Saturday, July 04, 2009
Crews were sent to Rodney House, in Penalton Close, Allenton, at 5pm yesterday after smoke was seen coming from the windows. They extinguished the fire by 5.45pm.
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Allenton, situated 2 miles south of Derby city centre, is a busy part of the city with a variety of modern shops, stores, banks and other facilities. There is a busy market on Fridays and Saturdays and a flea market every Tuesday night.
Its best-known landmark is the spider bridge, built in 1971, so named because of its shape. It is really a series of bridges for pedestrians, over a very busy junction between the main Derby to Melbourne Road and the Derby Ring Road. A good view can be had of the surrounding district from the top of the bridge.
The suburb was once known as Allentown after Isaac Allen, who built the first houses in the area in 1878. It consisted of a few streets off the main Derby-Melbourne Road and several houses on the main road. He also built the Crown Hotel in 1891 at a cost of £1200. A school was built in 1880 on the corner of Allen Street and Poole Street and is still in use today as an infants school.
At the south side of Allenton is the War Memorial village, a cluster of over 30 homes in a pleasant setting with special features, needed by disabled people. Built in the mid 20th century, the first house was occupied in May 1950. The foundation stone had been laid by the then Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh.
