Barrow on Trent is a small pleasant village and township, six miles S. from Derby.
The Northern border of the Parish is the southern fringe of the city of Derby and the Parish is bounded to the South by the River Trent
The Trent and Mersey Canal and the Birmingham Branch of the old Midland Railway run through the Parish
The parish is made up of three centres of population
· the majority of people live in the main village of Barrow upon Trent that sits on the north bank of the river Trent
· two smaller hamlets, Arleston and Merrybower, which lie to the north-west of Barrow, within the river plain but around one and a half miles from the village centre
· outlying roads that branch out from the village, namely Sinfin Lane leading to Deepdale Lane, the Ragley Boat Stop and Ashlea Farm, and also Moor Lane
In 2009, the parish of Barrow upon Trent consisted of 447 electors and around 100 under 18-year olds. Because of its proximity to Derby, Burton on Trent and Nottingham, many of the residents commute to work.
Uniquely in England, the Parish Council is also the private landlord of ten parish cottages that were built around two hundred years ago to house the servants of The Hall. These cottages are available to rent by parishioners or their close relatives and are managed and maintained by the Parish Council.
Barrow upon Trent is situated in the Trent river valley and the parish is composed of areas of outstanding beauty and quiet, with the riverbanks providing ideal habitats for many varieties of fauna and flora.
The valley is a flood plain and building within the parish is therefore restricted to those areas identified as being higher than 1:100 year flood level. In Twyford Road, there is an Ordnance Survey benchmark that identifies the height of that point in the village as being 127.5 ft above sea level.
Several times each year, the river overflows to submerge surrounding fields and the southern roads of the village. The floods are a well known feature of the area and do little or no damage to property, but do enhance the environment by maintaining the areas available for flora and fauna and are also historically responsible for the primary industries in the area, namely mixed farming and gravel quarrying.
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CC BY-NC Barrow on Trent Parish History Research Group