Chesterfield


 "Chesterfield offers a town lifestyle set on the edge of the glorious Peak District, a great outdoor leisure experience, local independent retailers, high street names and is a place where history, heritage and modernity go hand-in-hand.

With new schools and one of the largest colleges in England, Chesterfield is home to a wide range of businesses including IT specialists, world class engineering and communications companies. From high street names to local specialists, arts and culture, hotels and an historic town centre market, the town has a vibrant heart.

We are superbly connected, have history galore, fantastic buildings and places, world leading businesses, enthusiastic and skilled people and most importantly we offer a great lifestyle.

As the largest town in Derbyshire and the gateway to the Peak District, Chesterfield is a great place to invest, live or visit, combining both historical and contemporary experiences.

We are a place that is ‘on the up’, looking forward, looking outwards with boundless ambition, energy, movement and aspiration. A place intensely proud of its roots, its history, its people but excited about its future with an eye firmly on the next horizon. Chesterfield has colour, creativity, community, confidence and something to offer everyone."

(About Chesterfield, no date).

Chesterfield as I know it:

  • Crooked Spire
  • Chesterfield FC
  • Market Town
  • Twist and Derbyshire Times
  • George Stephenson
  • Violet Markham
  • Memories
  • Street names

For many people, including myself, physical places manifest memories. Memories (good and bad) shape a person's identity. So in essence the community providing the memories has built identities. It works in a circular system: Individuals create a community but the community shaped those individuals. 

It may seen the most obvious source of visual reference but I think there's a lot to be taken from maps, aerial photography etc. My children love when I point out buildings and areas and tell them stories about how I relate to them. And I know that as they're growing they'll live their own stories out in those areas too.




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