On the southern outskirts of Derby, in Derbyshire, Chellaston has grown from a modest medieval settlement into a substantial suburban area. Once recorded as “Celerdestune” in the Domesday Book of 1086, it was valued at three shillings when given to Henry de Ferrers by the king in the 11th century. Its name is thought to derive from an older reference to Ceolarde’s hill, mentioned as far back as a 1009 charter in which King Æthelred the Unready granted nearby land to Morcar. Historically, Chellaston fell within the Hundred of Repton and Gresley.
A Village That Grew Slowly, Then Quickly
For much of its early history, Chellaston changed little. By 1676 the population had reached around 140, and as late as 1789 there were just 42 houses. There may have been two manor houses in the village, both believed to have been abandoned around the 17th century, with one thought to have stood at the end of what is now Manor Road. The 19th century saw persistent rumours that Robin Hood was born at a manor house in Chellaston – a claim repeated in various directories and gazetteers of the time – though no evidence supports it. Philip Marc, the local sheriff during the period of the Robin Hood legend, did have genuine connections to the village. Growth picked up between 1880 and 1950, with housing spreading around Glenwood Road, Station Road, and north of Sutton Avenue. After 1950, development accelerated further across Springfield Road and St Peter’s Road, and by the 1990s large housing complexes had appeared on Sutton Avenue, Maple Drive, and Parkway. As of 2009, two distinct housing estates sit to the east and west of the village centre: the eastern estate along Snelsmoor Lane, and the western estate running in an arc from Swarkestone Road to Sinfin Moor Lane and Baltimore Bridge.
Alabaster and Industry
Chellaston was once among the largest producers of mined alabaster in the United Kingdom, with the stone used in the creation of Nottingham Alabaster works. By the end of the 18th century, lower-grade alabaster was being exported as gypsum, transported by canal to markets in Derby and The Potteries, and even used by Josiah Wedgwood for plaster moulds in his pottery. The remnants of Chellaston’s mining pits remain at the foot of Pit Close Lane and Woodgate Drive, now a spot frequented by BMX riders and young people from the area.
Local Government
Chellaston previously sat within the South Derbyshire parliamentary constituency before moving to Derby South following the electoral boundaries review of 2007. The newer Chellaston Fields settlement, along the southern edge, continues to fall under South Derbyshire rather than Derby itself.