Of all the surviving images of the Yards of Chesterfield, David Charlesworth’s picture of the King and Miller yard is without question one of the clearest and most detailed example of these yards.

As marked on the photo, this is the view looking down the King and Miller yard towards the Market Place

View of the front of the King and Miller on Knifesmithgate. Demolished in 1967.

c. 1936 Auckland’s Place – a superb example of the conditions of the day.

The Sun Inn on West Bars – later demolished and the new Sun Inn built.

On the corner of Vicar Lane and South Street, currently where Wilkos is now.

The following is from an advertisement from the early 1900s:

“With its modernised appearance and its complete internal reconstruction and arrangement, old-time travellers on this route will be pleasurably surprised at the transformation effected in this favourite establishment, which, during the past two years, thanks to the enterprise of the owners, the Tadcaster Brewery Company, has been brought up-to-date to meet every requirement of a first-class commercial hotel.

The handsome premises, as will be seen in the accompanying view, have a fine elevation of three storeys, with extensive frontages at the corner of South Street and Vicar Lane, the ground floor containing well-fitted public and private bars, large commercial room, and the usual domestic offices, above which are two dining-rooms, one of spacious proportions and the other of lesser size, with elegantly-furnished drawing-room and private sitting-rooms also on this level.

The upper floor is appropriated to the bedrooms, twelve in number, comfortably furnished apartments, provided with bath-rooms, lavatories, etc., designed on the most approved sanitary principles. The fitting and furnishing throughout has been carried out without regard to expenditure, no detail being omitted that can possibly add to the comfort and convenience of visitors in every department of this thoroughly organised establishment.

That indispensable sine qua non of a good class hotel – an excellent cuisine – is a conspicuous feature of the arrangements, a varied and tasteful menu presented daily to the guests testifying to the care exercised in this department, while a well-trained staff of servants give effective aid to the popular host and hostess, Mr. and Mrs. Wood. The latter, it should be added, have only recently succeeded to the proprietary, but, during the brief period they have been in command, have greatly enhanced the popularity so long enjoyed by the house, and have won golden opinions by their able and efficient management.”

An Illustrated Guide to Chesterfield and It’s surroundings.

The White Horse Inn on West Bars, demolished, along with the Bird in Hand, to make way for the Hotel Portland.

Although the Market Place is not, strictly speaking, part of the Dog Kennels, it survives as the northern border and is included here to help people get their bearings as they look around the featured areas of this site.

Possibly the finest, surviving photograph of the Dog Kennels, shot from the Cattle Market, looking up towards the Market Hall. Taken sometime between 1900 when the Cattle Market was built and 1912 when the Dog Kennels were demolished and Markham Road constructed.

Although the cattle market does not easily fit into the main map for this site, this is an incredible photo and clearly shows its position in relation to the Hipper (immediate foreground) and its position via the Market Hall and the Crooked Spire.

The bottom end of the area between the cattle market and the Market Hall is the Dog Kennels.

After 85 years, the remains of the Cattle Market itself was demolished in 1997 to enable the building of the Ravenside Retail Park.

Beetwell Hall from Beetwell Street (left) looking down South Place towards the Slipper Baths.

Beetwell Hall was on the corner of Beetwell Street and South Place where Yeomans is now on the opposite corner of South Place to the Bowling Green.

Beetwell Hall and the adjoining cottages on South Street were some of the oldest buildings in the town, being of early Tudor origin.

Beetwell Hall drawing

The entrance to Spread Eagle Yard is just visible on the left.