Chesterfield is a market town and local government district in Derbyshire, a county in England. It lies south of Sheffield, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper, and has a population of approximately 100,000. The towns catchment area, or sphere of influence has a population of around 250,000, and includes nearby towns such as Dronfield, Bolsover,and Clay Cross. It is located at 53°34′N 1°25′W / 53.567°N 1.417°W.
| Borough of Chesterfield | |
|---|---|
|
 Shown within Derbyshire |
| Geography | |
| Status: | Borough |
| Region: | East Midlands |
| Admin. County: | Derbyshire |
| Area: - Total |
Ranked 284th 66.04 km² |
| Admin. HQ: | Chesterfield |
| ONS code: | 17UD |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (2004 est.) - Density |
Ranked 220th 99,700 1,510 / km² |
| Ethnicity: | 96.6% White |
| Politics | |
Chesterfield Borough Council http://www.chesterfieldbc.gov.uk/ | |
| Leadership: | Leader & Cabinet |
| Executive: | Liberal Democrats |
| MPs: | Natasha Engel, Paul Holmes |
It received its market charter in the year 1204 from King John.
Chesterfield benefited greatly from the building of the Chesterfield Line - part of the Derby to Leeds railway (North Midland Line), which was begun in 1837 by George Stephenson. During its construction, a sizable seam of coal was discovered during the construction of the Clay Cross Tunnel. This and the local ironstone were promptly exploited by Stephenson who set up a company in Clay Cross to trade in the minerals.
During his time in Chesterfield, Stephenson lived at Tapton House, and remained there till his death in 1848. He is interred in Trinity Church.
Chesterfield is perhaps best known for the "crooked spire" of its Church of Saint Mary and All Saints and is why the local football team is known as "The Spireites". The twisted spire leans 9 feet 5 inches from its true centre. The twisting is probably the result of unseasoned timbers or insufficient cross-bracing, although there are other explanations: One is that the spire was so shocked to learn of the marriage of a virgin in the church that it bent down to get a closer look. Should this happen again, it is said that the spire will straighten and return to its true position. Another is that a Bolsover blacksmith mis-shod the Devil, who leaped over the spire in pain, knocking it out of shape.
The Channel Tunnel between England and France used boring machines manufactured in Chesterfield by the company Markham & Co., which no longer exists in the town.
Chesterfield's current boundaries date from April 1, 1974, when under the Local Government Act 1972, Chesterfield took in the urban district Staveley and the parish Brimington from Chesterfield Rural District.
Sport
Chesterfield is home to the Football League One club Chesterfield F.C. who play at the Recreation ground Saltergate. The clubs proudest achievement in recent years was to reach the FA cup semi final in 1997. Chesterfield were knocked out in the semi final replay by Middlesbrough F.C. after an epic 3-3 draw at Old Trafford. The game was followed by controversy as video replays showed that a Jonathan Howard shot, had hit the crossbar and gone over the line. This however wasn't spotted by referee David Elleray and play continued. Had the goal been given, Chesterfield would have gone 3-1 up, and most likely would have gone on to win the match. This would have made them the 1st team in history from outside the top two divisions to reach the FA cup final.
Famous People
Famous people to come from Chesterfield include Baron Bowden, footballer Bob Wilson, glamour model Jo Guest, former royal butler Paul Burrell and actor John Hurt.
Twinning
Chesterfield is twinned with: