Findern
Findern | ||
---|---|---|
Shire county | ||
Region | ||
Country | England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | |
Post town | DERBY | |
Postcode district | DE65 | |
Police | Derbyshire | |
Fire | Derbyshire | |
Ambulance | East Midlands | |
Findern is a village and
Findern is a picturesque and quaint little village full of charm and character, with many of its buildings being of both historical and architectural importance. Its traditional
Wallfield House on Doles Lane was constructed in 1822 as a farm, and in the 20th century became the home of racing driver and
Castle Hill, which previously led to a long since demolished manor house, boasts a village pump, that was used by the entire community until 1931, when mains water finally came to the village. Well Dressing is a long held village tradition. At the top of Hillside stands Tower House which was originally a windmill, built in 1715. It was converted into a private dwelling in 1914 and was the home of Edwina Currie when she was MP for South Derbyshire from the 1980's onwards. It is claimed that on a clear day 22 churches including Lichfield Cathedral can be seen from the mill.
Mercia Marina opened in September 2008 in the 24-acre Willington Lake, surrounded by another 50 acres (0.20 km2) of countryside for dog-walking fields, a wildlife lake and a holiday home development. In building the marina, twelve islands or promontories were added to the natural contours of the lake thus creating a green oasis for people and wildlife alike. This was enhanced by a £85,000 planting scheme, featuring wildflower banks, reed beds, semi mature trees and native plants. For boaters, the layout of Mercia Marina is akin to a series of small marinas joined by wide expanses of open water. The area includes numerous shops, a bar, coffee house and tea rooms.
Findern Primary School on Heath Lane was designed by the pioneering architect George Henry Widdows and constructed in 1924. The highly popular Dobbies Garden Centre is to be found on Doles Lane. The canal at Findern, forms part of the
Jedediah Strutt
Jedediah Strutt was born 25 July 1726 in South Normanton, Derbyshire. He was the son of William Strutt, a farmer, and Martha Statham. After showing an early interest in mechanics, Strutt was apprenticed at the age of 14 to Ralph Massey, a wheelwright who lived in Findern. There Strutt lodged at The Old Hall with a hosiery manufacturing family called the Woollatt's. Findern at the time was the base of the Nonconformist Academy with Ebenezer Latham as its headmaster. Latham, as a friend of the Woollatt family, became a key influence on Strutt's early life, and encouraged him to expand his learning. Strutt married Elizabeth Woollatt in 1755, and along with her brother William Woollatt, took out a patent in 1759 for an attachment to a mechanical knitting machine known as a stocking frame. The Derby Rib was a set of barbed hooks, operated vertically among the horizontal needles of the frame, that took the loops from the latter, and reversed them to make a rib stitch.
In 1771, Strutt, and spinner Samuel Need joined Richard Arkwright in the building of a cotton mill at Cromford, using what was henceforth called Arkwright's water frame. This was the first of its kind in the world, marking the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Further mills followed at Belper in 1778 and Milford in 1782. For each of the mills, Strutt built long rows of worker's houses and both are now part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. In time there would be eight Strutt mills at Belper which would grow to a population of 10,000 by the mid-nineteenth century and be the second largest town in the county.
Additional history
There is a Neolithic cursus 1 ½ miles south of the village.
The village was mentioned in the
Sir Geoffrey de Fynderne left the village to join the Crusades, and brought back the Findern Flower, which in the UK only grows in the village, and only in particular areas. The flower has become an emblem of the village and is represented in many guises, including the emblem of Findern Primary School.
In 1694 an early school was started here by Rev. Benjamin Robinson, the local
The church was rebuilt and consecrated in 1863, on the site of a
Residents
Findern was also the birthplace of Ben Spilsbury who in 1884 scored
See also
References
- ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
Media related to Findern at Wikimedia Commons