Findern

My personal challenge for this round of Miss Jenny Matlock's alphabe-Thursday is to post about a location within the borders of my own county of Derbyshire, UK, for each letter of the alphabet.

Look for the letter, to see where I am.

F is for Findern.

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Driving towards Findern via Stenson, the first sign of the approaching village is the school.

 

With approximately 120 children on roll, Findern is a sustainable size for a village school, housed in buildings which date back to 1923 but which have regularly been added to over the years. It was originally built to serve the three communities of Stenson, Twyford and Findern.

Immediately after Findern school, the road crosses dual bridges over first, the railway and then, the Trent and Mersey Canal. Unfortunately, the railway bridge is undergoing repair at present, meaning that the road is closed, so I had to make a small detour of about three and a half miles to reach the other side.

Once round to the other side, I could see this. Next to the canal bridge is the Nadee Indian Restaurant, occupying the building which was once The Greyhound pub.

You can see some of the construction paraphernalia blocking the road.

Continuing on for about another quarter of a mile along a single layer row of houses, there is the village recreation ground...

dedicated to King George V (father to King George VI of The King's Speech fame).

After this, things become slightly odd. Having already crossed the railway and canal, we now pull out onto the main road and take a new bridge over the main A50. This new South Derby by-pass, has effectively shaved off a section of the village, leaving the bulk of it divided from the recreation ground and the school.

This is the better known part of Findern.

At the heart of the old village is The Green,

alongside which are The Old Forge, which is now a day nursery,

The Village Store and Post Office, next to which is one of two hairdressers in the village,

and the parish church of All Saints.

This bench in the churchyard was dedicated in loving memory of Robert James Loverock (1949 - 2005); A Findern Lad!

Next to the church are the Parish Rooms...

and, tucked away behind the church, on the edge of a more modern estate, is the Methodist Chapel.

The main street is mainly old houses,

including the village pub The Wheel.

 

but there are also a lot of newer builds here; little estates which have grown up to house the people wanting to move out from Derby. The Village Hall is amongst the newer constructions.

Finally, Findern is not without industry, with a Vauxhall garage and a car showroom. And then, about a mile further on, right at the outer edge of the village, is a large garden centre.

Time for a coffee and a cherry scone, I think :)

Would I like to live in Findern? In places, it's very pretty and there is plenty of history to be hunted down. The amenities are good for a village and it's within easy striking distance of the city; yet close to some lovely countryside. On the other hand, it's sandwiched between two busy dual carriageways and, even in the churchyard, I could hear the noise of the traffic.

Bottom line, I wouldn't want to pay village house prices for a property here, but I can see why other people choose to do so.