More about the town of Selston
Selston is a hilltop town and civil parish in the District of Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, England. Selston was mentioned in the Doomsday survey of 1097. It is a large ex-colliery and industrialised village, which used to be home to textile factories and light engineering works. Its raised position over the Erewash Valley ensures good views over the surrounding countryside.At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 12,208. Selston is bounded by Underwood to the South, Annesley to the East, and the Derbyshire border to the West. The parish of Selston is the biggest in the country and includes Jacksdale, Underwood and Westwood.
St Helen's Church dates back to 1150 AD although the exterior of the church was altered by restoration and enlargement in 1899. An older Saxon church is thought to have occupied the site, and there is a monolith in the church yard, which may have been of ceremonial importance for pre-Christian pagans. St. Helen's Church is home to the alabaster monument to William Willoughby and his wife Elizabeth.
In the church yard is the resting place and headstone in memory of the King of Gypsies, Dan Boswell. The font in the church is a Norman font, and was taken during the Reformation and was returned to the Bull and Butcher public house and was then used as a garden ornament, before being returned at the beginning of the last century.
The Horse and Jockey pub is one of the oldest public houses in the country, established in 1664. It has the reputation of being the oldest pub in the parish and the 13th oldest in the country.
The last trace of the Holland Family, responsible for the building of Matthew Holland School in Selston, was removed when David Holland, great grandson of Matthew, sold his greengrocer's shop. It was demolished in 2005.