Background
Geography: Edexcel A Level, topic 6.7.1
Historical background of Sturton-le-Steeple
Sturton-le-Steeple is a small rural village in Nottinghamshire, on the edge of the floodplain of the river Trent.
Location
- Sturton-le-Steeple is a small rural village in Nottinghamshire. It is located 6 miles east of Retford and 5 miles south-west of Gainsborough.
- The village is located on the edge of the floodplain of the river Trent, 2 miles from the channel itself, and at the perimeter of a range of low hills running north to south almost parallel to the river.
Links to historic peoples
- The Romans built a road (known as Ermine Street) from Lincoln (Roman name Lindum) to York (Roman name Eboracum).
- This road crossed the Trent at Littleborough (Roman name Segelocum) by means of a ford south-east of Sturton-le-Steeple.
- Its route passed through the present-day village.
- The area demonstrates strong links to other historic peoples (Saxons and Vikings) evidenced by a range of place names with the suffixes –ley, -ton and –thorpe.
Pastor John Robinson
- Another important historical connection is that Pastor John Robinson was born in Sturton-le-Steeple in 1576.
- John Robinson was the founder of the Pilgrim Fathers who sailed to North America in the Mayflower.
Modern Background of Sturton-le-Steeple
Sturton-le-Steeple is in a location with fertile soil for farming. It also has power stations nearby and has become a commuter village.
Farming
- The fertile soil and the firm ground afforded by the hills above the marshes nearer to the river provided an ideal location for farmers.
- The soil is friable and easily worked for arable farming and the pasture land for cattle is good.
People
- The village has become a commuter and retirement community.
- Due to its historical connections, there are often archaeologists in the area looking for evidence of Romans.
- The village is also frequently visited by tourists from the USA.
Power stations
- Two power stations were constructed to the north of the village in the 1950s and 1960s at West Burton (on the site of a medieval village).
- One is coal-fired and the other is a gas turbine based power station.
- The cooling towers for the power stations dominate the landscape.
Test yourself on Background
Who was born in Sturton-le-Steeple in 1576?
What were constructed to the north of Sturton-le-Steeple in the 1950s and 1960s?