Eastwood | |
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![]() Nottingham Road, the town's main street |
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Eastwood shown within Nottinghamshire | |
Population | 18,612 |
OS grid reference | SK465469 |
• London | 116 mi (187 km) south south-east |
Civil parish | |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | NOTTINGHAM |
Postcode district | NG16 |
Dialling code | 01773 |
Police | Nottinghamshire |
Fire | Nottinghamshire |
Ambulance | East Midlands |
EU Parliament | East Midlands |
UK Parliament | |
Eastwood is a former coal mining town in the Broxtowe district of Nottinghamshire, England. With a population of over 18,000, it is 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Nottingham, and 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Derby, on the border between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Mentioned in Domesday Book, it expanded rapidly during the Industrial Revolution. The Midland Railway was formed here, and it is the birthplace of D. H. Lawrence. Eastwood is one of the few places where the distinctive dialect of East Midlands English is extensively spoken, in which the name is pronounced /ˈeɪswʊd/.
"Eastwood" is a place-name, formed from Old English Est, for "East", and Old Norse Þveit /ˈθweɪt/, for "meadow", "cleared meadow", or "clearing in a wood." This is a common element in English place-names, often found as "Thwaite". "Eastwood" might mean eastern clearing, possibly originating as a Viking-age clearing in Sherwood Forest.
There is some evidence to suggest that the land around Eastwood was occupied in the Middle and Late Palǣolithic periods. Stronger indications of later settlement include fragments of characteristic Bronze Age pottery, weapons, and dug-out canoes, which are now preserved at Nottingham Castle, and at the University of Nottingham.