Drakelow is a 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
South Derbyshire
South Derbyshire is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Derbyshire, England. The district covers the towns of Melbourne, Derbyshire, Melbourne and Swadlincote as well as numerous villages and hamlets such as Hilton, Derbys ...
, in
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 ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. It is south of
Burton on Trent. The population of the civil parish including
Caldwell and
Cauldwell had at 2011 Census was 249.
Geography and history
Some of the land is lower flood plain but most occupies gentle slopes, all on the east bank of the
River Trent
The Trent is the third Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, longest river in the United Kingdom. Its Source (river or stream), source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midlands ...
.
Drakelow, whose name means 'Dragon's Mound', is mentioned in
Domesday Book
Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
, but was deserted later during the Middle Ages. A chronicler at the nearby
Burton Abbey, writing in the early twelfth century, claimed that this desertion took place because of supernatural events that had driven the residents away – specifically, attacks of two undead villagers from nearby Stapenhill.
Drakelowe Hall or Drakelow Hall was the principal residence, and was home to the
Gresley Baronets, but this was replaced by
Drakelow Power Station and in turn its last cooling towers were demolished in September 2006.
Drakelow Power Station
In 2005, the electricity company
E.ON
E.ON SE is a European multinational electric utility company based in Essen, Germany. It operates as one of the world's largest investor-owned electric utility service providers. The name originates from the Latin word '' aeon'', derived from ...
was given permission to build a new power station on the site of the previous. The proposed
combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) is rated at 1,200 MW, and would provide sufficient power for 1,000,000 homes.
Planning permission for upgraded plant as such to reopen a power station was granted in 2007, with a condition that combined heat and power capability would be built into the plant should a customer come forward that was economically viable. This consent was twice extended until October 2015, and a grid connection has been secured until 2014, as of November 2013.
See also
*
Listed buildings in Drakelow
References
{{Commons category, Drakelow, Derbyshire, Drakelow
Civil parishes in Derbyshire
South Derbyshire District