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• Photos of Swadlincote, South Derbyshire, England
Swadlincote is quite a large town which grew out of the coal and clay industries. It is located in South/West Derbyshire near the border of Staffordshire. The town of Burton upon Trent is about 3 miles North/West of Swadlincote.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, Swadlincote is listed as a manor. It became a parish in 1846. Before then it was in the parish of Church Gresley.

In 1801, there were only 216 people living in Swadlincote. Over the next 100 years, employment created by collieries, potteries and pipeyards saw the population rise to over four thousand by 1901. By then, Swadlincote had merged with the fast-growing neighboring settlements of Woodville, Newhall and Church Gresley to form an urban area.
Swadlincote reached its peak in the early 20th century. Grand new shops were built on the High Street, and a short-lived tram system (1906-1927) linked Swadlincote to Burton on Trent and Ashby. It gave the town a proud, municipal character, far removed from its rustic appearance a century earlier.

For a map of the local area click HERE.

Photo Description : The town of Swadlincote as seen approaching from Woodville on Derby road (A514)
Image Reference No. : DP-031002SWADLIN-08
Date photo taken : 3rd October 2002
Other Information : Swadlincote has a large bus station terminal which is down this road on the left side, which is also where you will find the library.

Photo Description : The New Empire
Image Reference No. : DP-031002SWADLIN-07
Date photo taken : 3rd October 2002
Other Information : This building was built in 1931 on the site of the former Empire Cinema which was built in 1912. When the original cinema was being planned by Edwin Lawrence in October 1911 it was not welcomed by the religious fraternity due to its location across the road from the Wesleyan methodist church but within weeks some local businessmen took on the project and the Swadlincote Entertainments Co. Ltd opened the Swadlincote Empire on Boxing day 1912.
The building is now used as an Amusement arcade, but it still retains it 'Art Deco' style frontage.

Sharpe's Pottery was one of the earliest pottery works to be built in the South Derbyshire district. It was founded in 1821 by Thomas Sharpe as a diversification from his main business of farming. Coarse domestic yellow ware in a variety of forms, including a decorated type known as "Mocha Ware", was produced in the early years.

In 1855 the WC pan 'Flushing Rim' was patented by Sharpe's, establishing Swadlincote as a world leader in the manufacture of sanitaryware for the next 100 years. A Sharpe's water closet was regarded as a status symbol in Russia. In its later days, Sharpe's specialised in bespoke items which the large companies of Stoke on Trent would not entertain

The Sharpe's Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust Ltd has acquired a 125 year lease on Sharpe's Pottery in order to transform the site and buildings into a Resource Centre. Essential repair work was completed by W. B. M. Restoration of Lichfield in March 2000

After almost three years of hard development work, a grant of £942,500 for the repair and conversion of Sharpe's Pottery has was awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, who had previously given £54,000 for the working up of the project details. The other chief funding partner is the Swadlincote Woodlands Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) scheme, which had given £215,000 to the project.

The Centre will enable people to discover more about the historic, cultural and artistic environment of the area in a setting of past industrial importance.

The accommodation will include:

an attractive central courtyard, facilities for people with disabilities, a refreshment area, a reception area, exhibition and display areas, a lecture theatre/classroom, archive and reference facilities, Internet access, a darkroom, meeting rooms, an office, The Centre will be used for the following purposes:

as a base for hosting lectures, for traveling exhibitions, to display the work of local groups and schools, to provide reference material, to act as a base for outreach work and activities, Sharpe's Resource Centre will offer an educational resource for present and future generations.

The centre has been open to the public since January 2003.
For more information on Sharpe's Pottery Centre please visit the website HERE.