Spondon is a ward of the city 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. Originally a small village, Spondon dates back to the Domesday Book and it became heavily industrialised in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with companies such as

British Celanese British Celanese was a chemical company based in England. Formed in 1916, it survived as an independent company until 1957 when it became a subsidiary of Courtaulds. History The origins of the company lie with two brothers, Henri and Camille ...

History

The name Spondon is

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

and describes a gravelly hill. The village is mentioned 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.''Domesday Book: A Complete Translation''. London: Penguin, 2003. p.748 In about 1333,Roger de Bankwell at

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

now in the public domain a great fire, starting at The Malt Shovel, a local pub, and aided by an easterly wind, swept through the village destroying the church and all but a few houses, with just one casualty, the mayor. The damage was so great that a judge, Roger de Bankwell, was sent to hear pleas for relief from taxes. The Great Fire of Spondon is still commemorated and taught as part of the curriculum in local schools. A village fair was held on its 650th anniversary (circa.1990). Spondon became heavily industrialised in the 19th and the early 20th centuries, with companies such as

(now

Celanese Celanese Corporation, formerly known as Hoechst Celanese, is an American technology and specialty materials company headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is a Fortune 500 corporation. The company is the world's leading producer of acetic acid, pr ...

Corporation). The large site is now closed, but it made initially

cellulose acetate In biochemistry, cellulose acetate refers to any acetate ester of cellulose, usually cellulose diacetate. It was first prepared in 1865. A bioplastic, cellulose acetate is used as a film base in photography, as a component in some coatings, and ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and later other artificial fibres.

Government

Spondon is part of the City of

and sits in the

Mid Derbyshire Mid Derbyshire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. The Member of Parliament has been Jonathan Davies of the Labour Party since the 2024 United Kingdom general election. As with all constituencies, the co ...

constituency for Westminster elections. In 1961 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 11,541. On 1 April 1968 the parish was abolished and merged with Derby,

Dale Abbey Dale Abbey is a village and civil parish in the borough of Borough of Erewash, Erewash in Derbyshire in the East Midlands of England, 6 miles north east of Derby. The population of the civil parish on the 2011 census was 1,351. Formerly known as ...

and

Ockbrook Ockbrook is a village in the Erewash district, in the county of Derbyshire, England. It is almost contiguous with the village of Borrowash, the two only separated by the A52. The civil parish is Ockbrook and Borrowash. The population of this c ...

. 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

The community lies on the north slope of the valley of the River Derwent east of Derby and is divided by the A52, which separates the residential Spondon village area at the top of the hill from the heavily industrialised area at the bottom.

Demography

At the census in 2011 Spondon had a population of 12,377 of which 94.6% were White British, compared to 75.3% for Derby as a whole.

Economy

The industrial belt lies to the south of Nottingham Road/Derby Road (an old Roman road) as does the disused canal and the railway. These barriers separate the residential three-quarters of the village from its industrial quarter. The various industries have included a dye works, electricity generating station, two scrapyards, sewage works,

synthetic fibres works and a tannery. Spondon holds a small number of chain shops but continues to support the business of many independent tradespeople too, including a men's barbers, a gift shop and a bakery. Chapel Street and Sitwell Street (in the centre) are the main areas of this retail activity. Dale Road (north-east) and Nottingham Road/Derby Road (south) also have a row of shops. Superstores (

Asda Asda Stores Limited (), trading as Asda and often styled as ASDA, is a British supermarket and petrol station chain. Its headquarters is in Leeds, England. The company was incorporated as Associated Dairies and Farm Stores in 1949. It expanded ...

off Derby Road (south-west) are also in Spondon.

Culture and community

There are many clubs, groups and societies serving Spondon. The Spondon Village Festival (Carnival) was first held in 2010 and it was hoped that it would become an annual event combining carnival and fair, but this has fallen through. Spondon won the Urban Community award from

Britain in Bloom RHS Britain in Bloom is the largest horticultural campaign in the United Kingdom. It was first held in 1963, initiated by the British Tourist Board based on the example set by Fleurissement de France (now Conseil national de villes et villages ...

in 2005. Facilities include one library, two social clubs, six public houses (the names and numbers have not changed since 1961). The parks are Brunswood (playground and playing field), Dale Road (field and landscaping), South Avenue Rec (playground and field), Gravel Pit Lane (playing field),

Locko Park Locko Park is a privately owned 18th-century country house in between the villages of Stanley and Ockbrook in the borough of Erewash, near Spondon, Derbyshire, England. It is a Grade II* listed building, and the park is Grade II listed in Histo ...

(country park), Spondon Woods (woods and scrub), Stoney Cross (woods and scrub) and Willowcroft (playing field). The Asterdale Club (formerly the

Workers' Club) is closed, but the grounds house two football teams and an archery club, club grounds, village parks, the village hall and the old school hall.

Landmarks

The historic centre of the village is designated as a conservation area.

is a Grade II*-listed mansion dating from 1669. The Homestead is a large detached Georgian mansion on Sitwell Street. The Stone Archways in Park Road mark the entrance to the now demolished Spondon House. The Enoch Stone Memorial marks the spot on Derby Road where a notorious murder took place in 1856 although this is in neighbouring

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 ...

Transport

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. ...

(Derby – Sandiacre) opened in 1795, and enabled other industries. The canal closed in 1964. The Derby & Sandiacre Canal Trust continue in their efforts to reinstate the canal. Borrowash Bottom Lock was repaired in 2018 and Sandiacre Lock has been dug out (Feb 2019). Other sections have been handed over to the Trust and are being cleared of vegetation.(2019) The

Midland Counties Railway The Midland Counties' Railway (MCR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1839 and 1844, connecting Nottingham, Leicester and Derby with Rugby, Warwickshire, Rugby and thence, via the London and Birmingham Railway, t ...

opened a line from

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

in 1839. This line became part of the

Midland Main Line The Midland Main Line (MML), sometimes also spelt Midland Mainline, is a major Rail transport in Great Britain, railway line from London to Sheffield in Yorkshire via the East Midlands. It comprises the lines from London's St Pancras railway ...

to London

St Pancras railway station St Pancras railway station (), officially known since 2007 as London St Pancras International, is a major central London railway terminus on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden. It is the terminus for Eurostar services from Belgium, F ...

Spondon railway station Spondon railway station serves the Spondon area of Derby, England. The station is owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway. It is north of London St Pancras. Spondon is a penalty fare station if travelling with EMR. It is a ...

has a rather limited service towards both

and

. The A52, 'Borrowash by-pass' recently named

Brian Clough Brian Howard Clough ( ; 21 March 1935 – 20 September 2004) was an English football player and manager, primarily known for his successes as a manager with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. He is one of four managers to have won the Englis ...

Way, cuts through the village and provides express road (dual-carriageway) links to the west (

) and the east ( M1 and

). Regional Cycle Route 66 links Spondon to Chaddesden and Alvaston. The

Spondon Flyer Spondon Flyer was a bus service in Derby, England operated by Trentbarton. History Until 2017 the service operated as a direct service between Derby and Spondon with a frequency of every 10 minutes and buses travelled in both directions around Sp ...

service provided a non-stop bus link to Derby city centre until its withdrawal in November 2021.

Education

There are five state schools located in the village. Primary Schools – Asterdale (south-east), Borrow Wood (north-east), St. Werburgh's C of E and Springfield. Secondary Schools –

West Park School West Park School is a mixed secondary school located in the Spondon area of Derby in the English county of Derbyshire. Previously a foundation school administered by Derby City Council, West Park School was converted to academy status on 1 Ap ...

. West Park School represents the merger of the former Spondon School (seniors) (State Comprehensive) which was located on two adjoining sites. These sites being the 'upper school' (1960s, grey brick, concrete and glass) at the top of the hillside, the current site, and the 'lower school' (1970s, grey brick, brown tile, timber and glass) at the foot of the hillside, which burned down. The new name comes from the two roads which lead to it.

Religious sites

St. Werburgh's Church dates from around 1390, replacing an earlier church destroyed by fire in 1340. In the churchyard is an Anglo-Saxon cross dating from c.870. As well as St Werburgh's, there is the Spondon Methodist Church built in 1934 before the existence of the A52.

Sport

Spondon Cricket Club Spondon Cricket Club is an amateur cricket club based in Spondon, Derbyshire, England. The club has a history dating back to the late 19th century. Ground The home ground is located on Locko Road in Spondon, Derbyshire and has two pitches, an a ...

* Spondon Dynamos Football Club * Spondon Bowls Club * Anchor Bowmen Archery Club * Spondon Snooker & Pool Club

Notable people

Born in Spondon – * Anthony Borrington, cricketer. *

Katharine Burdekin Katharine Penelope Burdekin (née Cade; 23 July 1896 – 10 August 1963) was a British novelist who wrote speculative fiction concerned with social and spiritual matters.John Clute, "Burdekin, Katherine P(enelope)" in The Encyclopedia of Scienc ...

(born Cade), feminist author was born here. * Rowena Cade, founder

Minack Theatre The Minack Theatre () is an open-air theatre, constructed above a gully with a rocky granite outcrop jutting into the sea. The theatre is at Porthcurno, from Land's End in Cornwall, England.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 ''Land's En ...

Donna Kellogg Donna Victoria Kellogg, (born 20 January 1978) is an English former badminton player. She is the European Champion, winning the women's doubles titles in 2000, 2006 and the mixed doubles title in 2008. She won the silver medal at the 2006 Wo ...

, Badminton Player. * Michael Knowles, actor. *

James Herbert Matthews Herbert James Matthews (28 February 1883 – 3 September 1972) was a Co-operative Commonwealth Federation member of the House of Commons of Canada. He was born in Spondon, Derbyshire, England, and became a Christian minister by career. He ...

, member of Canadian parliament. *

Robert Priseman Robert Priseman (born in Spondon, Derbyshire in 1965) is a British artist, collector, writer, curator and publisher who lives and works in Essex, England. Over 200 works of art by Priseman are held in art museum collections around the world in ...

, artist. * William Thompson, cricketer. Links to Spondon – * Ray Colledge, mountaineer who made the third British ascent of the North Face of the Eiger in 1969. *

Graham Coxon Graham Leslie Coxon (born 12 March 1969) is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter who came to prominence as a founding member of the rock band Blur. As the group's lead guitarist and secondary vocalist, Coxon is featured on all of Blur' ...

, guitarist with Blur. *

Drury Curzon Drury-Lowe Lieutenant-General Sir Drury Curzon Drury-Lowe (3 January 1830 – 6 April 1908) was a British Army officer. Biography He was born as Drury Curzon Holden on 3 January 1830 at Aston Lodge in Aston-on-Trent when he was called Drury Curzon Holde ...

, lieutenant-general and knight of the realm. * Henry Evans, cricketer. *

Sir Henry Fowler Sir Henry Fowler, (29 July 1870 – 16 October 1938) was an English railway engineer, and was chief mechanical engineer of the Midland Railway and subsequently the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. Biography Fowler was born in Evesham, ...

, Chief Engineer for the London Midland and Scottish Railway. * Paul R. Gregory, artist. *

Richard William Hunt Richard William Hunt (11 April 1908 – 13 November 1979) was a scholar, grammarian, palaeographer, editor, and author of a number of books about medieval history. He began his career as a lecturer in palaeography at Liverpool University, an ...

, Keeper of the Western Manuscripts, Bodleian Library. *

George Porter George Porter, Baron Porter of Luddenham, (6 December 1920 – 31 August 2002) was a British chemist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1967. Education and early life Porter was born in Stainforth, near Thorne, in the then West ...

, cricketer. * Ben Osborn - footballer for

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...

, attended West Park School in Spondon.

References

External links

Spondon Online Spondon Historical Society
{{Derbyshire Areas of Derby Wards of Derby Former civil parishes in Derbyshire