Upton, Newark and Sherwood

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Upton is a small village, 2 miles east of Southwell, 5 miles west of Newark and 3 miles south of Hockerton; it lies on the A612 Nottingham-Newark road, in the Newark and Sherwood district of Nottinghamshire, UK. The village sits on a bend in the main road, "on the summit of a hill which commands a fine view of the Trent Valley...it is not without some features of interest to the Antiquary, while lovers of the picturesque will find in the country hereabouts a good deal that will afford them satisfaction and enjoyment. The church, which is a prominent feature in the landscape, has a substantial Perpendicular tower crowned by eight pinnacles, and having in the centre a lofty master pinnacle which rises above its neighbours, and so adds materially to the effect."^[1]

It has a population of almost 500, and has a church, village hall and two public houses (The Cross Keys and The French Horn). It is also the home of the British Horological Institute based at Upton Hall. What once was the village shop is now a private house.

[edit] Historical

Upton "is a handsome village and parish, pleasantly situated on a gentle declivity, two and a half miles east of Southwell. Its parish is in the liberty of Southwell and Scrooby, and contains 640 inhabitants and 1,408 acres of land, enclosed in 1795, and exonerated from tithes by allotments to the vicar and appropriator. The Rev. J. Banks Wright is lord of the manor, and owner of about 60 acres of land. There are a few other small freeholders, but it is mostly copyhold under the Archbishop, or leasehold under the Chapter of Southwell. The latter are appropriators and patrons of the vicarage, which is valued in the King's books at £4 11s 5½d, now at £91, and is enjoyed by the Rev. Frederick William Naylor, who erected a neat Sunday School in the village, and resides at the vicarage house, a neat mansion erected a few years ago. The church is a small gothic fabric, dedicated to St Peter, with a chancel and handsome tower, in which are four bells. There is a small Methodist chapel. Upton Hall is the delightful seat of the Dowager Lady Galway. It is a large, elegant mansion, surrounded with pleasure grounds, from which extensive and beautiful prospects are seen. It was built by the late Thomas Wright Esq., on the site of the old manor house. J.C. Wood of Normanton, and W. Esam of Averham Park have estates here."^[2]