St Johns Court on St Johns Road

[Tezden]

Hi ...

There is a new apartment block on the part of St Johns Road near to the By-pass ... Which is called (unsurprisingly) St Johns Court.  I think the area is Newbold or possibly on the edge of Whittington.

Can anybody remember what was on the land before the apartments were built ?

This is just a general enquiry ... Hope somebody can help.

[Old Cruser]

Hello and welcome to the forum Tezden.
I go past there most weeks and have to say I can't help you on that  question, ..but have been wondering just how long St Johns Road is as it seems to stretch right up to the  ST Johns Church which also used to be a youth cub back in the 60's. ( Eagle Club)
Someone who is more local to the are will probably know though

[Fly]

I've looked at a few old maps. This one is from 1919 ish. Looks like it was just houses.




A newer map I saw, 1965ish, shows one large building,  big house, workshop ?

Welcome to chesterfieldonline too :-)

[Tezden]

Hi again and thanks for the replies and map ...

On the map you can see a single house with a row of narrow buildings ... The house is still there and the apartments have now replaced the row of buildings ... And the larger building mentioned in the reply

[Fly]

Here's the 1965 map of the same area.

[Old Cruser]

You may find something in this link



http://forebears.co.uk/england/derbyshire/chesterfield

[Fly]

70's pic isn't very helpful. Church, school, docs. All square buildings !!
What ever the big building was has gone.

[Pastitman]

Not  been  round  there   for  many  years  but  is  the  area  in  question, on  St. Johns  Road  and  just  below  Avenue  Road? If  so,  then  it  was  a  Chesterfield  borough  council  yard  for  highways  and  sub  depot  for   works  dept. The  managers  house and  garden  was  just  inside  the  entrance  on  the  right   and  the  narrow   buildings  were  stores, workshops  and  sheds  for  lorries  etc. The  grass  area  at  the  rear  of  the   workshops  (on  Avenue  Road) has , or  did  have,  air  raid  shelters  there. Sorry  if   i,m  in  the  wrong  place!

[Old Cruser]

I believe there was also a work house but seem to think that may have been on Newbold Road rather than ST John's Road?

[ironsky2]

The workhouse was the old Scarsdale Hospital on Newbold Road. Going back to the original OPs question the problem with area your asking about is the area underwent vast change in the 1980s  for the by-pass. A lot of housing was demolished along with pubs and chapels leaving that end of the Moor resembling a waste land. St. Johns Road has houses on it ( Moor end) going towards Newbold theres St. John's church then ends at Littlemoor.

[Old Cruser]

The workhouse was the old Scarsdale Hospital on Newbold Road. Going back to the original OPs question the problem with area your asking about is the area underwent vast change in the 1980s  for the by-pass. A lot of housing was demolished along with pubs and chapels leaving that end of the Moor resembling a waste land. St. Johns Road has houses on it ( Moor end) going towards Newbold theres St. John's church then ends at Littlemoor.

That's what makes me wonder how long the road is as I do a circular ( to miss the road works on bypass ) I go up past West street ( which is closed yet again! ) and end up going down Littlemoor onto the ST John's Road down to Edmund Street.
 When I turn left at the lights at the bottom of this road to get to the whit roundabout ST John's road is down there as well. It seems to stretch a long way.
 I go back home using the bypass.

[Tezden]

Hi everybody and many thanks for your interest in my query.

I reckon Pastitman's got the answer ... It fits really well with the 1919 and 1965 map shown. 

The managers house is still there ... Looking rather lonely and rather jealous if the new apartments.

Thanks again ... I can rest easy now