1850 Map of Chapel St Alfreton overlaid on Google Earth.

A Google map of Chapel Street Alfreton with an overlay map dated 1850 can be seen with “red lines”

The overlay map shows the location of the Travellers rest which is now The King Alfred, you can also see some dwelling houses, piggeries, wells, stables, a black smiths shop and the old chapel which stood where the library is today

The first Wesley Church in Alfreton, built in 1809, stood in Chapel Street - then Chapel Yard. Later the building had various uses, including a school, a Salvation Army Hall and a book-binding factory. After standing derelict for several years, it was finally demolished in 1973.

In 1850 the map shows that High street was then called Nottingham road

Alfreton is said to have been founded by King Alfred and to have derived its name from the king

The place name appears in different forms throughout the ages, the first mention of Alfreton was seen in the Domesday book of 1086 when Alfreton was known as Elstretune

The initial settlement was centred at the top of the modern King-Street, where the original market place developed

On the hilltop there was also an ancient meeting hall the Moot Hall until 1914, and several inns became established over the centuries, some of which survive today

To the west was a manor house, and the nearby Church of St. Martin, parts of which date back to the year 1200

The first Lord of the Manor was Earl Roger de Busli, who delegated the position to Baron Ralf Ingram

The position was passed down variously through heredity, gift, and sale over the centuries up until William Palmer-Morewood, who was the last Lord of Alfreton, who died in 1957

The economy during the medieval period centred on agriculture, however, the presence of readily accessible and extensive deposits of coal and ironstone in the area meant that mining and iron working grew in importance

In some parts of the manor, coal seams were so close to the surface they were often ploughed up, and numerous small workings developed

Pits developed throughout the Manor, with those in Swanwick and Alfreton being the most productive

As you can see from the overlay Chapel Street has changed a great deal since 1850

If you have any information, interesting stories, pictures or maps for Alfreton and surrounding area please leave a comment as we may be able to use the information in future videos

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