| West Park, Long Eaton | |
|---|---|
 West Park | |
 | |
| Type | Park |
| Coordinates | 52°53′44″N1°17′0.4″W / 52.89556°N 1.283444°W |
| Area | 46.6 ha [1] |
| Operated by | Erewash Borough Council |
| Open | All year |
West Park is the premier park in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, England. [2] It is also the location of the town's indoor leisure centre.
West Park is near the historic centre of Long Eaton on the opposite side of Erewash Canal, the area was used for Lace factories and part of the park is within The Lace Factory Conservation area. [3] It is an Edwardian park with Long Eaton Borough council purchasing the land that now comprises the park in seven parcels starting in 1882 and finishing in 1952. [4]
The gates and gatepiers to West Park were made by Robert Bakewell in the early 1700s and are Grade II* listed by Historic England, [5] they were purchased from Aston Hall, Aston on Trent, Derbyshire and erected in 1928. A Fishpond Shelter was also installed after purchase from Aston Hall and there is a historic bandstand. [1]
The town's leisure centre is located at the park. In addition there is football, two cricket clubs, rugby pitches, baseball pitches, tennis courts, bowling greens, an outdoor gym, a cafe, formal gardens, a bandstand, a skatepark, two children's play area, a splashpad, walking, cycle paths and croquet. [2] A Parkrun takes place in the park every Saturday morning. [6] Long Eaton Rugby Club are based at the park. [7]
The Park once had a narrow gauge passenger railway which was opened in 1966. It was of 2 ft (610 mm) gauge and used a 4 wheeled Ruston diesel and an ex NCB 4-wheeled open carriage [8]
A four-wheel 13 h.p. Ruston Hornsby diesel locomotive was bought for £75 (equivalent to £1,486in 2021) [9] from British Gypsum Ltd at Kingston-on-Soar [10] and one 15 feet (4.6 m) coach was obtained from a colliery. [11] On opening on 28 May 1966 the line comprised 150 yards (140 m) of line. Two years later the line was extended to a total length of 400 yards (370 m) when it ran from the paddling pool towards Wilsthorpe Road.
In 1976 the line was converted by Narrotrack Ltd of Sheffield from 2 ft (610 mm) to 10+1⁄4 in (260 mm) gauge and extended to a length of 1,000 ft. [12] However, this did not secure the railway’s future and it was dismantled in 1977. [13]
West park has had issues with flooding in the past, with the autumn of 2023 having particularly notable flooding. Parts of the park had knee-high water levels, with the majority of the park's grounds being visibly submerged. As a result of the 2023 flooding, the annual Bonfire Night event, that usually takes place in the park, was cancelled. [14]
St Neots is a town and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is 18 miles (29 km) west of Cambridge. The areas of Eynesbury, Eaton Ford and Eaton Socon form part of the town.
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 and thence, via the London and Birmingham Railway, to London. The MCR system connected with the North Midland Railway and the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway in Derby at what become known as the Tri Junct Station. The three later merged to become the Midland Railway.
Buckingham is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the 2011 Census. The town lies approximately 12 miles (19 km) west of Central Milton Keynes, 19 miles (31 km) south-east of Banbury, and 24 miles (39 km) north-east of Oxford.
Ilkeston is a town in the Borough of Erewash, Derbyshire, England, on the River Erewash, from which the borough takes its name, with a population at the 2011 census of 38,640. Its major industries, coal mining, iron working and lace making/textiles, have now all but disappeared.
Long Eaton is a town in the Erewash district of Derbyshire, England, just north of the River Trent, about 6 miles (9.7 km) south-west of Nottingham and 9 miles (14 km) south-east of Derby. 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.
Erewash is a local government district with borough status in Derbyshire, England. The borough is named after the River Erewash. The council has offices in both the borough's towns of Ilkeston and Long Eaton. The borough also includes several villages and surrounding rural areas. Some of the built-up areas in the east of the borough form part of the Nottingham Urban Area.
The Markeaton Park Light Railway was a 15 in gauge light railway line located within Markeaton Park in the city of Derby, Derbyshire, England. The railway was first opened in 1989, extended in 1996, and closed down in September 2016.
Sandiacre is a village and civil parish in the borough of Erewash in Derbyshire, in the East Midlands region of England adjoining the border with Nottinghamshire. The population of the parish was 8,889 at the 2011 Census.
The Little Eaton Gangway, officially the Derby Canal Railway, was a narrow gauge industrial wagonway serving the Derby Canal, in England, at Little Eaton in Derbyshire.
Long Eaton railway station serves the town of Long Eaton in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the Midland Main Line and the Derby-Nottingham line 120 miles 28 chains (193.7 km) north of London St Pancras. The station is managed by East Midlands Railway, but CrossCountry operates some services.
Attenborough is a village in the Borough of Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire, England. It forms part of the Greater Nottingham area and is 4+1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) to the south-west of the city of Nottingham, between Long Eaton and Beeston. It adjoins the suburbs of Toton to the west and Chilwell to the north. The population of the ward, as at the 2011 Census, was 2,328.
Trent railway station was situated near Long Eaton in Derbyshire at the junction of the Midland Railway line from London to Derby and Nottingham. It was unusual in that it did not serve any community, being simply an interchange.
Draycott and Church Wilne is a civil parish within the Borough of Erewash, which is in the county of Derbyshire, England. Partially built up and otherwise rural, its population was 3,090 residents in the 2011 census. The parish is 100 miles (160 km) north west of London, 5+1⁄2 miles (8.9 km) south east of the county city of Derby, and 3 miles (4.8 km) west of the nearest market town of Long Eaton. It shares a boundary with the parishes of Breaston, Elvaston, Hopwell, Ockbrook and Borrowash, Risley and Shardlow and Great Wilne.
Sawley is a village and civil parish within the Borough of Erewash, in southeast Derbyshire, England. With a slightly higher than average number of people over 65, the population of just the civil parish was measured at 6,629 as at the 2011 Census.
St. Laurence's Church, Long Eaton, is a Grade II* listed parish church in Long Eaton, England. 11th century
Eaton Park is a large public park located in Eaton, Norwich, England.
Long Eaton Cricket Club, established in 1972, is an amateur cricket club based in West Park, Derbyshire, England. The Club is the product of a town which has a proud history of cricket dating back to the early 19th century.
Long Eaton Town Hall is a municipal building in Derby Road, Long Eaton, Derbyshire, England. The town hall, which currently serves as one of two meeting places of Erewash Borough Council, is a Grade II* listed building.
This Long Eaton railway station was built in 1863 for the Midland Railway.
This Long Eaton railway station was built in 1847 for the Midland Railway.
