the eastern part of the village, one of the very few in the country which is still operated. Governance Eckington falls under the jurisdiction of Derbyshire County Council, North East Derbyshire District Council and Eckington Parish Council. Geography Eckington covers an area of 2,089 acres. The geology is the coal measures containing coal and ironstone. The Chesterfield Canal and Midland Railway passed through the parish. The Moss Brook is a tributary of the River Rother. Schools The oldest school in Eckington is Camms CE Primary School. In 1702, Thomas Camm endowed a schoolhouse and a schoolmaster to teach 24 poor children in the parish. In 1832, Robert Harrison moved the school to a new building which cost £600, and it was moved again to its current location on Castle Hill in 1975. Eckington School is a large comprehensive school, attracting pupils from the surrounding areas of Killamarsh, Renishaw, Beighton, Ridgeway and Mosborough. Despite being closer to several Sheffield residential areas the admissions policy favours pupils from Derbyshire feeder schools. Eckington Grammar School in Halfway became Derbyshire's first comprehensive school in 1957, changing its name to the Westfield School, and since 1967 has been controlled by the city of Sheffield. Eckington is also home to Eckington Junior School and Birk Hill Infants. Amenities Eckington has a swimming pool near the library, built in the 1970s as part of a town centre improvement. The town has a bus station (halt). Eckington Woods to the north of the village forms part of the Moss Valley conservation area. They are also known as the Bluebell Wood because of the quantity of bluebells in the springtime. Transport Eckington is served by bus services to Sheffield, Chesterfield, Mansfield, Clowne and other surround settlements. People Notable people from Eckington include: Ann Alexander, financier, was born here in the 1770s. Walter Bussey, footballer Herbert Henry Elvin, trade union leader Joseph Gales, Sr., politician and journalist Joseph Gales, Jr., journalist and Mayor of Washington, D.C. Joan Hinde, trumpeter George Sitwell, ironmaster was born here in 1601 Paul West, writer Zoë Baker, swimmer See also Listed buildings in Eckington, Derbyshire Photos References Citations Bibliography Bowlt, Eileen. M. (1994) Ruislip Past. London: Historical Publications External links Parish council Inside-Eckington Website Eckington Methodist with St Luke's church Villages in Derbyshire Civil parishes in Derbyshire North East Derbyshire District