Lying just over the Leicestershire border but with a Derbyshire postcode, the village of Castle Donington is a wonderful mix of the old and new.
Yes, there’s the places synonymous with the area – such as East Midlands Airport and Donington Park – but this eclectic place, which lies just 2.8 miles from the South Derbyshire village of Shardlow and just ten from Derby, is much more than that.
Historic buildings and stunning architecture, a thriving and active local community, beautiful scenery that sprawls out from the village itself and much more all collectively add to Castle Donington’s charm.
Yet as with any place, Castle Donington has changed and continues to evolve. However, in the Castle Donington in Photos group, the village’s history and present can all be celebrated both for current inhabitants and those still to come.
The brainchild of local John Mewett, the group has grown steadily over the years and now boasts close to 4,000 members who share a common passion for the area.
‘I was born in Castle Donington in 1950 in a small cottage on the High Street, when the village had a population of just over 3,000; it was then really a village,’ recalls John.
‘My parents were Londoners and my mother’s family had been relocated during WW2 to Castle Donington, she was soon joined by my father. My family lived in Castle Donington until 1964, then my parents decided to move the family back to London where there was more employment available.
‘However, CD never left me and I returned with my young family in the early eighties. I soon realised Castle Donington had changed greatly and was a growing centre of commerce and business.
‘It was not that there were just more people living in CD, but the very fabric of the village was changing - buildings being demolished, new homes being built etc. I became keen to somehow record the history of the village so that everyone - past, present, and future - could see how things were changing.
‘The Castle Donington in Photos Facebook group was born out of this idea approximately ten years ago. I had a large archive of photos of my own and started posting them and it soon became very popular. A lot of former residents are active on the group, and we have input from ‘Donno-ites’ from all over the world.
‘The idea is to record anything about CD in photos - old and new, buildings, wildlife, people, in fact anything relating to Castle Donington.
‘It has succeeded beyond anything I could have imagined. It’s a friendly, happy group with lots of interaction between members.
‘Castle Donington is lucky to have some wonderful resident photographers, and the quality of their work is top class. But anyone can post photos that are relevant and are of CD or surrounding area.
‘I could see the idea was growing and I would need some assistance, and it came in the form of Darren Cox, himself a professional TV camera man.
‘Darren and I continue to administer the group which is still gaining members. Best of all, everybody is still enjoying it.'
