Burton upon Trent
Burton Bridge was also the site of two battles, in 1322, when Edward II defeated the rebel Earl of Lancaster and in 1643 when royalists captured the town during the First English Civil War.William Lord Paget and his descendants were responsible for extending the manor house within the abbey grounds and facilitating the extension of the River Trent Navigation to Burton.The town was also the start and terminus of the now defunct South Staffordshire Line which linked it to Lichfield, Walsall, Dudley and Stourbridge.Rykneld Street, a Roman road, ran north-east through what later became the parish of Burton, linking settlements at Letocetum (Wall), near Lichfield and Derventio (Little Chester) near Derby.[4] Between 666 and 669 Wilfrid, the pro-Roman bishop of York, exercised episcopal functions in Mercia, whose Christian king, Wulfhere, gave him land in various places, on which he established monasteries.[8] There were four annual fairs for trade in horses, cattle and produce: on Candlemas Day, 5 April, Holy Thursday, and 29 October (the feast of St Modwen) although as in other British towns this practice has died out.While Burton's great bridge over the Trent was in poor repair by the early 16th century, it served as "a comen passage to and fro many countries to the grett releff and comfort of travellyng people", according to the abbot.[9] The bridge was the site of two battles, first in 1322 when Edward II defeated the rebel Earl of Lancaster and also in 1643 when the Royalists captured the town during the First English Civil War.In 1585 it was suggested that Mary, Queen of Scots might stay at Burton while Tutbury Castle was cleaned, but it was said that it was "a ruinous house, the buildings scattered and adjoining a very poor town, full of bad neighbours".[12] In 1699, William Lord Paget obtained an Act of Parliament to extend navigation on the River Trent from Nottingham up to Burton, but nothing was immediately done.In 1711 Lord Paget leased his rights to George Hayne, who in 1712 opened the River Trent Navigation and constructed a wharf and other buildings in the precinct of the old abbey.[14] However at the beginning of the 20th century there was a slump in beer sales, causing many breweries to fail; the industry suffered from the Liberal government's anti-drinking attitudes.More urban forms of local government returned to the town in 1779 when a body of improvement commissioners was established, initially just covering the Burton township.[28] The town centre is on the western bank of the River Trent in a valley bottom; its average elevation is about 50 metres above sea level; the village of Winshill and the suburb of Stapenhill rise to 130 m and 100 m respectively.[29] Burton became a centre for the brewing industry due in part to the quality of the local water, which contains a high proportion of dissolved salts, predominantly caused by the gypsum in the surrounding hills.The suburbs of Winshill, Brizlincote and Stapenhill to the southeast of the town lie along a green-belt area, in place to stop uncontrolled development which could cause Burton to, in time, merge with neighbouring Swadlincote.The town is currently home to eight breweries; Coors Brewers Ltd: formerly Bass Brewers Ltd, and now the UK arm of Molson Coors Brewing Company – which produces Carling and Worthington Bitter; Marston's, Thompson and Evershed plc, bought by Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries now renamed Marstons plc.It produces a number of traditional beers including Bridge Bitter, Stairway to Heaven, Damson Porter and Golden Delicious.In addition, the White Shield microbrewery remains open alongside the National Brewery Centre (formerly the Bass Museum of Brewing).It was the first British shoe factory to introduce music in the workplace (1936), and washable children's sandals ('Plastisha' 1957), but it closed in 1989 as a result of competition from cheap imports.Notable businesses with distribution centres and warehouses include B&Q, Boots, Hobbycraft, Holland & Barrett, DHL, Waterstones, Clipper and Amazon.The main venue for live theatre and other performing and visual arts is The Brewhouse,[45] which is run by East Staffordshire Council.[46] During the 1970s and 1980s a number of well known rock bands appeared at the 76 Club nightclub in Burton, including Dire Straits and the Sex Pistols.Bloodstock Open Air is an annual festival of heavy metal music, which takes place in August and has been held at Catton Hall in Walton-on-Trent, 8 miles south-west of Burton since 2005.The town was also home to the Burton School of Speech and Drama on Guild Street where many professional and amateur actors and actresses learned their craft.Smith was licensed on 3 July 1914 and one month later, he received a message from the Marconi spark transmitter at Poldhu in Cornwall, being sent to London, on the eve of the outbreak of war.The local Sea Cadet unit is TS (Training Ship) Modwena alongside the River Trent and road bridge.The town's connection with the brewing industry is celebrated in The Burton Cooper, a bronze sculpture by James Walter Butler.The town had its own municipal buses operated by Burton Corporation Transport and later East Staffordshire District Council after 1974.It delivers a wide range of courses for all ages including 14- to 19-year-olds, adults into part-time study, employer training and higher education.
St Modwen's ChurchTown HallSt Paul's ChurchRiver TrentAll Saints ChurchFerry BridgeStaffordshireOS grid referenceDistrictEast StaffordshireShire countyRegionWest MidlandsCountryEnglandSovereign stateBranstonHorninglowStapenhillStrettonWinshillPost townPostcode districtDE13-DE15Dialling codePoliceAmbulanceUK ParliamentBurton and UttoxeterDerbyshire2021 censusPeak District National Parkknown for its brewingBurton AbbeyEdward IIEarl of LancasterFirst English Civil WarWilliam Lord Pagetmarket townBurton-on-Trent railway stationSouth Staffordshire LineWalsallDudleyStourbridgeRoyal Mailthe town's railway stationRykneld StreetLetocetumLichfieldDerventio (Little Chester)WilfridMerciaWulfheremonasteriesSt AndrewSt ModwenDanishBenedictineWulfric SpottcloisterDomesday BookAppleby MagnaLeicestershireMickleoverCoton in the ElmsCa(u)ldwellTicknallWilliam IHenry IIEdward IRyknild StreetKing JohnKing Henry IIIKing Edward IVCandlemas DayHoly Thursdaymedievalfirst in 1322also in 1643RoyalistsSir William PagetHenry VIIIElizabeth IWilliam 6th Lord Pagetdissolvedcollegiate churchprebendariesMary, Queen of ScotsTutbury CastleCatholicQueen Elizabeth Ichapter houseManor HouseInfirmaryJames INottinghamGeorge HaynebrewingBaltic SeaPrussiaLondonNapoleonic blockadeLancashirepale aleBurtonisationIndia Pale AleLiverpoolBritish EmpireLiberal governmentInd CoopeMarston'sIndustrial RevolutionQueen Elizabeth IIGolden JubileecountyparishStaffordshire County CouncilEast Staffordshire Borough CouncilBurton and Uttoxeter constituencyMember of ParliamentLabour PartyJacob Collier2024 general electionKate KnivetonConservative Partyancient parish