Mickleover guidebook

Mickleover didn't become part of Derby until 1968 when it was swallowed up into the city but now it’s a much sought-after place to live.

Favoured by managers and professionals, Mickleover is virtually a town in its own right with a population of about 18,000 living in 6,500 homes.

It’s a self-sufficient community with a giant 24-hour Tesco and a good number of shops, six pubs, five churches, plenty of schools including its own specialist maths college, and a Derby university campus.

In fact, it feels like a big village, with plenty of local activities – from archery to chess, tai chi to model railways – a few restaurants, and some good leisure facilities.

The city centre is just minutes away; it’s close to the M1 and M6 motorways; sits on the A38 north to south road; is close to East Midlands airport; and is surrounded by miles of glorious countryside.

Mickleover grew at a rapid rate until the 90s when house building virtually stopped - but there are now pockets of new homes springing up as builders fill the need from people who want to move into the desirable suburb.

And because it’s one of the most sought-after postcodes in Derby, Mickleover has also become one of the most expensive, where houses tend to hang on to their values.

In the Beginning…

The rapid expansion of industrialisation in Derby during the 18th and 19th centuries led to over-crowding in the city centre so the better off started to look further afield to build their mansions.

Mickleover seemed like an ideal location, and its status symbol as a managers' town was established.

Some of those gorgeous historic buildings still remain, including the Old Hall timber-framed house in Orchard Street, where legend has it that Oliver Cromwell stayed when he stormed Tutbury Castle.

The few remaining old properties, including a handful of terraces, now rub shoulders with the new semis and the ultra modern three-storey houses.

But this isn't trendy territory - this is traditional living at its best, and it’s not hard to see why Mickleover, which residents still refer fondly to as ‘The Village’, is popular with house hunters…and why it’s pricey!

More about Mickleover

Major growth started in the 1950s with the building of the Brisbane Road estate, followed in the 60/90s by the Silverhill estate, which became the biggest private estate in Northern Europe.

Further developments to the south of Uttoxeter Road were constructed in the 1980s but slowed to a halt in the 90’s.

It's now picking up again, with another big new estate being built on the former site of the Old Pastures Hospital.

Derby Council wants 200 new homes built every year for the next five years to cope with the influx of people moving into the city, and a good few of these may be in Mickleover.

The present housing mix looks like this: Nine out of ten properties in Mickleover are owner-occupied, with the other ten per cent rented, with an almost even split between private and social renting.

Out of approximately 6,500 homes, 50 per cent are semis or bungalows; nearly 40 per cent are detached (among the highest number in the city); seven per cent are terraced; and the rest are flats.

Nearly half the houses are three-bedroom homes, with a quarter having four beds – again one of the highest amounts in the city.

The remaining quarter consists mainly of two-bedroom properties with a small number of one-beds and five-beds.

Property in Mickleover

Where is it? About two miles from the city centre, sitting alongside the main A38 trunk road. It’s on the road to Uttoxeter, the A516, which links the A38 to the cross country A50 just minutes away.

The A50 links Stoke and the M6 in the west, with Nottingham and the M1 in the east.

What’s there? Although described as a village, Mickleover is now one of the largest suburbs in Derby and is still expanding due to ongoing housing developments.

Street after street of housing spreads out from the centre, and most of the houses are relatively new with construction having begun during the building boom in the 60s.

All the big estates – especially the Silverdale Estate – were finished in the 90s. House building has started again recently, however, and is set to continue.
 
Mickleover is virtually a little town in its own right. It has a small shopping centre at its heart, with a giant Tesco and half a dozen pubs.

There are three toddlers' play groups, four nurseries, seven primary schools, which feed into four secondary schools, including its own, the Murray Park, now a specialist maths and computing school – and even it’s own ladies' barber shop singers.

There are also two doctors' surgeries, two dentists, three chemists, and plenty of care homes and facilities for the elderly.

Buyers: Mainly families moving up the ladder who want bigger houses in well-established places, or want to be in the community school catchment area.

Managers and professionals are also attracted to the district.

Pros: Sought-after area with mostly large family homes. Good community spirit with lots going on, and fine local day-to-day facilities.

Cons: House prices in parts of Mickleover are among the highest in Derby, and the area as a whole attracts a premium as it's such a sought-after district.

In addition, it could perhaps do with a few more bars and restaurants.

Living here

Transport:

Train: Nearest station is the mainline station in Derby, two miles away.

Road: A by-pass built in 1975 takes traffic around the village and it’s easy to get into Derby.

It’s a short run down the by-pass to the city centre; or in the opposite direction, to the A50 cross country trunk road to the motorways and airport.

Bus: Good regular service every few minutes through the district and to the city centre.

Air: East Midlands international airport (EMA) is just 22 miles away, about 35 minutes by car.

Shopping:

Mickleover has a big Tesco 24 hour store and plenty of other outlets in the shopping centre which are enough for day-to-day living.

Eating and Drinking:

Six pubs, some serving food, and several restaurants, including Italian, Indian, Chinese and a classy restaurant in the nearby Menzies Mickleover Court Hotel.

There are also plenty of takeaways.

Sports:

The sports ground in Station Road offers a variety of activities and is home to the Mickleover Sports football club.

Elsewhere, you'll find archery, a gym club, two golf clubs, and several football and cricket teams.

Leisure and Entertainment:

Village entertainment tends to revolve around the pubs and the community centre.

The pubs are busy and provide music, and  the busy community centre in Uttoxeter Road features everything from keep fit to yoga, Tai Chi to bowls, painting classes, tip toe dancing, and even a ladies' barbershop choir.

The Memorial Hall stages regular events, and there’s a very active model railway club, a chess club, and a theatrical group, the Mickleover Players.

For cinemas and theatres, head into Derby city centre.

Open Spaces:

Apart from the recreation ground in Station Road, The Mickleover Community Pavilion is situated on Vicarage Park, which has a football pitch, a children's playground and a substantial grass area.

The Pavilion has a large community room which opens onto the playing field and a full set of changing rooms for football matches.

It was opened in 2006 after the original was burnt down, and its busy community room is used for youth activities every day of the week.