Oakwood - Page 2 of 2
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This is one of Derby's most recent housing development, and is Europe's biggest private housing estate. The first phase of the development started back in 1979 on Bishops Drive where it joins Mansfield Road. Most of the big names in the house building market have contributed to this development. Construction  finally finished in 2004.

Until very recently Oakwood didn't have a school, and it was thanks to the residents who pushed the council to finally agree to one, (Parkview on Springwood Drive). The estate did however boast 2 pubs!, the Oak and Acorn in the centre on Bishops Drive and the Kings Corner on the outer northern edge of the estate.

There are three shopping centres, the largest on Bishops Drive, the other two are on Vestry Road and more recently on Smalley Drive which collectively cater for the needs of the people

Factoids

• The track remains of the worlds longest endless cable tramway

• Oakwood is also home to the city's only ancient woodland

• Europe's biggest private housing development

Springwood Drive entrance to Chaddesden Wood on the left a summer view and on the right a crisp winters view

Below are other entrances to the wood, this wood has existed since the Middle Ages, and records show that in 1548 George Dethick inherited the Chaddesden estate from his father, John Dethick of Breadsall. The estate would have then contained around 100 acres of pasture land and about 40 acres of woodland

The wood contains many large old trees, these are the common oaks, complete with dead gnarled branches, one of two native oak species which grow in Britain. The presence of these mature giants prove that  the wood has been here a long time, and the oldest oaks are about 150 years old, and are descendents from trees growing here over 500 years ago.

All those years ago the woodland would have been managed for its timber. Hazel would have been especially grown, which would be regularly coppiced, cut back to ground level, and then allowed to re-grow, providing a continual supply of poles, which would have been used for bean supports, fencing and firewood. The oaks would have been cut down to supply timber for ship building, houses and furniture.

Fungi and bacteria are an often overlooked component of woodlands. They are vital for recycling dead material into reusable nutrients to fuel new plant growth.

Until the early 1980s open fields surrounded Chaddesden Wood. Today only the northern side has a view into open countryside. Houses have been built around the rest of the wood, and on this open area we have this act of mindless vandalism, a local farmers burnt out machine

The pictures below show the remains on the endless cable tramway, which was the longest one on the world. The coal from the Footrill colliery at Stanley had to be taken to Derby by horse and cart, which was not an ideal situation. At the time the Great Northern Railway, refused to build a siding, so in 1894 a continuous cable conveyor was constructed across country to a land side wharf on Hillcrest Road, Chaddesden. The plan was to terminate at Derby Canal on Nottingham Road, but the council refused permission to allow the trackway to cross Nottingham Road.

These pictures are on the junction of Bishops Drive, Springwood Drive, Charingworth Road and Oakwood Drive, and clearly show the raised trackway, now protected with a cast iron rail. Coal was carried on trains clipped on to an anchor rope, running over rollers between the tram-rails.

The Footrill closed in 1918; some of the buildings, including the workshop, still stood in 1991. Unfortunately all remains of this colliery and railway have been obliterated by open cast working, apart from these remains in Oakwood.

The trackway can be seen clearly in this picture looking down from the Kings Corner Pub towards Breadsall, see the raised part of the road?

These pictures show Moor Farm, looking up from the island on Morley Road and Acorn Way in 2002

Looking across Morley Road to Moor Farm during the demolition, and on the right a view showing where the pitches will ultimately be

2002 and the farm is almost demolished, but work is yet to start on the main pitch areas and the main buildings

2003 the same views the buildings are finished the turf is down and players are on the pitches!

2004 the same views and the pitches look a bit dry

2005 the same views and the pitches are a lush green

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