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Eastwood, Nottinghamshire

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Eastwood
Nottingham Road, the town's main street.
PopulationExpression error: "18,612[1]" must be numeric
OS grid referenceSK465469
• London116 mi (187 km) SSE
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNOTTINGHAM
Postcode districtNG16
Dialling code01773
PoliceNottinghamshire
FireNottinghamshire
AmbulanceEast Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Nottinghamshire

Eastwood is a former coal mining town in the Broxtowe district of Nottinghamshire, England. With a population of over 18,000, it is 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Nottingham, and 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Derby.[1] It is on the border between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

Mentioned in Domesday Book, it expanded rapidly during the Industrial Revolution. The Midland Railway was formed here, and it is the birthplace of D. H. Lawrence.

History

It seems that "Eastwood" is a hybrid place-name, formed from Old English "Est", for "East", and Old Norse "Þveit" (Template:PronEng), for "meadow", "cleared meadow", or "clearing in a wood": this is a common element in English place-names, often found as "Thwaite".[2] Therefore "Eastwood" might mean "eastern clearing", the place possibly beginning as a Viking Age clearing in Sherwood Forest.[3]

Eastwood is one of the few places where the distinctive dialect of East Midlands English is extensively spoken, in which the name is Template:PronEng.

Eastwood is mentioned in Domesday Book as "Estewic", part of the fee of William Peverel (cf. Peveril of the Peak).

In Estewic [Ulfketel] had 4 bovates of land [assessed] to the geld. [There is] land [...] It is waste. William [Peverel] has the custody of it. [There is] woodland pasture 3 furlongs long and 3 broad. In King Edward's time it was worth 5 shillings.

— Domesday Book

A later reference by a Minister of Religion (Owen Meredith) corrected this name to "Eastwick alias Eastwood". [4]

During the reign of Henry I (1100 -1135), Peverel was confirmed in possession of his estates, but his son, William Peverel the Younger, forfeited these to the Crown in 1155.[5]

When King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England in 1603, Eastwood had a population of about 170.[6]

From John Chapan's map of Nottinghamshire, published in 1774.

Eastwood was a small village until the 18th century, when, in 1779, the Trent Navigation Company opened the Erewash Canal[7] This was one of the first man-made waterways in England, with locks at Beeston linking Eastwood to the River Trent, and Nottingham, and its arrival led to a rapid expansion of the local coal mining industry. Other industries soon followed, including framework knitting, corn milling, pottery, brewing, rope making and brick making.

In 1817, marchers involved in the so-called "Pentrich Revolution" passed through Langley Mill, stopped at the Sun Inn at the Eastwood crossroads, and faced soldiers at Giltbrook. The residents of Eastwood boarded up their houses and hid in the woods.

In 1832, a historic meeting took place at in the Sun Inn (built 1750), which resulted in the creation of the Midland Counties Railway, and the construction of a line from Pinxton to Leicester.

The Moorgreen Colliery on Engine Lane was sunk in 1868.[8] By 1875, the demand for coal resulted in a further rail link, via the Great Northern Railway line to Nottingham.

During the Industrial Revolution, Eastwood expanded rapidly. Eastwood had the greatest increase of any parish in Nottinghamshire during the 19th century in population per square mile. [9] By 1880 the population had increased to 4,500.[4]

D.H. Lawrence was born in Eastwood in 1885, and the local area is mentioned in many of his novels, especially The White Peacock, against a backdrop of industrialisation. His birthplace is now a museum.

In the 20th century, trams and buses provided new means of transport between Nottingham, Ripley and Heanor. Shops became established along Nottingham Road and the feeder streets. In 1908 the local Urban District Council opened offices in Church Street.

During the two world wars, Eastwood coal, metal castings, rope, wire and agricultural products made valuable contributions. During the Second World War, Eastwood supplied soldiers to the Sherwood Foresters Regiment. The War Memorial at the junction of Nottingham Road and Plumptre Way commemorates the names of Eastwood residents who gave their lives in both world wars.[4]

In 1946, the coal industry was nationalised. The new National Coal Board acquired Eastwood Hall as their Area Office. This later became their National Office, and was the location for several crisis meetings during the national Miners' Strike of the 1980s.

At the height of its production in 1963, Moorgreen Colliery produced 1,000,000 tons of coal.[8]

The last coalmine in the area closed in 1985.

In recent years, tourism has become increasingly important. A ‘blue line trail’ guides visitors around 11 sites of local interest.

Governance

File:Eastwood urban disctrict shield.JPG
Coat of arms of the former Eastwood urban District Council. The black diamonds represent coal mining, the annulet is from the hearldry of the Plumtree family and the red roundels are from the arms of the Grey family of Codnor.

The Urban District Council for Eastwood became part of Broxtowe District Council in 1974. In 1977 the Council was granted "borough" status, becoming the Borough of Broxtowe. The current mayor is Brian Wombwell.

Eastwood now consists of 3 wards within the borough:

  • Eastwood South
  • Eastwood North and Greasley (Beauvale)
  • Greasley (Giltbrook and Newthorpe)

All of these lie within the Borough of Broxtowe for local government. For national elections, however, the first two wards are in the Ashfield constituency – not the Broxtowe constituency.

Ward Population Electorate Local government National government
Eastwood South 9,389[10] 6,828[11] Broxtowe Borough Council Ashfield constituency
Eastwood North and Greasley (Beauvale) 3,267[12] 2,465[13] Broxtowe Borough Council Ashfield constituency
Greasley (Giltbrook and Newthorpe) 6,076[14] 5,024[15] Broxtowe Borough Council Broxtowe constituency

Local government

Two-tier local authority services in Broxtowe are provided by the Borough Council and Nottinghamshire County Council.

Broxtowe Borough Council currently has 44 councillors, representing 21 wards, each returning one, two, or three councillors, according to population size. During the most recent local elections, held in 2007, councillors were elected as follows:

  • Eastwood South ward: 3 Labour councillors - Milan Radulovic, Doug Wilcockson, and Jim Kenny.
  • Eastwood North and Greasley (Beauvale) ward: 2 Liberal Democrat councillors - Bob Charlesworth and Charles Edward Robb.
  • Greasley (Giltbrook and Newthorpe) ward: 3 Conservative councillors - Mick Brown, Martin Wright, and Margaret Handley.

Parliamentary constituencies

The wards of Eastwood South, and Eastwood and Greasley (Beauvale), are in the Ashfield constituency. The current MP is Geoff Hoon, elected in 1992, 1997, 2001, and 2005. He is currently Chief Whip and Secretary to the Treasury.

The ward of Greasley (Giltbrook and Newthorpe) is in the Broxtowe constituency. The current MP is Nick Palmer, elected in 1997, 2001, and 2005.

Parish councils

Parish councils include Eastwood Town Council (North), Eastwood Town Council (South), Greasley (Beauvale), Greasley (Newthorpe), and Greasley (Watnall).

European Parliament

The Borough of Broxtowe is in the European Parliament East Midlands constituency. MEPs are selected by proportional representation and so all East Midlands MEPs share responsibility for Broxtowe's residents.

Geography

Surrounded by gently rolling countryside, Eastwood is 8 miles to the Northwest of the City of Nottingham in Nottinghamshire and close to the county boundary with Derbyshire.

...I was born nearly forty-four year ago, in Eastwood, a mining village of some three thousand souls about eight miles from Nottingham, and one mile from the small stream, the Erewash, which divides Nottinghamshire from Derbyshire. It is hilly country, looking west to Crich and towards Matlock, sixteen miles away and east and northeast towards Mansfield and the Sherwood Forest district. To me it seemed, and still seems an extremely beautiful countryside, just between the red sandstone and oak trees of Nottingham and the cold limestone, the ash trees, the stone fences of Derbyshire

— D.H. Lawrence, 1929 Nottingham & the Mining Country[16]
Environs

The area contains coal measures, with shale, mudstone, and sandstone, overlain by yellow clay. Alluvial deposits from the River Erewash run roughly north-south.[17]

The town is centred on Nottingham Road, which runs along a north west-south east ridge. This road contains many shops, including a large Co-op store, and, uphill to the east, it leads to the A610 to Nottingham, the M1 motorway, and Giltbrook Retail Park, which is home to a large Ikea store, and various projected developments (see Future plans). At the western end of Eastwood is a gyratory system, consisting of an ancient crossroads converted into a traffic island, around the Sun Inn public house. A large Morrisons supermarket is here, and roads lead from the gyratory system north to Brinsley, west to Heanor, and south through Church Street, the location of several listed buildings, into New Eastwood.

The town is still surrounded by farmed land, woods and fields, and just half a mile (1km) to the west, the River Erewash forms the boundary between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Alongside the river, the Erewash Canal leads to the River Trent.

A large hill, visible when looking north from the town, is known locally as “Dot ‘ill”, or “dirt hill”. This is land reclaimed from a former slag heap.

Demography

As of the 2001 UK census, the town of Eastwood had a total population of 18,732.[1]

Population change can be tracked accurately from the 1911 census until the 1971 census, as Eastwood Urban District was a Local Government District from 1896 until 1974.

Eastwood - population trend, 1911 to 1971.
Eastwood - population trend, 1911 to 1971.
Population growth in Eastwood since 1911
Year 1911 1921 1931 1939 1951 1961 1971
Population 4,692 5,069 5,360 8,581 9,894 10,607 10,856
Source:A Vision of Britain through Time

In the 1951 census, around 11.5% of the total population listed their occupation as Mining & Quarrying.[18] By the 2001 survey, this had fallen to 0.15%.[19]

In the 2001 census, Over 98% of the population selected the ethnicity White: British. The national average for England was 87%.[20]

Landmarks

A war memorial was unveiled in 1921, inscribed "to the men of Eastwood, who fell in the Great War 1914-1918". Later, World War II dedications were added, and it was moved to its present location at Plumptre Way. It is in the shape of an obelisk, made of Italian marble with a base of Whatstandwell stone.[21]

Greasley Castle (c.1341) was founded by Nicholas de Cantilupe. The remains are now covered by Greasley Castle Farmhouse (c. 1800), which incorporates fragments of medieval masonry.[22]

The Blue Line Trail - painted along the pavement - guides visitors around the local area, including the birthplace of D. H. Lawrence (now a museum), three other houses that Lawrence lived in, and other sites related to his life and work. It is based on the Freedom Trail in Boston.[23]

Eastwood Hall was the headquarters of British Coal. It is now a conference centre.

The Man In Space public house was built in the 1960s. It appeared briefly in the film Carry On at Your Convenience.

Transport

The M1 motorway runs close to Eastwood (junctions 26 and 27).

Eastwood is served by Trent Barton buses, one of the few independent bus operators in the UK. Buses from Nottingham's Victoria bus station take 40 minutes.[24]

The nearest railway station is at Langley Mill, which has connections to Nottingham, Sheffield, Chesterfield and Manchester.

The East Midlands Airport is 13 miles away.

Education

There are several junior schools in the area, including Eastwood Junior School, Brookhill Leys Primary and Nursery School, Greasley Beauvale Junior School, Lynncroft Primary and Nursery School, Priory Catholic Primary School, and Greasley Beauvale D. H. Lawrence Infant School (which Lawrence attended).[25]

Most older local students attend Eastwood Comprehensive School, which also has a small sixth-form. The OFSTED report of 2007 notes that The social and economic backgrounds of students are below average and fewer than average come from homes with a tradition of higher education.[26]

Castle College, Nottingham, has a centre in Eastwood, with community courses in Arts & Crafts, First Aid, Cake Decorating and Languages.

Eastwood Skills Shop offers courses including IT, Arts & Crafts, Spanish and Interior Design.[27]

Eastwood Library, in the centre of the town, provides traditional book loans, but also has free internet access, CDRoms and a range of information services.[28]

Eastwood Community Sports Centre has a four-court sports hall, and 2 junior and 2 full sized football pitches.[29]

Religious sites

St Mary's Church dates back to the 13th Century, was rebuilt in 1858, and destroyed by fire in 1963. The new church was consecrated on 25th September 1967.

The remains of Beauvale Priory in 2007.

Beauvale Priory was founded in 1343. One of nine English houses which owed allegiance to the Grand Prior of Chartreuse, the monks rules were similar to those of Benedictines.[30] It was referred to as "The Abbey" in D. H. Lawrence's "The White Peacock".[31]

Other churches in the area include;

  • Assemblies of God Church, Nottingham Rd
  • Our Lady Of Good Counsel RC Church, Nottingham Rd
  • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Derby Rd
  • Eastwood Baptist Church, Percy St

Sports

Eastwood Town Football Club, known as the Badgers, play in the Northern Premier League (known as the Unibond league).[32] Their home ground is Coronation Park.

Eastwood Town Cricket Club plays in the Gunn & Moore South Notts League.[33]

Notable people

Jeffrey (Jeff) Astle (13 May 1942 – 19 January 2002), born in Eastwood, was an English footballer. He played for West Bromwich Albion and England.

Tony Woodcock was born in Eastwood in 1955. He received 42 caps and scored 16 goals for England.

Several cricket players were born in the area, including Thomas Limb and William Rigley.

D. H. Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930), author, was born in Eastwood. His birthplace and residences now attract visitors from all over the world. Many of his best-known novels describe Eastwood and its culture. Some of his work includes portions written in the local dialect.[34]

Actor Roy Spencer grew up in Eastwood. he wrote several books about D. H. Lawrence.

Future plans

The Giltbrook retail park, 1.5 miles (2.5 km) South-west of Eastwood, is currently undergoing a £60 million expansion. The 8.5 hectacre site will have 2,350 car parking spaces. British Home Stores, Laura Ashley, Mamas & Papas, Argos, Comet, Starbucks, Subway and Frankie & Benny's have all expressed interest. The whole park is expected to be open by Christmas 2008.[35]

Culture and community

Eastwood Collieries' Male Voice Choir formed in 1919. They appeared on BBC television in 1963, and are one of the oldest surviving colliery choirs in the UK.[36]

Eastwood Arcadians are a local marching band.

The local newspaper is the Eastwood and Kimberley Advertizer.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Eastwood North and Greasley (Beauvale) (Ward) key statistics". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
    "Eastwood South (Ward) key statistics". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
    "Greasley (Giltbrook and Newthorpe) (Ward) key statistics". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  2. ^ Ekwall, Eilert (2004). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names (4th Edition ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 158. ISBN 0-19-869103-3. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |origdate= ignored (|orig-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Local place-names "Newthorpe" and "Newmanley [Mill]", shown on the map, suggest the same.
  4. ^ a b c Malcolm Plumb, town clerk (2004). "The History of Eastwood". Eastwood Town Council. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  5. ^ "History of Broxtowe". Broxtowe Borough Council. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  6. ^ "Notts Villages". Nottingham Guardian. 1945-11-24. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  7. ^ "History - The beginning". Erewash Canal Preservation and Development Association. Retrieved 2008-05-13..
  8. ^ a b "Tourism, Arts & Leisure - Colliers Wood". Broxtowe Borough Council. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  9. ^ Preston, Peter; Hoare, Peter (1989). D. H. Lawrence in the modern world. Cambridge [England]: Cambridge University Press. p. 125. ISBN 0-521-37169-4. Retrieved 2008-05-11. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Essay 8: The Sense of History in The Rainbow by Mark Kinkead-Weekes
  10. ^ "Eastwood South (Ward) key statistics". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  11. ^ "Eastwood South Election Results 2007". Broxtowe Borough Council. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  12. ^ "Eastwood North and Greasley (Beauvale) (Ward) key statistics". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  13. ^ "Eastwood North and Greasley (Beauvale) Election Results 2007". Broxtowe Borough Council. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  14. ^ "Greasley (Giltbrook and Newthorpe) (Ward) key statistics". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  15. ^ "Greasley (Giltbrook and Newthorpe) Election Results 2007". Broxtowe Borough Council. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  16. ^ Lawrence, D.H. (2004). Late Essays and Articles. Cambridge University Press. p. 287. ISBN 0521584310.
  17. ^ "Eastwood Conservation Area Character Appraisal" (PDF). Nottinghamshire County Council. 2007-11-21. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  18. ^ "1951 Census of England and Wales, Occupation Tables Eastwood UD". Vision of Britain through time FROM 1951 census. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  19. ^ "Neighbourhood Statistics Area: Area: Eastwood South (Ward) Industry of Employment - All People (KS11A)". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
    "Neighbourhood Statistics Area: Eastwood North and Greasley (Beauvale) (Ward) Industry of Employment - All People (KS11A)". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
    "Neighbourhood Statistics Area: Greasley (Giltbrook and Newthorpe) (Ward) Industry of Employment - All People (KS11A)". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  20. ^ "Neighbourhood Statistics Area: Area: Eastwood South (Ward) Ethnic Group (KS06)". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
    "Neighbourhood Statistics Area: Eastwood North and Greasley (Beauvale) (Ward) Ethnic Group (KS06)". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
    "Neighbourhood Statistics Area: Greasley (Giltbrook and Newthorpe) (Ward) Ethnic Group (KS06)". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  21. ^ "Listed Buildings Online". Heritage Gateway. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  22. ^ "Greasley Castle". Nottinghamshire History. Retrieved 2008-05-19. "Greasley Castle". CastleUK.net. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  23. ^ "Tourism, Arts & Leisure - The Blue Line Trail". Broxtowe Borough Council. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  24. ^ "Nottingham - Eastwood - Ripley (Rainbow 1)". Nottinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  25. ^ "Directgov.co.uk Find information about schools, childcare and nurseries". Directgov.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  26. ^ "OFSTED Inspection Report - Eastwood Comprehensive School 122855". Office for Standards in Education. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  27. ^ "Eastwood Skills Shop". Castle College. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  28. ^ "Eastwood Library". Nottinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  29. ^ "Eastwood Community Sports Centre". Broxtowe Borough Council. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  30. ^ Cornelius Brown (1896). "The History of Nottinghamshire". Nottinghamshire history. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  31. ^ Christopher Middleton (2004-02-03). "A sprinkle of coal-dust". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  32. ^ "Northern Premier (Unibond) league table". Northern Premier League. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  33. ^ "Gunn and Moore South Notts Cricket". Gunn and Moore South Notts Cricket League. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  34. ^ "Dialect Poems by D. H. Lawrence". Peter Gill, playwright and theatre director. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  35. ^ "Big name businesses coming to Giltbrook". Eastwood & Kimberley Advertisor. 2008-04-25. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
    "Giltbrook Retail Park, Nottingham". Mclaren Construction. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  36. ^ Eastwood Collieries Male Voice Choir. "History of the Choir 1920 to Date". Retrieved 2008-05-01.
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