Borrowash - Half A Parish
w/e 16 May 2021
All of this week's
pictures were taken with a Kodak DX6490
Back in the early days of this website I followed
a Village Trail around Ockbrook (link) which lies in the northern half
of the parish of Ockbrook and Borrowash. The parish is bisected
by the A52, now called Brian Clough Way, the main road between
Derby and Nottingham. The southern half on the parish is occupied
by Borrowash, the larger of the two villages, due mainly to the
post war housing development. Since those early days I have photographed
many towns and villages in the area surrounding Ilkeston but
Borrowash is the one that very nearly got away - until now. The
following is just a brief look at some of the older, more significant
buildings in the village.
The road linking Ockbrook and Borrowash is Victoria Avenue and
the War Memorial that commemorates those lost in conflict from
both villages stands at the side of the slip road on the northern
(Ockbrook) side of the A52.
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  Victoria Avenue was diverted to cross over the
A52 and then continues south into Borrowash passing some larger
residences and the Ashbrook Schools (left) before reaching older
terraced cottages (right) nearer the village centre. Also near
the centre of the village is the old Primitive Methodist Chapel
built in 1903. The Chapel is now closed but the building still
serves the community as the Borrowash Library.
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Victoria Avenue meets the centre of the village at what is basically
a staggered crossroads. To the right Derby Road leads to the
city of Derby and to the left the appropriately named Nottingham
Road leads eastwards along what was originally the main road
between the two cities. The fourth road at the staggered junction
is Station Road which continues south to Elvaston Country Park
and the villages beyond. In the early 1970s the properties at
the corner of Victoria Avenue and Nottingham Road were demolished
and replaced by a small shopping precinct.
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It's also at this corner that a clock was erected to commemorate
the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002.
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Looking towards Derby along Nottingham Road in the village centre,
Station Road can be seen on the left whilst Victoria Avenue is
just beyond the tree on the right.
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Out along the Derby Road was an old coaching inn, the Wilmot
Arms but this closed in 2019. It was back in the early twentieth
century that a Catholic congregation used to meet in the pub
to celebrate Mass but it was not until 1958 St Hugh's Church
was opened. In the interim period they had met at various other
venues in locations around the village.
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Returning to the centre of the village we find the Anglican St
Stephen's Church straddling a site between the aforementioned
Station Road and Gordon Road. This is much older than the Catholic
Church and dates from 1889 when the foundation stone was laid.
It was built to a design by P.H.Currey (1864-1942) a prominent
Derbyshire architect responsible for many fine buildings in the
county. The cross in front of the church is another War Memorial
and was unveiled in 1920. It is Grade II listed.
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Opposite the end of Gordon Road on Nottingham Road is yet another
church. This is the Borrowash Methodist Church which opened in
1900 after being built to a design by another Derby architect,
John Wills.
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Travelling eastwards along Nottingham Road there is an almost
imperceptible hump in the road where the Ock Brook passes underneath
on its way south to join the River Derwent. This is Barnes' Bridge.
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A little further on just before reaching the area known as Shacklecross,
once a hamlet in its own right, is a pub that is still open.
Several other pubs in the village have closed, the Wilmot Arm's,
The Foresters, and The Noah's Ark to name just three but the
Nag's Head continues to trade as a pub on this site and has done
for over 120 years.
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