Burton upon Trent in East Staffordshire - A Brief look at the History of the Town

By: Sherie Woody

Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or purely Burton, is a large town spanning the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. The people of Burton are known as "Burtonians".

Burton is known worldwide for its brewing heritage, residence to in excess of a dozen breweries in its heyday. It at first grew up around Burton-on-Trent Abbey, the monastery of Saint Modwen, and had expanded into a hectic market town by the early modern era. Even as Burton's great bridge across the Trent was in poor condition by the early 1500s it served as "a comen passage to and fro many countries to the grett releff and comfort of travellyng people", according to the abbot. The town, which had an projected population of 64,449 according to the 2001 Census, is inside the National Forest.

There is an amount of confusion as to whether Burton on Trent is found in the West Midlands or the East Midlands, even though all of the urban centre is southwest of the River Dove, which forms the Derbyshire/Staffordshire border. This is in all probability because it was previously within the East Midlands Utility (electricity and gas) areas, and has Derbyshire postcodes (DE13-DE15).

For hundreds of years, Burton has been connected with the brewing industry. This is due to the quality of the local water, which contains a great percentage of dissolved salts, mainly caused by the gypsum in the nearby hills. This allowed a larger proportion of hops, a natural preservative, to be included in the beer, thus allowing the beer to be transported greater distances. A large amount of the open land within and around the town is protected from chemical treatment to aid safeguard this water superiority.

The opening of the River Trent Navigation at the start of the 18th century permitted Burton beer to be transported to Hull, and to Prussia and on to the Baltic Sea, as well as to London where it was being sold in 1712. Numerous breweries began trading in the latter half of the 18th century to gain advantage of this trade. The Napoleonic blockade brought this to a stop, leading to some consolidation and a redirection of the commerce to London and Lancashire via canals. When Burton brewers succeeded in replicating the Pale ale created in London, the benefit of the water’s qualities allowed the growth of the trade of Burton India Pale Ale (an ale specially brewed to keep during the lengthy sea journey to India). The building of rail links to Liverpool enabled brewers to export their beer throughout the British Empire.

Burton on trent came to dominate this trade, and at its height a quarter of all beer sold in Britain was produced in the town. In the latter half of the 19th century there was a development in native breweries, supplemented by outside brewing businesses moving into the area so that more than 30 breweries were recorded in 1880. However at the commencement of the 20th century there was a collapse in beer sales causing numerous breweries to be unsuccessful, unhelped by the Liberal government’s anti-drinking policy. This time though, no fresh markets were found and so the breweries shrank by closure and consolidation from 20 in 1900 to 8 in 1928. A further process of mergers and buy-outs resulted in three major breweries remaining by 1980: Bass, Ind Coopes and Marstons. In the present day, just Burton Bridge brewery remains as an independent brewer.

The town's association with the brewing industry is celebrated by a sculpture of the Burton Cooper, which is now located in the Coopers Square shopping centre in the middle of the town.

Article Source: https://www.collectibles-articles.com

For further details about Burton upon Trent, visit www.inburton.co.uk

Related Items on eBay:

Girl Roses Burton on Trent Queen Victoria Stamp Heidelberg Germany 1899 Postcard
$47.95

Burton-on-Trent Thimble SALUTATION INN Nottingham Sewing Souvenir English China
$12.00

Ephemera Burton On Trent 1941 The Methodist Church Certificates.
$17.40

c19th Century Burton On Trent Cover Postal History Stamp with Wax Seal
$26.78

Burton-On-Trent: Its Waters and Its Breweries by William [Leather Bound]
$47.18

RARE Ind Coope 1856 Burton on Trent Pub Bar advertising sign glass HAND cast
$399.99

Print This Article

Comments Closed

Add To Favorites

Email to Friends

Publisher Ready