Ilkeston - Over Christmas
w/e 29 December 2013
All of this week's pictures were
taken with a Kodak DX6490
This set of images were all captured over the Christmas
period in and around the town centre.
  We attended several services in St Mary's Church beginning
on Sunday afternoon with the Nine Lessons and Carols Service
(left) and the Christingle Service (right) on Monday afternoon.
Although both services started at 4pm, the natural light was
beginning to fade as we approached the church on Monday (above)
and the lights in the trees were shining out brightly.
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The Tree Festival was still in progress in St Mary's
and as we left on Monday more illuminated trees around the Market
Place added to the festive atmosphere. Included among them were
the town's Christmas Tree near the Cenotaph together with the
floodlit trees in front of the library which itself was adorned
with two blue tree-shaped decorations.
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Blue lights were also a feature of the decorations strung across
South Street in this "Truly Scrumptious" view.
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On Christmas Eve we made our traditional visit to Peter James
Hairdressing on South Street where the staff also carried on
their tradition of wearing fancy dress for the day.
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On Christmas morning we made our way back to St Mary's for a
short service of Holy Communion and found the Market Place deserted.
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Other parts of the country had their Christmas disrupted by gales
and floods but here in Ilkeston, although windy, the day had
dawned bright and cold. After wandering around the Cenotaph for
one or two more shots we spent the rest of the day quietly at
home.
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Boxing Day was another day at home but on Friday we decided to
walk off the Christmas pud and went down Bath Street. The Borough
Arms on the right has recently had a coat of paint whilst the
pub on the left has been shrouded in scaffold and undergone a
major refurbishment. Removal of the scaffolding has also revealed
that the pub has reverted to its former name of The Harrow after
several years of being called The Roundhouse. It won't be long
therefore before "Th'Arrer" returns to the local vocabulary!
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News reports suggested that shoppers were out in force looking
for bargains in the "January Sales" but on Friday they
were few and far between in Ilkeston and there were as many shops
closed on Bath Street as there were open with traders taking
an extended break over the Christmas period.
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Many market traders too were missing from their usual pitches
on Saturday and those that did turn up had few customers to serve.
More people are expected in the town centre on New Year's Eve
and the fountain in the corner of the Market Place has already
been surrounded by a protective fence against the New Year revellers.
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2013 has been a difficult year for many businesses in the town
and the Co-Op was one that closed its doors (apart from the Food
Hall) for the final time. So from the entrance to the Food Hall
the only things visible in the blacked-out windows instead of
the usual Christmas displays, were the reflections of the Market
Place and St Mary's Church. Well this time of year is one for
reflection after all!
Happy New Year.
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