Welcome to the Ilkeston and District Local History Society (IDLHS)
Meetings and events
Subterranean Nottinghamshire
Subterranean Nottinghamshire
A Journey Underground with Dave Mooney.
Tombs of Royal Women
Tombs of Royal Women
Commemorating the Royal Dead by Charlotte McCrory
Derbyshire and the Peak District in the Gothic imagination
Derbyshire and the Peak District in the Gothic imagination
Local folklore, legends and Gothic Fiction, with Victoria Langford.
The Christmas “Radio Times”
The Christmas “Radio Times”
Robert Mee looks at Festive Offerings from the BBC since 1923.
Derbyshire Folk Songs, Stories and Folklore
Derbyshire Folk Songs, Stories and Folklore
A seasonal event featuring the folk songs and stories of the locality. With Pete Castle
Anthony Babington and the Babington Plot
Anthony Babington and the Babington Plot
How one man from Dethick became embroiled in a plot to free Mary Queen of Scots which led to her ultimate downfall. By Danielle Burton
Life in Derby in the 1950’s
Life in Derby in the 1950’s
A trip 70 years down ‘Memory Lane’. With Paul Sturges
A.G.M. and The Potty Plotters
A.G.M. and The Potty Plotters
The Society’s Annual General Meeting, followed by “The Potty Plotters” – keen Allotmenteers who regularly podcast. Funny and occasionally rude – you have been warned!
Dracula returns to Derby
Dracula returns to Derby
Unearthing the connections to the City of Derby following new research, with Dan Webber
Margaret Cavendish: “Mad Madge”?
Margaret Cavendish: “Mad Madge”?
Pioneering natural philosopher, poet, fiction writer, and playwright who lived at Bolsover and Welbeck. By Danielle Burton
An ‘Ilson’ Miscellany
An ‘Ilson’ Miscellany
Interesting bits and bobs from 60 years of the Society’s Newsletters and Social Media. With Grant Shaw
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 £20 yearly each or £30 for a couple at the same address (2026).
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
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...
Shipley
An area known for its coal, theme park and now a country park, Shipley has a very varied history. Shipley Hall, around the turn of the 20th Century...
West Hallam
The Village in the 1920s Although it is not known exactly when the first settlement appeared, West Hallam is mentioned in the Domesday Book as...
Stanton Road Cemetery
In the early 1990s, members of the Ilkeston and District Local History Society became aware of the deteriorating state of the Cemetery on Stanton...
Park Cemetery
Park Cemetery is the town’s municipal cemetery, and is owned and run by Erewash Borough Council. Many well known inhabitants of Ilkeston since the...
South Street
This block stood on the corner of South Street and Wharncliffe Road until 1937 when it was demolished to make way for an extension to the...
The remarkable Short Brothers
(a longer read) by Danny Corns Many years ago, former Society Chairman David Harrison told me of a connection between...
The Mayor, the King and the Old Bailey
(A longer read) From information kindly supplied by Michael Harmer John and Gertrude Macdonald were married on 23rd...
An Ilkeston man in the American Civil War
(A longer read) The complicated life of George Newman George Newman was born in Northamptonshire in September 1834....
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...
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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