Breaston ( ) is a large village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

in the Erewash district, in the south-east of

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the no ...

and lies approximately east of the city of

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gain ...

and west of the city of

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

. 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 numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to des ...

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 Norman who after the 1066 Norman conquest was awarded extensive lands in England. Origins He was the eldest son of Vauquelin de Ferrers and in about 1040 inherited his father's ...

(Henry was given a large number of manors in Derbyshire including land in Swarkestone, Markeaton, Sinfin 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 or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ire ...

. 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 grc, χάρτης , "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 i ...

Joan Blaeu Joan Blaeu (; 23 September 1596 – 21 December 1673) was a Dutch cartographer born in Alkmaar, the son of cartographer Willem Blaeu. Life In 1620, Blaeu became a doctor of law but he joined the work of his father. In 1635, they published ...

, written as "Braston". Risley Lane Breaston

Breaston today is mainly residential. There is the church (

St Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

), 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, 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 democratically-control ...

, 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 spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. Tr ...

Fete is held there.

Railway Station

The first Long Eaton railway station 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 Sawley railway station was a station at Breaston in Derbyshire. History It was opened as Breaston in 1839 for the Midland Counties Railway, which shortly joined the North Midland Railway and the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway to for ...

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,

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

. These plans were ruled out by July 2015.

Notable residents

Blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified Film and television * ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatura ...

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 inherit ...

, (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 of ...

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

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

war. *

Molly Windsor Molly Windsor (born 19 June 1997) is an English actress. Her breakthrough role was in the 2009 Channel 4 television film ''The Unloved'', and has appeared in ''Oranges and Sunshine'' (2010), and ''The Runaways'' (2019). She is best known for her ...

(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