Long Eaton facts for kids

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HSBC, Market Place, Long Eaton by Albert Nelson Bromley 1891
Long Eaton
Population	37,760 (2011)
OS grid reference	SK 49033 33679
District	Erewash
Shire county	Derbyshire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NOTTINGHAM
Postcode district	NG10
Dialling code	0115

Police	Derbyshire
Fire	Derbyshire
Ambulance	East Midlands

EU Parliament	East Midlands
UK Parliament	Erewash
List of places UK England Derbyshire 52°53′53″N 1°16′16″W / 52.898°N 1.271°W / 52.898; -1.271

Long Eaton is a town in Derbyshire, England. It is part of the Erewash area. The town is located just north of the River Trent. It is about 6 miles (10 km) south-west of Nottingham and 9 miles (14 km) south-east of Derby. In 2011, about 37,760 people lived there. Long Eaton has been part of the Erewash borough since 1974.

Where is Long Eaton?
A Look at Long Eaton's History
Cool Buildings in Long Eaton
Getting Around Long Eaton (Transport)
News and Entertainment (Media)
Schools in Long Eaton
Long Eaton's Brass Band
Sports in Long Eaton
Fun Things to Do (Recreation)
Famous People from Long Eaton
Twin Towns
Gallery
See also

Where is Long Eaton?

Long Eaton is in Derbyshire. It is very close to the borders of Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. Even though it's in Derbyshire, its postal address often uses Nottingham. The town also shares Nottingham's telephone code (0115). Long Eaton sits right next to the River Trent.

A Look at Long Eaton's History

Long Eaton was first mentioned as Aitone in the Domesday Book. This was a big survey of England done in 1086. The name might mean "farm between streams" or "low-lying land." It started as a farming village. It grew near the easiest place to cross the River Erewash.

In 1694, a "Great Fire" happened in Long Eaton. It destroyed 14 houses and other buildings in the market area.

The village stayed small for a long time. But then, two important railways were built. The Midland Counties Railway arrived in 1839. The Erewash Valley Line followed in 1844. These railway links helped the town grow a lot. Two main industries became very important. These were lace-making and building railway wagons. A huge railway yard called Toton Sidings was built just north of the town.

By 1900, more than 10,000 people lived in Long Eaton. Many houses, offices, and factories were built during the Victorian era. In 1921, the town grew even bigger. It included areas like Wilsthorpe and parts of Sandiacre and Sawley.

Cool Buildings in Long Eaton

Long Eaton Town Hall (built around 1778)

One special building is the Palladian Long Eaton Town Hall. It was first a private home. Now, the local council owns it. It is part of the larger Erewash Borough Council offices. These offices opened in 1991.

The Parish Church of St Laurence is east of the Market Place. Some people believe parts of it date back to the 11th century. It might have been built when Viking King Cnut ruled. Others think the oldest parts were built after the Norman Conquest, possibly in the 12th century. It was once a smaller church linked to All Saints' Church, Sawley. But it became its own church in the 1800s.

Other interesting religious buildings include:

St John the Evangelist (Church of England) on College Street (1916–22).
St James’ Church on Tamworth Road (1886).
St Francis of Assisi Church (Roman Catholic) on Tamworth Road (1929–30).
Christ Church (Methodist) on Derby Road (1903–04).
Oasis Christian Centre on Derby Road (1904).
Baptist Church on Station Road (1880).

Harrington Mill, built in 1887

Long Eaton has many great examples of old factory buildings. Most of these are from its time as a lace-making center. By 1907, the town had almost 1,400 lace machines. The lace industry employed over 4,000 people. This was a quarter of the town's population! High Street Mill was built in 1857. West End Mill (1882) was built next to the Erewash Canal. Whiteley’s Mill was built nearby in 1883. Bridge Mill on Derby Road was built between 1902 and 1906.

One of the biggest lace-making factories was Harrington Mill. It was built in 1885. It took over a million bricks to build this 167-meter-long factory. It has 224 cast-iron windows on one side. Harrington Mill is a classic red brick lace mill with four floors. It was built by a group of manufacturers. The towers on the sides hold the original staircases.

38 and 40 Market Place, built in 1901 and 1903

If you look above the shops in High Street and Market Place, you can see that many parts of the town center were built in Victorian times or the early 1900s. The New Central Building is a good example of late Victorian style.

Near the Market Place, some important buildings include:

1 Derby Road.
Barclays Bank (1898).
24 Market Place, which is the Halifax Building Society. It was built as Smith's Bank (1889) and is a Grade II listed building.
Therm House (1838–39).
41 Market Place, which is the HSBC bank. It was built as the Nottingham Joint Stock Bank (1892) and is also Grade II listed.
The NatWest Bank (1903).

Numbers 38 and 40 Market Place are very special. They were built in the Art Nouveau style by local architects Gorman and Ross. Number 38 is York Chambers (1901). Number 40 was built for the Midland Counties District Bank (1903). Both are now Grade II listed buildings.

Gorman and Ross also designed the Carnegie Library on Tamworth Road. It was built in the Art Nouveau style in 1906. The Long Eaton War Memorial Cross was put up in the Market Place in 1921.

The High Street and Market Place became pedestrian-only areas in the 1990s. Work to make the town center look nicer finished in 2010.

New Central Building on Station Street, built in 1900

Getting Around Long Eaton (Transport)

Long Eaton railway station is on the Midland Main Line. Two train companies serve it:

East Midlands Railway has trains every hour. They go between Sheffield and London St Pancras. They stop at Chesterfield, Derby, and Leicester. There are also hourly trains between Newark Castle, Derby, and Crewe. Trains between Nottingham and Matlock also stop here every hour.
CrossCountry has hourly trains in both directions. They go between Nottingham, Birmingham, and Cardiff.

Bus services in Long Eaton are mainly run by Trent Barton and CT4N. Buses connect the town to places like Nottingham, Beeston, Stapleford, Sandiacre, Derby, East Midlands Airport, and Coalville.

The main road through the town is part of the A6005. Junction 25 of the M1 motorway is on the town's north-western edge.

The wide Erewash Canal also runs through Long Eaton.

News and Entertainment (Media)

Local news and TV shows come from BBC East Midlands and ITV Central. TV signals are received from the Waltham TV transmitter and the Nottingham relay transmitter.

Local radio stations include BBC Radio Nottingham, BBC Radio Derby, Smooth East Midlands, Gem, Capital East Midlands, Greatest Hits Radio Midlands, and Erewash Sound. Erewash Sound is a local community radio station.

The town has local newspapers too, like the Nottingham Post and the Nottingham Journal.

Schools in Long Eaton

Long Eaton has two public secondary schools: The Long Eaton School and Wilsthorpe School. There are also several primary schools, such as Brooklands, St Lawrence, Dovedale, Sawley, Harrington, English Martyrs, Longmoor, and Grange.

The town also has a private school called Trent College, founded in 1868. There's also Elms School for younger children (ages 3–11). Two special needs schools are Stanton Vale and Brackenfield SEND School.

The Long Eaton School used to have two separate sites. The Lower School building, opened in 1965, was taken down in 2006. New school buildings were built next door. Now, both the Upper and Lower schools are in one building. This new building was opened by Gordon Brown when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer. The school is now an eco-school with an eco-club. It has a special telescope for research on its grounds. In the past, the school held stargazing events for the public.

In 2005, Wilsthorpe School became a specialist school in business and enterprise. The school was rebuilt in 2018. Both Wilsthorpe and Long Eaton schools have a "good" rating from OFSTED, which checks school standards.

Long Eaton's Brass Band

The Long Eaton Silver Prize brass band is one of only two still active in Erewash. It started in 1906. At its best, it reached the Brass Band Second Section. The band's original club building closed in 2015, but the band still plays on.

In 2006, which was its 100th year, the band won the Midland Area Regional Championships. This was their first win since 1966. This win helped them move back to the Second Section. They were also invited to the National Championships of Great Britain. The band won that contest too! These were their best contest results since 1927.

Sports in Long Eaton

Long Eaton United F.C. is a football club. They play in the Midland Football League. The club started in 1956. It has many junior teams for younger players. It also has a ladies' team.

Long Eaton RFC is a Rugby Union club. It was started in 1969.

Long Eaton Swimming Club is one of the biggest in Derbyshire. It was formed in 2007 when two clubs, Trident and Treonte, joined together. The club helps swimmers of all levels. Its main pool is at West Park Leisure Centre.

Long Eaton Cricket Club started in 1972. It has three senior teams and two Sunday league teams. It also has a junior training section.

Sawley Cricket Club moved to West Park in 1977. It has four senior teams and a junior training section.

Long Eaton Park Croquet Club (LEPCC) was founded in 1980. It is located behind the West Park Leisure Centre. The club is part of the Croquet Association.

Long Eaton Speedway used to race at the Long Eaton Stadium. The first race was on May 18, 1929. The Long Eaton Invaders became National Speedway Champions in 1984. However, the speedway stadium closed in 1997. Now, houses, flats, and a playing field for Grange Primary School are on its site.

Long Eaton Rangers F.C. was a football club founded in 1889. It left the Midland League in 1899.

Fun Things to Do (Recreation)

The main park in Long Eaton is West Park. It has a café and is next to the West Park Leisure Centre. Long Eaton has an annual "Chestnut Fair" in November.

Since 1931, the town has held an annual Carnival. It usually happens on the third Saturday in June. The event starts with a parade of decorated vehicles and people in costumes. The parade goes around the town. In the afternoon and evening, there is entertainment, stalls, and a funfair at West Park.