Overseal

Coordinates: 52°44′06″N 1°33′54″W / 52.735°N 1.565°W / 52.735; -1.565

Overseal
Overseal primary school. This colliery winding wheel is from Donisthorpe colliery, the last deep mine in South Derbyshire.
Overseal  Overseal shown within Derbyshire
OS grid reference	SK294153
District	South Derbyshire
Shire county	Derbyshire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SWADLINCOTE
Postcode district	DE12
Police	Derbyshire
Fire	Derbyshire
Ambulance	East Midlands
EU Parliament	East Midlands
List of places: UK • England • Derbyshire

Overseal is a village situated 3 miles south of Swadlincote, in South Derbyshire. It is sometimes locally pronounced as "Ovversale" and is the southernmost settlement in Derbyshire, on the border with Leicestershire.

Geography

The village was once part of the district of Seal, which included quite a few settlements, many of which form Netherseal and Overseal in modern times. The Seal suggests the area was once heavily forested and Nether means lower and Over means upper. The busy A444 (M42 - Burton upon Trent) passes straight through it. Overseal is in the heart of the National Forest. To the south-east is Donisthorpe (in Leicestershire). Halfway between the village and Moira, half a mile to the east, is the Conkers activity park, the National Forest youth hostel and a Camping and Caravanning Club site (all in Leicestershire), close by also to Short Heath (in Derbyshire). The village has been in Leicestershire in the past.

St Michaels Church

The village church is dedicated to St Matthew. Woodville Road, leading to the north-east from the A444 was formerly the B5004, but has now been downgraded to a minor road. Close by is the former Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway (became the Leicester to Burton line), with a station for Overseal and Moira.

Village pubs are the Robin Hood Inn on the junction of Main Street and Burton Road (A444), and the Navigation Inn on Spring Cottage Road. There is a large Co-op on the main road, next to a chip shop.

History

Overseal was said to be the population centre of Britain in 1971 with an equal number of people living south as north of it and similarly for east and west.However,this centre has slowly been moving southwards and is now claimed by Appleby Parva in north-west Leicestershire.^[1]

Annual Gala

• Every year sees a gala one afternoon in July. This includes a parade of floats which is led by the Gala King and Queen and their attendants.^[2]

Notable residents

• Joseph Wilkes, industrialist, was born here in 1733^[3]
• Charlie Freeman, footballer
• Ernest Hart, footballer
• Dean Taylor, Musician and Songwriter in the 1990's Band Homelands

References

1. ^ Overseal -= centre of Britain accessed 30 December 2007
2. ^ Overseal Village Gala
3. ^ Joseph Wilkes web site

External links

Media related to Overseal at Wikimedia Commons

• Overseal Village Life website
• Overseal Primary School
• A Vision of Overseal Through Time
• Village history