Chesterfield is a market town and borough of Derbyshire, England. It is the largest town in Derbyshire, and is situated on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper.

Understand

Chesterfield originally had been a regarded as a berewick of Newbold in the doomsday book, though during the Medieval period this relationship changed with Chesterfield being the prime destination.

Along the river Hipper in particular Chesterfield gained a reputation for leather tanning in this period and its prominence was confirmed in 1204 with the granting of a market charter. It is reasonable to expect that there was a market before this date, located on the north side of the current St Mary’s church, though sometime after the granting of the charter, the market moved to its’ current position. In all likelihood, this would have occurred over a period of years. The success of the Market is largely due to the geographical position of Chesterfield. Livestock and woollen products farmed in the peak district would have been traded with arable products farmed in Lincolnshire. There was also a trade in salt from Cheshire, which is still reflected in street names such as Saltergate. In essence, most of the trade was East- West.

At the start of the industrial revolution, Chesterfield and its’ surrounding areas sat upon large coal reserves and the growth of areas that make up much of the Modern town, such as Brampton, Whittington and Hasland can be attributed to mining and the development of a manufacturing base. Pottery, Engineering and beauty products made at Robinsons as well as coalmining and coal product manufactures were the prevalent industries, effectively until the 1980s.It is a little known fact in this period that Chesterfield was the first town in Britain to have electric street lighting

From the 1960s, the Royal Mail became the towns’ largest single employer, with many functions such as accountancy and IT being performed in the town. Today, Chesterfield retains much of its’ historic character in the town centre, despite recent shopping developments, particularly on Vicar Lane, and has latterly been the benefactor of substantial regeneration of some of its’ old industrial sites within the borough and beyond.

Get in

By bus

Stagecoach bus run to and from Sheffield.

National Express coaches run all over England, some routes stopping at Chesterfield.

Trent Barton operates coaches to and from Nottingham (via Derby). This service is called the Red Arrow.

Local buses run to and from Bolsover, Mansfield, Nottingham, Clay Cross, Alfreton, Matlock, Dronfield, Sheffield and Eckington.

As usual, there is a much reduced service on Sundays.

By car

Chesterfield is close to the M1 motorway and is reached via the A617. However, from Sheffield, it is probably quicker to use the A61. If approaching from the north via the M1, it is recommended that you exit the M1 at Junction 29, as this is considerably quicker. (Junction 30 will also be signposted towards Chesterfield, but that route is a slower journey.

Once you are in Chesterfield, there are some spacious car parks dotted around the town centre. Most of these have a moderate parking charge.

By train

Frequent trains link Chesterfield with Sheffield, Derby, Manchester, Leicester and London.If you want to travel on a local train into the Peak District: Hathersage, Edale and Hope, these can be reached from Chesterfield by changing at Sheffield. Through tickets are available.

See

Saint Mary's

• 1 St Mary's and All Saint Church (The Crooked Spire), Church Way, ☏ +44 1246 206506. The Town's most famous landmark 
• 2 Revolution House, High Street, Old Whittington, ☏ +44 1246 345727. three hundred years ago, this cottage was an alehouse, the 'Cock and Pynot' ('Pynot' is a dialect word for magpie), and it was here, as history and tradition relate, that three local noblemen- the Earl of Devonshire (from nearby Chatsworth), the Earl of Danby and Mr. John D'Arcy - met to begin planning their part in events which led to the overthrow of King James II in favour of William and Mary of Orange. 
• 3 George Stephensons' Grave, St Helen's Close. At Holy Trinity Church, to the north of the Town Centre 

Hardwick Hall

• 4 Hardwick Hall, Doe Lea, ☏ +44 1246 850430. Close to the Town; this is possibly Britain's' finest Tudor House 
• 5 Queen's Park. A beautiful, family-oriented park via a bridge opposite the council house 

Buy

• 1 Chesterfield Market. is the largest market in the area and was given a charter in 1204. This charter states that the market cannot be closed down unless nothing is bought there for a week. 
• 2 The Pavements. Shopping centre with typical brand names 
• 3 The Yards. features a handful of local independent shops, such as Organic Kitchen, Pet Shop, M's gallery and much more. 

• Almost every Sunday morning,there is a car boot sale at Holywell Cross car park. This is an ideal place to buy second-hand goods (and get a bargain!). As a result, the car park is closed to traffic on Sundays. However, there is a multi-storey car park adjacent to the car boot sale (open every day including Sundays).

• Vicar Lane and The Pavements Provide most of the usual chanstores you would expect in a large town, The town centre itself, which links the two, also has numerous chainstores and independent shops

Eat

• 1 Crossroads Cafe, 51 Brimington Road North, ☏ +44 1246 453875. Basic décor with good classic food. 
• 2 Rose & Crown, 104 Old Road, Brampton, ☏ +44 1246 563750. 
• 3 The Old Post Restaurant, 43 Holywell Street, ☏ +44 1246 279479. 

Drink

• 1 Peacocks Coffee Lounge, 67 Broad Pavement (on Low Pavement), ☏ +44 1246 237771. is a marvellous coffee shop with plenty of seating and, more importantly, brilliant refreshments. 
• 2 Northern tea merchants, Crown House, 193 Chatsworth Road (A mile west out of the town centre along Chatsworth Road), ☏ +44 1246 232600. 9-5 mon-sat. Good spot for afternoon tea. Wide range of high quality of tea and coffee beans and big slices of cakes. Also sandwiches and panini. Tea leaves and coffee beans can also be bought to take home. 
• 3 The White Swan, Saint Mary's Gate, ☏ +44 1246 229570. Real ales and good pub grub 

Sleep

Budget

• 1 Ibis, Lordsmill Street (Town Centre), ☏ +44 1246 221333. 
• 2 Premier Inn - Chesterfield North, Tapton Lock Hill (behind Tesco Superstore A61), ☏ +44 871 527 8238. 
• 3 Premier Inn - Chesterfield West, Baslow Rd, Eastmoor (Highwayman Pub A619), ☏ +44 871 527 9476. 
• 4 Travel Lodge, Brimington Road North, Old Whittington (A61 North of Town), ☏ +44 871 984 6129. 
• 5 Anis Louise Guest House, 34 Clarence Road, ☏ +44 1246 235412. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 10.30AM. 4-star guesthouse with private on-site carpark, free wi-fi, and digital TV. All rooms with en-suite bathrooms. £27. 

Mid-range

• 6 Casa Hotel, Lockoford Lane, ☏ +44 1246 245986. 
• 7 Ringwood Hall Hotel, Ringwood Road, Brimington, ☏ +44 1246 280077. 

Go next

• Go hiking in the attractive Peak District.