Chesterton, Staffordshire

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chesterton
Holy Trinity Church, Chesterton.jpg
Holy Trinity Church
Chesterton is located in Staffordshire
Chesterton
Chesterton
Location within Staffordshire
Population7,421 (2011 census)
OS grid referenceSJ832494
District
  • Newcastle-under-Lyme
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNewcastle
Postcode districtST5
Dialling code01782
PoliceStaffordshire
FireStaffordshire
AmbulanceWest Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Staffordshire
53°02′33″N 2°15′03″W / 53.0424°N 2.2509°W / 53.0424; -2.2509Coordinates: 53°02′33″N 2°15′03″W / 53.0424°N 2.2509°W / 53.0424; -2.2509

Chesterton is a former mining village in Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England.

Chesterton is the second largest individual ward in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. In the 2011 census, Chesterton's population stood at 7,421.

History[]

Monument showing the distance from Chesterton to other Roman settlements

Roman Chesterton[]

Chesterton was the site of a Roman fort, built on an area now occupied by Chesterton Community Sports College. There is little indication of how long the fort was in use but it is believed to have been constructed in the late 1st Century AD.[1] A vicus was built at nearby Holditch, where it is believed that some inhabitants may have mined for coal.[2]

There have been various excavations at the site. Excavations in 1895 revealed the fort's vallum, fosse (moat) and parts of the east and west defensive structures. Later excavations in 1969 uncovered further sections of the eastern ramparts.[3]

Later history[]

Chesterton was a parish in the Wolstanton Rural District from 1894 to 1904. Following that, it became part of the Wolstanton United Urban District until 1932, when it was added to the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. The main employer in Chesterton was Holditch Colliery. The colliery employed 1,500 men and mined ironstone in addition to coal. Despite heavy investment in the 1960s and 1970s the colliery closed down in 1988, just three years after the end of the year-long miners' strike. Many of the miners transferred to nearby Silverdale Colliery, which itself closed down on Christmas Eve 1998. The current site of Holditch Colliery is now a large business park.

Holditch Colliery disaster[]

Main article: Holditch Colliery disaster

The Holditch Colliery disaster was a coal mining accident occurring on 2 July 1937 at the Holditch Colliery, which at one point was the main employer in the village. In total, 30 men died and eight were injured.[4] An investigation was conducted into the indcident. The original fire was concluded to have originated in the coal cutting machine and was due to frictional heat produced by the picks in the cut with subsequent explosions being caused by firedamp. The investigation concluded that the rescue plans were insufficient and adopted to save costs at the expense of lives.[5] Today a memorial stands to the victims at Apedale Heritage Centre.

Education[]

There are four primary schools in the village: Churchfields Primary, Chesterton Primary, Crackley Bank Primary and St. Chad's Primary; and one Secondary school: Chesterton Community Sports College.

Religion[]

Chesterton is home to five churches: Holy Trinity C of E Church,[6] Elim Pentecostal Church, St Johns the Evangelist Church,[7] Chesterton United Reform Church,[8] and St Chad's Church.[9]

Places of interest[]

Train at Apedale Valley Light Railway station, Apedale Country Park, near Chesterton

Notable people[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ White, Roger; Hodder, Mike (eds.), Clash of Cultures?: The Romano-British Period in the West Midlands, The Making of the West Midlands, vol. 3, Oxford: Oxbow, p. 142, ISBN 1785709259
  2. ^ White, Roger; Hodder, Mike (eds.), Clash of Cultures?: The Romano-British Period in the West Midlands, The Making of the West Midlands, vol. 3, Oxford: Oxbow, p. 145, ISBN 1785709259
  3. ^ Hunt, Leon (2012). An archaeological desk-based assessment for land at Holditch House, London Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire (Report). University of Leicester Archaeological Services.
  4. ^ "HOLDITCH COLLIERY DISASTER. (Hansard, 5 July 1937)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  5. ^ "HOLDITCH. Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. 2nd. July, 1937" (PDF). cmhrc.co.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2010.
  6. ^ Holy Trinity Church, Chesterton website retrieved 17 February 2019
  7. ^ The Catholic Parish of St John the Evangelist in Chesterton website retrieved 17 February 2019
  8. ^ The United Reformed Churches of North Staffordshire, Chesterton URC website retrieved 17 February 2019
  9. ^ St Chad's Church Red Street website retrieved 17 February 2019

External links[]

Retrieved from ""