Chesterfield Walk: Town Centre【4K】

Located in the county of Derbyshire, and around 10 miles south of Sheffield, is the town of Chesterfield.

The origins of Chesterfield go back to around 70 AD when there was a Roman fort in the area, which was later abandoned in the 2nd century. This is the only town in the UK where the Saxon 'Chester' suffix implying an earlier Roman fort is actually used as a prefix (unless you count Chester-le-Street, or the city of Chester).

Chesterfield received a market charter from King John in 1204. Some of the street names in the town are a throwback to the Medieval era, where specific trades were concentrated along a given street. For instance, knife smiths lived on Knifesmithgate, minstrels lived on Glumangate ('gluman' or 'gleeman' was an old word for minstrel) and salt from Cheshire was bought on Saltergate. 'Gate' is an old Norse suffix meaning 'street', hinting at the town's earlier occupation under the Danelaw following the Viking raids of the 9th century.

Chesterfield's most iconic landmark is undoubtedly St Mary & All Saints Parish Church, or more specifically, its crooked spire. Construction of the church began in the late 13th century, and the spire was added around 1362. The spire was twisted when unseasoned wood was used during its construction with 32 tons of lead tiles placed on top and as the timber dried out the weight of the lead twisted the spire. Other explanations have been put forward over the centuries, including a few far out ones, such as: the Devil was flying from Nottingham to Sheffield and stopped on top of the spire. He then did a violent sneeze that caused the spire to twist. But in all seriousness, this engineering fault has been fully embraced to the point where it has become an emblem of the town, in a similar manner to what the Leaning Tower has done for Pisa.

In the 1770s the Chesterfield Canal opened. This waterway links up Chesterfield with West Stockwith at the very north of Nottinghamshire. This allowed raw materials, in particular, coal and iron, to be transported out of Chesterfield. Trade in the town greatly increased as a result.

In 1837 construction of the Chesterfield Line began by George Stephenson - the Father of Railways. This formed part of the North Midland Railway which, a few years later, provided Chesterfield with a link to Derby to the south and Leeds to the north. A statue of George Stephenson was unveiled outside Chesterfield Station in 2006 in homage to his work, which includes the boring of the Clay Cross Tunnel five miles to the south.

Chesterfield is represented in sport by Chesterfield Football Club, nicknamed 'The Spireites', in homage, of course, to the church. Famous people from Chesterfield include the late Sir John Hurt.

👇 SUBSCRIBE TO 4K EXPLORER FOR NEW VIDEOS EVERY WEEK 👇
https://www.youtube.com/4KExplorer?su...

Filmed: 19th July 2021

Link to the walk on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/i9HVhJMUSqGHjEBy9 (mostly accurate)

Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Rose Hill
0:11 Glumangate
1:27 Saltergate
2:28 Elder Way
3:32 Knifesmithgate
4:54 Cavendish Street
6:15 Saltergate
6:51 Stephenson Place
7:41 Church Walk
8:34 Outside Chesterfield St Mary & All Saints Parish Church
9:25 Rykneld Square
9:49 Burlington Street
11:30 High Street
12:55 Market Place
14:03 New Square
14:21 West Bars
14:59 Low Pavement
17:46 Vicar Lane
19:51 St Mary's Gate
22:56 Corporation Street