Breaston ( ) is a large village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the Erewash district, in the south-east of

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

and lies approximately east of the city of

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

and west of the city of

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

. The population of the civil parish as taken at the 2011 Census was 4,455. The settlement name Breaston means 'Braegd's farm/settlement': (Old English) for a personal name and 'tūn' (Old English) for either an enclosure, farmstead, village, etc.

History

Mentioned in the Domesday Book Survey of 1086, Breaston was a settlement in the

Hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...

of Morleystone wapentake and the county of Derbyshire. It had an estimated population of 15.8 households in 1086. At the time it was mentioned as belonging to

Henry de Ferrers Henry de Ferrers (died by 1100), magnate and administrator, was a Normans, Norman who after the 1066 Norman conquest of England, Norman conquest was awarded extensive lands in England. Origins He was the eldest son of Vauquelin de Ferrers and i ...

(Henry was given a large number of manors in Derbyshire including land in

Swarkestone Swarkestone is a village and civil parish in the South Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England. The population at the 2011 Census was 187. Swarkestone has a very old village church, a full cricket pitch, a canal with a Georgian lock keepers ...

Markeaton Markeaton is a suburban village and former civil parish within Derby in the ceremonial county of Derbyshire, England. It is in the Mackworth Ward of Derby City Council. The village lies on the narrow Markeaton Lane road. It is home to the po ...

Sinfin Sinfin is a suburb of Derby, England, southwest of the city centre on its southern outskirts. The ward, which includes Osmaston as well as Sinfin itself, had a population of 15,128 in 2011. Historically, Sinfin and Osmaston were separate vill ...

and Cowley) and being worth four shillings. The village Church of St Michael is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. Structural parts of the interior, for example "double-chamfered pointed arches on octagonal piers" appear to be of 11th century in origin. The village of Breaston is clearly visible on the 1648 map of Derbyshire, produced (in Latin) by the Dutch

cartographer Cartography (; from , 'papyrus, sheet of paper, map'; and , 'write') is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can ...

Joan Blaeu Joan Blaeu (; 23 September 1596 – 21 December 1673), also called Johannes Blaeu, was a Dutch cartographer and the official cartographer of the Dutch East India Company. Blaeu is most notable for his map published in 1648, which was the fir ...

, written as "Braston". Risley Lane Breaston

Breaston today is mainly residential. There is the church (

St Michael Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...

), a primary school, a Methodist chapel, three pubs (three of them still named as they were in 1846 - The Bulls Head, Chequers Inn and The Navigation Inn); a medical centre and a comprehensive range of shops, including a

Co-op A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democr ...

, located in the centre of the village around the church and the village green. The green (known as Duffield Close) is said to be one of the largest in the country and an annual

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the Northern Hemisphere's March equinox, spring equinox and midsummer June solstice, solstice. Festivities ma ...

Fete is held there.

Railway Station

The first

Long Eaton railway station Long Eaton railway station serves the town of Long Eaton in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the Midland Main Line and the - line north of London St Pancras. The station is managed by East Midlands Railway, but CrossCountry operates some servi ...

was on Sawley Lane, Breaston. First used in 1839, when the line opened, it was the third station on the line west from Nottingham. It was originally called Breaston, but the name was changed to Sawley railway station to avoid confusion with nearby Beeston.

Sport

Although only a relatively small village, Breaston is home to its fair share of sports teams.

Football

Breaston Park FC, founded in 2007, is a child and youth football structure who have various teams at a range of age levels. The Club was nominated for, and won, Erewash Sports Club of the Year 2009, and YEL Small Club of the Year in 2011.
Athletica FC play on Breaston Recreation Ground (in the winter months).

Cricket

Breaston Cricket Club, formed in 1836 play on the Soldiers and Sailors Ground, Risley Lane.

Transport

HS2

In early October 2014, reports emerged that Breaston may be the preferred location for the East Midlands Hub High Speed 2 Phase Two railway station, reverting earlier plans to base the station at

Toton Toton is a large suburban village in the Borough of Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire, England. It forms part of the built-up area of Beeston, Nottinghamshire, Beeston, which in turn forms part of the wider Nottingham Urban Area. The population of th ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

. These plans were ruled out by July 2015.

Notable residents

* Blessed

Edward James Edward Frank Willis James (16 August 1907 – 2 December 1984) was a British poet known for his patronage of the surrealist art movement. Early life and marriage James was born on 16 August 1907, the only son of William James (who had inheri ...

, (c.1557-1588) Catholic martyr. * Rt. Hon.

Geoff Hoon Geoffrey William Hoon (born 6 December 1953) is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire from 1992 to 2010. He is a former Defence Secretary, Transport Secretary, Leader ...

MP, (1953- ) who was Secretary of State for Defence from 1999 to 2005, during the 2nd

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

war. *

Molly Windsor Molly Windsor is an English actress. Her breakthrough role was in the 2009 Channel 4 television film '' The Unloved'', and she has appeared in '' Oranges and Sunshine'' (2010) and '' The Runaways'' (2019). She is best known for her performance in ...

(1997- ) who is an English actress.

References

External links

Breaston Parish Council

Breaston Village Website

Breaston Pre-school Playgroup

Breaston Cricket Club Website

Breaston Park Football Club

Breaston Park Football Club - pitchero site
{{authority control Villages in Derbyshire Civil parishes in Derbyshire Borough of Erewash