Chesterfield and District Civic Society has produced this list of some of the best-known thoroughfares and back alleys in our town, and the often long-forgotten background to their names.
Philip Riden, the society’s former chairman, previously told the Derbyshire Times: “The names of streets, whether they have existed since the Middle Ages or whether they have been devised in modern times, can throw a great deal of light on the history of a community, in Chesterfield as in any town.
"Also in Chesterfield, as elsewhere, some old names have disappeared, but remain clues to the past.”
1. Chesterfield street names
The origins behind a number of street names across the town centre have been revealed. Photo: Brian Eyre
2. Lordsmill Street
This view, from the Crooked Spire of St Mary and All Saints Church, shows Lordsmill Street, which gained its current name in the 17th Century. It refers to the corn mill belonging to the lord of the manor of Chesterfield. This stood on the River Hipper immediately upstream from the bridge carrying the road over the river. The mill ended its days as a leather works and the buildings were only demolished in the 1980s. Photo: Marisa Cashill
3. Brewery Street
Named from the Chesterfield Brewery Company’s premises which stood at the junction with Brimington Road. Mr Riden said: “The building was later the Trebor Sweets factory, the smell from which older Chesterfield residents will clearly remember.” Photo: Brian Eyre
4. Markham Road
Named after Charles Paxton Markham, a prominent early 20th Century campaigner for improvements to the built environment in Chesterfield. Photo: Derbyshire Times