Allenton in Derby - Information and services

Allenton Allenton, situated 2 miles south of Derby city centre, is a busy part of the city of Derby with people coming to shop here because of the free parking and the variety of modern shops, stores, banks and other facilities. There is a busy market on fridays and Saturdays and a flee market is held every Tuesday night. Its best known Allenton land mark is the spider bridge, built in 1971, so named because of it's shape. It is really a series of bridges for pedestrians, over a very busy junction between the main Derby to Melbourne Road and the Derby Ring Road. A good view can be had of the surrounding district from the top of the bridge. It seems hard to believe but one the area around Allenton, as with Alvaston and Sinfin was covered in swamp land. During excavations in the area, large animal skeletons have been found, hippopotamus, elephant,brown bear, hyenna and bison. At one time all these animals roamed freely in the area. Some of the remains are now in Derby Museum. The suburb was once known as Allentown after Issac Allen, who built the first houses in the area in 1878. It consisted of a few streets off the main Derby-Melbourne Road and several houses on the main road. He also built the Crown Hotel in 1891 at a cost of £1200. A school was built in 1880 on the corner of Allen Street and Poole Street and is still in use today as an infants school. After the first world war, there was an acute shortage of good housing in the town. In 1926, Allenton was visited by Neville Chamberlain to view the first iron framed houses to be put up in the country. There were 250 of them. At the south side of Allenton is the War Memorial village, a cluster of over 30 homes in a pleasant setting with special features, needed by disabled people. Built in the mid 20th century, the first house was occupied in May 1950. The foundation stone had been laid by the then Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh. St Edmund's church in Sinfin Avenue was built in 1939 by Eaton of Derby in gothic style. White Mansfield stone was used its construction. In Feb 2006, the Mitre pub was closed and rumours are spreading about the building of a supermarket on the site of the pub and Allenton Market. Spider bridge at Allenton Spider bridge at Allenton Mitre pub at Allenton Local services in Allenton Allenton Doctors Surgeries The Surgery 52 Uppermoor Road, Allenton, Derby, Derbyshire, DE24 9BY Tel: 01332 298987 MEADOWFIELDS PRACTICE Uppermore Road, Allenton, Derby DE24 9BY Tel: 01332 298124 Allenton Dentists Laura Barr Dental Surgery,15b Derby Rd Chellaston Derby DE73 5SA Tel. 01332 701143 Allenton Dental Care 39 Chellaston Road, Allenton, Derby DE24 9AD Tel: 01332 700244 Dispensing Chemists Lock Pharmacy Ltd 240 Chellaston Road, Shelton Lock, Derby, DE24 9EF Tel: 01332 702139 Allestree Allenton Alvaston Borrowash Chaddesden Chellaston Darley Abbey Littleover Mackworth Mickleover Normanton Oakwood Sinfin Spondon