Ilkeston
‘You look a sight, you do, red in the face’, she cried.
‘I might look worse if I were green’ he answered.
‘Boozing in Ilkeston!’
‘And what’s wrong wi’ Ilson?’
Standing on a hill above the Erewash Valley,
industrial Ilkeston is the third largest town in
Derbyshire. Written in the Domesday Book as
Tilchestune, it is known colloquially as ‘Ilson’, by
which name it was known to D H Lawrence who put
it into more than one of his novels. The querulous
dialogue quoted above is from The Rainbow’.
More interesting than most buildings in Ilkeston,
which is not conspicuous for its beauty, is the
unique House of Cinders just to the west. Built in
1835 as an experiment in new materials, it so
interested some Americans that they even tried to
buy it and take it back home! The town’s only two
breweries, Fletchers Erewash Valley Brewery and
the Ilkeston Brewery, both closed at the turn of the
century. It was in Ilkeston Rep that star of stage
and small screen, Robert Lindsay, acquired his
craft. The town was recently used as the setting for
the TV drama “Playing The Field”. The Tourist
Information Centre is in the Library, Market Place
(0115 930 1104).

25  SIR JOHN WARREN HOTEL
Market Place (0115 9307802) DE7 5QB
Hardys & Hansons Bitter H
Two rooms, one a young persons bar with
large screen TV and disco at weekends, the
other a relatively quieter, comfortable lounge
catering for all ages. Popular for lunchtime
food which is available daily.

Guide to the facility lettering:
A = Accomodation
c = Real Cider
M = Car Parking
W = Disabled Access
K = Childrens’ Room
O = Outdoor Drinking Area
S = No Smoking
T = Train Station nearby
G = Traditional Games
L = Lunches Available
E = Evening Meals Available
F = Real Fire
R = Outstanding interior on National Inventory
X= Cask Marque

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