How Kirkby-in-Ashfield lured me in and made me proud to call it my home

Cheap housing and good motorway access was the decisive factor in bringing me to the town back in 2013.

Back then it struck me as a rather rough and ready locality with more than its fair share of problems and undesirables.

But, during the last 13 years, my viewpoint has dramatically changed and I’ve come to love being a part of this small community.

I’ve come to appreciate this unassuming town for what it is, a down-to-earth place with friendly locals and hidden gems that bring pleasure to all of us who live here.

Laura Walters, who works at the Fresh 4 U Bakery on Station Street, is another local who appreciates the friendly community spirit on show.

“There's a lot of nice people,” she said. “It’s mainly the older generation who come in here and it’s always nice to have a conversation with them.

“A lot of them don’t have people to talk to at home and it’s nice to talk to them.”

Kirkby, so the historians say, was originally a Danish settlement (Kirk-by translates as 'Church Town' in Danish).

Nods to the town’s ancient roots can be found in the picturesque Norman church of St Wilfrid's as well as St Thomas' Church, which was built in the early 1910s in a neo-gothic style.

In fact the church of St Wilfrid stands on a site believed to have been first used for a church in the 7th century and an ancient church is mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086.

Fast-forward 900 years and life got rather difficult for the former coal-mining town, which once boasted three active mines and several railway junctions helping transport its black gold around the nation.

Of course, all good things must come to an end with the closure of the coal mines in the 1980s and early 1990s leading to a major slump in the local economy and a high level of socio-economic depression.

Eileen Langford, who has lived in Kirkby for 84 years, has seen those changes first hand and doesn’t like what she now sees.

“We very often reminisce and I don’t like it nowadays,” she said.

“Everything has changed. The shops aren't the same. There’s no shoe shop now and lots of other things you can’t buy here, there’s nothing.

“I can't really put my finger on it, but prices are going up and everywhere is closing.”

Laura Walters also feels more investment is needed to breathe some much-needed life into Kirkby town centre.

“There's not a lot to do and not a lot in the town centre, a lot of shops are having to shut,” she added.

“A lot of local businesses are being taken over by bigger businesses, which isn’t very nice.

“People are shopping online. I shop online but I try to shop locally where I can, but there's more things online at the moment.”

But, while the lack of commercial distractions available is more than a fair point, the same can’t be said for leisure facilities in the town.

Kirkby, which had a population of 21,285 in the 2021 census, saw its new £15.5m leisure centre open in August 2022, bringing a swimming pool to the town for the first time.

It quickly established itself as a hub with over 2,500 fitness members and 85,000 swim attendances in its first year - a trend which continues to this day.

Just up the road is the small but beautiful Kingsway Park, which offers a charming place for a quick walk, especially when the summer sun shines and the cherry blossom trees are in full bloom.

Right now, it’s not as peaceful as it could be with work well underway on the new Kingsway Park Sports Hub project.

It is one of many Ashfield District Council’s initiatives, funded partly by their £62.6m Towns Deal, which aims to improve access to sports on the park for everyone.

The welcome revamp will see new changing facilities for football, tennis, hockey and other sports.

The plans also include a new bowls pavilion, extended car parking, new football pitches and refurbishment of the existing grass pitches.

One dog-walker, who preferred not to be named, described Kingsway Park as a great place to enjoy a few moments of quiet reflection.

“I come here often, it’s a good place to walk dogs,” she said.

“In the summer when everything is being used it is lovely. When the hockey pitch and everything is being used it is quite nice.

“It looks nice in the Autumn as well. In the long run I hope the revamp will make the park better.

“As long as they leave somewhere to walk the dogs, that is all that matters. It is lovely and quiet here.”

A small stroll away you will find an even better place for walking dogs, namely the woods at Portland Park.

The 37.73 acres woodland offers plenty of picturesque scenery and is a great spot to just escape the hustle and bustle of modern life, even if only for 20 minutes.

Last year house prices in Kirkby, according to RightMove, averaged £206,220.

But there remains plenty of much cheaper housing with terraced properties going for around £150,743.

It makes the town an ideal place for first-time buyers to get their foot on the property ladder.

Of course, Kirkby does have problems like any other similar town around the country.

It’s a town that offers much more than meets the eye and a town that will slowly lure you in and become a part of you.

With its excellent transportation links, green spaces and welcoming small town feel, you won’t go far wrong, in my book, if you too call this place home.