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Little Eaton is a village and
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
in the English county of
Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
. The population as taken at the 2011 Census was 2,430. The name originated from
Anglo Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo-Saxons happened wit ...
times and means the "little town by the water". It is on the former route of the old A61 (now B6179), just north of the
Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...
section of the A38. At the southern exit to the village from the A38, there used to be a
Little Chef Little Chef was a chain of restaurants in the United Kingdom, founded in 1958 by entrepreneur Sam Alper, who was inspired by American diners. The chain was famous for the "Olympic Breakfast" – its version of a full English – as well as it ...
which closed in early 2012 and re-opened as a Starbucks in 2013. Since 1974 the village has been part of the
Borough of Erewash Erewash () is a local government district with borough status in Derbyshire, England, to the east of Derby and the west of Nottingham. The population of the district as taken at the 2011 Census was 112,081. It contains the towns of Ilkeston, ...
.


History

Pigot and Co's Commercial Directory for Derbyshire, 1835 described Little Eaton as follows: Many of the village's historic buildings are built of stone from local
quarries A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their environ ...
in the 1800s. The wealth of gritstone, minerals and coal in the area and further north in
Denby Denby is a village in the England, English county of Derbyshire that is notable as the birthplace of John Flamsteed, England's first Astronomer Royal, and the location of the Denby Pottery Company. The population at the 2001 Census was 1,827, in ...
, Horsley and Smalley, put Little Eaton on the map. Previously, pack horses had been used to transport goods to Derby, but in 1793 the
Derby Canal The Derby Canal ran from the Trent and Mersey Canal at Swarkestone to Derby and Little Eaton, and to the Erewash Canal at Sandiacre, in Derbyshire, England. The canal was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1793 and was fully completed in 179 ...
was extended to Little Eaton. It continued to operate until 1908 but is now largely filled in. Peckwash
paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...
, c. 1800, at the north end of the village was recorded in 1851 as one of the largest in the world and brought much prosperity to the area. It is now a private house – the chimney continues to be a dominant feature of the landscape. East of the mill, on the hill, is a terrace of 14 cottages known as Blue Mountain cottages and built for the paper mill in c.1850. Other buildings of note include the carefully renovated Grade-II-listed Malthouse on Duffield Road, which was built in 1780 and is the former home of the Little Eaton Brewery Company (later owned by Offiler's), and Elms Farmhouse at 21 Duffield Road, a Grade-II-listed working farmhouse originally built in 1704. Little Eaton was once the terminus of the
Little Eaton Gangway The Little Eaton Gangway, officially the Derby Canal Railway, was a narrow gauge industrial wagonway serving the Derby Canal, in England, at Little Eaton in Derbyshire. The Derby Canal In 1792, Benjamin Outram was asked to prepare plans for a ...
– the Derby Canal Railway – where it joined the Derby Canal. A gang was a set of six to eight wagons drawn by four horses. The bodies of the wagons were taken off their bogies and loaded onto the barges at the canal wharf and then towed by horses to Derby. This 3' 6" gauge horse-operated line was authorised by the Derby Canal Act of 1793 and its construction was largely the work of
Benjamin Outram Benjamin Outram (1 April 1764 – 22 May 1805) was an English civil engineer, surveyor and industrialist. He was a pioneer in the building of canals and tramways. Life Born at Alfreton in Derbyshire, he began his career assisting his father ...
; it was opened in 1795 and closed in 1908. The tramroad ran from the terminus of the Derby Canal northwards to Smithy Houses, a distance of four miles, and then continued for a further mile to Denby Hall Colliery. In this area were several branches: to Salterwood North Colliery near Marehay Hall, Denby Pottery and Henmoor Colliery. A bridge remains at Little Eaton and a culvert at Smithy Houses, in addition to general earthworks. The main line was single with passing places at intervals. Between the rails the ground was always made up level with the tops of the sleeper blocks to provide a clear surface for the horses. Little Eaton was later served by Little Eaton railway station on the
Midland Railway Ripley Branch The Midland Railway Ripley Branch connected Derby to Ripley in Derbyshire, England running from Little Eaton Junction on the Midland Railway line to Leeds. Origin In the late eighteenth century the valley running from the Derwent Valley to R ...
. In the early 20th century, Little Eaton was a popular resort for many working people, with a train trip or canal ride to local woods, quarries and tearooms being a popular Sunday and bank holiday outing. A well-known and popular character was Alice Grace, the 'Little Eaton Hermit', born in 1867 and who on being evicted from her cottage lived in sheds, barns and disused buildings, until finally residing in her famous box home (a box that used to hold bacon that was donated by the local butcher) at the pinfold on 'Th Back o' the Winns' in Coxbench Wood. She spent 20 years as a
hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...
until forcibly taken to the Union
workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse'' ...
at Shardlow in 1907. She died aged 60 in 1927. Her story is told in a song "Alice in the Bacon Box" by Derbyshire singer-songwriter Lucy Ward. On 26 March 1903, Thomas Bates, a prominent figure in Little Eaton, died. Bates was born in a house on Duffield Road and was educated at the local National School, which then became the original village hall (also known as the parish rooms). In his will Bates donated £1000 to the village, for the draining, levelling, fencing and laying out of a park – having donated the land for a park during his lifetime. He also left money to employ a caretaker for the park. According to the will, the park was to be named St Peter's Park, a fact which puzzled those who knew of him because of his love of St Paul's Church (built in 1791, enlarged in 1837 and then heavily modernised in 1851), which can be found directly opposite the park. There was a reason behind his request, however – he was born on
St Peter's Day The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul or Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is a liturgical feast in honor, of the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which is observed on 29 June. The celebration is of ancient Christia ...
, 29 June. There is a polished granite pillar by the entrance to the park. The north-facing side of the pillar bears an engraving celebrating the coronation of
King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...
with the legend 'Fear God, Honour the King' underneath. The south side has an inscription honouring teachers of the National school: Mrs Cocker, schoolmistress; William Bland, schoolmaster; John Latham, vicar and Samuel Lewis, Sunday school teacher. Although he is not mentioned on the pillar, the park is also dedicated to Bates. The two plaques visible on the base of the obelisk also mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (2 June 1953), the Golden Jubilee of the park (13 June 1953) and the Centenary of the park (June 2003). The village has three pubs today, but used to have a fourth, called The Anchor. It was on the main road, opposite the turning to Morley Lane, which leads to Drum Hill. The building still stands, but is now a house and the only indication of its past is a stained-glass picture of an anchor in one of the corner windows. The pub closed some time in the 19th century.


The village today

When St Peter's Park was first created, it was little more than a four-acre fenced area of flat grass. Today, one corner of the park contains a children's play area, with swings, slides, tunnels and monkey bars. The rest of the park is given over to a football pitch, cricket pitch and tennis courts. The park is also used as the village primary school's playing field, the school lacking a field of its own. Also prominent in the park is the new Little Eaton
village hall A village hall is a public building in a village used for various things such as: United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building which contains at least one large room (plus kitchen and toilets), is owned by a local ...
, opened in 2010 and heavily used by a wide range of clubs/groups of people in the village. In late June/early July, the village carnival is held. Following a week of events, the carnival concludes with a fancy-dress parade from the top of the village at Westley Crescent through the village to the park. On the park a small fair sets up, along with book, white elephant and jewellery stalls, tombolas and refreshments and a barbecue serving meat from the local butchers. In the evening a live music event with hot food is sometimes held at the park or in one of the local pubs. Little Eaton is a
linear settlement A linear settlement is a (normally small to medium-sized) settlement or group of buildings that is formed in a long line. Many of these settlements are formed along a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Others form due to physical re ...
and benefits from passing trade. There is a
Co-op A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...
on Alfreton Road next to the local primary school and newsagent. On the opposite side of the road is Barry Fitch butchers, established in 1969. Much of the meat is reared in the fields around Little Eaton. On the southern exit to the village is the Derby Garden Centre. There are three
pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
s: the New Inn on the corner of Duffield Road and New Inn Lane, the Queen's HeadQueen's Head
/ref> on Alfreton Road and the Bell and Harp north of the village (originally known as the Bell Harp). Little Eaton has a long history of independent brewers, The Queen's Head originally being named the Delvers Inn after the "delvers" who worked in the local quarries. It later picked up the royal connection – first of all the King's Head then, following Queen Elizabeth's coronation, it became the Queen's Head. The Derby Brewing Company joined forces with
Everards Everards is a regional brewery based in Leicester and founded in 1849 by William Everard and Thomas Hull. It produces cask ales and owns over 170 tenanted pubs, mainly around the Leicestershire area. Its chairman is fifth generation Richard Ever ...
in 2011 in a £400,000 project to restore the Queen's Head. The deal saw the two
breweries A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...
share the cost of buying and revamping the
grade II-listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
alehouse which dates back to 1835. The pub features ten hand pumps featuring Derby Brewing Company beers, hand-selected guest ales and a hand-pull cider plus beers, wines and spirits from around the world. As part of the restoration, the pub returned to its original layout, with a central entrance leading directly into a newly positioned bar area. The pub re-opened on 17 November 2011. The village also has a resident blacksmith. Little Eaton Smithy is housed in the original 18th-century village smithy. Steven Oldknow is a third-generation blacksmith using time-honoured skills and knowledge passed down from father to son. Steven's father Peter is the other resident blacksmith. The traditional techniques of forge work including riveting, banding and forge welding continue to be practised. In late 2011, the telephone box on Alfreton Road close to the village centre was bought for £1 by Little Eaton parish council and converted into a book exchange after a suggestion by the village book club. Another telephone box further along the road opposite Duffield Road was converted to an Art Box with regularly changing displays. On Drum Hill to the east is the transmitter for
Capital FM East Midlands Capital East Midlands was a regional radio station owned and operated by Global Radio as part of the Capital radio network, broadcasting to the East Midlands from studios in Nottingham. It launched on 3 January 2011 following the merger of Tren ...
and Radio Derby. Drum Hill is also used by Derbyshire Scouts and Guides for camping and other events.


See also

*
Listed buildings in Little Eaton Little Eaton is a civil parish in the Borough of Erewash, Derbyshire, England. The parish contains 15 Listed building#England and Wales, listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. All the listed buildings ar ...


References


External links


Guide to the village





Little Eaton Parish Council

Little Eaton Local History Society
{{authority control Villages in Derbyshire Civil parishes in Derbyshire Borough of Erewash