Friends of the Inkerman

The area of the park has an industrial past. Originally a coal mine close to Inkerman Cottages then a brickworks more or less where the community orchard is now called Inkerman Brick Works. The terraced houses on Inkerman Cottages are built with bricks marked IBC. Later it became the Ashgate Pottery together with several other local potteries producing rum jars used in the 1st World War.

A larger brickworks was built on the east side of the park Wasp Nest Brickworks, houses on Manor Road and the old football ground on Saltergate were built with these bricks. The clay was extracted from the park creating a large pool of water which became the home of the Chesterfield Swimming Club.

The pool was notorious for its steep sides!

This map is dated 1921 and shows the Inkerman Brick works and Colliery together with the clay pit.

This picture dated 1930 shows the Inkerman brickworks

Chesterfield Swimming Club with the old brickworks behind.