The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Swanwick

the pub is now reopened, garden refurbished, beautiful.

Alfreton Masonic Temple was originally built as a library in 1938 by an American Philanthropist named Robert Watchorn who was born in Alfreton and emigrated to the USA in his early teens. He made his fortune before returning to England and in the 1930’s he bought up and demolished the row of back to back miner’s houses where he was born. He then built the Watchorn Methodist Church, a substantial number of houses, and the Abraham Lincoln Library as an educational facility for Alfreton.

A park donated by Robert Watchorn, in tribute to his wife. There is much more information about the whole Watchorn complex & development and about Watchorn himself on the English Heritage Pastscape website. His story takes him from a cottage on the site where the church was later built and working in Shirland pit to America where he became Secretary of the National Miners Union of America, with a gold medal for his bravery during one mining disaster. He was instrumental in passing the Factory Act, which prohibited children under 14 years of age from working 12 hour shifts in the factories. In 1905 President Roosevelt appointed him Commissioner of Immigration on Ellis Island, New York. By 1916 he was President of his own Watchorn Gas and Oil Company in Oklahoma City, which gave him the wealth to endow various churches, colleges and libraries – including in his home town of Alfreton.

Kelly's Directory of 1932 describes St Thomas's Church as erected in 1852, and rebuilt (with the exception of the old chancel) in 1902, and is "an edifice of brick and stone, consisting of chancel and nave". The original building was erected in 1849 as a Wesleyan chapel, but following the division in the Methodist Church, the building was sold to the Riddings Churchwardens for £400, which was raised by donations. A chancel, built of stone, was then added, and a stained east window inserted at the expense of Thomas Haden Oakes esq. J.P. in memory of Mrs Beastall. Further additions were made in 1878, and the whole, as Kelly says, was rebuilt in 1902. [Source: Johnson, Reginald - A History of Alfreton (1868)]

St. Andrew's Church. In 1856 the Revd John Wood gave land for a church to be built in Swanwick. With the aid of a donation of £3,230 from Francis Wright the building was completed in 1859 with a nave of five bays, north and south aisles, north porch and bell turret over the west gable. The pointed arches on both sides of the nave and in the chancel imply that the architect, Benjamin Wilson, had Early English architecture in mind when he designed the building. The Church celebrated its 150th Anniversary on Sunday 26 September 2010. The Bishop of Derby, the Rt Revd Dr. Alastair Redfern, presided at a celebratory service.

Perfect place for a stop off, good food, beer and friendly staff!

The entrance to Cotes Park Woods is marked by a Large yellow Miner's wheel sign, woodland trail for about a mile, several forked paths some leading out to houses, other to a dead end, but possible for dogs to go under fence and probably possibly for people to climb over but I didn't try.

Reservoir adjacent to the old Butterley Company site, now used for angling. Visit at the right time and you may be lucky enough to see a steam train cross the far embankment.