Pilsley, Clay Cross
- Not to be confused with Pilsley, Baslow
| Pilsley | |
| Derbyshire | |
|---|---|
 New Street, Pilsley | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SK424621 |
| Location: | 53°9’18"N, 1°21’58"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 3,487 (2011) |
| Post town: | Chesterfield |
| Postcode: | S45 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | North East Derbyshire |
Pilsley is a rural village in north-eastern Derbyshire, near Chesterfield. At the 2011 Census the population was 3,487.
Pilsley consists of two distinct residential areas known as Lower Pilsley and Pilsley (sometimes Upper Pilsley). Lower Pilsley being the northern residential area and Pilsley being the southern residential area. There is some local disagreement as to whether these two areas constitute two separate villages or one larger village. At the start of the village's life, people referred to the area around what is now Pilsley primary as Nether Pilsley.
History
Pilsley appears in the Domesday Book as one of the manors belonging to Walter D'Aincourt.
Prior to 1800, Pilsley was an agricultural settlement and consisted of Upper Pilsley and Nether Pilsley. Few of the houses from that period still exist, these being some of on the corner of Station Road and Sitwell Grange Lane near the Primary School; others around Barlow Bank, Barlow Bank Farm and Grange Farm in Upper Pilsley near the site of the village well. These houses are made from locally quarried coal-measure sandstone which is soft and contains a high percentage of iron. This quarry no longer exists, but was north of Upper Pilsley.
Pilsley Colliery was founded in 1866 on the site of the present day Locko Plantation. At its peak the colliery comprised six shafts, employed 945 men and produced 1,200 tons of coal per shift. The colliery was closed in 1957.
About the village
Pilsley has two churches: St Mary's (Church of England), and an evangelical Methodist church.
There are two primary schools, a post office and a Kingdom Hall for Jehovah's Witnesses.
Pilsley also has a Village Hall and St Mary's Centre (formerly the church hall). Recently a new sports centre (The Elm Centre) was built for the school which is also available for community use.
The source of the River Rother is at Pilsley.
A section of the Midland Main Line (Nottingham to Chesterfield section) runs along the western edge of the village. A branch of the Great Central Railway ran through the village before the Beeching cuts of the 1960s, with a station sited on Station Road. The route of this former railway line now serves as a popular walking, cycling and horse-riding trail known as the Five Pits Trail, linking Pilsley to Tibshelf, Holmewood, Grassmoor and beyond.
Sport and leisure
- Football: Pilsley Miners Welfare Football Club
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Pilsley, Clay Cross) |