..."a comen passage to and fro many countries to the grett releff and comfort of travellyng people (sic)", according to the abbot.



Burton was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1878. The incorporated area was split between the counties of Staffordshire and Derbyshire - the Local Government Act 1888 incorporated the entirety of the borough in Staffordshire, including the Derbyshire parishes of Stapenhill and Winshill. It became a county borough in 1901, having reached the 50,000 population required. However, it never substantially exceeded the population of 50,000, and at a population of 50,201 in the 1971 census was the smallest county borough in England after Canterbury. The population total has changed little in the time since with the town having a population of 54,348 according to the 2001 census.

The town, which lies within the National Forest, became entirely parished on April 1, 2003, when the following parishes were created Anglesey, Branston, Brizlincote, Burton, Horninglow & Eton, Shobnall, Stapenhill, Winshill.

Burton is the administrative centre for the borough of East Staffordshire and forms part of Burton (UK Parliament constituency). The local Member of Parliament is Janet Dean, who has represented the Burton (and Uttoxeter) constituency since May 1997.

There are many attractions for visitors of all interests. The Coopers Square shopping centre is the principal shopping area originally opened in 1970 by HRH The Princess Alexandra but since has been considerably upgraded with a roof being added in the mid 1990s. The strong connection with the brewing industry is celebrated by a sculpture of the Burton Cooper, which is now housed in the Coopers Square shopping centre. Not forgetting the main venue for live theatre and other performing and visual arts is The Brewhouse which is run by East Staffordshire Borough Council.

Until 2006, one of Burton's most distinguishable landmarks was the Drakelow Power Station, just south of Burton on the opposite side of the River Trent. The cooling towers have since been demolished. The Bass Museum of Brewing, renamed the Coors Visitor Centre & The Museum of Brewing, was Burton's largest tourist attraction until closed by Coors in June 2008. A steering group has been established to investigate re-opening the museum.

The Town is home to the Burton Canoe Club on the banks of the River Trent, having recently expanded and built its own clubhouse. Also along the River Trent in Burton are Trent Rowing Club and Burton Leander Rowing Club, which was founded in 1855.

Burton Albion were promoted to the Football League for the first time in their history under the guidance of caretaker manager Roy McFarland. Despite having a 22-point lead over challengers Cambridge United midway through the season, the Brewers almost contrived to let promotion slip through their grasp with an end-of-season wobble. However, league football was secured on the final day of the campaign when Cambridge were unable to secure the three-goal win they needed. The Football Association has cited Burton as the location of the planned English National Football Centre, due to be opened in 2010.