Rocester

infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Rocester
latitude= 52.951
longitude= -1.838
population =
shire_district= East Staffordshire
shire_county = Staffordshire
region= West Midlands
Politics=
constituency_westminster= Burton
post_town= UTTOXETER
postcode_district = ST14
postcode_area= ST
dial_code= 01889
os_grid_reference= SK109393

Rocester (pronEng|ˈroʊstɚ) audio|En-rocester.ogg|(listen) is a village and civil parish in the East Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. Its name is spelt "Rowcestre" in the Domesday Book, i.e. something + Anglo-Saxon "ceaster" = "town"; but there is doubt as to what the "Row-" part came from. The Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names suggests the origin is either "a person's name" or from "rūh" meaning "rough".

Geography

The village is about four miles north of Uttoxeter, and close to the county border with Derbyshire. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,431. The village lies on a triangle of land between the River Churnet and River Dove, which join to the south. The parish borders, from the south going clockwise, the parishes of Uttoxeter Rural, Croxden, Denstone, Ellastone, all in East Staffordshire, and then Norbury and Roston, Marston Montgomery and Doveridge, all in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire.

History

A Roman fort was founded on the site about 69 AD as an intermediate point between Derby and Newcastle-under-Lyme. The remains of the earthworks can still be seen. After the Romans departed, in the 2nd century, the village remained in use by the Anglo-Saxons throughout the Middle Ages.

In 1141 the St Mary's Augustinian Abbey was built on the site now known as Abbey Fields. The order was disbanded in 1538; the Abbey and its chapel were demolished and a manor house was built on the site. The village church, St Michael's, was constructed in the 13th Century. However, it was mostly rebuilt in 1873 although the tower is the original.

In 1781 an old corn mill on the River Dove was purchased by Richard Arkwright and converted to a water-powered cotton mill. This introduced industry to a predominantly agricultural community. With industry came the canal and railway networks, and Rocester became an important trading point. The mill was a great driving force in the expansion of the village; its owners were responsible for much building in the village.

Rocester railway station was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway on 1 August 1849.

Modern Times

The mill remained the primary employer until the 1950s, and finally closed in 1985. By this time another major employer had arrived in the village, JCB. The present factory, on the site of the original 1950s factory, was opened in 1970 and is the World Headquarters for the company.

There are a number of sculptures located around the JCB site and landscaped parkland nearby. Most significant of these is The Fossor, which takes its name from the Latin for “the digger”. The steel sculpture, created by Walenty Pytel, is made entirely of digger parts and is a powerful representation of JCB. It weighs 36 tonnes, stands 45 ft high and was the largest steel sculpture in Europe at the time of its creation. It can be clearly seen from the road as you travel South along the B5030.

Today, 2006, the village has several businesses, a school, and a church. Rocester is home to the football team Rocester F.C..

External links

* [http://www.rocester.net Rocester] The community website
* [http://www.jcb-lakeside-club.co.uk JCB Lakeside Club] Popular local venue in Rocester
* [http://www.roman-britain.org/places/rocester.htm Rocester : Roman Fort and Town]
* [http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1897949952 History of Rocester] by Alan Gibson ("link to Amazon books")
* [http://www.riversholme.co.uk/ Riversholme] Hotel and restaurant in the village.
* [http://www.midmc.co.uk/ MidMC Computer Services] Home and Business computer repair services.
* [http://www.3bdesign.co.uk/Wyebridge/pytel/home.htm Walenty Pytel] Information about the artist and his work.
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/robcheerio/sets/72157600315828845/ Photographs of The Fossor Sculpture]