Barrow Hill, Chesterfield: In Memory of the Fallen

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The village of Barrow Hill near Chesterfield has an unusual form of memorial to World War One. Instead of the traditional cross or monument, the Barrow Hill Memorial Club was created. The village had been built as tied housing for workers at the Staveley Coal and Iron Company. Many of the men from Barrow Hill went off to war and 56 of them died. In 1919 the village collected money for a parish memorial. Then in 1920, the company owner, Charles Markham, donated a workmen’s hall suggesting it would help alleviate the suffering of so many bereaved local people. The funds raised by residents for a stone cross were instead used for an extension where, for the first time, women were allowed in. Barrow Hill Memorial Club still exists today. Location: Barrow Hill, Chesterfield S43 2PG Image: Barrow Hill Presented by Kate Linderholm