Burton upon Trent

Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian".

Burton is best known for its brewing heritage, home to over a dozen breweries in its heyday. It originally grew up around Burton on Trent Abbey, the monastery of St. Modwen, and had grown into a busy market town by the early modern period. 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. The town, which had an estimated population of 64,449 (2001 Census), lies within the National Forest.

There is some confusion as to whether Burton is based in the West Midlands or the East Midlands, even though all of the urban centre is southwest of the River Dove, which forms the Derbyshire/Staffordshire boundary. This is probably because it was formerly within the East Midlands Utility (electricity/gas) areas, and has Derby postcodes (DE13-DE15). It could also be due to the fact that the local vernacular shares more similarities with that of East Midlands English than West Midlands English.

The town is served by Burton-on-Trent railway station.

Brewing
For centuries, Burton has been associated with the brewing industry. This is due to the quality of the local water, which contains a high proportion of dissolved salts, predominantly caused by the gypsum in the surrounding hills. This allowed a greater proportion of hops, a natural preservative, to be included in the beer, thereby allowing the beer to be shipped further afield. Much of the open land within and around the town is protected from chemical treatment to help preserve this water quality.

The town is currently home to five brewers:
 * Coors Brewers Ltd: formerly Bass Brewers Ltd, and now the UK arm of Molson Coors Brewing Company – a brewery from Canada (co-headquartered in the United States) – which produces Carling and Worthington Bitter
 * Marston, Thompson and Evershed plc, bought by Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries now renamed Marstons plc. The Marston's Brewery also produces draught Bass under licence from InBev
 * Burton Bridge Brewery, a local company
 * Tower Brewery, a new microbrewery
 * Cottage Brewery, based in the Old Cottage Inn

It is also the corporate headquarters of the pub operator Punch Taverns plc, which was spun out of Bass in 1997.

In addition, the White Shield micro-brewery remains open alongside the former Coors Visitor Centre (previously the Bass Museum of Brewing).

A by-product of the brewing industry, figuratively and literally, is the presence of the famous British icon Marmite factory in the town. This in turn generated the production of Bovril. Both owned by multinational Unilever

The opening of the River Trent Navigation at the beginning of the 18th century allowed Burton beer to be shipped to Hull, and on to the Baltic Sea and Prussia, as well as to London where it was being sold in 1712. A number of breweries opened in the second half of the 18th century to take advantage of this trade. The Napoleonic blockade brought this to a halt, leading to some consolidation and a redirection of the trade to London and Lancashire via canals. When Burton brewers succeeded in replicating the pale ale produced in London, the advantage of the water’s qualities allowed the development of the trade of Burton India Pale Ale (an ale specially brewed to keep during the long sea voyage to India). The building of rail links to Liverpool enabled brewers to export their beer throughout the British Empire.

Burton came to dominate this trade, and at its height one quarter of all beer sold in Britain was produced here. In the second half of the 19th century there was a growth in native breweries, supplemented by outside brewing companies moving into the town so that over 30 breweries were recorded in 1880. However at the beginning of the 20th century there was a slump in beer sales causing many breweries to fail, unhelped by the Liberal government’s anti-drinking attitudes. This time no new markets were found and so the breweries shrank by closure and consolidation from 20 in 1900 to 8 in 1928. A further process of mergers and buy-outs resulted in three main breweries remaining by 1980: Bass, Ind Coope and Marston's. Today, only Burton Bridge Brewery remains as an independent brewer.

The town's connection with the brewing industry is celebrated by a sculpture of the Burton Cooper, which is now housed in the Cooper Square shopping centre.

The National Brewery Centre (previously Coors Visitor Centre & the Museum of Brewing and before that the Bass Museum of Brewing) which celebrates the town's brewing heritage is its biggest tourist attraction.

Politics and local government
Burton is the administrative centre for the borough of East Staffordshire and forms part of the Burton constituency. The local Member of Parliament is Andrew Griffiths, who has represented the Burton (and Uttoxeter) constituency since May 2010.

Burton was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1878. The incorporated area was split between the counties of Staffordshire and Derbyshire - the Local Government Act 1888 incorporated the entirety of the borough in Staffordshire, including the Derbyshire parishes of Stapenhill and Winshill. It became a county borough in 1901, having reached the 50,000 population required.

It never substantially exceeded the population of 50,000, and at a population of 50,201 in the 1971 census was the smallest county borough in England after Canterbury. The Local Government Commission for England recommended in the 1960s that it be demoted to a non-county borough within Staffordshire, but this was not implemented. Under the Local Government Act 1972, the town became on 1 April 1974, an unparished area in the new district of East Staffordshire.

The town became entirely parished on 1 April 2003, when the following parishes were created:
 * Anglesey
 * Branston
 * Brizlincote
 * Burton
 * Horninglow & Eton
 * Shobnall
 * Stapenhill
 * Winshill

Burton parish itself only covers the town centre, with the other parishes covering various suburbs.

Churches


The mother church of Burton is St. Modwen's. Other Anglican parish churches built to serve the expanding population include St Paul’s, St John the Divine, St Chad's and All Saints. Dont forget St Marys in Stretton On church Road.

Arts
The main venue for live theatre and other performing and visual arts is The Brewhouse which is run by East Staffordshire Council. 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.

The William Allitt School, based at nearby Newhall, has an Arts Mark and is a Specialist Arts College.

Sport
The town is home to Burton Albion, who play in the Football League.

Burton will also be the location of the planned English National Football Centre, due to be opened in 2010. The NFC will be renamed St George’s Park

The Burton & District Cricket League has many notable clubs, including Burton Cricket Club.

Burton RUFC, one of the oldest rugby union clubs in the country, was established in 1870.

The town is also home to the Burton Canoe Club on the banks of the River Trent. It has recently expanded and built its own clubhouse. Also along the River Trent in Burton are Burton Leander Rowing Club, which was founded in 1847 (and is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the country), and Trent Rowing Club.

Burton is the home of The Powerhouse Gym, International All Round Weightlifting Club, formed in 1985.

Culture
Burton Operatic Society is a Musical Theatre Company based in Burton and produces two productions each year. Visit our web site for more details.

Burton upon Trent was also home to the Burton School of Speech and Drama on Guild Street where many professional and hard-working amateur actors and actresses learned their craft. Following the closure of the school in July 1984, its in-house amateur company the Little Theatre Players continued life as an independent amateur drama company called The Little Theatre Company often referred to locally and by its 70+ members as LTC. LTC currently stages at least four productions a year in the town: two plays, a musical and a youth production.

Claymills Pumping Station on the north side of Burton is a restored Victorian sewage pumping station, adjacent to the modern sewage works.

Until 2006, one of Burton's most distinguishable landmarks was the Drakelow Power Station, just south of Burton on the opposite side of the River Trent. The cooling towers have since been demolished.

Burton was home to the Peel family, who played a significant role in the Industrial Revolution and founded the Peelers, which became the modern day police force. The family home is still visible in the town as Peel House on Lichfield Street.

Burton upon Trent has one of the oldest amateur radio clubs in the UK. It was formed in 1919, although there were enthusiasts of wireless telegraphy in Burton well before the First World War. One of the founder members of the club was Mr F. V. A. Smith, call sign XSR, (X = experimental station). Mr Smith was licensed on 3 July 1914. 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 World War One. The message, which has survived and is in the present club archives, was announcing the mobilisation of Russian, French and Belgian troops.

HM Queen Elizabeth II visited the town on 3 July 2002 to celebrate her Golden Jubilee.

The Statutes Fair takes place in the town every year on the first Monday and Tuesday after Michaelmas (29 September). This is usually the first Monday and Tuesday in October, but can occasionally fall on 30 September/1 October, as in 2002. The fair occupies the Market Place and parts of High Street, New Street and Lichfield Street for two days.

There is Also a Burton Albion Girls team, Google it.

Business
The Cooper Square Shopping Centre is the principal shopping area originally opened in 1970 by HRH the Princess Alexandra but since considerably upgraded with a roof being added in the mid 1990s. The older Riverside Shopping Centre (formerly known as Bargate's) is currently derelict,sealed off and demolition is pending. A new shopping area has been added off Guild Street including a multiplex cinema, Matalan and Aldi etc. An additional shopping centre is the Octagon Centre on New Street constructed in the mid 1980s.

In addition to the brewery industry, tyre manufacturer Pirelli is a major employer in the town, and they are a major sponsor of the Burton Albion Football Club.

The Burton suburb of Branston is where the well-known Branston Pickle was invented.

The town had its own municipal buses known as Burton Corporation and later East Staffordshire District Council after 1974. This was taken over by Stevenson's of Spath in the mid 1980s and in turn was absorbed by Arriva. Arriva Midlands and independents now operate locally.The former Burton Corporation depot has been replaced by the Magistrates' Courts.

The local Sea Cadet unit is TS (Training Ship) Modwena alongside the River Trent and road bridge. The town's Air Training Corps unit is No 351 (Burton on Trent) Squadron. The local Territorial Army unit is F (Fire Support) Company, 4 Mercian Brigade an infantry unit at Coltman House TA centre, Hawkins Lane. The unit was formerly a volunteer brigade of the North Staffordshire Regiment.

Eatough's (sometimes Etough's) was an innovative shoemaking firm from Leicestershire which opened a factory in Burton Road, Branston in 1920. 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.

Briggs of Burton PLC (formerly S. Briggs & Co.) is a Burton-based brewery and process engineering company established in 1732 by Samuel Briggs. Famous for its manufacturing innovation and craftsmanship across the world, Briggs moved from its works in New Street to Derby Street having taken over its rival Robert Morton DG in the mid-1980s. The former site is now occupied by the Octagon Shopping Centre.

Midco Toymaster (formerly Midco Toys Ltd) is Burton Based Independent Toy Store. Established by local man David Middleton in 2002, it is now one of the most respected independent toy stores in the country. Formally based on New Street, now located on High Street.

Burton College
Burton College is a general further education college and is situated in the town centre. It attracts approximately 13,000 students from Burton and the surrounding towns and villages. It delivers a wide range of courses for all ages, including 14-19 year olds, adults into part-time study, employer training and higher education. Recently a 'university centre' has been developed within the college to enable students to study on franchised higher education courses but is not, in itself a university.

Town twinning

 * 🇲🇼 Blantyre, Malawi
 * 🇺🇸 Elkhart, Indiana, USA
 * 🇩🇪 Lingen Ems, Germany
 * 🇫🇷 Rochefort, France
 * 🇮🇷 Toyserkan, Iran
 * 🇵🇱 Bielawa, Poland

Notable people
HISTORICAL:
 * William Bass, (1717–1787) founder of the brewery business of Bass & Co in Burton upon Trent in 1777
 * Michael Arthur Bass, 1st Baron Burton (1837–1909), industrialist and philanthropist, member of the Bass brewing dynasty
 * William Harold Coltman (1891–1974), VC recipient
 * Sir Oswald Mosley, Bt. (1896–1980), leader of the British Union of Fascists
 * Phil Seamen (1926-1972), jazz drummer
 * Edward Wightman (1566–1612), a General Baptist, became the last religious martyr to be burnt at the stake for ‘Heresy’ in England
 * John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent, studied at Burton Grammar School. His father wanted the young Jervis to become a barrister but the future Admiral of the Fleet had other ideas and ran away to join the Royal Navy at the age of 13.

CONTEMPORARY:
 * Andrew Birch, Guardian and Private Eye cartoonist, is a Burtonian.
 * Philip Bond, actor, who played Albert Frazer in the 1970s series The Onedin Line, was born in Burton.
 * Paul Burke, artist and co-founder of Porlzilla Designer Toys, lives in Burton and attended Paulet High School and Burton Technical College.
 * David Maurice Curry MP (born in Burton 13 June 1944) is a British politician, being Conservative Member of Parliament for Skipton and Ripon and recently stepping down as chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Standards and Privileges after claims from the Daily Telegraph newspaper regarding his own expenses. His former committee has now ordered him to repay £28,000 and apologise to the House of Commons for his “serious” breach of the rules.
 * Paddy Considine (born 1973), actor, director and musician, was born in Burton upon Trent and grew up on a large council estate in the suburb of Winshill.
 * Mick Dyche (born 19-- ?) Extant English rock/session guitarist and former member of 1970s rock band Sniff 'n' the Tears (played guitars on their only hit "Driver's Seat") and later with 'Wild Turkey'and 'Maddy Prior and The Answers' amongst others.
 * Steve Gardner (born 1956), former World All Round Weightlifting and Drug Free Powerlifting Champion, Successful Strongman, and England International Tug of War athlete. Steve was inducted into the All Round Weightlifting Hall of Fame in 2000, and has been Coaching Bartons British Champions 'Holland Tug of War club' for over thirty years, and Burtons 'Powerhouse Gym International All Round Weightlifting Team' for 25 years.
 * Tracey Hallam (born 1975), badminton player and winner of the Commonwealth Games gold medal; she was part of Team GB at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.She was knocked out in the third round.
 * Nick Hemming (born 1973) and Christian Hardy (born 1979) of The Leisure Society both grew up in Burton upon Trent.
 * Joe Jackson, musician and songwriter, was born in Burton and as a young child lived in nearby Swadlincote.
 * Rob McElwee, longest-serving BBC weather forecaster
 * Olivia Murphy (born 1977-78), former England netball captain, born in Burton, and went to De Ferrers High School, where her father taught P.E.
 * Alastair Yates, presenter of BBC News and BBC World News, was born in Burton and went to Burton Grammar School. He joined BBC Radio Derby in the 1970s.