Spondon

Coordinates: 52°55′12″N 1°24′04″W / 52.92°N 1.401°W / 52.92; -1.401

Spondon is a ward in the east of the city of Derby. The original village dates back to the Domesday Book but the area became heavily industrialised in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with companies such as British Celanese (now Celanese Corporation) who made cellulose acetate in World War I and later artificial fibres.

History

The name Spondon is Anglo-Saxon and describes a gravelly hill. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. In about 1333, a great fire, starting at The Malt Shovel, a local pub, and aided by an easterly wind, swept through the village destroying the church and all but a few houses, with just one casualty, the mayor. The damage was so great that a judge, Roger de Bankwell, was sent to hear pleas for relief from taxes. The Great Fire of Spondon is still commemorated and taught as part of the curriculum in local schools. A village fair was held on its 650th anniversary (circa.1990).