Castle Donington
| Castle Donington | |
| Leicestershire | |
|---|---|
 Parish church of St Edward, King and Martyr | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SK446272 |
| Location: | 52°50’40"N, 1°20’16"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 6,416 (2011) |
| Post town: | Derby |
| Postcode: | DE74 |
| Dialling code: | 01332 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | North West Leicestershire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
North West Leicestershire |
Castle Donington is a village in Leicestershire, standing on the edge of the National Forest close to East Midlands Airport.
Transport and housing
Castle Donington stands on the former Nottingham to Birmingham trunk road. The town is a mix of the old and new, with modern shops mixed with dignified Georgian and Regency houses. Several timber framed houses dating from the 17th century and earlier survive along the main road.
The town has no railway station, but East Midlands Parkway opened early in 2008 at Ratcliffe-on-Soar providing links on the Midland Main Line.
In 1868 the Midland Railway opened the Castle Donington Line, which included Castle Donington and Shardlow railway station, on the northern edge of the town. The station was closed to regular passenger traffic in 1930, and closed completely and demolished in 1968. The access driveway still exists but for pedestrians only, and is the start of a footpath to Hemington, running past the site of the old goods yard, now a scrap yard. The railway remains open for substantial flows of freight traffic as an alternative to the route via Derby.
History
King's Mill, the nearby crossing on the River Trent, is mentioned in a charter issued by Æthelred the Unready in 1009 regarding the boundaries of Weston-on-Trent.[1]
Dunintune or Dunitone is mentioned twice in the Domesday Book of 1086 as having land belonging to Countess Ælfgifu]] and land assigned to Hugh d'Avranches.[2] It is called Castoldonyngtoin in a duchy of Lancaster warrant of 1484.
Castle Donington also had its own power station later operated by Powergen from 1990, which when originally built in 1958 was one of the largest coal-fired power stations in Europe, and was officially opened by Nikita Khrushchev then leader of the Soviet Union. It was closed in September 1994 and demolished in 1996.
Economy
East Midlands Airport is served by several major airlines including Ryanair, Jet2.Com, Thomson Airways (who have a training centre at the airport) and many others. DHL also has a base at the airport.
The Donington Park motor racing circuit is at Castle Donington.
Events
Once a year on May bank holiday Monday a mediæval market is held on the main shopping street in Castle Donington. This event comprises local stalls selling various kinds of produce and goods accompanied by dancing and music.
Usually during the last week of October each year the town hosts a travelling fair called Donington Wakes.
On the second Saturday of every month a farmers market is held on the playground of St Edward's C of E primary school.
A very large market known as Donington Sunday Market takes place virtually every Sunday at Donington Park.
Donington Park was the original venue for the Monsters of Rock festivals through the 1980s and 1990s, and is now the home of the annual Download Festival. It also hosted the Formula One European Grand Prix in April 1993. It was also set to be the home of the British Grand Prix from 2010 for at least 10 years,[3] but the agreement was cancelled due to financial problems.[4] The circuit also hosts the Donington Grand Prix Collection, the world's largest collection of Formula One and Grand Prix vehicles. Brian Henton, an F1 driver, was born in Castle Donington.
Sport
- Cricket: Castle Donington Town Cricket Club
- Football:
- Castle Donington Town Football Club
- Castle Donington Cobras
- Castle Donington Football Club
- Rugby: Castle Donington Rugby Union Football Club
Donington Park
Donington Park is a site near Castle Donington. Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it is leased by Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd from owner Tom Wheatcroft. Used as a motor racing track, it is also the venue for the Download Festival. Donington Park had a contract to stage the Formula One British Grand Prix for a period of 10 years from 2010 but this was later cancelled due to Donington Park's failing to secure the finances required to upgrade the track.[4]
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Castle Donington) |
References
- ↑ Weston - Charter of Æthelred, The Great Council, 1009, accessible at Derby records
- ↑ Domesday Book: A Complete Translation. London: Penguin Books. 2003. pp. 632, 648. ISBN 0-14-143994-7.
- ↑ Gorman, Edward (20 June 2008). "Donington on track to take race from Silverstone in a 10 year deal". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article4175951.ece. Retrieved 23 June 2008.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "No Donington GP, says Ecclestone". BBC News. 29 October 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8332525.stm. Retrieved 1 November 2009.