Spondon

Mentioned in the Domesday book of Norman times up until the modern era Spondon was a village apart from the city of Derby. Nowadays though you would find this very hard to believe because of the high speed road links between the two. The name Spondon in old English describes a gravelly hill and it is true that from the south of the area you do have to climb uphill to reach what was the village centre, the most common accesses being via Merchant Avenue, Willowcroft Road and Borrowash Road. There is also to this day a road called Gravel Pit Lane.

One of the high speed links referred to above cuts the village effectively into two, The Borrowash By-Pass (A52). The oldest and most interesting sections lie north of this road and include the village itself with the beautiful church of St Werburgh and Locko Park, the home of a local land-owning family, the Drury-Lowes. Spondon's secondary schools are also in the north and lie close to the boundary of Chaddesden.

Because of Derby's excellent rail links Spondon is considered by some to be a dormitory village and there are many people who commute to London. And why not? Via the main roads Derby City is no more than 3 minutes away and two hours or so after leaving Derby you can be in London on a fast train. The Derby area is well sited for exploration of and quick access to the Peak District National Park.

In addition to its Church and Methodist Chapel, Spondon has its own railway station on the Nottingham-Derby line and its own cricket team who undoubtedly take advantage of the wide range of comfortable and interesting pubs to be found in and around the village.