Brocton, Staffordshire

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Coordinates: 52°46′21″N 2°02′55″W / 52.7725°N 2.0487°W / 52.7725; -2.0487
Brocton

The Parish Church of All Saints
Brocton

 Brocton shown within Staffordshire
Population 1,082 
OS grid reference 135 miles
District Stafford
Shire county Staffordshire
Region West Midlands
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town STAFFORD
Postcode district ST17
Dialling code 01785
Police Staffordshire
Fire Staffordshire
Ambulance West Midlands
EU Parliament West Midlands
List of places
UK
England
Staffordshire

Brocton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Staffordshire.[1][2] It is within the borough of Stafford. The village describes itself as the Gateway to Cannock Chase, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[3]

Location

It is located about four miles (6 km) south-east of Stafford town centre.

Population

The 2011 census recorded a population of 1,082[4] in 445 Households. The parish comes under the Stafford Non-Metropolitan District.

Discription

The village is just outside the built-up area of Stafford, on the edge of Cannock Chase. The parish is one of the most affluent areas in Staffordshire and is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). There is a single shop/post office and some of the most beautiful timber framed houses in Staffordshire. Good examples can be seen in Park Lane and The Green.

Brocton Military Training Camp

Brocton was once well known to servicemen as a World War I Military Training Camp, remnants of which can still be seen up at the top of Chase Road.[5] J.R.R. Tolkien came to Staffordshire in August 1915 when he served his Military training at an Army camp on the ancient forest and Royal hunting ground of Cannock Chase, Stafford. The military camp near Brocton was situated on the high ground of the 100 square miles (260 km2) of the chase, with its rolling moorland, unusual rock formations, and far-reaching views leading to dense forest all around. In March 1916 Tolkien married Edith Bratt and they moved into accommodation in Great Haywood, a small village on the edge of the Chase. Walking from the camp to his wife's house at the Presbytery in Great Haywood, Tolkien would have passed through the many-changing wild landscapes of the chase and past the great sessile oaks of Brocton Coppice, many of which still stand at over 1000 years old.

Model WW1 battlefield

In September 2013 it was reported that Staffordshire County Council would excavate the World war I model battlefield near Brocton, which had been constructed by German Prisoners of War held in a camp on nearby Cannock Chase and guarded by soldiers of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade (Earl of Liverpool's Own). The model of the village and surrounding area of Messines in Belgium, which included replica trenches and dugouts, railway lines, roads, and accurate contours of the surrounding terrain, would be open to public view for a few weeks before being buried over again to ensure its preservation.[6][7][8] The excavation is revealing amazing details of the 40 metre square battlefield, which is said to be perfectly preserved. "Staffordshire County Council will be using laser-scanning technology to re-create the site as a 3D interactive model that can be explored online." [9]

Near Brocton is Brocton Hall the country house and golf course.

External links

References

  1. ↑ OS Explorer Map 244: Cannock Chase & Chasewater: (1:25 000) :ISBN 0 319 46269 2
  2. ↑ Map Details retrieved 11 April 2013
  3. ↑ "Brocton Parish Council Home page" (Brocton Parish Website). Brocton on-line. Retrieved 2013-04-18. 
  4. ↑ "Census population and household counts for parish of Brocton" (Neighbourhood Statistics webpage). Office for National Statistics Census (2011). Retrieved 2013-04-17. 
  5. ↑ "Staffordshire Past Track" (www.staffspasttrack.). Brocton Military Camp. Retrieved 2013-04-17. 
  6. ↑ Brocton WWI model battlefield excavation to begin, BBC News, 2 September 2013
  7. ↑ Kurt Bayer, Archaeologists uncover practice WW1 battlefield, New Zealand Herald, 3 September 2013
  8. ↑ Brocton WWI model battlefield excavation to begin, War History Online, 2 September 2013
  9. ↑ Michael Bradley, 'Brocton's lost Army 'tribute' excavated after a century,' BBC News, 11 September 2013
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