Spondon Village History Trail

"Lying approximately three miles north-east of Derby, Spondon retains its village atmosphere, although since 1968 it has been part of the city.

There is proof of an Anglo-Saxon occupation and after the Norman invasion Spondon was one of many the manors given to Henry de Ferrers by William I.

In the 11th and 12th century the de Ferrers family gave the Church and manor of Spondon to Burton Lazars of Leicestershire. They built a leper hospice at Locko a mile or so north of the Church.

The village has had an eventful history, including a fire in 1340 which burnt down the church and all but four of the houses. One man, Henry Penk, was burnt to death. There is evidence of a Civil War skirmish on the north wall of the chancel of St Werburgh's church, where a number of musket ball marks can be seen.

The Church rebuilt after the fire dates from the 14th century, and there are houses dating from 16th century onwards. In the 18th century a number of large houses were built, when Spondon became a fashionable place to live away from the industrial town of Derby."

The new leaflets (left) are available, priced £1, from the Library, Chapelside Post Office and Spondon News on Sitwell Street when they are open. The full walk will take about 1½ hours to complete.

We have also tried to make it easy to follow the trail without a leaflet, by "waymarking" it with arrows as shown on the right. (You will find these on lampposts or telegraph poles about 7 feet above the ground.)

The buildings pointed out in the leaflet are marked with a plaque (shown on the left). Most of the historic properties marked like this are still in use, so please respect the privacy of residents and users.

Three information boards also give directions for following the trail. These are sited at the Village Hall (pictured here), near the church on Church Street and at Chapelside precinct. After a year of waiting while the Council decided which department owned them, we have finally got the posters installed.

Take a look at the other major VIC projects (support for the re-opening of Derby & Sandiacre Canal, West Park Meadows Local Nature Reserve, refurbishment of Chapel Street cemetery, the Village History Trail and  the Severn-Trent clock or past and planned events.