|
Where is Clay Cross? Clay Cross is a former mining village and civil parish in the North East Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England, on the outskirts of Chesterfield. It is directly on the A61, the former Roman road Rykneld Street. Surrounding settlements include North Wingfield, Tupton, Pilsley and Ashover. See a map of Clay Cross. A little bit of history The first documentary evidence so far uncovered records of Clay Cross in October 1538 when it was mentioned in a will, and until the 19th Century Clay Cross remained a small village. Whilst excavating a tunnel for a railway line, George Stephenson discovered both coal and iron, which together with the demand for limestone, caused him to move into Tapton Hall, near Chesterfield, and set up a business as George Stephenson and Co. When he died in 1848 his son, Robert, took over, leaving the company in 1852 when it took the name of the Clay Cross Company. For many years, the company was the village's major employer. In 1985, Biwater took it over. and sold the site to French company Saint-Gobain in 2000. Some months later, it was closed down with the loss of around 750 jobs - the site, now called 'Silkston', is to be redeveloped by Maximus to provide housing, employment opportunities and open spaces.
|
||||||||