Wikipedia

Swadlincote

Swadlincoteis a historicmining townin the district ofSouth Derbyshire,in the county ofDerbyshire,England. It lies withinThe National Forestarea. It borders the counties ofLeicestershireandStaffordshire,5 miles (8 km) southeast ofBurton upon Trentand north-west ofAshby-de-la-Zouchand 12 miles (19 km) southwest ofDerby.It covers the suburban areas ofChurch Gresley,Goseley, Midway,Newhall,Oversetts andWoodvilleand had a population of 34,576 at the 2021 census.[1]

Swadlincote
Clockwise from top: Swadlincote Eureka Park, Civic Offices, Hill Street Baptist Chapel, the Tall Chimney and the town centre with thetown hall
Swadlincote is located in Derbyshire
Swadlincote
Swadlincote
Location withinDerbyshire
Population34,576 (2021 Census)
OS grid referenceSK2919
Civil parish
  • Unparished
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Areas of the town
(2011 census BUASD)
List
Post townSwadlincote
Postcode districtDE11
Dialling code01283
PoliceDerbyshire
FireDerbyshire
AmbulanceEast Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Derbyshire
52°46′26″N1°33′25″W/ 52.774°N 1.557°W/52.774; -1.557
Pronounced
(listen)
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History

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Swadlincote's name is derived from theOld EnglishSwartlings Cottas,Swartlingbeing a man's name andcottasmeaning cottages.[2]Past forms of the name include Sivardingescote and Swartlincote.[3]Local residents sometimes shorten its name to "Swad".

TheDomesday Bookof 1086 recorded Swadlincote as a smallmanor.It was part of the parish of Gresley (latterlyChurch Gresley) until the 19th century.[3][4][5]

The first record of mineral extraction in the area is from the end of the 13th century, but the area remained rural until theindustrialisationin the 18th century. The presence of coal and clay in the area led to urbanisation, as collieries (such as theGranville Colliery), brickworks and potteries came to dominate. These industries continued to expand until theSecond World War.[6]One traditionalbottle-shaped kilnsurvives in Alexandra Road.[7]

The fire-clay strata in the coal measures has a high alumina content. Swadlincote is one of only six places in Britain with clay deposits of such quality. This makes it particularly suitable forsalt glazing.The properties of the clay mean it is easily shaped into pipes that are resistant to sewage. ThePublic Health Act 1875created a huge demand for locally produced pipes.[8]

EmmanuelChurch of England parish churchis aGothic Revivalbuilding consecrated in 1846,[4]designed byHenry Isaac Stevensand completed in 1848.[7]Swadlincote also had aWesleyanchapel by then.[4]Today the town has also theRoman Catholicchurch ofSaints Peter and Pauldesigned by the architectGeorge Bernard Cox[9]and completed in 1958.[10]

Swadlincote Town Hallwas completed in 1861.[11]The first local-government body for the town was Swadlincote Districtlocal board of health,formed in 1871.[12]Its area consisted of threecivil parishes:Church Gresley, Stanton and Newhall and Swadlincote. Under theLocal Government Act 1894,this became Swadlincote and District Urban District, renamed Swadlincote Urban District in 1951. In1974theurban districtwas merged withRepton Rural Districtand part ofSouth East Derbyshire Rural Districtto form the present South Derbyshire District.[13]

Coat of arms of the former Swadlincote Urban District Council

The urban district council was granted acoat of armsin 1947, in a design that reflected how Swadlincote was formed of part of the ancient parish ofChurch Gresley.Round the edge of the shield was abordureor border in a"vairy"pattern of red andermine,from the arms of the Gresley family, who took their name from the parish. The dedication of Gresley parish church toSaint GeorgeandSaint Marywas represented by their symbols: a cross and afleur de lysrespectively. The quartered ermine and red field of the shield was taken from the arms of the Stanhope family,Earls of Harrington.TheTudor roseswere taken from the arms of Derbyshire County Council. Above the arms was a crest depicting a human arm holding abillet or:a yellow brick for the local brick-making industry. The arm rose from flames, indicative of mining offireclayandcoal.TheLatinmotto adopted:E terra divitiæ( "Riches from the earth" ) also referred to the mineral industries of Swadlincote.[14]The current arms of South Derbyshire District Council, which bear the motto "The Earth Our Wealth", and also reflect this heritage.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the town's Rink venue (now demolished and the site of industrial units) hosted major British and American pop stars.Gene Vincentappeared on 7 September 1963, andRingo Starrin 1962, while he was drummer forRory Stormand the Hurricanes.[15]

Governance

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Swadlincote covers four of the 15wardsof South Derbyshire District, returning 12 of the 36 district councillors: Church Gresley (three councillors), Newhall and Stanton (three), Midway (three) and Swadlincote (three). As of the 2023 election, all twelve areLabour Partycouncillors.[16]

Swadlincote forms part of theSouth Derbyshireparliamentary constituency. Between 1997 and 2010 its MP wasMark Todd(Labour). In the2010 general election,the seat was won by the Conservative Party candidateHeather Wheeler,an ex-leader of the Conservative group on South Derbyshire District Council. Labour'sSamantha Niblettwon the seat from Wheeler in the2024 general electionand serves as the current MP.[17]A notable previous MP isEdwina Currie(Conservative). Until 1983 the area was part of theBelper constituency.[13]

Geography

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The town is located within theLeicestershire and South Derbyshire Coalfield.Its landscape is marked by shallow valleys and ridges, shaped particularly by the mining activity which once dominated the area. Swadlincote lies within theNational Forest,and there has been significant tree planting around Gresley Common, Swadlincote Woodlands and Church Gresley.[18]

The suburbs of Newhall and Stanton to the north-west lie along theBurton upon Trent and Swadlincote Green Belt,as a curb to development which could have caused Swadlincote to merge with theWinshillandStapenhilldistricts ofBurton-on-Trent.Most of the green belt lies in Derbyshire, with small tracts in Staffordshire.[19]Hence most of Swadlincote's 21st-century expansion has been to the south and east of the centre, particularly adjacent to Woodville and Church Gresley.

Swadlincote is encircled by several villages and hamlets includingHartshorne,Albert Village,Blackfordby,Overseal,Moira,Linton,Boundary,Norris Hill and Spring Cottage.

Demography

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Swadlincote had a population of 34,576 in the 2021 Census.[20]

The town's ethnicity composition was recorded at:

The town's religious composition was recorded at:

Economy

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The town originally had a prominent manufacturing heritage that made pipes and earthenware. It was the centre of the South Derbyshire coalfield, but mining ceased when Rawdon Colliery closed in 1993. Light manufacturing and service companies are sited on large industrial estates.

Swadlincote has a moderate-sizedtown centretypical of theMidlands,containing nationalchain storesand small local businesses. It had a branch ofSomerfieldbeforethe Co-operative Grouptook over the chain in 2009. The opening of a large chain supermarket on Coppice Side has been blamed as a factor behind the closure of several small independent shops.[21]The shops that lined West Street and High Street from 1901 had disappeared by the early 21st century.[22]Hepworth Retail Park is a modern development with a restaurant, cinema and various shops.

Plans were announced in 2008 for a new retail complex consisting of a cinema, DIY store and a nationally recognised clothing store.[23]A link road called SirHerbert WraggWay has been built, named after the area's mid-20th centuryMember of Parliamentand pipe-yard owner.

A pub bar and restaurant opened on the former Empire Cinema site in April 2007, namedThe ParamountafterParamount Cars,a manufacturer based in the town in the 1950s.[24]The pub closed in June 2013.

Transport

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Swadlincote is near the junction of the A514 (Derby to A444) andA511(Burton-upon-Trent toAshby-de-la-Zouch) roads.

In 1804 theAshby Canalopened, with its northern terminus atMoira, Leicestershire.Also built weretramwaysto carry coal and ceramics from Swadlincote and elsewhere to the canal for shipment.[4][5]

TheMidland Railwayopened itsLeicester to Burton upon Trent Linein 1845, withGresley railway stationto serve the area. It later built a branch with two stations, atSwadlincoteitself and neighbouringWoodville.Passenger services on the branch ended in 1947.British Railwaysclosed Gresley in 1964, makingBurton-on-Trentthe nearest station, 5 miles (8.0 km) away. The Leicester to Burton Line, via Gresley, remains open for goods traffic and in the 1990s there were plans to restart the passenger service as the second phase of Leicestershire'sIvanhoe Line.[25]This plan was shelved after theprivatisation of British Rail,and Swadlincote remains one of the UK's largest towns without a railway station.

Swadlincote is served by theArriva MidlandsandDiamond East Midlandsbus companies.[26][27]

Swadlincote is onNational Cycle NetworkRoute 63. Though currently under development, it is signed from Civic Way through toChurch Gresleyvia Maurice Lea Park with links onward to the heart of theNational Forest.

Media

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Television signals can only be received from theSutton ColdfieldTV transmitter which broadcastBBC West MidlandsandITV Central(West).[28]However,BBC East MidlandsandITV Central(East) are also received through cable and satellite television such asFreesatandSky.Local radio stations areBBC Radio Derbyon 104.5 FM,Capital Mid-Counties(formerlyTouch FM) on 101.6 FM,Smooth East Midlandson 101.4 FM andGreatest Hits Radio Midlandson 106.0 FM.

Education

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Schools in Swadlincote includeGranville Academyat Woodville, Mercia Academy (formerly theWilliam Allitt School) at Newhall, St George's School and Pennine Way Junior Academy in Church Gresley, Belmont and Springfield Junior Schools andThe Pingle Academyon Coronation Street, which with 1,200 pupils is Swadlincote's largest secondary school.

The closest university is theUniversity of Derby,18 miles (29 km) to the north, withStaffordshire University'sLichfieldcampus an equal distance to the south-west.

Amenities

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The Ski Slope
Sharpe's Pottery Museum

The main attractions in Swadlincote are local parks, such as Maurice Lea Memorial Park at Church Gresley, Eureka Park and Cadley Park which have all been awarded Green Flag status.[29]Other amenities include Green Bank Leisure Centre, a large dry ski slope, golf course, library and a '50s American Diner, said to be the largest such establishment in the UK.[30]All are within easy reach of the town centre.

Swadlincote Woodlands Forest Park is an 80-acre site, with more than 40,000 trees, two recreational forest trails and has a number of view points across the town.[31]It is also the proposed site for the Pipeworks arts and media project, a charity-based community theatre and media production facility.[citation needed]

The town's one museum is the Sharpe's Pottery Museum,[32]devoted to the town's ceramic heritage. It contains a café, gift shop of locally produced wares, and The Magic Attic local history archive. The town's Tourist Information Centre is located at 1 High Street.

Local youth organisations include No. 1211 (Swadlincote) Squadron of theAir Training Corpsbased in Eureka Park.[33]

Sport

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Gresley Roversis a semi-professional association football team based at Moat Street,Church Gresley.

Agreyhound racingtrack existed from 1948 to 1962, it was called the Darklands Sports Stadium and was located off Darklands Lane. The racing was independent (known as a "flapping" track) because it was unaffiliated to the sport's governing body, theNational Greyhound Racing Club.The venue was also used for Harness, Pony Racing and Stock Car Racing.[34][35][36]

Accent and dialect

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The area around Swadlincote has historically had a distinct dialect.[37][38]It shares terms and pronunciations common inBurton-upon-Trent(West Midlands) andDerby(East Midlands).

Recently, people have been moving to the town from Staffordshire (Tamworth,Rugeley,Lichfield,etc.), who use Swadlincote as a dormitory site, working elsewhere. ThisWest Midlandsaccent can be heard alongside the traditional one.[citation needed]

Notable people

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In birth order:

Sports

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  • John Hulme(1862–1940), county cricketer, was born in Church Gresley.
  • Arthur Archer(1874–1940), professional footballer, played also for Swadlincote Town FC.
  • Ben Warren(1879–1917), England international footballer, was born in Newhall.[40]
  • John Heath(1891–1972), was a first-class and international cricketer born in Swadlincote.
  • George Harrison(1892–1939), professional footballer andpublican,was born and died in Church Gresley.
  • Frederick Heath(1894–1967), first-class cricketer, was born in Swadlincote.
  • Lew Bradford(1916–1984), professional footballer, was born in Swadlincote.
  • Douglas Meakin(1929–1998), first-class cricketer
  • Bobby Mason(born 1936), professional footballer, lives in Swadlincote.
  • Alan Arthur Jackson(born 1938), professional footballer and schoolteacher, was born in Swadlincote.
  • Jack Bodell(1940–2016), British heavyweight boxing champion, was born in Newhall.[41]
  • Luke Simpkin(born 1979), is a Swadlincote-basedlight heavyweightprofessional boxer.
  • Marc Goodfellow(born 1981), professional footballer, was born in Swadlincote.
  • Carl Dickinson(born 1987) is a Swadlincote-born professional footballer playing forYeovil Town.
  • Zach Parker(born 1994) is a professional boxer, was born in Swadlincote.
  • Harry Ward(born 1997), professional darts player, was born in Swadlincote.
  • Lewis White(born 2000),Paralympic,S9 swimming champion, was born in Swadlincote.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^"Profile of the District and Council"(PDF).South Derbyshire District Council.Retrieved14 December2007.[permanent dead link‍]
  2. ^"Swadlincote".Key To English Place Names.English Place Name Society.Retrieved8 May2012.
  3. ^abLysons & Lysons, 1817, pp. 165–172.
  4. ^abcdLewis, 1848, pp. 280–283.
  5. ^abLewis, 1848, pp. 338–340.
  6. ^"Swadlincote – a potted history".South Derbyshire District Council. Archived fromthe originalon 8 November 2007.Retrieved14 December2007.
  7. ^abPevsner & Williamson, 1978, p. 336.
  8. ^James Woodward Limited, Swadlincote; South Derbyshire District Council, 2003.
  9. ^"New R.C. Church for Swadlincote".Birmingham Daily Post.England. 29 June 1956.Retrieved17 April2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ^"Swadlincote – St Peter and St Paul".Staking Stock.Retrieved9 January2024.
  11. ^Historic England."Town Hall (1334526)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved9 January2024.
  12. ^Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Leicestershire and Rutland.Kelly's Directory.London. 1895. p. 355.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  13. ^abYoungs Jr, Frederick A (1991).Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England.Vol. II: Northern England. London:Royal Historical Society.pp. 658–660.
  14. ^Scott-Giles, C. Wilfrid(1953).Civic Heraldry of England and Wales.London:J. M. Dent& Sons. p. not cited.
  15. ^"Seven things you might not have noticed in Swadlincote town centre".Derbyshire Live.5 May 2019.Retrieved9 January2024.
  16. ^"Info on Councillors".southderbyshire.cmis.uk.com.South Derbyshire District Council.Retrieved25 August2024.
  17. ^"South Derbyshire - General election results 2024".BBC News.Retrieved8 July2024.
  18. ^"Local Development Framework"(PDF).south-derbys.gov.uk.South Derbyshire Council.
  19. ^"South Derbyshire District Council – Community and Planning Services: South Derbyshire Local Plan PART 1"(PDF).
  20. ^"Swadlincote (Derbyshire, East Midlands, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information".www.citypopulation.de.Retrieved12 April2024.
  21. ^Bull, Keith (12 January 2007)."Fears growing for town shops".Burton Mail.Retrieved17 July2008.[permanent dead link‍]
  22. ^A Century of Shopping in Swadlincote, 2011, pub. The Magic Attic
  23. ^Bull, Keith (14 February 2008)."Town revamp plan revealed".Burton Mail.Retrieved17 July2008.[permanent dead link‍]
  24. ^Bull, Keith (13 March 2007)."New bar retains sense of history".Burton Times.Retrieved17 July2008.[permanent dead link‍]
  25. ^"Chapter 7 – Accessibility and Transport".Structure Plan.Leicestershire County Council.2001.Retrieved17 July2008.
  26. ^"Public Transport in Derbyshire and the Peak District".Derbyshire County Council.Retrieved17 July2008.
  27. ^"Swadlincote"(PDF).Derbyshire Public Transport Maps.Derbyshire County Council.Retrieved17 July2008.
  28. ^"Sutton Coldfield (Birmingham, England) Full Freeview transmitter".UK Free TV.1 May 2004.Retrieved25 September2023.
  29. ^"Praise for park engagement".South Derbyshire District Council.Retrieved25 August2024.
  30. ^"The 50s American Diner".The 50s American Diner.
  31. ^"Swadlincote Woodlands".South Derbyshire District Council.Retrieved21 January2020.
  32. ^"Sharpe's".Retrieved25 September2022.
  33. ^"1211 (Swadlincote) Squadron".1211sqn.org.uk. Archived fromthe originalon 25 April 2012.
  34. ^"SWADLINCOTE".Greyhound Board of Great Britain.Retrieved25 March2023.
  35. ^Barnes, Julia (1988).Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File.Ringpress Books. p. 423.ISBN0-948955-15-5.
  36. ^"Swadlincote Greyhound Racing".Leicester Evening Mail.30 August 1949.Retrieved25 March2023– viaBritish Newspaper Archive.
  37. ^BBC Derby."Discovering the Derbyshire Accent".BBC Online.Retrieved14 December2007.
  38. ^"Swadlincote dialect".LANDshapes.Retrieved14 December2007.
  39. ^Post, Birmingham (23 January 2014)."Birmingham Post Rich List 2014: No.7 - John Bloor (£520m)".
  40. ^"Ben Warren's England profile".Englandstats.com.
  41. ^Hack, Billy (10 November 1971)."The Name of the Game is Money"(PDF).7 Days.1(3): 16 – via Amiel Melburn Trust Internet Archive.

Sources

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