Welcome to the Ilkeston and District Local History Society (IDLHS)
Meetings and events
Inn signs and Local History
Inn signs and Local History
with Robert Mee. How your favourite pub got its name and how that changed over time. Free to members, guests welcome at £3.
The BBC and the Bomb
The BBC and the Bomb
with Ian Betson. Cold War Broadcasting from the Bunkers – a look at the Cold War preparations for the Third World War. Free to members, £3 for guests.
Derbyshire Well Dressings
Derbyshire Well Dressings
by Janet and Paul Barrass. The history and practice of this old tradition. Free to members, guests £3.
Bennerley Viaduct – latest developments
Bennerley Viaduct – latest developments
The Friends of Bennerley Viaduct bring us up to date – Free to members and £3 to visitors Preceded by the Society’s AGM, which ought not to take more than
Commonwealth War Graves Commission records
Commonwealth War Graves Commission records
Sarah Moody of the CWGC talks about the records they hold and the stories they can tell us. Free to members, guests welcome at £3.
Trowell through Time
Trowell through Time
A history of our neighbouring parish – with Beverley Kilby
The Sand between your Toes
The Sand between your Toes
A nostalgic look at the holiday, with Ann Featherstone
“My Mum had one of Those!”
“My Mum had one of Those!”
Janet and Paul Barrass explore the world of familiar domestic objects of the past
The Old Curiosity Boxes
The Old Curiosity Boxes
An interactive experience… what’s in the box?
“I’ll Polish Him Off!” The curious history of Sweeney Todd
“I’ll Polish Him Off!” The curious history of Sweeney Todd
By Ann Featherstone
Who we are and what we do
About Us
Welcome to the Ilkeston and District Local History Society (IDLHS) website. If you are a new visitor, please find time to browse through the pages. The site features information on the history of Ilkeston and district and you can find more about the Society on the About the IDLHS page.
Find out more about IDLHS
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Membership
Why not join? Membership would bring you several benefits. All members receive the Society’s magazine, The Herald several times a year and can attend all our indoor speaker meetings, outside visits and walks free of charge (excluding external entry fees and transport costs). It’s only £12 yearly each or £18 for a couple at the same address (2025).
Find out more here
Contact Us
Ilkeston and District Local History Society are pleased to help with any general enquiries that visitors to the site may have. We cannot undertake any genealogical or large scale research on your behalf, but we will at least do our best to answer any questions.
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News & Stories
Fred Fletcher – champion cyclist
A second Society plaque now adorns the walls of the Sir John Warren in the...
Bits and Bobs… An Ilson Miscellany
If you don’t have access to Facebook you won’t be aware of the large number of posts on various topics which appeared...
Deals on Wheels
The companion volume to Jeff Wynch’s A Town on Two Wheels — Deals on Wheels — is now available. In the final two...
Stanton Road Cemetery
In the early 1990s, members of the Ilkeston and District Local History Society became aware of the deteriorating state...
Park Cemetery
Park Cemetery is the town’s municipal cemetery, and is owned and run by Erewash Borough Council. Many well known...
South Street
This block stood on the corner of South Street and Wharncliffe Road until 1937 when it was demolished to make way for...
St Mary’s Parish Church
The parish church of St Mary the Virgin has stood on its present site since the mid 12th century and until 1848 served...
Ilkeston Charter Fair
Introduction King Henry III granted a Charter Hugh de Muskham on April 10th in the year 1252. The charter gave the...
Great War stories
(A longer read) When we think of the First World War, most of us think of trenches, machine guns and mud in France and...
Ilkeston’s ‘Waterloo Men’
Researched by Peter Cave. Sixty or so local men who served in the army during the Napoleonic Wars have so far been...
Who was St John Houghton?
Beauvale Priory, near Eastwood, achieved fame when its one-time Prior, John Houghton, became the first English...
A Little Hallam wedding
The photograph arrived in the same package as Bessy Ling. All we were told is that it recorded a marriage on Little...
Goodbye, Bessy Ling
Good-bye, Bessy Ling, Good-bye (Click red link to download audio file) By Peter Cave This is a surprise: sheet music...
Wharncliffe Road in 1914
Contributed by the late Paul Robinson When I was little, before and during the Kaiser's War, Wharncliffe Road was...
Publications
The Society sells a variety of publications both by the IDLHS and by others. These can be purchased directly from the Society by post.
Prices shown include postage and packing but only relate to UK postage rates. For overseas orders or other enquiries relating to these publications please contact the Secretary at the address below. Please note that postage rates can change, so the Society reserves the right to amend prices without prior notice.
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