Located on a navigational stretch of the River Trent, Long Eaton is a charming town between Nottingham and Derby. It was a small village until the arrival of the Midland Counties Railway in 1839 and went on to become an important lace-making centre. Several fine examples of industrial architecture are still visible in Long Eaton today.
Things to do in Long Eaton
Just across the Erewash Canal from Long Eaton’s town centre is West Park, an Edwardian green space that occupies land once dominated by lace factories. Take note of its 18th-century gates, which are now Grade II listed, and admire the historic bandstand where live music concerts are held. In addition to a leisure centre, there’s also a skate park, children’s playgrounds and a croquet green.
East of Long Eaton is the Attenborough Nature Reserve, which was opened by the renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough in 1966. It encompasses 145 hectares of wetlands, grassland and scrub that provide habitat for more than 250 species of birds. At the Attenborough Nature Centre, you can learn about the reserve’s importance as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Long Eaton makes an ideal base for visiting Wollaton Hall, a magnificent, Elizabethan country house built for Sir Francis Willoughby in the 1580s. It’s now home to the Nottingham Natural History Museum, which houses exhibits related to zoology, geology and botany. Occupying the 17th-century stables is the Nottingham Industrial Museum where you’ll find textile manufacturing and mining equipment.
Getting around Long Eaton
Long Eaton is around 20 minutes’ drive from the centre of Nottingham and 45 minutes from Birmingham Airport, which has flights to destinations across the globe. Regular trains connect to the Long Eaton railway station and buses travel throughout the town. The centre of Long Eaton can easily be explored on foot.