But unlike the legend that the Crooked Spire got bent by a sneezing demon due to a virgin getting married below, the flea market is real, and a representation of Chesterfield to cherish.
Imagine a clutter of stalls offering endless character, odd curios riddled with backstory, and that’s just the stall-holders. Finding the thing you didn’t expect to find, be it that 1940s wall-clock that’s seen more household dramas than a Coronation Street DVD box-set, or that first-pressing of an Abba record that saw Auntie Shirley climb on the table at that family shindig, covering everyone with regurgitated Skol as she hit the high note on Dancing Queen. The Thursday flea market: a day out of fun and rummage.
3. John Marples (tools)
"Chesterfield flea Market ten years ago was magnificent… Every stall was full, you used to have to queue up to get a stall… If I had my way, once a month I’d have like a forties theme, because when people get used to coming down again they’d start coming back down again." Photo: Derbyshire Times
4. Steve Williams (books etc)
"I enjoy the face-to-face contact. That’s the main thing why I do it. So I don’t sell online. I like to meet people, engage with people, and see them happy in the product they’ve bought." Photo: Derbyshire Times