Uttoxeter ) is a small
market townMarket town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
in
StaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, in the West Midlands region of
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The current population is approximately 12,000, though new developments in the town will increase this figure. Uttoxeter lies close to the
River DoveThe River Dove is the principal river of the south-western Peak District, in the East Midlands of England and is around in length. It rises on Axe Edge Moor near Buxton and flows generally south to its confluence with the River Trent at Newton Solney. From there, its waters reach the North Sea via...
and is near the cities of
Stoke-on-TrentStoke-on-Trent is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Kidsgrove, Stoke forms the The Potteries Urban Area...
,
DerbyDerby is a city in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
and
LichfieldLichfield is a city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. One of seven civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly 25 km north of Birmingham and 200 km northwest of London....
. It was twinned with
RaisdorfRaisdorf is a former municipality in the district of Plön, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approx. 9km southeast of Kiel. It is twinned with Uttoxeter, United Kingdom. On 1 March 2008, it was merged with Klausdorf to form the town Schwentinental....
in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
(with whom close links are still maintained), and
FumelFumel is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in south-western France.In 1438 it was pillaged by Rodrigo de Villandrando....
in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
.
History
Uttoxeter's name has had 79 spellings since it was mentioned in the Domesday Book as "Wotocheshede": it probably came from Anglo-Saxon
Wuttuceshǣddre = "Wuttuc's heath". Some historians point to pre-
RomanAncient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
settlement here and
Bronze AgeThe Bronze Age of a culture is the period when the most advanced metalworking in that culture utilised bronze. This could either have been based on the local smelting of copper and tin from ores, or trading for bronze from production areas elsewhere...
axes have been discovered in the town (now in display in Hanley museum.) It is possible that Uttoxeter had some form of Roman activity due to its strategic position on the River Dove and closeness to the large garrison forts at
RocesterRocester Rocester Rocester ( is a village and civil parish in the East Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. Its name is spelt Rowcestre in the Domesday Book.-Geography:...
between 69 and 400, and recently discovered fort at
StramshallStramshall is a village within the civil parish of Uttoxeter Rural in the county of Staffordshire, England.. The village is 2.1 miles north of the town of Uttoxeter, 16.3 miles north east of Stafford and 143 miles north west of London. The village lies 0.8 miles north of the A50 that links...
, though little collaborating archaeology has been found.
Uttoxeter also saw the last surrender (Royalist to Parliamentarian) of the
English Civil WarThe English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The first and second civil wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third war saw fighting between supporters of...
in 1646, when the Marquis of Hamilton surrendered to General Lambert.
Perhaps the most famous event to have occurred in Uttoxeter is the penance of
Samuel JohnsonSamuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, novelist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. Johnson was a devout Anglican and political conservative, and has been...
. Johnson's father ran a bookstall on Uttoxeter market, and young Samuel once refused to help out on the stall. When Johnson was older, he stood in the rain (without a hat) as a penance for his failure to assist his father. This event is commemorated with the Johnson Memorial, which stands in the Market Place, in the town centre and there is also an area of town called Johnson Road, which commemorates him.
Mary HowittMary Howitt was an English poet, and author of the famous poem The Spider and the Fly. She was born Mary Botham at Coleford, in Gloucestershire, the temporary residence of her parents, while her father, Samuel Botham, a prosperous quaker of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, was looking after some mining...
(Quaker writer of the poem 'The Spider and the Fly'), lived in Balance Street, Uttoxeter for a long period of her life. The town influenced some of her poems and novels, as well as fuelling her love of natural history, which also featured in her books. Howitt Crescent, a residential road in the town, was named after her. Recently, three of her poems were displayed in the town's bus shelters by the Uttoxeter Arts Festival Committee to increase awareness of art.
Bunting’s brewery occupied a large area of the centre of the town from Victorian times. It stopped producing beer in the 1930s after being bought by Bass Brewery of Burton on Trent. The last remains of the brewery were demolished in the 1960s to make way for the Maltings shopping precinct and car park. The brewery clock was recently re-furbished and installed on the town hall.
Uttoxeter was the birthplace of Joseph Cyril Bamford (creator of the
JCBJCB, or J.C.Bamford Excavators Limited. as it is more properly known, is a family business named after its founder J. C. Bamford, producing distinctive yellow-and-black engineering vehicles, diggers , excavators, tractors, and diesel engines...
Empire), who started his small business in a small garage in the town. Their international headquarters are now based in Rocester, a near-by village.
The Bamford family had previously started Bamfords, later Bamford International Farm Machinery which was a large employer in the town from the end of the 19th century through to the early 1980s when it gradually went into decline before closing in 1986. The company was famous for its bailers, hay turners, rakes, mangold cutters and standing engines, which were exported all over the world. The site was subsequently bought and used by JCB.
The Writer and Director,
Shane MeadowsShane Meadows is an English film director, screenwriter and occasional actor, from Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England. He is regarded as one of the rising stars of British cinema....
was born and brought up in Uttoxeter. Parts of his film, 'A Room for Romeo Brass' were filmed at Oldfield's Hall Middle School in 1997. He is also known for the films '24:7' and 'Once upon a Time in the Midlands'. Five of Shane Meadows' films, including his most recent at the time 'This is England', were shown at Cinebowl from the 18th to 22 June as part of the 2007 Flourish Festival.
Other notables include:
- Admiral Lord Gardner - commanded a younger Nelson) was born at the Manor house in the town in 1742, and died at Bath in 1810.
- Alex Newport
Alex Newport is a record producer and mixer. He has produced and/or mixed records for bands such as At The Drive-In, Mars Volta, Frank Turner, Two Gallants, O'Death, Rival Schools, Death Cab For Cutie, Piebald, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Knapsack, Polysics, The Melvins, Sepultura, System Of A...
- Record producer and musician who attended Thomas alleynes High School in the 1980s.
- Bartley Gorman
Bartley Gorman was an Irish Tinker Traveller who was the undefeated champion at Bare-knuckle boxing in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Between the years of 1972 and 1992 he held the title of Bareknuckle Champion of Great Britain & Ireland, often simply called the King of the Gypsies...
bare knuckle boxer, lived for many years in the town.
- Francis Redfern - Historian, the first writer to publish a history of the town in 1865.
- Henry Yevele
Henry Yevele was the most prolific and successful master mason active in late medieval England. The first document relating to him is dated 3 December 1353, when he purchased the freedom of London...
- Medieval architect.
- Jack Holland, writer and co-founder of the Rough Guides
Rough Guides Ltd is a travel guidebook and reference publisher, owned by Pearson PLC. Their travel titles cover more than 200 destinations, and are distributed worldwide through the Penguin Group...
travel series, attended Alleyne's Grammar School.
- Jayne Bostock, women's rights campaigner.
- Peter Vaughan
Peter Vaughan is an English character actor, known for many supporting roles in a variety of British film and television productions...
- actor who lived in the town for part of his young life.
- Robert Bakewell
Robert Bakewell may refer to:* Robert Bakewell , pioneering English farmer* Robert Bakewell , English wrought ironsmith* Robert Bakewell...
- Artist and Metal worker.
- Ruth Gledhill
Ruth Gledhill is the long-standing religion correspondent for The Times newspaper.Gledhill grew up in Gratwich a small village near Uttoxeter, as the daughter of the local vicar. She is married to Alan Franks, a Times feature writer...
, journalist, grew up in Gratwich.
- Sir Simon Degge, an antiquary, well known for his manuscript notes on Plot's Natural History of Staffordshire.
700 Year Market Charter Anniversary in 2008
Uttoxeter celebrated its 700 year anniversary of the awarding of a Market Charter (1308) in 2008, which underpins the market provision on Saturdays and Wednesdays in particular, and other festival markets. The 1308 charter followed a more general Royal Charter granted to the towns' burgesses in 1252. Copies of the charters can be seen in the Town Hall's Alan Dean Suite. The originals reside at the National Archives in Kew and the Deferrers Museum in Leicester.
Economy
The main employers in Uttoxeter are JCB, makers of construction, agricultural machinery and heavy products, at three sites in the local area, and Fox's Biscuits' (previously Elkes' and Adams). Elkes were the creators of the famous
Malted milk (biscuit)The malted milk is a type of biscuit, first produced by Elkes Biscuits of Uttoxeter in 1924.They are named after their malt flavouring and milk content. There are three main variations of the design which varies from company to company...
. Also nearby is the
Alton TowersAlton Towers is a theme park and resort located in the grounds of a former stately home in Staffordshire, England. It attracted 3.1 million visitors in 2008, making it the second most visited theme park in the UK after Pleasure Beach Blackpool. Alton Towers is the 11th most visited theme park in...
Theme Park and Resort, and the
Peak DistrictThe Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
national park.
Agriculture is still a big part of the local economy. The town is set in rich dairy farming country, and previously housed a large dairy and was historically a major trader in butter and cheese. Currently the local dairy is at Fole, 5 miles to the north of the town.
Another major attraction of Uttoxeter is the
racecourseUttoxeter Racecourse is a National Hunt racecourse in the town of Uttoxeter, in Staffordshire, England.The course has a circumference of around one mile and two furlongs and is a left-handed oval with an unusual right-handed kink in the middle of the back straight.Although National Hunt racing is...
, which is home to the Midlands Grand National.
Dialect
- Locals often refer to the town as Utcheter - Ut-chee-tah - which probably closely resembles the original pronunciation of the Anglo Saxon name - "Wotocheshede". A very select group of young locals colloquially refer to it as Utah (sometimes spelled Uttah), Uttoh and Utox.
- Uttoxeter residents are known as Uxonians.
- One of the local papers, the Uttoxeter Advertiser, is referred to as the Stunner.
Transport
Uttoxeter is on the main
A50The A50 is a major trunk road in England. It runs from Warrington to Leicester; however it used to be a much longer route.-Current route:...
and has a mainline railway station,
Uttoxeter railway stationUttoxeter railway station serves the town of Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, England. It is on the Crewe to Derby Line and is managed by East Midlands Trains....
which was opened by the
North Staffordshire RailwayThe North Staffordshire Railway was a British railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Staffordshire Potteries and surrounding areas in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shropshire....
on October 1, 1881, however, there were earlier stations opened by the North Staffordshire Railway, with full information to be found at Uttoxeter railway station. The bus stop next to the station runs an hourly service to
CheadleCheadle is a small market town near Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, with a population of 12,158 according to the 2001 census. It is roughly from the city of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Birmingham and south of Manchester...
, Hanley and Alton Towers (32A).
Buses to
StaffordStafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway...
run every 2 hours; buses to
Burton upon TrentBurton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a large town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian".Burton is best known for its brewing heritage...
run every hour. The 32A operated by First PMT (Potteries) runs every two hours departing from Hanley and arriving at Uttoxeter. There is a revised time table in the summer where frequency of this service is extended to every hour.
At one time it was also the terminus of a branch of the
Caldon CanalThe Caldon Canal , opened in 1779, runs 18 miles from Etruria, in Stoke-on-Trent where it leaves the Trent and Mersey Canal at the summit level, to Froghall, Staffordshire...
(aka the
Uttoxeter CanalThe Uttoxeter Canal was a thirteen-mile extension of the Caldon Canal running from Froghall as far as Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, England. It was authorised in 1797, but did not open until 1811. With the exception of the first lock and basin at Froghall, it closed in 1849, in order that the...
), although most signs of this, apart from an area of Uttoxeter called "The Wharf", have now disappeared - largely because much of the bed of the canal was used in the 19th century as the route of the North Staffordshire Railway main line from Uttoxeter to
MacclesfieldMacclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, with a population of about 50,688...
(which has now also disappeared).
The nearest airport to the town is East Midlands, which is about 16 miles away.
Schools
Uttoxeter has a three-tier schooling system that consists of several First Schools, three Middle Schools (Oldfields Hall Middle School, Windsor Park Middle School and Ryecroft Middle School, Rocester) and a High School. The High School,
Thomas Alleyne'sThomas Alleyne's High School is a secondary school in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England. It is one of three schools founded in 1558 from the will of Thomas Alleyne. It has four different coloured houses: Elkes , Orme , Torrence and Whitmore...
, has over 1,400 pupils, an
astroturfAstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Though the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf...
football pitch, swimming pool,
gymThe word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium and several grass football pitches. Thomas Alleyne's is the only High School in Staffordshire that offers an accelerated mathematics course, RAF fast track scheme and a farm. The school also includes a Sixth Form Centre, and is one of three schools founded by the 16th century priest
Thomas AlleyneThomas Alleyne was an English priest from Uttoxeter of the sixteenth century.In his will he endowed three schools:*The Thomas Alleyne School, Stevenage, Hertfordshire,*Alleyne's High School, Stone, Staffordshire...
.
Prior to this educational structure, the town had a selective secondary and Grammar School system which consisted of Oldfields Boys School, Oldfields Girls School and Alleyne's Grammar.
Uttoxeter Rugby Union Football Club
Uttoxeter Rugby ClubUttoxeter Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union club that plays in the Midlands Division.-History:Uttoxeter Rugby Football Club was formed in 1982...
was formed in 1982 when JCB Rugby club began to play its games at Oldfields sport and social club in Uttoxeter establishing the first
RugbyRugby union is a full contact team sport, a form of football which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. It is played with an oval-shaped ball, outdoors on a level field, usually with a grass surface, 100 m...
side in the town traditionally associated with football. In those days there was no league structure in place nationally so Uttoxeter played "friendly" fixture and developed great rivalries with other local sides including
Cannock and
Rugeley to name two which have endured over the last 20 years.
Uttoxeter Civic Society
Uttoxeter Civic SocietyIn the United Kingdom a civic society is a voluntary body or society which aims to represent the needs of a local community.A civic society may campaign for high standards of planning of new buildings or traffic schemes, conservation of historic buildings, and may present awards for good standards...
was re-established in 2004 to act as a civic watchdog and to protect and promote the history and heritage of Uttoxeter. The Civic Society's range of activities can be found on their
website.
The Flourish Festival
The 2007 Flourish Festival was a huge success, bringing local, national and international talents to Uttoxeter. The voluntary group held over 30 different events from the 16th to 23 June attracting over 1,600 visitors.
Visual Arts & Film, Drama, Dance, Music and Food based activities were run throughout the week celebrating the arts in Uttoxeter.
The 2008 festival is scheduled to take place from Friday 20th to Saturday 28 June and plans currently include a music weekend, visual art galleries and taster sessions, amateur dramatic performances and a film festival celebrating Uttoxeter's heritage.
More information is available on their
website, including pictures and videos from 2007 and 2006.
The Uttoxeter Lions
Each year, the Uttoxeter Lions run a successful Bonfire and Fireworks Night in November and an annual Christmas fair and market called the Christmas Cracker in the town centre every December. The 2006 Cracker Night took place on Thursday 14 December.
Uttoxeter Lions also hold a book sale on the first Saturday of each month at the
St John's AmbulanceSt John Ambulance, branded as St John in some territories, is a common name used by a number of affiliated organisations in different countries dedicated to the teaching and practice of medical first aid and the provision of ambulance services, all of which derive their origins from the St John...
Brigade Hall on Carter Street, 10.00 am - 2.00 pm, admission free.
Uttoxeter Town Brass Band
Uttoxeter Town Brass Band is a Brass band based in Uttoxeter. They are asked to play at many concerts and events in the town such as Remembrance Sunday, Christmas Fairs and school events.
The Uttoxeter Farmers Market
Since 28 June 2007, Uttoxeter's new Market Place has been home to a new Farmers' Market, run by the local NFU. The market is held on the last Saturday of every month and is becoming larger and larger each time. The market is a huge benefit to the town and was spurred on by the successes of the previous two food festivals held during Flourish Festival week.
TV and Radio
Uttoxeter receives East Midlands Television from the relay station in Ashborne;
local radio stations include
BBC Radio DerbyBBC Radio Derby is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Derbyshire. It covers all but the northern tip of the county, and also serves eastern Staffordshire, mainly Uttoxeter and Burton upon Trent. It broadcasts from its studios in Derby on 104.5, 95.3 and 96.0 FM and 1116 AM...
,
BBC Radio Stoke BBC Radio Stoke is a BBC Local Radio station in England, for the area of North and Mid Staffordshire and South Cheshire. The station began broadcasting programmes on 14 March 1968 as BBC Radio Stoke-on-Trent....
, Touch,
Signal 1Signal One is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting from studios in Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent to Staffordshire and Cheshire, England on 96.4 , 96.9 and 102.6 MHz FM for Cheshire, Stafford and North Staffordshire respectively. It also broadcasts on the Stoke "UTV-EMAP Stoke-on-Trent" DAB...
and Ashborne Radio.
A film directed by
Shane MeadowsShane Meadows is an English film director, screenwriter and occasional actor, from Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England. He is regarded as one of the rising stars of British cinema....
titled '
This is EnglandThis Is England is a 2007 drama film written and directed by Shane Meadows, director of films such as Dead Man's Shoes and A Room for Romeo Brass.The film is centred on young skinheads, and is set in England in July 1983...
' is based in Uttoxeter following a young boy growing up on the 'Bronx' council estate during the 80s in the town.
Television Appearances
Uttoxeter obtained minor fame as the setting of a recurring
comedy sketchSketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
by comedians
Stephen FryStephen John Fry is a British actor, writer, comedian, author, television presenter and film director. With Hugh Laurie, as the comedy double act Fry and Laurie, he co-wrote and co-starred in A Bit of Fry and Laurie, and the duo also played the title roles in Jeeves and Wooster...
and
Hugh LaurieJames Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , best known as Hugh Laurie, is an English actor, comedian, writer, and musician.He first reached fame as one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, along with his friend and comedy partner, Stephen Fry, and then as a cast member of Blackadder. Since 2004, he has...
in their
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
television series
A Bit of Fry and LaurieA Bit of Fry & Laurie, sometimes known as ABOFAL, was a British television series starring former Cambridge Footlights members Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, broadcast on both BBC2 and also BBC1 between 1989 and 1995. It ran for four series and totaled 26 episodes, including a 35 minute pilot episode...
. In one episode of the sketch, two obnoxious business entrepreneurs (who run various companies in Uttoxeter throughout the series) develop grand plans for a popular sports centre. There is indeed a sports centre in Uttoxeter, although it is not run by comedians and the sketch derives its humour from the fact that Uttoxeter is in fact a very quiet and sedate town. The name can also be said with mild humorous effect.
The town also featured in Country File, as a 'mystery town'. The towns' cattle market featured in the programme, ironically it was the last cattle market ever in the town centre site in 2005. Local people participated in the programme from the local Uttoxeter Advertiser and Uttoxeter Racecourse staff.
Oldfields Hall Middle School was featured in the film
A Room for Romeo BrassA Room for Romeo Brass is a 1999 film directed and written by Shane Meadows. It was co-written by frequent Meadows collaborator Paul Fraser....
, written and directed by Shane Meadows and Paul Fraser, two Uxonians who have risen to fame.
The town also featured in a critically praised short story entitled
The Long, Long Road to Uttoxeter by journalist and TV presenter
Rod LiddleRod Liddle is an English journalist best known for his period as editor of BBC Radio 4's Today programme.-Career:...
in his book
Too Beautiful for You.
Top GearTop Gear is a BBC television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style. The show is currently presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond...
presenter and journalist
Jeremy ClarksonJeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster and journalist who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
has previously written that his favourite car journey of all time was in an
Aston MartinAston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in BuckinghamshireFrom 1994 until 2007...
from
Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England...
to Uttoxeter Race Course. He also said in the Sunday Times that the countryside around Uttoxeter was as pretty as any in
CornwallCornwall is a county of England in the United Kingdom, forming the tip of the south-western peninsula of Great Britain. It is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Taken with the...
.
Utoxeter Racecourse has been used on several occasions as the racecourse visited by residents of the popular soap
Coronation StreetCoronation Street is an award-winning prime time soap opera set and produced in Manchester created by Tony Warren...
.
Places of Interest
- St. Mary's Catholic Church in Balance Street which was Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin's first church design.
- St. Mary's Church
- The Uttoxeter Heritage Centre is open to all on Carter Street. Free Entry.
- The Market Place contains the town's War Memorial, Millennium Monument and the Dr. Johnson Memorial.
- Uttoxeter Racecourse is one of Uttoxeter's most famous landmarks and is a short walk from the town centre.
- Uttoxeter Golf Course is a short walk from the main town.
- Bramshall Road Park is the town's recreational ground and offers tennis courts, skate ramps, a basketball court, a football pitch, a bowling green and two children's play areas, as well as floral arrangements and fields.
- The Quaker Meeting House on Carter Street.
- The Wednesday and Saturday Markets are held weekly in the town's Market Place.
- The Spook Market is run every Friday in the town's newly refurbished Market Place.
- The Alton Towers Resort is around from Uttoxeter.
- The Peak District National Park is about 20 miles away.
- Smallwood Manor, formerly a country house, now home to Smallwood Manor Preparatory School
Town Centre Improvements
Uttoxeter has recently gone through a development scheme, with the Market Place, High Street and Carter Street having undergone a complete transformation. The work was carried out by Staffordshire County Council and the main elements are now complete. One part of the High Street is still awaiting completion, due to the Cattle Market's development. The £1.5million project was run by the
UttoxeterPlus programme.
Dovefields Retail Park
Dovefields Retail Park was first created in 1998 with the opening of a Tesco supermarket on the edge of the town. There is still a lot of controversy regarding the store, which was extended to around in 2008. Tesco Uttoxeter is a very successful store; its location outside the town centre resulted in shop closures throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s as the High Street area became less visited.
The retail park was further expanded in 2002 with the creation of seven large retail outlets, which feature Focus, Argos, Brantano, Pets at Home and Carpet Right.
In 2005, work commenced on the new entertainment development situated between Focus and Tesco. The development was officially opened in September 2006 with an opening party and laser show. This complex has been built by M.J. Barrett Developments and is home to a bowling alley, a 3-screen cinema, a children's crèche and a fitness centre (opening autumn 2007). These facilities are a welcome addition to the town's infrastructure and were used for the Flourish Fesitval's film event.
Around this time, a branch of Frankie & Benny's was opened on the corner to the entrance of Tesco, and a KFC outlet has since been completed, with another similar building under construction.
The Cattle Market Development 'Carters' Square'
The old Cattle Market, which closed in November 2005, has been demolished to make-way for a retail and housing development, consisting of of retail space. The land was bought from Bagshaws by the Town Council, and sold on to Taylor Woodrow for around £3million.
The start date had been set at
November 2005, though due to public pressure to include more car parking and the Town and Borough Councils not being satisfied with the finalised designs, this has now been put back.
The project should be complete in 2009 and will feature retail space, housing and 200 extra car parking spaces.
The new Cattle Market is soon to be built by M.J. Barrett on the outskirts of the town.
Uttoxeter Town Hall
The existing Town Hall is currently under evaluation to ascertain if it can fulfil a wider range of functions. The 'Matthew Hart', as it has been termed, is not generating enough revenue to sustain itself. Therefore the council has invited two developers to advance ideas for its progression. One of the candidates, Taylor Woodrow, is also currently working on the Cattle Market Development (see above).
Both themes include Cafe/Restaurants, with some space for community facilities. There has been some objection to the plans from members of the public. For now the Town Council is still deciding on what is best for the town.
The Flourish Festival proved however in 2007 that the Town Hall can be used for exciting activities to the benefit of the town and brought back a feeling of community cohesion and culture to the town.
The Town Council in August 2007 released a new scheme called 'Option Two'. This involves the Council keeping charge of the Town Hall and developing it themselves. The main changes to the existing building are:
- The creation of a new floor in the Main Hall. The ground floor will be leased to a retail company, while the newly created first floor will be for community use. Due to the building being Grade II listed, the existing balcony has to be kept in the design, and therefore raised towards the ceiling.
- The use of the cellar. Plans are being made to create a youth facility within the cellar of the building, which previously housed the town police station and mortuary, and which currently houses the old toilets (which used to be accessible from the front of the building) and the town's Christmas decorations.
- The blocking up of several walls to create separate areas, including to the left of the Foyer to create a separate office space, accessible from outside the Town Hall's main entrance.
Negative parts of the plan, raised by some members of the public include:
- The sale of the rear land.
- Not enough space designated for arts use.
- The Council's keenness to continue with weddings which stops community use if one is taking place.
Architects have now become involved and the plans should now start to develop further. The land to the rear has now been sold for a small amount to Taylor Wimpey reducing any chances of the building enlarging in the future.
The JCB Site
JCB submitted plans in August 2007 to change the use of its factory to domestic housing (around 250 houses), parkland, offices, retail unit (a supermarket) and a petrol station. As of 2009, the company has completed the £40 million move of the Heavy Products division from the facility in the Town Centre to a plot of land on the A50 near to the World Parts Centre. The old facility now stands empty until the site's ultimate fate is decided.
Criticisms have been made regarding the proximity of the proposed retail unit and petrol station to current housing. Questions have also been raised regarding the need for another supermarket for the town and what affects this would have on the Town Centre, which has already seen a decline in trade since the development of the Dovefields Retail Park.
External links