Some information about the places where the congregations are based


Belper

Town ("parish"), Amber Valley district, county of Derbyshire, England.

It lies on the east bank of the River Derwent. Belper is probably a corruption of Beaurepair, the name given to his hunting seat (and variously spelled) by Edmund Crouchback, earl of Lancaster and son of Henry III (reigned 1216-72).

Jedediah Strutt, inventor of an important ribbing machine, built the town's first cotton mills about 1780. The production of nails was formerly the staple industry of the parish, but it has given way to cotton and hosiery manufacture, with some engineering. Pop. (2001) 20,548.

Boston

Seaport and market town in Lincolnshire, England, on the river Witham; population (2001) 35,124.

St Botolph's is England's largest parish church, and its tower 'Boston stump' is a landmark for sailors.

Charnwood Forest

Charnwood Forest is an upland tract in north-western Leicestershire, England. It is undulating, rocky, picturesque, and mostly barren, though there are some extensive tracts of woodland; its elevation is generally 600 ft (180 m) and upwards, the area exceeding this height being about 6100 acres (25km2). The highest point, Bardon Hill, is 912 ft (278 m).

On its western flank lies an abandoned coalfield, with Coalville and other former mining towns, and granite and honestones are worked.

The Forest is an important area for rock climbing and hillwalking.

Derby

Industrial city in Derbyshire, England; population (2001) 233,700.

Products include Rolls-Royce cars and aero engines, Toyota cars, train repair workshops, chemicals, paper, textiles, plastics, and electrical, mining, and engineering equipment. There is also a sugar refining industry. The museum collections of Royal Crown Derby china, the Rolls-Royce collection ofaero engines, and the Derby Playhouse are here.

Hinckley

Market town in Leicestershire, England; population (2001) 43,246.

Hinckley and Bosworth district 115 sq. miles; population est. (mid 2008) 105,200.

Industries include engineering and the manufacture of footwear and hosiery.

Leicester

Industrial city and administrative headquarters of Leicestershire, England, on the river Soar; population est. (2006) 289,700. Industries include food processing, hosiery, footwear, knitwear, engineering, electronics, printing, and plastics.

Founded AD 50 as the Roman Ratae Coritanorum, Leicester is one of the oldest cities in England. The guildhall dates from the 14th century and ruined Bradgate House was the home of Lady Jane Grey.

Lincoln

Industrial city in Lincolnshire, England; population (2001) 120,779. Manufacturing includes excavators, cranes, gas turbines, radios, vehicle components, cattle feed, pharmaceuticals, power units for oil platforms, and cosmetics.

Under the Romans it was the flourishing colony of Lindum, and in the Middle Ages it was a centre for the wool trade. Paulinus built a church here in the 7th century, and the 11th-15th century cathedral has the earliest Gothic work in Britain. The 12th-century High Bridge is the oldest in Britain still to have buildings on it.

Mansfield

Industrial town (textiles, shoes, machinery, chemicals, coal) in Nottinghamshire, England, on the river Maun, 22 km/14 mi N of Nottingham; population (2009) 67,885.

Nottingham

Industrial city (engineering, coal mining, bicycles, textiles, knitwear, pharmaceuticals, tobacco, lace, electronics) and administrative headquarters of Nottinghamshire, England; population (2009) 288,700.

Nottingham was founded by the Danes. The English Civil War began here 1642.

Features include the university (1881), the Playhouse (opened 1963), and the Theatre Royal. Nearby are Newstead Abbey, home of Byron, and D H Lawrence's home at Eastwood.

Woodhall Spa

Urban district in Lincolnshire, England, 6 miles from Horncastle; population (2001) 3657.

It is noted for its mineral springs and is featured in "Spencers on Spas" by the late Earl and Countess Spencer.
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