Shipley

Shipley sits in the Borough of Erewash, on the fringe of the urban area between Heanor and Ilkeston. The settlement has a village centre with local shops and community facilities and a mix of housing that reflects its growth through the 19th and 20th centuries. Road and public‑transport links connect Shipley to nearby towns and to regional routes, while a network of public footpaths runs through fields and small woodlands around the village, used by walkers and by those commuting to work locally.

The area is best known for Shipley Country Park, where a series of shallow lakes were formed from former clay workings and now support reedbeds and wintering wildfowl. Trails and surfaced paths lead around the lakes and through pockets of broadleaf planting, and a visitor centre provides information about local wildlife and events. The park’s landscape preserves traces of former estate layout while offering facilities for angling, family days out and nature study, making it a focal point for recreation and informal conservation within the Shipley area.