Allestree is a suburb and ward of the city of Derby, a unitary authority area, in Derbyshire, England. It is the northernmost ward and is on the A6 road, about north of Derby city centre. It is bordered by the district of Amber Valley along its western and northern edges and Erewash in its north-east corner. To the south it borders the ward of Mackworth and to the east the ward of Darley Abbey. Allestree village was previously part of the Earl of Northumbria's estate before the Norman Conquest and was mentioned in the Domesday Book as part of the Markeaton estate. The Allestree estate was acquired by the Mundy family in 1516 and stayed in the family until it was bought by Derby City Council in the early 20th century. The ward now contains the remaining parts of the village of Markeaton and became a parish in its own right in 1864 and was incorporated into the Borough of Derby in 1968. The ward is largely residential and has two parks, Allestree Park to the north and Markeaton Park to the south. Markeaton Park is the most used leisure facility in Derby with over 1 million visitors a year. The shopping needs of the area are met with the Park Farm shopping centre which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013 and at its inception was one of the largest of its kind in Europe. History Middle Ages Before the Norman Conquest, Allestree was a hamlet consisting of a few scattered dwellings that was part of the holding of the Earl of Northumbria. Later it was recorded in the Domesday book of 1086 as Adelardestreu, an outlier of the Manor of Markeaton held by Hugh, Earl of Chester. It was given by William the Conqueror to Henry de Ferrers as a reward for his work during the Conquest and later it passed to the Touchet family of Markeaton. During the 12th century, most of the land changed hands and was sold to the Abbey of St Mary, in Darley, and then rented back to the Touchet family. It was purchased by Sir John Mundy along with the estates of Markeaton and Mackworth from Lord Audley in 1516 and stayed in the family's possession until it was sold to the Evans family in 1781. Between 1660 and 1690, Derby was represented in Parliament by Roger Allestry and his son William Allestry.