As early as 1889 there were discussions about whether Sawley should have gas or electric street lighting, as it had neither at the time. This was rather ambitious, as small-scale electrical supplies were only just beginning to appear in Britain. As it turned out, Sawley only received gas lighting in 1897, about the same time Long Eaton was converting to electricity. The gas lights themselves were donated by Ernest Terah Hooley. A large crowd gathered to see them first lit on 31st March 1897, which was followed by a dinner at the Harrington Arms. The rector (Rev E A Clarke) lit the first lamp. Sawley’s first employed gas lighter was Stephen Smith. Harrington Mill (off Wilsthorpe Road) set up its own electric lighting system in the 1890s. In 1899 Long Eaton council decided to install their own electric cables and lighting, powered by a coal-fired generating plant between Milner Road and the Erewash Canal. This opened in 1903 using a 3-wire direct current system. Three years later it was converted to alternating current. The system was a financial success for the council and mains electricity seems to have reached New Sawley about 1913. In 1931, when the Wilsthorpe Road […]
admin
In 1873, Sawley had plenty of shops, but those who needed to travel, and didn’t have their own horse, would have relied on the railway or local carriers (see below). Bicycles had been invented but didn’t really take off until the late 1880s, with developments like the pneumatic tyre. Roads had originally been maintained by the parish, but the 1862 Highways Act transferred the responsibility for most roads to the County Surveyor. The roads would have used the Macadam techniques, e.g. medium-sized stones at the bottom and smaller stones on top. But they’d have been muddy when wet and dusty in dry weather as they weren’t sealed with tar (tar-macadam, i.e. ‘tarmac’) until the 20th century. Canals and rivers were still used for transporting bulk cargo, although they’d lost a lot of business to the railways. There were no passenger river services, apart from the ferries at Trent Lock (across to Cliff Farm and the path to Red Hill) and Thrumpton (a long walk down Meadow Lane/Pasture Lane, Long Eaton). Carriers The carriers were men with horse-drawn wagons who provided a regular service, usually on market days, to towns or cities, and then back later the same day. In more […]
All meetings are held on a Thursday in All Saints’ Church Hall at 7.30 pm 22nd September – Bricks and Mortals Our chairman takes a look at some of Sawley’s buildings and the lives of their occupants. 27th October – St. Petersburg Dr. Cathy McAteer relates the story of this fabulous and fascinating city. 24th Nov. – The story of Boots the Chemist Chris Weir describes the origins and growth of this industrial giant. 26th January – 40th Anniversary – ‘More Bits and Bobs’ Bob Neill brings another box of puzzling antiquities for us to identify. 23rd February – ‘The Fall of Saxon England’ Mike Kelley describes the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings. 23rd March – ‘An Introduction to Heraldry’ John Titterton explains the rudiments of understanding armory. 27th April – ‘My Derbyshire Life’ Renowned local journalist and photographer Ashley Franklin presents fascinating facts, stories and photographs. 25th May: ‘The Life and Poems of Lord Byron’ Hugh Sharp concentrates on the life of the poet and how events and places influenced his writing. June, July and August – Outings to be arranged Membership fees: £12 + £2 per meeting Visitor fees: £5 per meeting 2
The next Historical Society event is a talk about Bess of Hardwick by Julie Ede. 26th May 2022 starting at 7.30pm. Cost is £1.50 for members, £4 for non-members. Church Hall, by All Saints Church, Old Sawley NG10 3AT After 26th May, the next scheduled talk is 22 Sep 2022 – ‘Bricks and Mortals‘ by Graham Grammer
Magnet Garage (now Long Eaton Garage Services) is on Tamworth Road, just before the Erewash Canal Bridge. In 1920 the proprietor was Albert Robert Bott. He was born in Milford in 1881. His father was a traction engine maker and Albert started work as an engine fitter. During the Great War he served with the Tank Corps before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps and becoming a photographer at No.1 Aeroplane Supply Depot at St Omer, France. In about 1928 John Thomas (Jack) Allen took over the garage, having previously worked for Rolls Royce in Derby. He was born in Long Eaton but grew up in Myrtle Avenue, New Sawley. In 1939 he was living nearby at 58 Tamworth Road. He was still running the garage in the late 1950s. The nearby Sea Scout facility next to the canal was opened in about 1956. For many years the garage also sold petrol, but was forced to give this up at the end of 1996 as they were unable to compete with the large filling stations.
Between 1934 and 2000 Sawley did not have its own council and the signs by the roads entering the village said LONG EATON. In 1981 two local lads decided to fix that. One of them now runs this website.
Here are some advertisements from the 1730s and 1750 found in the Derby Mercury newspaper. Whilst its not (yet) possible to work out which houses are referred to; it’s worth looking at the meaning of some of the terms used. The Derby Mercury ran from 1732 to 1900. From 1882 to 2008 Sawley’s local paper was the Long Eaton Advertiser. Messuage. This means a house together with its outbuildings and adjacent land. The legal definition is still current, but the term was often used in adverts for houses in the 18th and 19th century. Lady Day (the Feast of the Annunciation) is 25th March. It is the first of the English quarter days (the others being Midsummer Day (24 June), Michaelmas (29 September) and Christmas (25 December). The cross-quarter days are Candlemas (2 February), May Day (1 May), Lammas (1 August), and All Hallows (1 November). Until 1752 Lady Day was the first day of the civil year in England, Wales and the American colonies (from 1752 it became 1 January to harmonise with Scotland). In the same year the Julian calendar was replaced by the Gregorian calendar, which meant dates advanced by 11 days. So, the ‘old’ Lady Day […]
Society AGM followed by Bob Neill – More Bits and Bobs A quiz about the objects from my grandfather’s shop and my grandmother’s house Monday 27th January 2020 at 8pm, All Welcome, Members Free, Visitors £4 Sawley Church Hall, Tamworth Road, Old Sawley
Please note this is not a valuation evening. Monday 25th November 2019 at 8pm. All Welcome. Members £1.50 / Visitors £4. Sawley Church Hall, Tamworth Road, Old Sawley
Monday 28th October 2019 at 8pm. All Welcome. Members £1.50, Visitors £4. Sawley Church Hall, Tamworth Road, Old Sawley. Full poster.
A look at the memorials of All Saints Church that commemorate some of the interesting people who have lived and worked in the community of Sawley. Monday 23rd September 2019 at 8pm. All Welcome. Members £1.50 / Visitors £4.Sawley Church Hall, Tamworth Road, Old Sawley Link to Poster
SAWLEY AND DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY presents a talk by Julia Powell on artist Dame Laura Knight. Monday 27th May 2019 at 8pm. All Welcome. Members £1.50. Visitors £4. Sawley Church Hall, Tamworth Road, Old Sawley Poster
SAWLEY AND DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY presents a talk by Rod Pearson – When Mat & Mel Came to Town. Ordnance Survey in South Derbyshire in the 19th Century. Monday 29th April 2019 at 8pm. All Welcome. Members £1.50, Visitors £4. Sawley Church Hall, Tamworth Road, Old Sawley. Poster
SAWLEY AND DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY presents a talk by Andy Smart – Nottingham’s Theatre History. Monday 25th March 2019 at 8pm. All Welcome. Members £1.50, Visitors £4. Sawley Church Hall, Tamworth Road, Old Sawley
SAWLEY AND DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY present a talk by Jo Golby – Top To Toe, The Price of Vanity. Monday 25th February 2019 at 8pm. All Welcome. Members £1.50; Visitors £4. Sawley Church Hall, Tamworth Road, Old Sawley
Event: Sawley And District Historical Society AGM To be followed by an illustrated talk by Martin Garnett: The Medieval Longbow Monday 28th January 2019 at 8pm All Welcome Members Free Visitors £4 Sawley Church Hall, Tamworth Road, Old Sawley
SAWLEY AND DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY present a talk by Richard Stone: The History of Cartography Monday 26th November 2018 at 8pm All Welcome Members £1.50 Visitors £4 Sawley Church Hall Tamworth Road Old Sawley
“As I remember Sawley, it was a lovely village with farms all around us. Mr. Bates, two Mr. Bradley Smiths, Mr. Gregory, Mr. Grammer, Church Farm. The fields were beautiful when harvest time, with horses pulling carts, and we as children catching a ride underneath and grabbing corn to eat. I remember walking into a telegraph post on Draycott Road, near Shirley Street, and what a bang on the nose. When the cows came out, I used to collect the manure for the late Mr. Rice who lived near Dr. Clifford’s house, Wilne Road, opposite the late Mr. Kirkland’s buses and petrol pump. I was a pupil at Old Sawley Infants school, moved to Sawley Junior School which now is a motor showroom. I was there till the outbreak of WWII, 1939. I left on my 14th birthday and worked for the late Mr. Jarvis, Wilsthorpe Road, named Paragon Works, wood working; wage £1. !Os, eight till five pm. My father worked at Sheet Stores, British Railway for 50 years, as a workshop and shunter, sometimes all night shift work. I remember going for his wages to keep nine of us, £2.10s.0. Trent Lock was my favourite walk, and Wilne […]