By the late 19th century there were five inns and another five beer houses in Sawley.
There are still four public houses in the centre of the village. The Nags Head, White Lion and Harrington Arms are all on Tamworth Road – once the main route from Nottingham to Birmingham. And the Railway Inn is only 160 yards from the Nags’ – just past what was the New Inn.
Old Sawley also had the Lion and Dragon for a while. New Sawley has the Bell Inn and, until recently, the Royal Oak. And there’s the two pubs at Trent Lock – originally called the Trent Navigation and Erewash Navigation.
The Plank and Leggit (opened in 1996) is over the Leicestershire boundary, in Hemington parish.
And not forgetting the 21st century micro-pubs:
The Lock Keeper’s Rest
Now sadly closed, this micro pub was in the lock keeper’s cottage at Sawley Lock.
The Sawley Junction
Occupying the former New Sawley branch of the Midland Bank, the Sawley Junction has adopted the original name of the nearby railway station. The logo features a Midland Railway station totem sign.