Pleasley Vale

Postcard sent from Mansfield in 1910

By Pauline Marples

1910

This postcard with a Mansfield postmark was sent on the 7th July 1910  from Jack Smith to his mother, who lived in Boston Lincolnshire. Did Jack walk along this idyllic valley and enjoy the sound of the river and birds singing in the trees? Did he venture on and hear the noise of the Textile Mills which provided jobs for many people from Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire for a great number of years.

1937

In 1937 Arthur Mee wrote in his book on Derbyshire that Pleasley was

'A workaday village but with some lovely ways. The little River Medan bounds it from Notts, winding through the deep wooded Pleasley Vale to the cotton mills across the stream.'

2009

Today [2009] Pleasley Vale is still a pleasant place to walk, where the noise of the river and birds can still be enjoyed.

The cotton mills ceased production a number of years ago, and for a while the area looked very forlorn and derelict. However the buildings have been refurbished and are now a Business Park. The Pleasley Vale Outdoor Activity Centre can also be discovered there. No doubt Pleasley Vale is still a place that attracts people from both Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.