These are three of the biggest suburbs of Derby. One steeped in history; one that grew up during the 30s building boom; and the other very new - and together they provide a huge range of housing for every budget.
Spondon is more than a thousand years old and has expanded over time; Chaddesden was just open fields until the big 1930s building programme to cope with Derby’s industrial growth; and Oakwood is now one of Europe’s largest and most recent estates.
Here's a brief look at all three of these Derby suburbs:
1. Chaddesden
Chaddesden housing
Chaddesden Hall and parkland was owned by the wealthy Wilmot family for centuries before they sold the extensive land to Derby council in the late 1920s.
House building started in earnest shortly afterwards, originally taking place around Nottingham Road, and lots of traditional semis, most of them council homes, were constructed between the '30s and '60s.
During the '60s, plenty of private modern semis joined them, and nearly seven out of every ten of the 6,000 homes in Chad, as it’s known locally, is a semi-detached property.
Elsewhere there are a few little pretty Victorian terraces, some large luxury detached houses, and some pockets of new-build but this is overwhelmingly 'semi land'.
Chaddesden has a lovely shopping centre in Nottingham Road. Wide and airy, it feels more like a village high street than a suburb, with two big supermarkets, pubs and a street-side wine bar.
It’s now a well established, self sufficient, busy and bustling suburb which is just minutes away from Derby city centre, so it's easy to see why people want to live here.
2. Oakwood
Oakwood housing
Oakwood, right on the edge of the city, is the newest part of Derby and has the highest number of detached houses in the area.
This modern estate is now a major settlement in its own right. Built on land which used to be known as Chaddesden Common, it has three clusters of shops, the biggest of which has all the amenities of a large village.
Thousands of homes were built in the 1980s and '90s as the land was swamped with new housing.
All the well-known development companies had a slice of this huge estate, which now has more than 5,200 homes in cul-de-sac after cul-de-sac, and which marketing types described it as "countryside living in the city".
The last new houses to be built in Oakwood were completed towards the end of 2001.
Nine out of ten people in Oakwood own their homes, making it the largest owner-occupied part of the city. And because of this high ownership, the suburb is well kept, with smart gardens everywhere.
Oakwood has a leisure centre, a school and a football academy which is owned by Derby County Football Club.
3. Spondon
Spondon housing
Spondon is a traditional village on the edge of the city, cut in two by the A52 to Nottingham. Steeped in history - it even had its own Great Fire in 1340 which levelled it - it’s now a thriving, self contained district.
It didn’t become part of Derby until 1968, and still likes to keep its independence to a degree.
Spondon's boom began in earnest in the late 1700s when the canal was built through the area, and the arrival of the railways in the 1840s heralded the start of its housing expansion.
By the end of the 1800s, Spondon's population had more than trebled as hundreds of railway workers and senior officials descended on the village.
Building slowed at the turn of the 20 th century, but started again in the 1960s when land was released at the top end of the village.
Spondon has a selection of fine Georgian houses, but the grandest residence lies on the outskirts: Locko Hall which sits in the 300-acre Locko Park estate, the current ancestral home of the Drury-Lowe family.
There's also a good range of other housing styles and, because Spondon is on the edge of the countryside, there are fabulous views just a little walk away from every front door in the village.
It has plenty of shops, a secondary school specialising in maths, and a busy community scene with everything available from a line dancing club to a needlework society.
The M1 motorway is just minutes away, so it’s a perfect location for commuters.
Property in Chaddesden
Where is it? It lies just off the A52 Nottingham Road, bordered by the A61.
What's there? Chaddesden is one of the biggest and more established parts of Derby.
Nearly three quarters of the houses are three- and four- bed, with 70 per cent of the total stock being semis, so it’s an area aimed at families rather than young couples.
Of the remaining property, ten per cent of homes are terraced, and the other 20 per cent are upmarket detached - Chad is popular with the wealthy, and there are some stunning big houses rubbing shoulders with the streets of semis.
Seventy per cent of Chaddesden's residents own their home, with the rest virtually all socially rented.
Next to it is Derwent Heights, a small private housing estate. The "Heights" is a giveaway - it has great views over the city, and consists of a mixture of semis and detached houses built in the '80s.
Chaddesden village centre has many amenities including a Tesco Express, Aldi, Pizza Hut and other takeaways, newsagent, hairdresser, optician, chemist, travel agent, estate agent, two public houses and a 29 bedroom hotel.
There are five primary schools, which also serve Oakwood, and the nearest secondary is in Spondon.
Buyers: Families. Not much for first-time buyers, more for people moving up the housing chain.
Pros: Good place to live; self contained and well established.
Cons: It's a real mixed area in terms of prices and quality of houses, from some of the cheapest in the city to the most expensive. Exclusive avenues rub shoulders with terraced streets - but the mix is not to some people's liking.
Property in Oakwood
Where is it? Oakwood sits behind Chaddesden, about four miles from the city centre on the A61 out of town on the Mansfield Road.
What's there? Oakwood is basically a huge, smart, new housing estate with over 5,000 homes, and facilities including a shopping centre and a pub in the middle.
There's a whole gamut of designs from a multitude of developers with houses ranging from small semis to large luxury detached, and with varying prices to match.
Ninety per cent of Oakwood residents are owner-occupiers, with the rest virtually all privately rented. And it has the highest proportion of detached properties in Derby – nearly seven out of ten are standalone homes.
Buyers: Something for everyone from first-time buyers in the little semis to wealthier residents in the big luxury pads.
Pros: Self contained, attractive housing estate which is well looked after and has fair prices.
Cons: It is what it says on the tin, a large housing estate which seems to go on and on and on.
It's a fair distance out of town so having a car is a bonus, and it could do with a bigger shopping centre for its size.
Property in Spondon
Where is it? It sits on the eastern side of the city, straddling either side of the A52 Brian Clough way linking Derby to Nottingham, with the main shopping part on the northern side.
What's there? Spondon is a little self contained village which feels almost like a town in itself. It's on the edge of the city but has plenty of countryside around.
Lots of semi-detached housing was built here just after the last war, followed by a load more in the 60s and later, when street after street of modern semis went up, creating a big estate at the top end of the village.
Around half of Spondon's 5,300 homes are semi-detacheds, and the rest are basically detached, with some streets of bungalows and terraces, and a few blocks of lower storey flats and maisonettes.
Eight out of ten people here own their own home, so the village is well cared for and looked after. A fifth of the houses are rented, and of those, three quarters are rented from the council.
Spondon has a street of shops on the north of the A52 in the village itself, and a few little outlets and a snooker hall on the south of the A52. There is also a big 24 hour Asda, and an industrial estate and a chemical plant on the edge.
Five primary schools serve the village, and it has its own secondary, the West Park Community School, which specialises in maths.
Buyers: Well established area, so it tends to be people who have grown up here since the housing boom of the 60s.
Pros: Self contained place - a quarter of the people here don't have a car – with lots of community activities.
It's set on the edge of the countryside with great views, and is also minutes from the M1 so has good commuting links.
Cons: It can feel cut off from the city, which has its appeal to some. Rush hour getting onto the A52 into the city can be a nightmare, as can parking if you live in a terraced street without a driveway.
Surrounding Area: Breadsall
Where is it? Breadsall is to the north of the city on the A61, leading to the A38 and M1 motorway.
What's there? Breadsall, set high in the hills overlooking the city below is your typical chocolate box, olde worlde village, with property ranging from little cottages to exclusive deluxe mansions.
It has lots of stunning individual detached properties, as well as a couple of roads of post-war substantial semis, and a sizeable estate of bungalows.
Apart from a couple of big, ultra modern, smart detached homes there is very little building dating from after the 1980s.
Breadsall has one shop, a primary school, and a community hall, but no pubs – it's just a quaint, sleepy little village.
It's famous for the Breadsall Priory hotel and golf club, a favourite of the England football team.
Buyers: Breadsall is for people with a few bob in their pocket who like quiet village living.
Pros: It's a beautiful, peaceful village which is easy to walk around. There are some stunning houses and countryside views over the city.
Cons: Very quiet and a fair distance from the facilities in the city. Breadsall is a pricey area, and is really only for people who want an upmarket, sedate life.
Living here
Transport:
Train: The nearest mainline station is in Derby city centre.
Road: Good links from all of these areas, with the M1 and A38 minutes away.
Bus: Good services from Chaddesden, Oakwood and Spondon, although if you live in Breadsall you really need a car.
Air: East Midlands international airport (EMA) is about 15 miles or about thirty minutes' drive away.
Shopping:
All of the districts have their own little shopping centres except Breadsall.
They're all good for day-to-day living, but with Derby city shops - and the huge new Westfield shopping centre offering virtually everything - just minutes away, people tend to head into the city.
Eating and Drinking:
There is a choice of pubs in these districts, most of them serving food. There isn't much in the way of restaurants but there are lots of takeaways.
Sports:
A good choice of clubs in all the communities, offering practically every sport.
Derby Football Club and Derbyshire Cricket Club are minutes away in the city.
Entertainment:
All of the areas have strong community activities ranging from line dancing to a canal society, and from a dog school to the ‘Spondon Stitchers’ needlework club.
For cinema and theatres, it’s off to the city.
Parks and Open Spaces:
Chaddesden Park is the biggest, with a playground, playing fields and a paddling pool.
Chaddesden also has a nature reserve, maintained by the council. It is the only ancient oak woodland in the city of Derby, and was declared a local nature reserve in 1991. The wood contains a nature trail open to the public.
Oakwood has "green wedges" that have been designed to provide routes throughout the estate for use by walkers.
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