Belper Town, Christchurch Meadow – Hopper Tales #111

Goo-in ‘Wom (and Belper)

This weekend saw us travelling south to watch Belper Town take on Bromsgrove Sporting in an FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round match-up.

It also saw us visiting family and catching up with friends old and new in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire… my home town.

We only get down there a couple of times each year, so we tend to not travel far on a Saturday once there, as we want to spend time with friends and family.

This presented a perfect opportunity to visit a Derbyshire club I’ve wanted to stop by for some time, Belper Town.

Indeed, we had intended to go last time we were in the area, but the game was called off and we went to Ilkeston Town instead (Hopper Tales #91).

So, let’s see how we got on “goo-in ‘wom” (going home) and visiting Belper Town’s Raygar Stadium at Christchurch Meadow.

Belper Town – The Journey

Of course, our journey wasn’t straight to Belper but via Uttoxeter.

We left home on Friday morning and caught the bus to Durham.

Thirty minutes later, we were deposited in the foothills of Mount Durham to make the ascent to the train station.

I dramatise it a little maybe, but there is no doubt that for older people, the climb to Durham train station is a terrifying prospect. I know, I’m getting old and I’m a little more horrified each time we plan to go there! 😂

After scaling the final stage, we plonked ourselves on the nearest bench and sucked from our oxygen canisters for ten minutes before boarding the 11:53 CrossCountry service to Derby.

A smooth journey south saw us deposited safely at 14:25, giving us plenty of time to find our platform before the 14:47 train to Derby. The train was delayed by around eight minutes but we had no schedule to meet.

‘Wom

The journey was completed when we arrived ‘wom around 15:15 to be met by my son who gave us a lift into town. We dropped by the pub he now runs with his wife, the Old Star. One look at the reviews on Trip Advisor and you can see why new management was needed.

Within a couple of months, they have turned it around and the old regulars are back and I’d heartily recommend it to anyone who is a fan of good beer, heavy rock and punk music.

After having a quick tour of their new living arrangements (and a cheeky pint), we got a lift up to my mother’s house, where we relaxed the rest of the evening away.

Saturday

Saturday morning started with toast being thrust under my nose by my ma who loves nothing more than feeding people.

We took a slow walk down to the train station and caught the 11:58 train to Derby.

It was a very different experience to yesterday’s trains, however. Wolverhampton Wanderers were playing at Nottingham Forest and Derby County (Hopper Tales #54) was hosting Bristol City.

Our train had plenty of the first three club’s fans aboard and it was standing room only. I spoke to a Forest fan and the trip went by faster than it otherwise might have.

We arrived at 12:25 and had less than ten minutes to wait before boarding the connecting train to Belper. This one was a lot more passenger-friendly and we were even supplied with seats!

Just over ten minutes up the line, we had arrived in Belper.

Belper

Belper is a town in Derbyshire, located to the southeast of the Peak District and it lies on the River Derwent.

As of the 2021 Census, Belper had a population of 19,077.

The town is thought to take its name from a corrupted version of the French phrase ‘Beaurepaire’, which translates to mean ‘Beautiful Den’, a name given to hunting lodges.

St. John’s Chapel, built around that same period, is used for council meetings. It is thought to be the oldest building left standing in the town.

During the Middle Ages, Belper was a centre for nail-making, thus explaining the football club’s nickname ‘The Nailers’. Around five hundred nail-making workshops were sited in and around Belper until being put out of business by factory mass-production.

The Industrial Revolution brought the textile mills to Belper and the town now forms part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.

In the late eighteenth century, Richard Arkwright‘s partner, Jedediah Strutt, who was born in Belper, built only the second water-powered cotton mill in the world and thus made it one of the UK’s first mill towns.

Belper’s East Mill was built by the English Sewing Cotton Company in 1912 to replace the original one, destroyed by fire. It still stands, looming over Belper Town’s Raygar Stadium. Built using hard red Accrington bricks, the seven-storey structure is immense and serves as a landmark that can be seen from far away.

Trouble At t’ Mill

It is now a Grade II-listed building but there are serious concerns about its state of repair. A group calling themselves ‘Our Belper Mills‘ was formed to give a voice to concerns for their preservation.

History needs to be preserved and the UK is quite bad at it.

You have my best wishes!

Railways brought further wealth Belper’s way, becoming the first UK town to have gas lighting.

In 1938, Audley Bowdler Williamson developed a conditioning substance for silk stockings in the town. The introduction of nylon stockings after World War II seemed to make the product redundant. However, engineers and mechanics discovered its usefulness in cleaning hands and it is still marketed as Swarfega.

The name derives from swarf – the old Derbyshire engineering term for oil and grease – and ega, as in eager to clean

Who knew?!

Lockdown Madness

From who knew, to who moo?

During the Covid-19 lockdowns, the residents of Belper became famous for the Belper Moo.

At 18:30 every evening, people, complying with lockdown regulations, stood in their doorways and upstairs windows and let out a communal ‘moo’.

This idea is something I would have totally got behind and something I still find highly amusing today.

We all needed a bit of relief during those dark days and to be honest, I think we still do, with the world being how it is at the moment.

Bring back the Belper Moo!

Notable Belper Natives

Actor, Maxwell Caulfield; mountaineers, Nigel Vardy, Alison Hargreaves and her son, Tom Ballard; Olympic swimmer, Ross Davenport; actresses, Suzy Kendall and Tracy Shaw; and James Bond actor, Timothy Dalton, who was raised in Belper from the age of four.

Rifleman’s Arms

After arriving in Belper, we exited the station and headed towards our chosen watering hole, the Rifleman’s Arms.

Being on a diet recently, I was dismayed when one of our Twitter followers (more on Mike later) sent me a picture of the Rifleman’s menu. The picture showed a foot-long hot dog smothered in ketchup and mustard at just £3.95.

Naturally, we wouldn’t be eating one! To prove how strong our willpower was, we headed there to laugh in its face.

Upon arrival, we bought a pint of Seacider and an Inception IPA. These were not cheap, priced at £11.15 for the two. They were delicious, though and we headed to the small beer garden/courtyard outside.

After a short time sitting in the Derbyshire sunshine, we headed back inside and our iron will buckled… badly.

We ordered ourselves a footlong hotdog each… yeah, yeah, I know. Your fault, Mike!

The hotdog was actually, more what you might call a breakfast sausage, rather than a hot dog.

It lived up to its billing of being a footlong, though. However, the bun it came on, was more like six inches, leaving messy mustard and ketchup-covered sausage at either end.

A very tasty little snack though, and at the price I’d recommend it to anyone else on a strict diet (cough).

If anyone from the Rifleman’s Arms gets around to seeing this, my only recommendation would be to upgrade the buns to the same size as the sausage.

After leaving the pub, we completed the half-mile walk from the train station to the football ground.

Belper Town – The Raygar Stadium

Getting In

The Raygar Stadium is accessed via the road leading to the northeast corner of the stadium.

It appears to be the only access route for both pedestrians and vehicles, so please take care.

We paid by card at the turnstile, though there were cash turnstiles, too. The entrance fee is £11.00 per person.

Once inside, we found ourselves in the corner, between the north and east sides of the ground.

A programme seller was just inside the gate and I pounced on him (not literally).

Programme

A decent effort from Belper Town.

£2.00 gets you an impressive forty-eight glossy pages, however, a whopping twenty-nine of them are adverts.

Club news, fixtures, features and the usual opposition spread are mixed in there but adverts have mostly taken over.

Still, at this level of the game, every penny counts and if this is the only way they can keep a printed programme alive, then I am okay with it.

Thank you for producing one!

East End Terrace

I left Mrs Hopper nursing her sore back, sitting on the terracing in the northeast corner.

Meanwhile, I started my circuit of Christchurch Meadow (the Raygar Stadium is its sponsored title) by heading to the eastern end.

There has clearly been a lot of work done at Christchurch Meadow in recent times and this end has reaped some of that benefit.

If you take a look on Google Earth, you will see that this was an open terrace the last time they swung by.

Now, there is still open (three-step) terracing but the middle section has been roofed over to provide some welcome shelter in inclement weather – or shade from warm sunshine, like today.

There is a first-aid hut at the northern end of this terrace.

South Side (Main Stand)

The southern side of the ground is where the main facilities are located, including the seated stand.

In the southeast corner is a lovely food catering area, with picnic benches and kiosks serving up Greek food.

There is also an entrance for players and officials in this corner of the ground.

Beyond this area are the main stand, the clubhouse/function suite and the dressing rooms.

There is a corridor with a small trophy cabinet just inside the clubhouse, before entering a large room with tables. I believe this can be hired for weddings and other functions.

The main stand runs along three-quarters of the pitches’ length and the other buildings sit behind it.

The players’ dressing rooms are beyond the function suite and a tunnel through the main stand leads to the pitch.

The main stand was built in 2003 at a cost of £200,000. It seats five hundred spectators and provides the only seating area inside the ground. (There are a few chairs on the back row of the terrace on the north side)

West End

the western end of the ground is also showing signs of recent improvements.

A new roof has been erected to shelter spectators behind the goal at the Riverside End of the ground. Although it only covers the middle section, I’m sure it was much welcomed by the regulars at that end.

An all-weather playing surface lies behind the fence at this end and is used for training purposes.

North Side

The north side comprises car parking spaces and the Reg Walker Stand.

It seems a little strange to have car parking inside the stadium but I’m sure if Belper want to grow and improve their stadium further in the future, this will be a prime spot for any new structures.

For now, it provides another lovely non-league quirk.

The Reg Walker Stand is at the Eastern end of this side and is another roofed, shallow terrace.

Between the car park and this terrace is a food kiosk and the club shop.

A clock perches atop the roof of the terracing, while an electronic scoreboard sits above the club shop.

I went into the club shop, just as the game was kicking off. I don’t have photographs but it’s basically a small hut with a few items for sale, including what I went in there for… a pin badge (£4.00).

Depending on your preferences, Christchurch Meadow, or the Raygar Stadium, has a current capacity of 2,650.

The pitch is in great condition and has a natural grass surface.

There are four floodlights, which were installed in 2014 at a cost of £76,000.

Belper Town – Christchurch Meadow Gallery

Belper Town Tidbits

The Belper Town Football Club was formed in 1883.

The club became founder members of the Derbyshire Senior League in 1890, before switching to the Mid-Derbyshire League in the early 1900s. In 1904/05 they won the title before the league was rebranded as the Derbyshire Alliance two years later.

Another year saw the league merge with the Notts & District League and again, Belper were founder members.

By 1911/12, Belper ran into financial difficulties and left the league before folding.

During this first spell of the club’s history, they had played their home games at the Acorn Ground.

Christchurch Meadow Years

A forty-year gap ensued before the club was reformed in 1951, joining Division One of the Central Alliance.

The club’s record attendance of 3,200 was set in 1955 when they hosted local rivals Ilkeston Town.

The league was restructured in 1956 and Belper were placed in Division One North. They finished as runners-up in their inaugural season. They went one better two years later, finishing as champions. During the same season, they also won the Derbyshire Senior Cup for the first time.

Belper joined the Midland League in 1961 and when it was split into two divisions, the Nailers were placed in the Premier Division. They finished rock bottom of the league in 1978/79 but survived relegation. Belper made the most of that reprieve by winning the League the following year. They earned another Derbyshire Senior Cup success in the same season.

1982 saw the Midland League merge with the Yorkshire League to form the North Counties East League. Again, Belper was placed in the Premier Division and went on to win it in 1984/85.

The Nailers finished runners-up in 1996/97 and gained promotion to the Northern Premier League.

Another restructure saw them placed in the NPL Division One South. A series of near misses in the playoffs culminated with them finally getting over the last hurdle in 2013/14. A win over Mickleover Sports, saw Belper promoted to the NPL Premier Division.

Unfortunately, relegation followed the very next season.

2021/22 saw them return to the Premier Division after defeating Chasetown 1-0 in the playoff final. Again, this was followed by immediate relegation.

The club is currently plying its trade in the NPL Division One East under manager, Lee Attenborough.

Former Belper Town Players

Among the names to have played for Belper Town over the years are;

Derby County stalwart, Kevin Hector; European Cup winner with Nottingham Forest, John O’Hare; Andy Quy, who is better known as a goalkeeping coach, though he did play 74 times for Hereford United; Paul Groves; and Busby Babe and Munich Air Disaster survivor, Albert Scanlon.

Belper Town – Pre-Game View of Christchurch Meadow

Putting Faces to Names

Occasionally on our journeys, we meet people who follow us on social media and it’s always nice to put a face to a name.

This weekend, we met one of our long-time followers on Twitter (X), Mike Ward.

He is what you would have to call a superfan of Belper Town and it was great to meet him.

While I was doing my circuit of the ground, I ran into him behind the goal at the west end of the Raygar. We spent so long chatting that by the time I finished my circuit and got a pin badge from the club shop, the game was already underway (hence the video being a little rushed).

Mike follows Belper everywhere and rarely misses a game. Although we didn’t know each other at the time, he was also at the same game as us when we went to watch Morpeth v Belper back in Hopper Tales #47.

He and a small group of friends spend a collective fortune watching their adopted team. As you can see from the flag in the photograph below, Belper has won the hearts of fans of three clubs in their little group.

It’s great to see the passion and dedication of Mike and his friends and I wish them many more happy days following the Nailers up and down the UK.

After buying a pin badge, I collected Mrs Hopper and we headed back to stand with Mike and friends for the first half.

Belper Town v Bromsgrove Sporting – The Game

Form

Coming into today’s game, Belper had started the season very well and sit on top of the NPL Division One East, with twelve points from five games.

They set the tone by beating Heaton Stannington away on the opening day of the season and have gone on to beat Bradford Park Avenue, Bridlington Town and Sherwood Colliery.

The one blemish came with a 3-0 defeat at Emley.

They reached today’s FA Cup 1st Round game by dispatching Lutterworth Town 3-1, here at the Raygar Stadium.

Visitors, Bromsgrove Sporting, haven’t had such a good start in the Southern League Premier Division Central, which is one tier higher than today’s hosts play.

Things started well with a 3-1 win at Hitchin Town and they won their third match 2-0 at home to Spalding United. Sandwiched between those two games was a 1-3 reverse at home to Stratford Town.

In their last two games, they have suffered defeats by Lowestoft Town and most recently a 1-2 home defeat against Halesowen Town.

With all this in mind, my pre-match prediction was for a tight game, with goals.

2-2 was my chosen score. (Yes! At last!)

Kick-Off

Summary

As predicted, this was a close game with both teams looking to get forward at every opportunity.

It’s probably fair to say that Belper had the best of the first half and Bromsgrove the second half.

The first goal came in the 23rd minute and I happened to catch the goal on video.

Fast forward to 02:10 if you just want to see the goal, scored by Harry Draper.

Chances were few and far between for the rest of the half, with Bromsgrove coming closest to a goal when ex-Derby County player, Theo Robinson hit the post.

We went into the second half with a different vantage point.

With Mrs Hoppers’ back still very sore, we moved into the main stand and found ourselves sitting near the Radio Belper Town commentator.

Second Half

The second half saw Bromsgrove assert themselves more and there was a feeling that it was just a matter of time before they equalised.

Belper had a chance or two to increase their lead but failed to do so and Sporting made them pay in the 69th minute.

It was that man Theo Robinson who slotted the ball into the net from close range and I couldn’t help but wonder what Derby fan, Mike, was thinking at that point.

The Nailers rallied a little after seeing their lead wiped out and started applying some pressure of their own as the game opened up.

It took until the 81st minute for either team to score again and it was Belper who got the goal.

A great save from Charlie Price in the Bromsgrove goal didn’t stop Draper grabbing his second of the game, as he lashed home the rebound.

With less than ten minutes on the clock, Bromsgrove upped their game and started hemming Belper into their own half.

This almost backfired at one point as Price was caught up the pitch with Belper breaking down the left. Luckily for him, the Nailers couldn’t capitalise.

Oh No!

With seconds remaining, Bromsgrove launched one last desperate attack and Jack Broadhead brought down the Bromsgrove striker for a last-gasp penalty.

I was gutted for Mike but also, I have to say it was probably a fair result and I finally had a correct score in the bag.

My Man of the Match award has to be shared between two men, one for each team. Both Harry Draper and Theo Robinson grabbed a brace apiece and can’t be separated by me.

You can read a full Match Report here, courtesy of the Belper Town website.

Attendance – 485

Entrance Fee – £11.00

Programme – £2.00

Bromsgrove won the resulting replay on September 3rd, by 2-1 after the game went into extra time.

Belper Town v Bromsgrove Sporting – Match Highlights

Up Next

Next up for Belper is the start of their FA Trophy campaign on the 7th, with Boldmere St Michaels visiting Christchurch Meadow.

The clubs then get back to league action, with Belper facing a trip up to Yorkshire’s East Riding where they will play North Ferriby (14th).

Two home games follow, with first, Cleethorpes Town (17th) and then Brighouse Town (21st), visiting the Raygar Stadium.

An away trip to Ossett United (28th) rounds out September.

Bromsgrove will be hoping to improve their league position during September. They will have their first chance to do so on Saturday 7th when they visit Biggleswade Town.

The month continues with a trip to AFC Telford United (10th) before they play Bottesford Town at home in the next round of the FA Cup (14th).

September is completed with back-to-back home games, with first, St Ives Town (21st) and then Redditch United (24th) visiting the Victoria Ground.

Just hearing their ground is called the Victoria Ground brings back so many memories, good and bad, for this Stoke City fan.

That place was my second ‘wom!

Belper Town Thoughts

Christchurch Meadow is a very picturesque ground. It has rolling hills all around, the River Derwent off to the west, trees dotted around and some interesting architecture.

Christ Church in the northeast corner and the huge East Mill off to the north provide a pretty dramatic backdrop to photographs taken here.

The train station is just half a mile away and there is a great choice of pubs before you reach the ground.

The stadium has a modern feel to it, yet retains its own character and charm, with the old church and stone walls still alongside it.

It was great to meet Mike and his friends and they typify the non-league football family, welcoming and friendly.

Mike told me that plans were afoot to build a second storey to the clubhouse area, with a balcony overlooking the pitch, which should be great.

My only slight concerns would be that the programme could maybe tone down the amount of adverts, although, I know every penny counts for non-league clubs.

The other potential problem is the access road being narrow and pedestrians sharing it with traffic. This would probably be a major thing cost-wise to fix, but if there is a cheaper, viable alternative, it could be worth looking into.

Overall, Christchurch Meadow is yet another great non-league ground to visit.

Go and support your local clubs, folks.

Belper – After the Game

After the game, we made our way back to the train station and caught the 17:34 train to Derby.

Unfortunately, with the Derby-Uttoxeter service being hourly, the fact that our train was just a couple of minutes late, meant we missed any slim chance we had had of catching the one that was due to leave a minute before ours was due to arrive in Derby.

An hour wait it was then.

There was chanting and shouting coming from elsewhere in the station and as we headed across the walkway between platforms, we could see lots of Bristol City fans and police on Platform 1.

We went into the Costa shop near the entrance to the station and the lady behind the counter said that the Bristol boys had been playing up a bit, with at least three arrested.

Our train arrived fashionably late and we boarded a train that more resembled a cattle truck headed to market.

Should we start the Belper Moo?

To say it was standing room only doesn’t do it justice and there were even three people using the toilet as a space to stand/sit.

Come on East Midlands Railway, you know full well that when Derby are playing at home, these trains get crowded and still you refuse to put a third extra carriage on the service.

Disgusting to treat customers with such disdain!

After arriving back in Uttoxeter, we headed to the Old Star and spent the rest of the night having good fun with friends and family.

Sunday was spent relaxing with my mother and all too soon, it was time to head back to the northeast.

Heading Back North

Our journey was a little better than Saturday’s but not without its problems. The train from Derby to Durham was forty minutes late due to a passenger needing medical attention.

Fair enough.

However, to make up lost time, CrossCountry decided to completely miss out Wakefield Westgate and Leeds stations, meaning anyone going there had to get off at Sheffield and find an alternative train.

There were also no reserved seats operating, meaning Mrs Hopper and I had to sit separately again, despite buying reserved seats.

Amazingly, once we reached York, they decided to turn on the reservations again, meaning chaos ensued as people played musical chairs and argued about seats.

Arriving in Darlington, we were treated to some amazing modern parenting as a young mother with three kids (one called Hermione…) woke them up literally as the train stopped, rather than preparing them in advance.

The kids didn’t want to wake up or get off the train which meant only one thing to this young woman. Press the emergency assistance button…

We sat watching in amazement as the totally unconcerned woman allowed frustrated train staff to drag her kids off the train. After dumping everyone on the platform, the train staff then had to wait and watch her kids while the woman came back on the train and slowly took her bags off.

Ok, Ian, just shake your head and move on…

The rest of the journey home was incident free and we got through the front door just after 16:00.

Next Up for Hoppers Guide

Next Saturday, the plan is to head down to Guisborough for their Northern League Division One clash with our friends from West Auckland.

I’m hoping to run into Dave, one of the club’s volunteers and a friend of HG, while we are there.

It’s been too long since we’ve seen him.

This will be another checkmark on our quest to see all the Northern League grounds.

This will be the 22nd current NL ground we have reviewed, although, both Bishop Auckland and Heaton Stannington were promoted out of the League last season, otherwise, it would be 24.

Hopper Tales #110 – Boldon Community Association

Hopper Tales #112 – Guisborough Town