Information on the town of Burton Upon Trent in Staffordshire, UK

1. Burton Upon Trent
http://www.inburton.co.uk
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2. Burton upon Trent 1
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent shown within Staffordshire
Population Expression error: "64,449" must be numericTemplate:Infobox UK place/trap(2001 Census)
OS grid reference SK245225
District East Staffordshire
Shire county Staffordshire
Region West Midlands
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BURTON-ON-TRENT
Postcode district DE13-DE15
Dialling code 01283
Police Staffordshire
Fire Staffordshire
Ambulance West Midlands
EU Parliament West Midlands
UK Parliament Burton
List of places: UK • England • Staffordshire
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a large 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.[1] It originally grew up
around Burton-on-Trent Abbey, the monastery of Saint 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 1500s it served as "a
comen passage to and fro many countries to the grett releff and comfort of travellyng people", according to the
abbot.[2] The town, which had an estimated population of 64,449 (2001 Census),[3] 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 Derbyshire
postcodes (DE13-DE15).

3. Burton upon Trent 2
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 [4] 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.[5] 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 Coopes and Marstons. 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 Bass Museum of Brewing, renamed the Coors Visitor Centre & The Museum of Brewing, was Burton's largest
tourist attraction until closed by Coors in June 2008. A steering group has been established to investigate re-opening
the museum.[6]

4. Burton upon Trent 3
Politics and local government
Burton is the administrative centre for the borough of East Staffordshire and forms part of Burton (UK Parliament
constituency). The local Member of Parliament is Janet Dean, who has represented the Burton (and Uttoxeter)
constituency since May 1997
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.[7]
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 Chad's and All Saints.
Arts
[8]
The main venue for live theatre and other performing and visual arts is The Brewhouse which is run by East
Staffordshire Borough Council [9].
The William Allitt School, based at nearby Newhall, has an Arts Mark and is a Specialist Arts College. The school is
holding its annual Arts Festival in June and July where a new stage school Theatre Cats Theatre School Burton on
Trent [10] will be holding its first showcase to show the talents of over 50 young people from the Burton area and a
drama and dance summer school later in the year.

5. Burton upon Trent 4
Sport
The town is home to an football club, Burton Albion, who as of
2009-10 play in the Football League.
Burton will also be the location of the planned English National
Football Centre, due to be opened in 2010.[11]
The Burton & District Cricket League has many notable clubs,
including Lichfield Cricket Club and Burton cricket club.
Burton, one of the oldest Rugby clubs in the Country was established
in 1870.
Pirelli Stadium, home of Burton Albion F.C.
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 Trent Rowing Club and Burton Leander Rowing Club, which was founded in
1855.
In addition, Burton is the home of The Powerhouse Gym, International All Round Weightlifting Club, formed in
1985 and run by Coach and former World All Round Weightlifting Champion and Strongman, Steve Gardner. The
club boasts several British Champions at Junior, Senior and Masters age categories, male and female. Winner of the
European Heavyweight title for Drug Free Powerlifting in 1990, Steve was first coached as a weightlifter in 1980 by
local Champion and world record holder John William Thomas Humble, and as a Highland Games Athlete and
Strongman competitor by Geoff Capes - former World's Strongest man.
Culture
The Burton Operatic Society has existed since 1951 and is still flourishing.
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 [12] 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 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 FVA 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 Belgium troops.
HM Queen Elizabeth II visited the town on July 3rd 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

6. Burton upon Trent 5
October, as in 2002. The fair occupies the Market Place and parts of High Street, New Street and Lichfield Street for
two days.
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 Bargates) 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 Stevensons of Spath in the mid 1980s in turn 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.
Eatoughs (sometimes Etoughs) was an innovative shoemaking firm from Leicestershire which opened a factory in
Burton Road, Branston in 1920. It was the first UK 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 [13] (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.
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 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.

7. Burton upon Trent 6
Town twinning
• Blantyre, Malawi
• Elkhart, Indiana, USA
• Lingen Ems, Germany
• Rochefort, France
• Toyserkan, Iran
Notable residents
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
• Phil Seamen (born 28 August 1926 in Burton-on-Trent - died 13 October 1972) was an inflential English jazz
drummer.
• Edward Wightman (1566-1612), a General Baptist, became the last religious martyr to be burnt at the stake for
‘Heresy’ in England (April 1612)
CONTEMPORARY:
• Andrew Birch, Guardian and Private Eye cartoonist, is a Burtonian.
• Neville Brown (born 1966), Former middleweight British, and Commonwealth boxing champion.
• 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.
• 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 ofWinshill.
• Mick Dyche (born 195- ?) Extant English rock/session guitarist and former member of 1970's 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.
• James Oliver Farrel, Won the Mill Hill bicycle race three years in a row.
• 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 is BBC Weather's longest-serving weather forecaster noted for his individual style.
• Olivia Murphy (born 1977/78), England netball captain since 2000, was born in Burton, and went to De Ferrers
High School, where her father, now a driving instructor, taught P.E.
• Jordan Tams (born in Burton) won the local YMCA contest.

8. Burton upon Trent 7
• 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.
References
Bibliography
• Joseph Addison in The Spectator in 1712 recorded visiting Vauxhall Gardens where he drank a glass of Burton
ale.
• In the poem "Terence, this is stupid stuff" from A.E. Housman's A Shropshire Lad, the speaker asks the question,
"Say, for what were hop-yards meant, / Or why was Burton built on Trent?" referring to the town's history of beer
brewing.
External links
• Burton Mail Latest News [14]
• East Staffordshire Community Website [15]
• East Staffordshire Borough Council [16]
• 'Burton-upon-Trent: General history' [17] from A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 9: Burton-upon-Trent
(2003), pp. 5-20.
• Maps of Burton on Trent [18]
• Burton College [19]
• Burton Grammar School [20]
• Burton-on-Trent Local History [21]
• Burton Girls High School [22]
• Burton upon Trent Amateur Radio Club. [23]
• Burton RUFC [24]
• Burton Canoe Club [25]
• The Online Guide to Burton on Trent [26]
• Theatre School Burton on Trent [10]
• Trent Rowing Club [27]
• Burton-on-Trent's Little Theatre Company [28]
• Burton news from the Derby Telegraph [29]
References
[1] Burton upon Trent Tourist Information on AboutBritain.com (http:/ / www. aboutbritain. com/ towns/ burton-upon-trent. asp)
[2] Letter from the abbot of Burton describing Burton Bridge in C.H. Underhill, A History of Burton on Trent (Burton, 1941), p. 168.
[3] 2001 Census Ward and Town Population Figures (Staffordshire) (http:/ / www. staffordshire. gov. uk/ NR/ rdonlyres/
02755112-4AD1-453E-B722-583A77AB020F/ 23544/ wardandtownpop. pdf)
[4] http:/ / www. worthingtonswhiteshield. com/ brewery. html
[5] Burton-upon-Trent: Economic history, A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 9: Burton-upon-Trent (2003), pp. 53-84 Date accessed:
30 May 2009 (http:/ / www. british-history. ac. uk/ report. aspx?compid=12335)
[6] Power group set up to save museum; The Burton Mail (http:/ / www. burtonmail. co. uk/ burtonmail-news/ DisplayArticle. asp?ID=380768)
[7] Communities and Local Government (http:/ / www. odpm. gov. uk/ index. asp?id=1133671)
[8] http:/ / www. brewhouse. co. uk/ brewhouse/ index. htm
[9] http:/ / www. eaststaffsbc. gov. uk
[10] http:/ / www. theatrecats. co. uk/
[11] BBC SPORT | Football | FA sets England semi-final target (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ sport1/ hi/ football/ 7386163. stm)
[12] http:/ / www. little-theatre. co. uk
[13] http:/ / www. briggsplc. co. uk/
[14] http:/ / www. burtonmail. co. uk/

9. Burton upon Trent 8
[15] http:/ / www. yourhomepagein. co. uk/ East_Staffordshire
[16] http:/ / www. eaststaffsbc. gov. uk/
[17] http:/ / www. british-history. ac. uk/ report. aspx?compid=12328
[18] http:/ / www. burton-on-trent. org/ 1-History/ Local%20Maps/ Local%20Maps. htm
[19] http:/ / www. burton-college. ac. uk
[20] http:/ / www. burtongrammar. co. uk/
[21] http:/ / www. burton-on-trent. org. uk/
[22] http:/ / www. burton-on-trent. org/ 7-Links/ High%20School/ girls_high_school. htm
[23] http:/ / www. burtonarc. co. uk/
[24] http:/ / www. burtonrugbyclub. co. uk/
[25] http:/ / www. burtoncanoeclub. co. uk/
[26] http:/ / www. inburton. co. uk/
[27] http:/ / www. trentrc. org/
[28] http:/ / www. little-theatre. co. uk/
[29] http:/ / www. thisisderbyshire. co. uk/ burton

10. Article Sources and Contributors 9
Article Sources and Contributors
Burton upon Trent Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=328092976 Contributors: Acalamari, Aidan Croft, Alan Roberts, Andycjp, Archivist, Average Earthman, Awostrack,
Beakyone, BeeTea, Benmasters1, Bevo74, Black Falcon, Blisco, Bogle, Bunnyhop11, Burntwood07, CambridgeBayWeather, Can't sleep, clown will eat me, CanOfWorms, Captain McVitie,
CharlotteWebb, Colonies Chris, Craiglockley, Dallan72, Dan.wan, Daveee1, Delirium, Dormy, Dumelow, Duncharris, EdJogg, Edward, Eldumpo, EllyP, Emersoni, Enigmaman, Fingerpuppet,
Footballkrazy, Fornost, Forsakenlittleangel, Fxhomie, G-Man, Gaia Octavia Agrippa, Grunners, HighKing, Indon, Iridescent, Irishguy, Isonine, Jamesgreenhalghmyp, Jimfbleak, Jimppu, John
Doe42, Jonny-colclough, Jrgilly, Jschwa1, Julius Sahara, Katalaveno, Katieh5584, Kbthompson, Keith Edkins, Kevinmon, Kieran1234567890, KieranBall, Kinewma, Lfh, Linuxlad, Lupin,
MTLskyline, MarkBegg, Masfz, Mholland, Mikejamestaylor, Minardi, Morwen, Motmit, Nedrutland, Nick000bristow, Noisy, Ohnoitsjamie, Omicronpersei8, Orioane, Peach10, Penrithguy,
Phgao, Picapica, Pigsonthewing, Pit-yacker, Plasticspork, Plastikspork, Prashanthns, RedWolf, Redf0x, Regan123, Rhyddfrydol, Rjwilmsi, Rshand, Ryan p, S19991002, Saga City, Satyadasa,
Sean 206, Serein (renamed because of SUL), Shlomke, Signalhead, SilkTork, Six6un, Sjorford, Sloman, Solipsist, Squareseeker, Stetay, Stevgee, Sticky Parkin, Stones250, Stormie,
Swaddon1903, TMLS, TammiMagee, The Anome, Thomaslancaster, Tjwood, Verloren, Warofdreams, Wellington, Wereon, Wknight94, Yendor1958, Yozzer66, Yuri Elite, 241 anonymous edits
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
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