In 1889, the village was described as sitting on a bend in the main road, "on the summit of a hill which commands a fine view of the Trent Valley....

Some detail exists of this as the farmer and recent widow Jane Kitchen became the village's constable in 1644.

[6] In 1852, Upton was described as "a handsome village and parish, pleasantly situated on a gentle declivity, two and a half miles east of Southwell.

Its parish is in the liberty of Southwell and Scrooby, and contains 640 inhabitants and 1,408 acres (5.70 km2) of land, enclosed in 1795, and exonerated from tithes by allotments to the vicar and appropriator.

The church is a small gothic fabric, dedicated to St Peter, with a chancel and handsome tower, in which are four bells.

It is a large, elegant mansion, surrounded by pleasure grounds, from which extensive and beautiful prospects are seen.