Burton upon Trent
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Burton upon Trent | |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| District | East Staffordshire |
| Shire county | Staffordshire |
| Region | West Midlands |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Burton upon Trent |
| Postcode district | DE14 |
| Dial code | 01283 |
| Police | Staffordshire |
| Fire | Staffordshire |
| Ambulance | Staffordshire |
| UK Parliament | Burton |
| European Parliament | West Midlands |
| List of places: UK • England • Staffordshire | |
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a large town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. It originally grew up around the monastery of Saint Modwen, and had grown into a busy market town by the early modern period. While Burton's great bridge over the Trent was in poor repair by the early 1500s, it served as "a comen passage to and fro many countries to the grett releff and comfort of travellyng people", according to the abbot. The town, which has a population of 60,500 (2001 estimate), is the administrative centre for the borough of East Staffordshire, forms part of Burton (UK Parliament constituency), and lies within the National Forest. However there is much confusion as to whether Burton is based in the West Midlands or the East Midlands, due to it being very close to the borders.
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[edit] Brewing
For centuries, Burton has been associated with the brewing industry. This is due to the quality of the local water, which contains a high proportion of dissolved salts, predominantly caused by the gypsum in the surrounding hills. Much of the open land within and around the town is protected from chemical treatment to help preserve this water quality.
The town is currently home to five brewers:
- Coors Brewers Limited: formerly Bass Brewers Limited, and now the UK arm of Molson Coors Brewing Company – a brewery from the United States – which produces Carling and Worthington Bitter
- Marston, Thompson and Evershed plc, now owned by Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries PLC. The Marston's Brewery also produces Bass under licence from InBev
- Burton Bridge Brewery, a local company
- Tower Brewery, a new microbrewery
- Cottage Brewery, based in the Old Cottage Inn
In addition, the Coors Visitor Centre (formerly the Bass Museum of Brewing) also continues to brew its own beer, separate from Coors.
A by-product of the brewing industry, figuratively and literally, is the presence of the Marmite factory in the town. This in turn generated the production of Bovril. Together with the breweries this gives the area a distinctive smell.
The development of rail links to Liverpool enabled brewers to export their beer throughout the British Empire. The accidental shipwreck of a cargo boat carrying India Pale Ale (an ale specially brewed to keep during the long sea voyage to India) resulted in barrels being washed ashore. The popularity of these fortuitous samples resulted in the domestic marketing of such ale, and began the gradual transformation of English drinking tastes. Previously, Englishmen had drunk mainly stout and porter, dark beers flavoured with roasted barley and similar to Guinness, but bitter (a development of pale ale) came to predominate. This extensively hopped, lighter beer was easier to store and transport, and so favoured the growth of larger breweries.
Burton came to dominate this trade, and at its height one quarter of all beer sold in Britain was produced here. Although over 30 breweries were recorded in 1880, a process of mergers and buy-outs resulted in three main breweries remaining by 1980: Bass, Ind Coopes and Marstons. Today, only Burton Bridge brewery remains as an independent brewer.
The town's connection with the brewing industry is celebrated by a sculpture of the Burton Cooper, which is now housed in the shopping centre.
[edit] Miscellaneous
The town has a non-league football club, Burton Albion, who play in the Football Conference. The Burton & District Cricket League has many notable clubs, including Lichfield Cricket Club.
The Burton Operatic Society has existed since 1951 and is still flourishing.
The Burton suburb of Branston is where the well-known Branston Pickle was invented. Branston is also home to Branston Golf Club.
Claymills Pumping Station on the north side of Burton is a restored Victorian sewage pumping station, adjacent to the modern sewage works.
The Town is also home to Burton Canoe Club, A large canoe club on the banks of the River Trent. It has recently expanded and built it own club house.
[edit] Local government
Burton was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1878. The incorporated area was split between the counties of Staffordshire and Derbyshire - the Local Government Act 1888 incorporated the entirety of the borough in Staffordshire, including the Derbyshire parishes of Stapenhill and Winshill. It became a county borough in 1901, having reached the 50,000 population required.
It never substantially exceeded the population of 50,000, and at a population of 50,201 in the 1971 census was the smallest county borough in England after Canterbury. The Local Government Commission for England recommended in the 1960s that it be demoted to a non-county borough within Staffordshire, but this was not implemented. Under the Local Government Act 1972, the town became on April 1, 1974, an unparished area in the new district of East Staffordshire.
The town became entirely parished on April 1, 2003, when the following parishes were created:
- Anglesey
- Brizlincote
- Burton
- Horninglow & Eton
- Shobnall
- Stapenhill
- Winshill
Burton parish itself only covers the town centre, with the other parishes covering various suburbs. [1]
[edit] Geography
| North-West: Uttoxeter |
North: |
North-East: Derby |
| West: Stafford |
Burton upon Trent | East: Newton Solney, Repton, Loughborough |
| South-West: Tatenhill, Barton-under-Needwood, Alrewas, Lichfield, Birmingham |
South: Tamworth |
South-East: Swadlincote, Ashby-de-la-Zouch |
[edit] Town twinning
[edit] Local residents
HISTORICAL:
- Edward Wightman, a General Baptist, became the last religious martyr to be burnt at the stake for ‘Heresy’ in England.
CONTEMPORARY:
- Alastair Yates, presenter of BBC News 24 and BBC World, was born in Burton and went to Burton Grammar School. He joined BBC Radio Derby in the 1970s.
- Olivia Murphy, England netball captain since 2000, was born in Burton, and went to De Ferrers High School, where her father, now a driving instructor, taught P.E.
- Paddy Considine, actor in films including In America, Cinderella Man, Hot Fuzz and 24 Hour Party People, was born in Winshill and still resides in Burton.
[edit] References
- Letter from the abbot of Burton describing Burton Bridge in C.H. Underhill, A History of Burton on Trent (Burton, 1941), p. 168.
[edit] External links
- BurtonStream - local business backed by the local chamber of commerce
- Burton2000
- East Staffordshire Borough Council
- History of Burton from 'British History Online'
- Maps of Burton on Trent
- Burton College
- Burton Grammar School
- Burton Girls High School
- Burton upon Trent Amateur Radio Club.
- Burton Canoe Club
| Unitary authorities: | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Boroughs/Districts: | Cannock Chase • East Staffordshire • Lichfield • Newcastle-under-Lyme • South Staffordshire • Stafford • Staffordshire Moorlands • Tamworth |
| Cities/Towns: | Biddulph • Burntwood • Burton upon Trent • Cannock • Cheadle • Eccleshall • Hednesford • Kidsgrove • Leek • Lichfield • Newcastle-under-Lyme • Penkridge • Rugeley • Stafford • Stoke-on-Trent Burslem • Fenton • Hanley • Longton • Stoke • Tunstall • Stone • Tamworth • Uttoxeter See also: List of civil parishes in Staffordshire |
| Settlements on the A38, Birmingham to Derby | edit | |
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Heading north: Birmingham | Erdington | Sutton Coldfield | Shenstone | Lichfield | Streethay | Alrewas | Branston | Burton upon Trent | Stretton | Derby |
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