Weston-on-Trent

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Map sources for Weston-on-Trent at grid reference SK415295

Weston-on-Trent is a village and civil parish in the South Derbyshire district of Derbyshire. It is to the north of the River Trent and the Trent and Mersey Canal. Co-ordinates 52.84° N 01.40° W.

Nearby places Aston-on-Trent, Stanton by Bridge, Barrow upon Trent and Castle Donington.

There are two pubs with restaurants The Coopers Arms and The Old Plough. "The Coopers" serves a traditional English Meal from a well stocked carvery, whilst "The Plough" traditionally serves the needs of the villagers.

The Old Plough has recently been through many new managers and owners, due to the pub's limited number of customers.

The Coopers Arms is part of Weston Hall a privately owned five-storey Tudor house with its own moat which serves as a fishing area. A second lake was also constructed a number of years ago. It is this lake which is now accessible from the public house.

Other notable features of the village are; Saint Mary's Church, the Ebenezer Methodist Chapel, the Village Hall and the Weston-on-Trent C of E primary school. It is also possible to see where the Baptist Church, the shop, the railway station and the former school were built although these are all now being reused for other purposes. Those who walk to the river, beyond Weston lock, will be able to see the ancient remains of a mill, a ferry and an eel trap.

1 The Primary School
2 Other Organisations
3 History
4 References
5 External links

[edit] The Primary School

Weston's only school is a Church of England Voluntary Aided primary school. The school has been is existence since 1821 and on its old site to the west of the village since 1830^[1]. The old school building is reported to have been erected in 1842 and to have had a capacity of 60, although only 35 were attending in 1890^[2]. In January 2007, the school was relocated to a new building on the site of the old playing field^[1]. The school's placement was argued extensively by the residents of the roads leading to school because of the lack of decent access roads.

What is to become of the old school now that is has been inappropriately boarded up, and whether there will be a new playing field is still being discussed.

[edit] Other Organisations

The village has a strong community which offers many organisations including; Brownies, Coffee Morning (once a month) RaW (Recreation at Weston), A Pantomime Society (taking 2006/7 as a year off), Girls Brigade, Local History Society, The 'Scarecrow Trail', Sadly, the Youth Club ceased trade in 2006. All of these meet at the Village Hall which was recently host to a number of visiting performers including the newly formed comedy group Skittish Empire. This group are discussing another show at the venue in late 2007.

[edit] History

Weston-on-Trent is spelt with hyphens in the Penguin version of the Domesday Book^[3] although a spelling of Westune and Westone is also noted by earlier sources.

A line drawing entitled 'Domesday Book' from Andrew Williams's Historic Byways and Highways of Old England.

In 1086, the book notes that

"In Weston-On-Trent" with its Berewicks Earl Ælfgar had ten caricates of land and two and a half borovares to the geld. There is land for as many ploughs. There are now three ploughs in demesne and twenty four villans and six bordars having twelve ploughs and for rent-paying tenants paying sixteen shillings. There are two churches and a priest and a mill rendering ten shillings and four pence and a fishpond and a ferry rendering thirteen shillings and four pence and fifty one acres of meadow and a pasture lalf a league long and three furlongs broad. Value sixteen pounds (eight pounds c. 1065)"

Note: Berewicks (outlying estates) of this manor, at that time, included Aston-on-Trent and Shardlow.

After the second world war Weston-on-Trent became home to the Ukrainian Youth Association (CYM) in the UK^[4], which took over a camp for Ukrainians set up during the Second World War^[5].

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b Village Voice Issue 170, Jan 2001 Melbourne, Derbyshire
^ Kelly's Directory of the Counties of Derby, Notts, Leicester and Rutland pub. London (May, 1891) - pp. 323-4
^ Domesday Book: A Complete Transliteration. London: Penguin, 2003. ISBN 0-14-143994-7 p.743
^ [1]
^ [2]