Sawley, ENG - Postcode - HG4 3EF

Sawley, Derbyshire

Located in southeast Derbyshire, England, Sawley is both a village and a civil parish within the Borough of Erewash. The total population of the civil parish in 2011 was 6,629. There was a slightly higher-than-average proportion of residents aged 65 and up.

Around the August bank holiday, Sawley All Saints hosts a flower festival complete with themed floral displays inside the church and a beer festival in the village. The Garden Trail and the May Day celebration are just two examples of many exciting events that take place all year long.

Providing easy access to the region's major waterways, Sawley Marina is a prominent feature of the village.

History of Sawley

Sawley was formerly known as Sallé. The confluence of the River Derwent and the River Trent can be found between Sawley and Church Wilne and Great Wilne. That's what's made Sawley what it is today. The All Saints Church was built in the 1300s and features Saxon and Norman architecture. and holds sway from a perch on a bluff overlooking the water. In 1800, the Sawley Baptist Church was constructed on Wilne Lane.

Sawley was the most significant settlement in the area before the 19th century because of its strategic location above Nottingham and its control of the first river crossing, Harrington Bridge. Before the construction of the Harrington Bridge in 1790, people heading to Birmingham had to take a ferry or ford the Trent River. The residents of Sawley and Hemington, Leicestershire, as well as the Lord of the Manor and his staff, were exempt from paying to cross this toll bridge.

Bothe Hall, which was once owned by the Booth family, can be found close to the Sawley churches. The Booths owned a large amount of land in Cheshire, and Dunham Massey served as their primary residence. Bothe Hall was constructed between the years 1660 and 1680, and its interior features a regency staircase and exposed ceiling beams.

As a result of competition from the Trent and Mersey Canal, the Derby Canal, the Erewash Canal, and the Nottingham Canal, the Trent Navigation Company constructed Sawley Cut and the Locks in the late 18th or early 19th century to divert traffic away from the more challenging and shallow sections of the Trent Navigation.

The Davison family established Sawley Marina in the 1960s by opening a chandlery and creating the "Narrow Boat Register" for boat sales. It is one of the best inland marinas on the British Waterways system, and British Waterways bought the business in 1999. Up to 400 boats can be docked at the marina at once.

Richard Attenborough dedicated the Sawley Memorial Hall and Community Centre in 1958 in memory of the locals who had perished in both World Wars. In August of 2009, the Sawley and District Historical Society put on an exhibit at the Sawley All Saints Church detailing the wartime history of the village and its environs.