Long Eaton

Long Eaton is a town in the Erewash district of Derbyshire, England. It lies just north of the River Trent about 7mi southwest of Nottingham and is part of the Nottingham Urban Area (the conurbation around Nottingham) but not part of the City of Nottingham. The population of the town was 37,760 at the 2011 census. The town is 9 miles east of the city of Derby. Since 1 April 1974, Long Eaton has been part of Erewash borough.HistoryLong Eaton is referred to as Aitone, in the Domesday Book. Several meanings are associated with this name, for example "farm between streams" or "low lying land". This agricultural settlement grew up close to the lowest bridging point of the River Erewash.In 1228 the village gained the "long" prefix due to its length. The cottages and farms straggled along the Market Place, High Street and Main Street.The "Great Fire of Long Eaton" ripped through 14 houses and several other building in the market place destroying them in 1694.The village remained a constant size until the coming of the railways in the nineteenth century. The Midland Counties Railway in 1839 and the Erewash Valley Line in 1844 provided transport links which 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 just north of the town.