Denby Village - Star
Studded Pottery
w/e 30 March
2003
Only half
a dozen or so miles from Ilkeston lies the village of Denby where
the village church, hiding behind the trees, stands alongside
Church Farm. Ilkeston has a Flamsteed Centre and also a Flamstead
Road which is probably a derivation of the same name. But it
is here in Denby that the name has a greater significance.
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Directly across
the road from Church Farm is a Memorial Park dedicated to England's
first Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed (1646 - 1719) who was
born in the village of Denby. He established the Greenwich observatory
and calculated and formed a catalogue of the fixed stars. A contemporary
of both Sir Isaac Newton* (1642 -1727) and Edmond Halley
(1656 -1742) of comet fame, his work was of considerable value
to subsequent generations of astronomers.
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In the centre
of the park, Denby Parish Council have erected a memorial to
Flamsteed. They wanted to avoid having a statue, so approached
local amateur astronomers for alternatives, finally deciding
upon a motorised celestial globe with illuminated star positions
set into a sandstone plinth. This is often known as a planisphere
but here is referred to as a stellarsphere. The park was opened
in August 2002.
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Five years
previously in April 21st 1997, another monument was unveiled
just a few minutes ride away. The Denby Colliery Winding Wheel
on the site of the former colliery and now at the entrance to
the Denby Pottery Visitor Centre bears this inscription: "The
half-colliery winding wheel is erected jointly by the Denby Parish
Council and the Denby Pottery Company Limited to commemorate
the lives of those from the Parish of Denby who earned their
livelihood from the working of coal and clay."
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As well as factory tours,
demonstrations and a museum to visit, the visitor centre has
a factory shop and a garden centre where I spotted three ET clones
pondering a "No Fishing" sign (inset).
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There are also
a number of other shops selling cooking utensils and crystal
glass among other things. For a small charge you can also throw
a pot but the flower displays adorning this row of shops in the
visitor centre are provided free of charge.
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