Chesterfield: The Crooked Spire and the Market Square
The spire of the Church of St Mary and All Saints twists visibly. Built in the fourteenth century, it leans and spirals 45 degrees from its true axis, the result of unseasoned timber warping under the lead cladding. It is Chesterfield's defining landmark and one of the most recognisable church spires in England. The open-air market below, operating since a charter of 1204, fills the cobbled market place on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. It is one of the largest open-air markets in the country.
Chesterfield sits where the Derbyshire coalfield meets the southern edge of the Peak District. The coal industry shaped the town and its surrounding villages for two centuries. Markham Colliery closed in 1994. The Staveley Works produced chemicals and iron. What replaced them: distribution, retail, services, and a mixed economy that lacks the drama of the industrial past but provides steadier employment. The population is around 113,000.
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The spire of the Church of St Mary and All Saints twists visibly. Built in the fourteenth century, it leans and spirals 45 degrees from its true axis, the result of unseasoned timber warping under the lead cladding. It is Chesterfield's defining landmark and one of the most recognisable church spires in England. The open-air market below, operating since a charter of 1204, fills the cobbled market place on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. It is one of the largest open-air markets in the country.
Chesterfield sits where the Derbyshire coalfield meets the southern edge of the Peak District. The coal industry shaped the town and its surrounding villages for two centuries. Markham Colliery closed in 1994. The Staveley Works produced chemicals and iron. What replaced them: distribution, retail, services, and a mixed economy that lacks the drama of the industrial past but provides steadier employment. The population is around 113,000.
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