A TO Z HIGHLIGHTS OF SOUTH DERBYSHIRE - PART 9
STANTON
Stanton is a small village to the southwest of Newhall. Where recent house building has taken along the A444. Stanton Methodist Church is on Park Road and Stanton Nurseries and Garden Centre is on the main road.
STANTON-BY-BRIDGE
Stanton-by-Bridge is a quiet, retiring little village, apart from on the eastern side where the busy A514 disturbs the air of peace and tranquillity. The road is particularly busy at weekends when motor and motorbike racing is taking place at nearby Castle Donington and the roar of engines can be heard throughout Stanton if the wind is blowing in that direction.
The village street is composed of several old farmhouses that have mostly been converted into private dwellings and a mixture of old and new properties. St Michael’s Church at the west end of the main street is quite compact and incorporates structural evidence dating back to the Anglo Saxons and has a fine Norman doorway on the south side.
The most unusual building in Stanton is a former secret nuclear bunker, built during the height of the Cold War. It was intended for use by the military for monitoring purposes following a nuclear war. In 1968, it was closed before being reopened a second time in 1975 and then closed again in the 1990s. A secret no longer, the bunker was put on the market in recent years much to the surprise of the auctioneers who initially thought someone was having them on! It is sited close to the A514 Derby to Swadlincote road close to Melbourne on the east side of Stanton Hill.
STAUNTON HAROLD RESERVOIR – TOWER WINDMILL
Situated off the B587 Melbourne to Ashby Road, the Old Tower Windmill still stands proudly overlooking Staunton Harold Reservoir. It was built in 1797/8 by the first Lord Melbourne. However, by 1880 it had been abandoned. Subsequently, it has been restored to provide a viewing platform, but unfortunately, access is not available.
The reservoir was built between 1959 and 1964 to supply water to the Leicester area. Most of the reservoir is in Derbyshire but a small part of the southern shore is over the border in Leicestershire. It now provides opportunities for leisure and conservation activities. Wildflower meadows have been planted alongside the path near the sailing club and also recently planted woodland is very much in evidence on the northern side of the path.
STENSON FIELDS
The parish of Stenson Fields was created in 1983 from parts of Barrow upon Trent, Twyford and Stenson and sits alongside the parish of Sinfin. Although it is one of the smallest parishes in the area, it has one of the largest populations. The housing in the area mainly dates from the 1970s. Further development is currently in progress and a huge expansion of the surrounding area is planned.
There is one school in the parish, Stenson Fields Primary Community School, and one place of worship, Stenson Fields Christian Fellowship, which is an independent evangelical church. Also, there is a public house on Pilgrims Way. Sinfin District Centre with its parade of shops, a supermarket and other facilities provides for the needs of the local community.
STENSON
Stenson along with Twyford, its even smaller neighbour, is a civil parish in South Derbyshire. The Trent and Mersey Canal flows to the south of the settlement. A few yards away from the canal and marina is the Stenson Bubble Inn, a popular pub with a restaurant, accommodation and seating inside and out. The pub got its unusual name from a small spring on the downstream side of the lock.
The coffee shop at Stenson Lock overlooks the Trent and Mersey Canal, where you can sit and take refreshments while watching canal boats navigate the lock. The lock is the second deepest on the canal at 12 foot 6 inches in depth and, together with the red-brick road bridge behind it is Grade II listed.
SUTTON-ON-THE-HILL
Sutton-on-the-Hill is a somewhat remote rural village one and a half miles northwest of Hilton. As its name suggests is in a slightly elevated position. From the church, there are excellent views, particularly towards the Peak District. The remainder of Sutton is scattered around several country lanes, surrounded by farming country. At one time it was home to a cheese factory, but this has now been converted into houses. A mill was recorded in the village in the Domesday Book and a watermill still functioned by the brook until just before the Second World War. It is now a private house.
