East Markham

East Markham, historically also known as Great Markham, is a small village near Tuxford, Nottinghamshire. It lies about 8 km south of Retford. It is sandwiched between the East Coast Main Line (to the east), the A1 to the west and A57 to the north.

It has a sister village, West Markham, which is smaller and on the other side of the road (old A1-B1164) between Tuxford and Markham Moor. To the south is Tuxford. East Markham has a Church of St. John the Baptist, village hall, village store, a charity playgroup and a primary school. The two village pubs are the Crown Inn and the Queens Hotel, both on High Street (the former A57). East Markham also features a playgroup, Pippins Pre-School, and a primary school. East Markham used to be home to some heavy manufacturing such as Hermans chicken factory and was historically known for its many orchards that used to surround the village, most of which closed in the 1980s (Hermans) or were replanted in the case of orchards. Now mainly small businesses flourish in this quaint country village.

Cleveland Mill was a tower windmill in East Markham, built in 1837 at a cost of £420 for the miller Thomas Lighfoot. It was 42 feet high, with four storeys and four sails. The mill was worked by wind until c. 1920. Thereafter steam or oil engines were used. The mill was owned by the Lightfoot family through most of its working life. It was sold for conversion to a house in 1976.

East Markham church has a bell ringing group that practice regularly on a Tuesday night.

Famous quotes containing the words east and/or markham:

    Sublime tobacco! which from east to west
    Cheers the tar’s labour or the Turkman’s rest.
    George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)

    The grip that swung the ax in Illinois
    Was on the pen that set a people free.
    —Edwin Markham (1852–1940)