OS SK46SW 1955
Strictly speaking, this should be a walk down Market Street or Wingfield Lane, but I have decided to use ‘Church Hill’ for the short stretch of road running south to the river Rother and Erewash Valley railway line from North Wingfield Church towards Clay Cross.
This is a short section of the A6175, and and today it is officially called ‘Market Street’. On the the 1967 6 inch OS map the road is simply the B6037 extension of Market Street, but on the 1955 6 inch OS map and earlier maps the road was named ‘Wingfield Lane’ .
Benchmarks show a steep fall of about 22 metres (circa 73 feet) in just 290 metres (about 317 yards) of road down from the church to the river. According to my (admittedly inexpert) calculations, the hill has a gradient of 8%, with the road curving gently to assist the climb. This gradient is considered steep even for good cyclists, though mercifully it’s only a short climb here.
Today, standing at the top of the hill, the eye is drawn to massive building works along the river and railway corridor that divides modern North Wingfield parish from Clay Cross. Hundreds of houses are being built on the old Clay Cross Works site, whilst industrial units are being thrown up at an impressive pace on the other side of the A6175. A new set of traffic lights at the entrance to the housing estate is the only measure provided to give a break in traffic and assist pedestrians trying to cross this extremely busy road.
On the left, at the time of writing, is a nine acre field sown with grass for fodder once known as Deer Folds. It was once part of the church glebe lands. The 1705 terrier describes a 10 acre field butting south on the river, north and west upon the highway, called ‘ The New Close’ which appears to be this field, so the name ‘Deer Folds’ is of later date.
On the right, North Wingfield churchyard runs almost the length of this stretch of road. The churchyard has been extended down the hill over the years, and maintenance has long been a challenge.
Increases of population in our district in the 19th century soon filled local burial grounds. The churchyard extension of 1887 was the third extension, and the second while the Rev G.W. Darby was rector. There was another extension in 1907 paid for by an additional rate levied on parishioners expected to raise £120, and with Clay Cross Company providing free cinders and ballast for the paths. In October of that year the rector wrote in the parish magazine:
It will have been a great satisfaction to all interested, to observe that the work of laying out the new part of the churchyard has begun. The committee accepted the lowest tender, which was that of Mr T. Beighton, amounting to £87.4.6. Our sexton has been busy also cutting the grass in the older part, and the churchyard is beginning to look more tidy. We have to than Mr Gill also for much help, including the kind gift of a scythe. It is a great encouragement when parishioners show their love for the old church by lending a hand in this practical way.
Walking down to the bottom of the hill, on the left-hand side is the entrance to a small nature reserve of 4 hectares along the side of the river and railway line. It is managed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, who tell us that ‘in an area where there are few other wildlife habitats, the reserve is a useful refuge for a variety of plants and animals, including the water vole, which has now become scarce in many areas’.
To the right is a public footpath which leads to a bridge across the railway giving a view of the northern end of the Clay Cross tunnel, or alternatively you can take the path round the bottom of the hill, coming out at Hepthorne Lane.
And finally: did they have consecrated potatoes? In 1917 the land at the bottom of the hill earmarked but not yet used for the churchyard extension was temporarily turned into potato plots.
North Wingfield 
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