Ilkeston Town Walk
- Stage 22 - Wharncliffe Road
w/e 16 May
2004
Harry Tatham-Sudbury was a prominent architect
and designer in the early part of the twentieth century and we
have already seen examples of his work in this series at Toll Bar House, the Cenotaph on the Market Place
and the 1905 United
Reformed Church which is also pictured above. "The Manse"
next to the church was also designed by Mr. Tatham-Sudbury but
as the tablets beneath the windows show, this was not built until
1927.
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The next property down on Wharncliffe Road
pre-dates the church by some five or six years being built in
1899 but this too is built to one of Harry's designs. This is
"The Red House" which was later used as a hotel.
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The third property down from the church,
Croft House, is yet another designed by Ilkeston's prominent
architect of the time, this one dating from 1926. At this time
of year, trees and shrubs tend to shield this property from the
road but whether these were included in the original design or
not, I'm not sure although I wouldn't be surprised.
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Looking back up Wharncliffe Road (especially
now that the trees have been pruned) the view has changed little
for many years. Search the Picture The Past site
for DCER000144 and see a similar picture to this taken circa
1930. The Edwardian architecture may not be to everyone's liking
but Harry Tatham- Sudbury certainly left the town a legacy which
I, for one, am thankful.
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The photos on this page were all taken earlier this week with
the exception of this panoramic view which I took today, Sunday,
in much better weather at the junction with West End Drive. Click
here or the image above to open another window showing a
larger version (173kb) of the picture above in which Wharncliffe
Road runs across from left to right with Pimlico, leading back
to the Market Place, straight ahead. The tower of St Mary's Church
can just be seen at the top of Pimlico. Our route from here is
down West End Drive (extreme right) but first a look at the building
opposite on the left.
This building is in complete contrast to the Edwardian splendour
of Harry Tatham-Sudbury and is a much more modern structure,
purpose built for the East Derbyshire Magistrates' Court. My
understanding is that the court is scheduled for closure which
begs the questions "What do you do with a purpose built
court?" and "Will it stand the test of time like Harry's
designs?"
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From outside the court we can now look down West End Drive towards
the Rutland Recreation Ground which will be the next port of
call on our walk around the town.
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