Little Eaton

Little Eaton is a village and civil parish in the borough of Erewash, Derbyshire, England. The population as taken at the 2011 Census was 2,430. The name originated from Anglo Saxon times and means the "little town by the water". It is on the former route of the old A61 (now B6179), just north of the Derby section of the A38. At the southern exit to the village from the A38, there used to be a Little Chef which closed in early 2012 and re opened as a Starbucks in 2013. Since 1974 the village has been part of the Borough of Erewash.

When St Peter's Park was first created, it was little more than a four acre fenced area of flat grass. Today, one corner of the park contains a children's play area, with swings, slides, tunnels and monkey bars. The rest of the park is given over to a football pitch, cricket pitch and tennis courts. The park is also used as the village primary school's playing field, the school lacking a field of its own. Also prominent in the park is the new Little Eaton village hall, opened in 2010 and heavily used by a wide range of clubs/groups of people in the village. In late June/early July, the village carnival is held. Following a week of events, the carnival concludes with a fancy dress parade from the top of the village at Westley Crescent through the village to the park. On the park a small fair sets up, along with book, white elephant and jewellery stalls, tombolas and refreshments and a barbecue serving meat from the local butchers. In the evening live music event are held in the local pubs. Little Eaton is a linear settlement and benefits from passing trade. There is a Co op on Alfreton Road next to the local primary school and cafe. The village also has a very popular Greek restaurant. On the opposite side of the road from the Co op is Barry Fitch butchers, established in 1969. Much of the meat is reared in the fields around Little Eaton. On the southern exit to the village is the Derby Garden Centre. There are four pubs: the New Inn on the corner of Duffield Road and New Inn Lane, the Queen's Head on Alfreton Road the Bell and Harp north of the village (originally known as the Bell Harp) and the Shiny Brewery which has a small bar. Little Eaton has a long history of independent brewers, The Queen's Head originally being named the Delvers Inn after the "delvers" who worked in the local quarries. It later picked up the royal connection – first of all the King's Head then, following Queen Elizabeth's coronation, it became the Queen's Head. The Derby Brewing Company joined forces with Everards in 2011 in a £400,000 project to restore the Queen's Head. The deal saw the two breweries share the cost of buying and revamping the grade II listed alehouse which dates back to 1835. As part of the restoration, the pub returned to its original layout, with a central entrance leading directly into a newly positioned bar area. The pub re opened on 17 November 2011 but some years later Derby Brewing company pulled out leaving it to be run by Everards. The village also has a resident blacksmith. Little Eaton Smithy is housed in the original 18th century village smithy. Steven Oldknow is a third generation blacksmith using time honoured skills and knowledge passed down from father to son. Steven's father Peter is the other resident blacksmith. The traditional techniques of forge work including riveting, banding and forge welding continue to be practised. In late 2011, the telephone box on Alfreton Road close to the village centre was bought for £1 by Little Eaton parish council and converted into a book exchange after a suggestion by the village book club. Another telephone box further along the road opposite Duffield Road was converted to an Art Box with regularly changing display and is currently not in use. On Drum Hill to the east is the transmitter for Capital FM East Midlands and Radio Derby. Drum Hill is also used by Derbyshire Scouts and Guides for camping and other events.