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The road infrastructure and transport have both changed over time, from the marked trackways to the A38, and from the stagecoach to the bus. Most of the changes have occurred in the last hundred years or so, particular after the introduction of the combustion engine.

1. THE EARLY YEARS
2. THE MID-19th CENTURY
3. THE INTRODUCTION OF THE OMNIBUS SERVICES
4. THE B600 AND THE A38 ROADS

1. THE EARLY YEARS

Local roads until the 18th century consisted of no more than basic lanes and tracks, which was the same for most rural areas throughout the country. Originally, the main Derby to Chesterfield road passed through Oakerthorpe, Higham and Shirland, and by-passed Alfreton altogether. The main coaching inn, for both passengers and mail, was the Peacock at Oakerthorpe, which although now substantially altered, still retains the archway through which the mail coaches passed to the stables.

Lanes and tracks criss-crossed the area, some now established as tarmaced roads, others remaining as public footpaths and others which were either closed during the period of land enclosure or have just simply disappeared into the landscape.

It was the emergence of the mining industry to the south of the town that increased the importance of Alfreton and was responsible for the development of the transport infrastructure. The mining and transportation of coal was the main driving force behind much of Alfreton’s industrial development and the establishment of a viable road network. As business interests changed and the population of the parish grew, the emphasis on communication with other parts of the county changed, and Alfreton would become the main stopping point for the mail and passenger coaches, passing through the town on their way to Chesterfield and Sheffield in the north, and Derby and Birmingham to the south.

Mail arrived from the north at nine o’clock and from the south at twelve o’clock. The posting houses were the Angel Inn and the George Inn. Pigot’s Directory of 1829 stated: “COACHES DAILY. TO BIRMINGHAM, the mail from Sheffield calls at the George Inn at a quarter past nine in the morning; goes through Ripley, Derby, Burton and Lichfield. And the Amity at half past eight in the morning. TO SHEFFIELD, the mail from Birmingham calls at the Angel Inn, at half past twelve noon; goes through Higham, Chesterfield and Dronfield: and the Amity calls at the George at one [1.00pm] every day except Sundays”.

The Amity, referred to in the Directory was a coach which ran separate to the mail coach. The coaching inns ran a tight schedule, so that the times could be generally relied upon.

There was no coach that ran directly from Alfreton to Nottingham. The main road through the parish from Alfreton to the Derbyshire-Nottinghamshire border at Pye Bridge originally took a line that started at Flowery Lees lane, over the back of Cotes Park [past the hamlets of Pennytown and Muckram], down Cockshutt Lane, over Smotherfly and emerging near the Black Horse Inn. This track had been established over centuries, and ran through the rich coal seams of Cotes Park and Birchwood. The relative narrowness of the trackway can be seen today by the width of Cockshutt Lane. Coal and all other produce were moved by horse and wagon along this less than ideal meandering route through the parish.

The need for a better transport infrastructure was acutely felt by the industrialists as well as those who wished Alfreton a more prominent place in the County’s economy. The Nottingham - Newhaven Turnpike Act of 1759 finally presented an opportunity to create a more suitable road network through Alfreton to Nottingham and instead of widening and repairing the old road over Cotes Park and Birchwood, and Turnpike Trustees took the decision to drive a new road across Somercotes Common. The creation of this road led to the isolation of the hamlets of Muckram, Pennytown and Birchwood, but was instrumental in developing Somercotes Common into the village seen today.

[Please refer to the chapter on the Nottingham-Newhaven Turnpike on the 17th and 18th Centuries Tab on this website for more details].

The building of the Cromford Canal in the late 1790’s, with its branch to Pinxton running through Pye Bridge, created a new transport medium, which at the time made it easier and quicker to move heavy loads to distant markets. It was in part due to the Cromford Canal, along with the rich local mineral resources that Thomas Saxelbye & Company established the ironworks at Pye Bridge. For approximately 50 years the canal was the main carrier of coal and other produce from the Alfreton parish to other parts of the country, although mail and passenger traffic still relied on the stagecoaches which passed through Alfreton.

[Please refer to the chapter on the Pinxton Branch of the Cromford Canal in the 1790’s on the 17th and 18th Centuries Tab on this website for more details]

By the 1840’s the railways were taking business away from the canal network, and the businessmen of Alfreton and the surrounding towns were quick to appreciate the economic benefits that a railway through the area would create. The Erewash Valley Railway Act of 1845 was passed and the railway which was subsequently built ran through Pye Bridge. With two railway stations [one for the Midland Railway and other for the Great Northern Railway] both freight and passenger traffic was catered for, and once the mail was also moved by train, the days of the stagecoaches were over.

[Please refer to the chapter on the Erewash Valley Railway, 1845 on the 17th and 18th Centuries Tab on this website for more details]

2. THE MID-19th CENTURY

Despite the dramatic influence both the canal and railway had in the parish, everyday life still relied on the horse and carriage. Mail and parcels had to be moved from the stations at Pye Bridge through to Alfreton. The local population, if travelling any distance through the locality, still depended on the horse and carriage. Many of the local towns and villages were still only accessible via this method.

In Somercotes several businesses were established as parcel carriers and taxi cab companies and they also rented both horse and carriage for those who could afford the cost. Not only did they offer a taxi service, they also provided the basic needs of public transport for such events as weddings and funerals.

Businesses offering cabs for hire had to be licenced, much as taxi cab proprietors today. Although it is not known exactly when the regulations came into force locally, they would have been based on the Town Police Clauses Act, 1847, Section 37 which stated that “the commissioners may from time to time licence to ply for hire… such numbers of Hackney Coaches or Carriages as they think fit….”

With the coming of the railway, parcel carriers became increasingly busy, and individuals would also use the service of a cab to travel from outlying districts to the railway stations located at Pye Bridge. Perhaps the most well-known Somercotes cab proprietor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was John Burton, who in 1899 ran an advertisement in Whites business directory as "carriage proprietor & farmer; licenced to let horses, broughams, landaus, brakes, traps, waggonettes; wedding & mourning carriages, shillibeers etc”.

The list of taxi cab and haulage companies over the years makes for interesting reading, as it reflects the growth in the population to the early 1900’s and then a reduction in the requirement of these businesses due to the introduction of the combustion engine. The list below is compiled from various trade directories for the years specified:

PHOTO: John Burton's carriage, travelling from Pye Bridge Station to Somercotes,.The photograph was taken close to Furnace Row.

With the introduction of the combustion engine, many businesses passed into history, although a few would continue.

It would be wrong to think that the road network, once fully established, was still more than a basic track. The local parish had the responsibility to see that the roads were kept in good condition, but without modern tarmacadam most were mainly constructed from compacted stone, gravel and ash (actually known as “metalling”). While rural lanes and small streets could be little more than tracks the construction and repair of turnpikes was enforced by legislation.

Although macadam roads (named after the Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam) were introduced from the early 19th century it was not until modern tarmac was patented by the British civil engineer Edgar Purnell Hooley (the County Surveyor of Nottingham) in 1901 that roads generally were tarmaced. It is not known when the first road in the area was tarmacked, but by the mid-20th century all but the smallest roads had been covered.

 With the introduction of the omnibus, various companies began to operate bus services through the district from Nottingham and Derby, terminating at Alfreton. 

3. THE INTRODUCTION OF THE OMNIBUS SERVICES

      3a. TRENT MOTOR TRACTION CO LTD

The Trent Motor Traction Co Ltd serviced the route from Alfreton to Derby which ran through Somercotes via the High Street and through to Swanwick and Ripley.

The company was founded in October 1913 and commenced operating a bus service between Derby and Ashbourne. In November 1913 a second service commenced to Stapleford. By 1925 services were operating from Derby, Loughborough and Nottingham. It is believed that the Alfreton to Derby route via Somercotes would have operated fairly early in their history, around 1925. The same route is still run today, although after several changes in the companies structure it is now called Trentbarton.

     3b. MIDLAND GENERAL OMNIBUS CO.

The Midland General Omnibus Co was founded by Balfour Beatty Co and was incorporated on 19 June 1920. The company started its public bus services about two years later. Originally, the company was called the General Omnibus Co, but changed its name after a merger with the Midland Bus Company of Kimberley, Nottinghamshire.

Two routes from Alfreton to Nottingham and one to Hucknall were operated by the Midland General Omnibus Co, both travelling via Somercotes.

B3 – The B3 service operated from about 1930 to 1972 (it ran as the B3 from 1938). The route ran from Alfreton and followed the B600 through Somercotes, Lower Somercotes and Pye Bridge, through to Nottingham. In 1972, Midland General merged with Trent and the designation changed. This route is still operated today by Trentbarton.

PHOTO: A Midland General B3 Bus at Alfreton Bus Station

C5 – The C5 service operated from about 1930 to 1972 (running as the C5 from 1938). The route ran from Alfreton along the B600 into Somercotes and then took the High Street, travelling through Leabrooks, Riddings and Jacksdale. In 1972, Midland General merged with Trent and the designation changed. This route is still operated today by Trentbarton.

C9 – This service also operated from about 1930 to 1972 (like the other service, it ran as the C9 from 1938). The route also ran via High Street, Leabrooks and Riddings through to Heanor and on to Hucknall. This route was also taken over by Trent after the merger of the two companies.

4. THE B600 AND A38 ROADS

It is perhaps now not well remembered that both the road designations “B600” and A38” were not the original ones used for these highways.

Until the mid-1970’s, the B600 was formerly known as the A613, which started at Alfreton and ended at Watnall, Nottinghamshire. The reason why it was changed from an “A” route to a “B” route is due entirely to the construction of the M1 Motorway and the Alfreton By-pass.

Major roads take a long time to plan and construct, but the Alfreton By-pass was part of a scheme to connect the M1 with Derby and the Midlands. Local and County Councillors strongly voiced their favour to such a scheme, which would initially connect the fledgling industrial estates of Somercotes, Alfreton and Pye Bridge with the motorway, and at the same time relieve the bottle neck of Alfreton Town centre, through which all traffic heading west had to pass.

The first stage of the scheme was to construct a dual carriageway from junction 28 of the M1 through to the A61 at Alfreton, where the Watchorn Roundabout would be built. This was actually where construction finished. At Somercotes, the planned route took the highway between the Cotes Park and Nix’s Hill Estates and the southern boundary of Alfreton. The road is, effectively, the boundary between the two parishes, although this is a simplistic view.

The By-pass was opened in 1970. An article regarding the opening was published in a local newspaper [we do not have the title or exact date] but a transcription follows: “MR ROBERT BROWN OPENS THE ALFRETON/SOUTH NORMANTON BY-PASS - Mr Robert Brown, Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, opened the Alfreton/South Normanton By-pass on Wednesday. Large crowds gathered to witness a demonstration run by high speed cars and a spectacular cavalcade of transport highlighting the development of road traffic from the stagecoach era to the present day. The by-pass, over three miles long, is one of the first of the proposed strategy routes to be opened since the publication of the Green Paper, “Roads to the Future”. It will serve as a link road from the M1 to mid-Derbyshire and will provide good road communications for new industry which local authorities intend to attract to the area. It will also relieve the existing A615 which is congested and runs through built-up areas of Alfreton and South Normanton. The new road, which has dual 24ft wide carriageways and a 15ft wide central reservation connects the A61 south of Alfreton with the M1 Motorway at No. 28 Interchange at Pinxton. Eight bridges have been built to carry side roads and footpaths under or over the by-pass. A connection with the A613 south of Alfreton is also provided. The scheme includes an elevated roundabout at the A61 junction. This will enable the by-pass to be extended westwards to join the proposed Ripley-Swanwick-Alfreton by-pass which, when built, will pass to the west of the present line of A61. The elevated roundabout has been carried out as a truck road improvement scheme and a contribution towards the cost has been made by Derbyshire County Council. The remainder of the work was undertaken as a principal road scheme, a 75 per cent Ministry grant being made to the County Council. The by-pass was built by Robert McGergor and Sons Ltd., of Chesterfield at a tender figure of £1.473.341 and it has been possible to open the new road three months ahead of schedule. The scheme was devised by Mr J Russell before he retired as County Surveyor of Derbyshire, the work being supervised by the present County Surveyor, Mr G Race, B.Sc., F.I.C.E., A.M.Inst.H.E.”.

The by-pass became part of the A615. The part of the original road that ran from South Normanton to Alfreton was re-designated B6019.

During the early part of the 1970’s the decision was made by the Ministry of Transport to re-designate the A613, which ran through Somercotes. The A613 was part of the original turnpike from Alfreton to Nottingham and although the road numbering system is a little complicated the main “A” roads were numbered from around 1920. The construction of the M1 Motorway, particularly with its junctions close to Watnall and Alfreton and the completion of the Alfreton by-pass, reduced significantly the level of traffic on the A613 and around 1970 the Department of Transport decided to downgrade the road and changed its designation to the B600.

In 1977, the A38 was finally extended from Derby to meet up with the M1 at Junction 28, and the part that was designated the A615 became the A38.