Visiting Chesterfield-A Historic English Market Town

What is a Market Town?

Market towns are historically a medieval European institution. In England, they provided an open-air centre of trade and commerce to rural villages and farms. Some still remain open today for the sole purpose of selling goods and not just for novelty, like German Christmas markets. Read on to learn more about this unique town and my connection to it!

A Personal History with Chesterfield

For the first 18 years of my life, the market town of Chesterfield was just home. I thought everyone lived in a place like this. As a teenager, its history became tedious and worse still, cramped my style. I spent every Saturday trying to walk elegantly through the town centre’s cobbled streets in stilettos. Stuck heels and twisted ankles cut into my fashion statement and dripping water from the covered market stalls did nothing for my coiffed hair. The market vendors shouting out their daily deals and the horse-drawn garbage cart were part of a scene I wanted nothing to do with. At 18, I left this historic market town and didn’t look back. I moved around England, Europe, America. I embraced so many new cultures and places. For many years, I never gave that old market town a second thought. I missed my family and friends there but was busy carving out a life in a new town, then another new town.

As stability has finally taken hold, I now have the luxury of appreciation. Chesterfield is truly the most unique place I have known, full of history and character, and the warmest people you could hope to meet. I revel in it when I am there, and crave it when I am gone. Scroll on for an introduction to this unique town!

Where in the world is Chesterfield?

You can find this historic gem in North East Derbyshire, based at the foothills of the Pennines and on the edge of the Peak District, a stunning area of natural beauty. In more global terms, Chesterfield is 150 miles north of London, and 50 miles south-east of Manchester. It is quickly and easily reachable by train from London St Pancras ( within two hours, depending upon the route). The nearest international airport is Manchester with trains running from Manchester Airport to Chesterfield.

How historic is Chesterfield?

Chesterfield officially became a market town in 1204. Buildings from this century are still standing. Let’s take a walk through the town!

From whichever direction you approach Chesterfield, one thing clearly stands out: The Crooked Spire.

There are several theories as to why the spire leans nine feet from its true centre. In all reality, the spire became crooked from unseasoned wood and bad workmanship. This can be forgiven considering it was constructed in 1360. The church is still used for services and tours. Learn more here at https://crookedspire.org/tours-visits-2/

Walking away from the Spire towards the market place, we traverse through the busy high street with its selection of traditional English shops. The market place is also reachable via a route lined with dramatic tudor-style black and white buildings, dating to the early 1900s.

Chesterfield town center is largely pedestrianized. This makes it a lovely outdoor shopping experience. All of the shops are reachable on foot, with a wide variety of merchants and cafes. On a warm, dry day it’s the perfect location to window shop and people watch. There is also a small enclosed shopping centre, which was opened by Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981. That was a day of huge excitement for the town as we eagerly lined up to see the Royal pair. I distinctly remember how lovely Princess Diana looked and how tall and elegant she was!

On the days when the market stalls are closed, the town has a quieter feel, and the Market Hall looks more regal without distractions around it.

Market days are a more colourful, noisy picture, with a variety of merchants and products.

Market towns have a unique feel, where a medieval style of trade sits parallel with modern-day shopping. Open-air shopping never loses its appeal to me. The experience batters the senses with the sights and sounds of shoppers hurrying through the stalls, or chatting in their lovely northern brogue, as vendors vie for their attention. This atmosphere cannot be duplicated in synthetic Malls and Shopping Centers. As a returning tourist, I have spent hours meandering through the market stalls looking for bargains, antiques, and English souvenirs. The stalls and their merchandise are unpredictable from one week to the next which adds to the thrill.

Walking through the grand Market Hall building itself offers another selection of shops, and leads to the lower market with a smaller variety of stalls, and running fountain. This is the location of the Portland Hotel, now owned by Weatherspoons, providing cheap and cheerful meals with a pint of the local brew for hungry shoppers.

Going beyond this eventually leads to the Queen’s Park. This is a nice space to relax away from the crowds and let the children play, feed the ducks at the pond, or watch a game of cricket.

A short walk away from the Market Place is one of the most historic areas of the town known as The Shambles. This is an area of original and very narrow medieval streets with unique shops and cafes, and one of the oldest pubs in the country, The Royal Oak. It was built in the 12th century and is still open for business!

Chesterfield houses a large population, and beyond the traditional town centre are the trappings for a more modern shopping need; large supermarkets and D.I.Y shops, department stores such as TJ Maxx and Debenhams, to name a few. Food and drink choices are plentiful, with real ale pubs, fish and chip shops, delicious Curry houses, alongside standard British and American chain restaurants. The town spills out into many directions and the beautiful Derbyshire countryside is within easy reach. A main motorway running through the country, the M1, is a few short miles away. Chesterfield Train station is a short walk from the town center with every major city accessible from here.

The town has its own personal culture. There is always something happening. If the Spireites are not playing a game, you can choose to see a production at one of the local theatres, watch a movie at the cinema, or plan an evening with friends at one of the many unique and cozy pubs.

Staying Here

Several hotels are within walking distance of the town center and the train station. The lovely Four Star Casa Hotel and Ibis Chesterfield can all be found on booking.com right on this site!

The Locals

Since I used to be a “local”, I can tell you that the people of Derbyshire and its neighbour Yorkshire, are the most genuine, down to earth, congenial people you can find. You will be treated with warmth and kindness where ever you go. What makes Chesterfield folk unique is an earthy, gritty survival instinct that enables them to pick up and carry on when times are tough, all the while retaining their cheerful, warm-hearted dispositions.

This was demonstrated to me in the 1980s when local industry completely ground to a halt. Chesterfield sits on a coal mine, and the countryside around the town is full of coal. During my childhood, the local coal mining industry was booming and offered employment to all who needed it. Manufacturing in the town was also thriving. Nearby Sheffield exported Stainless Steel to the world. In the 1980s, it all went away. Margaret Thatcher’s reign was the beginning of the end for the mining industry and the area was soon faced with high unemployment and no prospect of work. This decimated the town. To say the area has recovered is a stretch, but most people are making it. I am proud of my family and friends who have built lives and cared for families in this beautiful town.

The County of Derbyshire is truly worth a visit. In close proximity to Chesterfield are the gorgeous towns of Bakewell, Matlock, and Castleton. The regal Chatsworth house is a 15-minute drive away. See the attached link to learn about the many attractions Derbyshire has to offer https://www.visitengland.com/things-to-do/derbyshire

Here are some handy references to learn more about Chesterfield and the many other Market towns of England. https://www.visitchesterfield.info/ https://englandexplore.com/english-market-towns/

Thanks for reading this article. I hope this has piqued your interest and you are dying to visit my hometown! As always, if you have any questions, connect with me!