| Rocester | |
|---|---|
 St Michael's Church, Rocester | |
  Rocester Location withinStaffordshire | |
| Population | 1,700 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SK109393 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | UTTOXETER |
| Postcode district | ST14 |
| Dialling code | 01889 |
| Police | Staffordshire |
| Fire | Staffordshire |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
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Rocester/ˈroʊstər/ ⓘ is a village andcivil parish in theEast Staffordshire district ofStaffordshire, England. Its name is speltRowcestre in theDomesday Book of 1086. It is located on theDerbyshire border.
The village is about 4 miles (6.4 km) north ofUttoxeter and 8.5 miles (13.7 km) southwest ofAshbourne, situated on the county border withDerbyshire. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,431. The village lies on a triangle of land between theRiver Churnet andRiver Dove, which join to the south. The parish borders, from the south going clockwise, the parishes ofUttoxeter Rural,Croxden,Denstone,Ellastone, all in East Staffordshire, and thenNorbury and Roston,Marston Montgomery andDoveridge, all in theDerbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire.
ARoman fort was founded on the site in about 69 AD, as an intermediate point betweenDerby andNewcastle-under-Lyme on a route later known asLong Lane.[2] The remains of the earthworks can still be seen. After the Romans departed in about 400 AD, the village remained in use by theAnglo-Saxons throughout theMiddle Ages.
In 1141 theSt 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. It was mostly rebuilt in 1873, although the tower is the original.[3]
In 1781Richard Arkwright bought an old corn mill on the River Dove and converted it 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. The mill has now been converted into theJCB Academy.
On 1 August 1849Rocester railway station was opened by theNorth Staffordshire Railway and closed on 4 January 1965.
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 around the JCB site and landscaped parkland nearby. Most significant of these isThe Fossor, which takes its name from theLatinfossor i.e. digger. The steel sculpture, created byWalenty Pytel, is made entirely of digger parts and is a powerful representation of JCB.[4] It weighs 36 tonnes, stands 45 ft (14 m) high and was the largest steel sculpture in Europe at the time of its creation in 1979. It can be seen from the B5030 road that passes it.
The village has several businesses, a school, a pre-school and a church. Rocester is home to the football teamRocester F.C.
Rocester lies on theStaffordshire Way, and is the southern terminus of theLimestone Way, a footpath which runs 46 miles (74 km) north toCastleton in thePeak District.
Media related toRocester at Wikimedia Commons
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