Burton – Towns of Two Halves

Burton

What to see
You’ll find accounts of Burton’s tourist appeal in Towns of Two Halves (and of 91 other places: order the book now for £8 from info@townsof2halves.co.uk).
Links to Burton attractions include:

● Branston Water Park
● National Brewery Centre
● National Forest Adventure Farm
● Stapenhill Gardens

‘The skyline throughout the town is distinguished by brewery architecture’

St Modwen: ‘When she died, aged 130, near Dundee, silver swans accompanied her soul to heaven’

‘There are spectacular models: most exceptionally, of Burton in the early 20th century, a vast and beautiful model that occupies most of a large room’

Towns of Two Halves extracts:
● “Through the north-west corner of the football ground, three brewery storage tanks are visible. As the sun sets it gives them a copper sheen; it playfully repeats this trick of the light later on the base of the clouds. Perhaps through the power of suggestion, there’s a distinctive smell on the air too.”
● “The approach to Burton on the A444 is one in the eye for anyone who regards the New World habit of driving great distances at the drop of a hat as anything other than ridiculous. Of course they will drive long distances – there’s nothing to stop for in between. In this country, we have compelling distractions every couple of hundred yards.”
● “The exhibit explaining the chemistry of brewing is dominated by a mannequin that looks spookily like TS Eliot. As you approach, a motion censor sparks it into a fitful motion. The poet/biochemist, test-tube in hand, shudders fractionally before stopping, as though exhausted. Perhaps he is; after all, he has been dead 50 years or more.”
These are taken from the Burton chapter of Towns of Two Halves, published in 2018. To buy a copy, email info@townsof2halves.co.uk.