Toton/ˈtoʊtən/ is a large suburban village in the Borough of Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire, England. It forms part of the built-up area of Beeston,[1] which in turn forms part of the wider Nottingham Urban Area. The population of the electoral ward of Toton and Chilwell Meadows was 7,298 in the 2001 census;[2] it increased to 8,238 at the 2011 census.[3]
Although the village of Toton has existed since at least Norman times, little is known of its history. It is known that Toton parish at one time encompassed a much larger area than is now apparent, including much of what is now Attenborough village; it shared a church (probably on the site of St. Mary's, Attenborough) with the neighbouring Chilwell parish, an arrangement that was unusual for the times.[4]
The village itself was, for most of its history, small and dominated by agriculture. It then grew principally because of Toton Sidings (see Toton Traction Maintenance Depot), a huge marshalling yard of the Midland Railway, where coal mined from Nottinghamshire coal fields would be sorted and distributed across Great Britain. The area's population grew substantially during World War I when most of the area of level ground between Chilwell and Toton was occupied by the National Shell Filling Factory No. 6 and the original direct route between Chilwell and Toton became a gated military road, now known as Chetwynd Road; this site is now known as Chetwynd Barracks.
As a result, the nature of the village changed drastically in the twentieth century. Almost all the agricultural land (mostly orchards) to the north of the A6005 was developed with housing. A few of the old orchard trees were retained in some gardens. Most of the old farmhouses were demolished and perhaps twelve buildings remain that are pre-1900. Almost no visible traces remain of Toton's agricultural past.
Governance
Toton was historically a township in the parish of Attenborough. It became a civil parish in 1866.[5] In 1931 the parish had a population of 644.[6] On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged into Beeston and Stapleford urban district.[7] Beeston and Stapleford Urban District was abolished in 1974 to become part of Broxtowe. No successor parish was created and it became an unparished area.[8]
Amenities
Parks and open space
Manor Park (built on the site of the old Manor Farm) is a popular council park, with well-maintained cricket and football pitches, tennis courts and a bowling green. This joins onto Banks Road Open Area, an extended strip of land along and between the banks of the River Erewash and its overflow channel, and stretching up along Toton Bank. These areas are managed collectively as Toton Fields Local Nature Reserve.
Toton Washlands is a nature reserve created by the Environment Agency to the west of Toton Sidings, that serves as flood defence for the River Erewash and sits to the east of the Erewash Canal. Although it is within the boundaries of Toton, due to the presence of the sidings it is only possible to access the area from neighbouring Long Eaton.
Schools
Toton has four schools: Banks Road Infant and Nursery School, Bispham Drive Junior School, Chetwynd Primary Academy and George Spencer Academy and Sixth Form. In 2019 Chetwynd Primary Academy achieved an Ofsted Report of Outstanding.
Sports
Toton has its own cricket team and various football teams, such as Toton Tigers, Toton Tornadoes, Toton United, etc. most of which train at the local cricket ground of Beeston and Toton Sycamore Cricket Club or manor farm open space. Toton also has a bowling green in which Toton Bowls Club are based, along with tennis courts and outdoor play areas.
Churches
St Peter's Church
Toton has three churches: St. Peter's (Church of England), the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Toton Methodist Church. Toton Methodist Church and St. Peter's are in a covenanted Churches Together relationship, working together frequently on various community activities.[9]
Scout groups
Toton has two scout groups, which are First Toton, held at St Peters church, and Second Toton, held at Greenwood Community Centre.
Pubs
'The Cornmill' is a modern pub on Swiney Way, between Chilwell and Toton. The Manor is a pub/restaurant in Toton. A pub was built on Sandown Road as part of the new housing development in the mid-1950s. Its completion coincided with the Russians' sending a satellite around the moon in 1959, and taking photographs of the far side. The pub was hastily renamed 'The Other Side of the Moon'. The pub is no longer there.
Transport
Buses
Barton Buses originally served Toton, with a direct service to Nottingham (route 1). The village was also served by a direct bus to and from Stapleford. Several changes were made during the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century, resulting in significant parts of the village losing through service to Nottingham and Stapleford.
The tram line was intended to reach a proposed HS2 station that was to be built at Toton Sidings, just a short distance from the Toton Lane terminus. The tram was to have passed through a planned housing and hotel development and was shown on the application submission.[13]
East Midlands Hub was a planned development on the site of some former railway sidings, which was expected to open around 2032. It was to be served by High Speed 2 services to northern cities, and south to London and Birmingham. It was also meant to serve as a regional hub and an interchange between high speed services, local rail services, the Nottingham Express Transit network and bus services.[16]
Plans for the leg of the line between Birmingham and Leeds have since been scrapped.[17]
Governance
The borough ward is currently served by three Conservative party councillors: Lee Fletcher, Stephanie Kerry and Halimah Khaled MBE; all three were re-elected in May 2019. They hold regular Community Action Team Meetings (CAT).
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