There’s progress to report the Civic Society’s blue plaque scheme – one new to be installed shortly, with a replacement also planned.

A new plaque – for the Winding Wheel

The new plaque will be installed on the Winding Wheel, in February. It commemorates the building’s origins and current use – now a popular entertainment venue, following its restoration by the borough council in 1987.

Replacement for an inaccurate old plaque – ‘North Midland House’

There’s also news of plaque to replace that on North Midland House – near the present train station. This plaque has, for many years, told the incorrect history of the building – which was actually constructed out of repurposed remains of the original 1840 Francis Thompson railway station building – after that building was carefully demolished for the new 1870 opened station (itself replaced twice over). So, North Midland House (which is Grade II listed) is not a remaining building from the original 1840 railway station but uses masonry reused from it.

We are very grateful to East Midland Railways Community Fund for a grant to replace this plaque. They have also grant-aided a new plaque, which we hope will be placed on the Portland Hotel, marking that hotel and the now demolished Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway Station which was next door.

The text on the replacement plaque to the North Midland House building is expected to read:

Midland Railway
Engineers’ Office
Built c.1870.
Incorporating masonry from the former
North Midland Railway
Chesterfield station of 1840
designed by Francis Thompson.

Find out more about Chesterfield railway station history at this blog by the Derbyshire Victoria County History Trust.