England U21 footballer who plays for Crystal Palace * Jack O'Connell, an actor who has appeared in ''

This Is England ''This Is England'' is a 2006 British coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Shane Meadows. Its plot centres on young skinheads in England in 1983, illustrating how their subculture became influenced by far-right politics. The f ...

'' (2006), '' Skins'' (2009–10), and '' Unbroken'' (2014) * Steve Elliott, an England U21 footballer who played for Derby County *

Christopher Jackson (geologist) Christopher Aiden-Lee Jackson (born 1977) is a British geoscientist and science communicator. He was previously Professor of Sustainable Geoscience at the University of Manchester, and before that held the Equinor Chair of Basin Analysis at Imper ...

Notes

External links

References

External links

* * {{Geographic location , Centre = ALVASTON , North =

, Northeast =

, East = Draycott, Derbyshire , Southeast = Elvaston, Derbyshire , South = Chellaston , Southwest = Shelton Lock , West = Allenton , Northwest =

Areas of Derby Wards of Derby Former civil parishes in Derbyshire