Alrewas
| Alrewas | |
| Staffordshire | |
|---|---|
 Lychgate and west tower of All Saints' parish church | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SK1715 |
| Location: | 52°43’55"N, 1°44’56"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 2,852 (2011) |
| Post town: | Burton on Trent |
| Postcode: | DE13 |
| Dialling code: | 01283 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Lichfield |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Lichfield |
| Website: | Alrewas Parish Council |
Alrewas is a village and parish in Staffordshire, adjacent to the border with Derbyshire. The village is beside the River Trent and about five miles north-east of Lichfield. The parish is bounded by the Trent to the north and east, and by field boundaries to the south and west. The A38 road passes the village, which is just inside the boundary of the National Forest.
The 2011 Census recorded the parish population as 2,852.[1]
Toponym
The toponym "Alrewas" is derived from the Old English Alor-wæsse, meaning "alluvial land growing with alder trees".[2]
Places of interest
The A38 dual carriageway follows the line of Ryknild Street, a Roman road that linked what are now Gloucestershire and Yorkshire.
Orgreave Hall is a brick-built country house in Alrewas parish about 1¼ miles north-west of the village. It was built in 1668 and extended in the early 18th century.[3]
The Trent and Mersey Canal was built between 1766 and 1777. It passes through Alrewas, where north-east of the village it has a junction with the River Trent.
The South Staffordshire Line of the South Staffordshire Railway was built through the parish in the 1840s and Alrewas railway station]was opened in 1849. British Railways closed the station in 1965, but this part of the line remains open.
East of Alrewas is the National Memorial Arboretum, dedicated to remembering those lost due to warfare since the Second World War.
Churches
The Church of England parish church is All Saints in Church Lane. The oldest parts of the building are 12th-century. Some Norman work remains but much of the present building is Gothic from the 13th, 14th and 16th centuries. The font is 15th-century. The pulpit is Jacobean, made in 1639. There is a monument by Thomas White to John Turton, who died in 1707. The church was restored in 1997. All Saints' is a Grade-I-listed building.[4]
The Methodist Churc] is in Post Office Road opposite the Crown Inn. It is a Gothic Revival brick building completed in 1928. In 1989 due to rot the roof was renewed. At the same time a new floor was laid, involving the removal of pews and organ.
Public houses
The village has three pubs: the Crown Inn, the George and Dragon and the William IV. The Crown is a pub and restaurant in Post Office Road.[5] The George and Dragon is an 18th-century building in Main Street.[6] The William IV was three cottages until the 1830s, when it was converted into a pub.
Restaurant and takeaways
The Delhi Divan is a South Asian restaurant in Kings Bromley Road beside Bagnall Lock on the canal.[7] It used to be a pub, formerly called the Navigation and latterly The Old Boat. Alrewas has also a fish and chip shop and a Cantonese takeaway.
The National Memorial Arboretum
- Main article: National Memorial Arboretum
The National Memorial Arboretum is at Alrewas. It "honours the fallen, recognises service and sacrifice, and fosters pride in our country". The Arboretum is a charity run by staff and volunteers, and part of The Royal British Legion group of charities. An Act of Remembrance, including a silence, is observed daily in the Millennium Chapel. The Arboretum receives about 300,000 visitors a year.
Culture
The village holds the biennial Alrewas Festival every other summer. It is an eight-day free festival that includes workshops, performances, exhibitions and events in Alrewas village. It features local artistic and artisan talents. The workshops range from silk painting to film making. There is fund raising including auctions and sales to meet the festival's costs. It culminates in a Sunday daytime to evening event of live music, comedy and interactive arts in Alrewas Park that attracts thousands of party-goers from surrounding villages and towns.
Each year the village hosts the Alrewas Show, which is a registered charity. It includes a walking carnival procession, galloping acrobatics, a falconry display, miniature steam display, Punch and Judy show, livestock display, fairground rides and attractions, trade stands, historic cars, farm machinery and music.
References
- ↑ "Area: Alrewas (Parish): Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11119959&c=Alrewas&d=16&e=62&g=6463483&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1455712121077&enc=1&nsjs=true&nsck=false&nssvg=false&nswid=947. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
- ↑ "Key to English Place-Names". University of Nottingham. http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Staffordshire/Alrewas.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1374275: Orgreave Hall and attached Stables (Grade II listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1038926: Church of All Saints (Grade I listing)
- ↑ The Crown Alrewas
- ↑ National Heritage List 1038923: The George and Dragon (Grade II listing)
- ↑ Delhi Divan Alrewas
- ↑ National Heritage List 1038921: Shakespeare Cottage (Grade II listing)
Further reading
- Pevsner, Nikolaus (1974). Staffordshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 53–54. ISBN 0-14-071046-9.
- Stubbs, Norman (1987). A History of Alrewas. Alrewas: RN Stubbs. ISBN 0-9511946-0-7.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Alrewas) |