Long Eaton is a town in the
Erewash district 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 ...
, England, just north 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 ...
, about south-west 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 ...
and south-east 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 ...
. The town population was 37,760 at the 2011 census. It has been part of
Erewash borough since 1 April 1974, when
Long Eaton Urban District was disbanded.
Geography
Long Eaton lies in Derbyshire, adjoining the border with
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 ...
and close to
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...
. It is covered by the Nottingham
post town
A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system.Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) Including the correct post town in t ...
, and has a Nottingham telephone area code (0115). Long Eaton sits on the banks 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 ...
. Long Eaton is part of the
Greater Nottingham urban area.
History
Long Eaton is referred to as ''Aitone'', in the ''
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 ...
''. Several origins have been suggested, for example "farm between streams" and "low-lying land". It was a farming settlement that grew up close to the lowest bridging point of the
River Erewash
The River Erewash is a river in England, a tributary of the River Trent that flows roughly southwards through Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, forming the boundary between the two counties for much of its length. It rises near Kirkby-in-Ashf ...
.
The "Great Fire" of Long Eaton in 1694 destroyed 14 houses and several other buildings in the market place.
The village remained a stable size until the construction of the
Midland Counties Railway
The Midland Counties' Railway (MCR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1839 and 1844, connecting Nottingham, Leicester and Derby with Rugby, Warwickshire, Rugby and thence, via the London and Birmingham Railway, t ...
in 1839 and the
Erewash Valley Line in 1844, which brought links that encouraged growth. Two industries came to employ many people in the growing town:
lace-making and
railway wagon manufacturing. A large railway yard at
Toton Sidings grew up just north of the town.
By 1900 the town population exceeded 10,000, after construction of housing, offices and factories through the Victorian period. In 1921 its extent was broadened to include Wilsthorpe and parts of
Sandiacre and Sawley.
Notable architecture
One notable building is the
Palladian
Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...
Long Eaton Town Hall. Originally a private house, it is now owned by the borough council and forms part of the expanded offices of Erewash Borough Council, which opened in 1991.
The
Parish Church of St Laurence stands to the east of the Market Place. Local tradition dates parts of it to the 11th century, possibly built under Viking King
Cnut
Cnut ( ; ; – 12 November 1035), also known as Canute and with the epithet the Great, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norway from 1028 until his death in 1035. The three kingdoms united under Cnut's rul ...
. However, some place the oldest parts of the church after the
Norman Conquest
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...
, possibly in the 12th century. It was originally a daughter church of
All Saints' Church, Sawley, but gained separate status in the 19th century.
The other religious buildings of note are:
*St John the Evangelist (Church of England), College Street (1916–22) by
Sir Charles Nicholson
*
St James’ Church, Tamworth Road, (1886) by John Sheldon
*St Francis of Assisi Church (Roman Catholic), Tamworth Road (1929–30) by Foden, Hemm and Williams of Manchester.
*
Christ Church (Methodist), Derby Road, (1903–04) by
Arthur Brewill and
Basil Baily
*
Oasis Christian Centre, Derby Road (1904) by
George Baines
*
Baptist Church, Station Road (1880) by Mr Keating of Nottingham.

There are several fine examples of industrial architecture in Long Eaton. Most have to do with its development as a lace-making centre. By 1907, the town housed almost 1,400 lace machines and the industry employed over 4,000 people (a quarter of the population). High Street Mill dates from 1857. West End Mill of 1882 was built alongside the Erewash Canal on Leopold Street. The adjacent Whiteley’s Mill was erected in 1883. Bridge Mill on Derby Road was built between 1902-06 by John Sheldon.
[ One of the largest lace-making mills, Harrington Mill, was built in 1885. It took one and a quarter million bricks to build the 167-metre long factory and it has 224 cast-iron windows down one side. Harrington Mill is a traditional, four-storey, red lace mill, built by a consortium of manufacturers. The turrets on the sides house the original staircases.
]
The floors above the shops in High Street and the Market Place show that large parts of the centre were built in Victorian or early 20th-century times. The New Central Building is an example of late Victorian architecture.
Near the Market Place, the significant buildings are 1 Derby Road, Barclays Bank (1898) by Ernest Reginald Ridgway, 24 Market Place, Halifax Building Society, built as Smith's Bank, (1889) by Fothergill Watson (Grade II listed
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, H ...
), Therm House (1838–39) by Dodd & Wilcox, 41 Market Place, HSBC bank, built as the Nottingham Joint Stock Bank and later the Midland Bank, (1892) by Albert Nelson Bromley (Grade II listed
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, H ...
) and the NatWest Bank, (1903) by John Sheldon.
Numbers 38 and 40 Market Place are particularly notable as being built in the Art Nouveau style by local architects ''Gorman and Ross''. Number 38 is York Chambers built in 1901, and number 40 was built for the Midland Counties District Bank in 1903. Both are now Grade II listed
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, H ...
.
''Gorman and Ross'' also provided the Carnegie Library on Tamworth Road, again in the Art Nouveau style, in 1906. The Long Eaton War Memorial Cross was erected in the Market Place in 1921.
The High Street and Market Place were pedestrianised in the 1990s. The work to enhance the layout and paving of the town centre was completed in 2010.
Transport
Long Eaton railway station is sited on the Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line (MML), sometimes also spelt Midland Mainline, is a major Rail transport in Great Britain, railway line from London to Sheffield in Yorkshire via the East Midlands. It comprises the lines from London's St Pancras railway ...
. It is served by two train operating companies
In the railway system of Great Britain, a train operating company (TOC) is a railway undertaking operating passenger trains under the collective National Rail brand. TOCs have existed since the privatisation of the network under the Railways ...
:
* East Midlands Railway
East Midlands Railway (EMR; legally Transport UK East Midlands Limited) is a British train operating company owned by Transport UK Group, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise.
Originally owned by Abellio (transport compan ...
provide inter-city services between Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
and London St Pancras, via Chesterfield, 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 Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
; these services call hourly. There are also hourly services between Newark Castle, Derby and Crewe
Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the parish had a population of 55,318 and the built-up area had a population of 74,120. ...
; trains between Nottingham and Matlock also call hourly.
* CrossCountry
CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a British train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the current CrossCountry franchise.
The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) in 2006, ...
provide hourly services in each direction between Nottingham, Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
and Cardiff
Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
.
Bus services in Long Eaton are provided primarily by Trent Barton and CT4N. Routes connect the town with 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 ...
, Beeston, Stapleford, Sandiacre, 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 ...
, East Midlands Airport and Coalville.
The main road through the town forms part of the A6005. Junction 25 of the M1 motorway
The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) motorway, A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the count ...
is on its north-western border.
The broad Erewash Canal
The Erewash Canal is a broad canal in Derbyshire, England. It runs just under and has 14 canal lock, locks. The first lock at Langley Mill, Langley Bridge is part of the Cromford Canal.
Origins
The canal obtained its act of Parliament, ...
passes through the town.
Media
Local news and television programmes are BBC East Midlands and ITV Central
ITV Central, previously known as Central Independent Television, Carlton Central, ITV1 for Central England and commonly referred to as simply Central, is the Independent Television franchisee in the English Midlands. It was created following ...
. Television signals are received from the Waltham TV
transmitter, and the Nottingham relay transmitter.
Local radio stations are BBC Radio Nottingham, BBC Radio Derby, Smooth East Midlands, Hits Radio East Midlands, Capital East Midlands, Greatest Hits Radio Midlands and Erewash Sound, a community based radio station.
The town is served by the local newspapers, Nottingham Post and Nottingham Journal.
Theatre
Long Eaton is home t
The Duchess Theatre
which hosts amateur productions from groups based in Long Eaton and the surrounding areas. The Duchess Theatre was rebuilt in 2010 following a tragic fire in 2003 that destroyed much of the original building.
Notable amateur theatre groups in the Long Eaton area include;
Arcade Players
ttps://erewashmusicalsociety.co.uk Erewash Musical Society
LEOS Musical Theatre Group
Both Erewash Musical Society and LEOS Musical Theatre Group also run youth societies which enable young people to perform in musical theatre productions.
Schools
Long Eaton has two state secondary schools
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
, The Long Eaton School and Wilsthorpe School, and several primary schools
A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...
, including Brooklands, St Lawrence, Dovedale, Sawley, Harrington, English Martyrs, Longmoor and Grange. It also contains the public school Trent College (founded 1868), the private Elms School for ages 3–11, and two special needs schools: Stanton Vale and Brackenfield SEND School.
Long Eaton School was split into two sites: Lower for years 7, 8 and 9, and Upper for years 10, 11 and sixth form. The Lower School building, opened in 1965, was demolished in 2006, when new school premises were built next door on the same grounds. Upper and Lower are now in one building again (with sixth Form being slightly apart), which was opened by Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...
as Chancellor of the Exchequer. It has become an eco school with an eco club, and recently joined the Archway Trust. There is a research-grade telescope built on school grounds., where stargazing sessions have been open to the public in the past. It previously had partnership and student exchange relations with Spanish, French, Italian and Chinese schools.
In 2005 Wilsthorpe School gained specialist status in business and enterprise. In 2018, the school was rebuilt. Both Wilsthorpe and Long Eaton schools have an OFSTED rating of "good".
Brass band
Long Eaton Silver Prize brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting primarily of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands (particularl ...
is one of only two still functioning in Erewash. It was formed in 1906 after severing from a local temperance society. At its height, it reached the Brass Band Second Section. The original club building in Sailsbury Street closed in early 2015, but the band itself plays on.
In 2006, its centenary year, the band won the Midland Area Regional Championships, its first contest win since 1966. This secured promotion back to the Second Section and an invitation to the National Championships of Great Britain. The band also won this contest, in what were its best contest results since 1927.
Sport
Long Eaton United F.C. plays in the Midland Football League
The Midland Football League, officially known as the Capelli Sport Midland Football League since January 2025 for sponsorship reasons, is an England, English association football, football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the form ...
, as founder members in 2014. The club was formed in 1956 but records show football prominent in the town for many years before. The Football Club has many junior sides and gained FA Charter Standard Community Club status in 2013. It also has a ladies' team competing in the East Midlands Women's Football League.
Long Eaton RFC is a Rugby Union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
club, established in 1969.
Long Eaton Swimming Club, one of Derbyshire's largest, arose in 2007, when the Trident and Treonte swimming clubs merged. It covers all levels, from learners to competitive senior and master swimmers. Its home pool is at West Park Leisure Centre.
Long Eaton Cricket Club, established in 1972, currently has three senior teams competing in the South Nottinghamshire Cricket League, two Sunday league teams in the Newark Club Cricket Alliance league and a junior training section that plays competitive cricket in the Erewash Young Cricketers League.
Sawley Cricket Club moved onto West Park from nearby Sawley park in 1977.[The History of Cricket in Long Eaton, Sandiacre & Sawley, 1994, Keith Breakwell. ] It has four senior teams competing in the Derbyshire County Cricket League and a junior training section that plays competitively in the Erewash Young Cricketers League.
Long Eaton Park Croquet Club (LEPCC) was founded in 1980 and is located behind the West Park Leisure Centre. The club is a full member of the Croquet Association and is an active member of the Federation of East Midlands Croquet Clubs (FEMCC).
Long Eaton Speedway raced at the Long Eaton Stadium in Station Road. The first meet was held on 18 May 1929. The Long Eaton Invaders became National Speedway Champions in 1984. However, the speedway stadium closed in 1997 and its site is held by an estate of houses and flats and by a playing field for Grange Primary School.
Long Eaton Rangers F.C. was founded in 1889 but left the Midland League in 1899.
Recreation
The main park is West Park which has a café and neighbours West Park Leisure Centre.
Long Eaton holds an annual "Chestnut Fair" in November.
In a tradition which started in 1931, the town hosts an annual Carnival each year – currently on the third Saturday in June. The event commences with a parade of floats, decorated vehicles and walkers in fancy dress, which circulates round the town. It continues in the afternoon and evening with a range of entertainment, stalls and a funfair on the Carnival showground on West Park.
Notable people
*Albert Ball
Albert Ball, (14 August 1896 – 7 May 1917) was a British fighter pilot during the First World War. At the time of his death he was the United Kingdom's leading flying ace, with 44 victories, and remained its fourth-highest scorer b ...
(1896–1917), fighter pilot and Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
recipient, attended Trent College, Long Eaton, in 1911–1913.
* Garry Birtles (born 1956), professional footballer, joined Nottingham Forest FC from Long Eaton United and won two European Cups.
* Shaun Davis, bodybuilder, Mr Universe 1996.
*Mark Draper
Mark Andrew Draper (born 11 November 1970) is an English football coach and former professional Association football, footballer.
As a player, he was a midfielder from 1988 to 2003, notably in the Premier League for Leicester City F.C., Leice ...
(born 1970), professional footballer
* Georgia Groome (born 1992), actress
* Paula Christine Hammond (1944–2017), businesswoman
* Ernest Terah Hooley (1859–1947), business financier, four-times bankrupt, died in reduced circumstances at Long Eaton.
*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 ...
(born 1953), Labour Party politician (Defence Secretary 1999–2006, Leader of House of Commons 2006–2007, Gov't Chief Whip 2008) attended Brooklands School.
* Douglas Houghton, Baron Houghton of Sowerby (1898–1996), Labour politician, last surviving cabinet member born in the 19th century and serving in the First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
[Obituary](_blank)
The Independent, retrieved 1 August 2012.
* Saira Khan (born 1970), TV presenter
* Laura Knight (1877–1970), impressionist painter
* Eric Malpass (1910–1996), novelist
* Lewis McGugan (born 1988), professional footballer
* Dougie Squires (born 1932), choreographer
* John Walters (1939–2001), radio broadcaster and musician
* Dan Wheeldon (born 1989), first-class cricketer
* Bru-C (born 1991), MC and rapper
* Bonnie Blue (actress) (born 1999), pornographic actress and OnlyFans creator
Twin towns
Long Eaton is twinned with:
* Romorantin-Lanthenay, France, since 1961
* Langen, Germany
See also
* List of places in Derbyshire
* Listed buildings in Long Eaton
* Station Street Baptist Church, Long Eaton
* Oasis Christian Centre, Long Eaton
References
Gallery
File:LongEatonChurch236.JPG, St. Lawrence church located in the town centre
File:Market_Place_(North_End),_Long_Eaton,_Derbyshire.jpg, Above the shops is the architecture
File:Market_Place_(St_Lawrence_Church),_Market_Place,_Long_Eaton,_Derbyshire.jpg, Market Place, looking north
File:LongEatonChimney.jpg, The old factory chimney of Bridge Mills, situated on Derby Road
File:Long Eaton School.jpg, The newly built Long Eaton School
File:LongEatonRecGroundCyclists.jpg, A cycle race in 1885 at Long Eaton Recreation Ground
File:LEArchers.jpg, Long Eaton Speedway
File:LongEatonLibrary35.JPG, Long Eaton's distinctive library
External links
Erewash Borough Council
{{authority control
Towns in Derbyshire
Railway towns in England
Unparished areas in Derbyshire
Former civil parishes in Derbyshire
Borough of Erewash