Swadlincote is a former mining town in the district of

South Derbyshire South Derbyshire is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. The population of the local authority at the 2011 Census was 94,611. It contains a third of the National Forest, and the council offices are in Swadlincote. The district ...

, England, lying within

The National Forest The National Forest is an environmental project in central England run by The National Forest Company. From the 1990s, of north Leicestershire, south Derbyshire and southeast Staffordshire have been planted in an attempt to blend ancient woodl ...

area. It borders the counties of Leicestershire and Staffordshire, south-east of Burton upon Trent and north-west of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and south-west of

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gain ...

. It also covers Newhall, Oversetts, Midway and the villages of Church Gresley and Woodville, with the sub-district of Goseley. It has a population of some 36,000. Castle Gresley is to the south-west and Albert Village to the south.

History

Swadlincote's name is derived from the Old English ', ' being a man's name and ' meaning cottages. Past forms of the name include Sivardingescote and Swartlincote.Lysons & Lysons, 1817, pp. 165–172. Local residents sometimes shorten its name to "Swad". The

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086 recorded Swadlincote as a small

manor Manor may refer to: Land ownership *Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England *Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism *Man ...

. It was part of the parish of Gresley (latterly Church Gresley) until the 19th century.Lewis, 1848, pp. 280–283.Lewis, 1848, pp. 338–340. The first record of mineral extraction in the area is from the end of the 13th century, but the area remained rural until the

industrialisation Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econ ...

in the 18th century. The presence of coal and clay in the area led to urbanisation, as collieries, brickworks and potteries came to dominate. These industries continued to expand until the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. One traditional bottle-shaped kiln survives in Alexandra Road.Pevsner & Williamson, 1978, p. 336. 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 for

salt glazing Salt-glaze or salt glaze pottery is pottery, usually stoneware, with a glaze of glossy, translucent and slightly orange-peel-like texture which was formed by throwing common salt into the kiln during the higher temperature part of the firing p ...

. The properties of the clay mean it is easily shaped into pipes that are resistant to sewage. The Public Health Act 1875 created a huge demand for locally produced pipes. Emmanuel

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...

is a Gothic Revival building consecrated in 1846, designed by Henry Isaac Stevens and completed in 1848. Swadlincote also had a Wesleyan chapel by then. Today the town has also the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

church of

Saints Peter and Paul Peter and Paul may refer to: * Saint Peter and Paul the Apostle considered together ** Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, 29 June in the Catholic liturgical calendar ** St. Peter and St. Paul's Church (disambiguation) * ''Peter and Paul'' (film), 1 ...

. The first local-government body for the town was Swadlincote District

local board of health Local boards or local boards of health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate environment ...

, formed in 1871. Its area consisted of three

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

es: Church Gresley, Stanton and Newhall and Swadlincote. Under the

Local Government Act 1894 The Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level u ...

, this became Swadlincote and District Urban District, renamed Swadlincote Urban District in 1951. In

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of President of the United States, United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom K ...

the urban district was merged with Repton Rural District and part of South East Derbyshire Rural District to form the present South Derbyshire District. The urban district council was granted a

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in it ...

in 1947, in a design that reflected how Swadlincote was formed of part of the ancient parish of Church Gresley. Round the edge of the shield was a ''bordure'' or border in a ''" vairy"'' pattern of red and ermine, from the arms of the Gresley family, who took their name from the parish. The dedication of Gresley parish church to

Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldie ...

and

Saint Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

was represented by their symbols: a cross and a

fleur de lys The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in th ...

respectively. The quartered ermine and red field of the shield was taken from the arms of the Stanhope family, Earls of Harrington. The Tudor roses were taken from the arms of Derbyshire County Council. Above the arms was a crest depicting a human arm holding a ''billet or'': a yellow brick for the local brick-making industry. The arm rose from flames, indicative of mining of fireclay and

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as stratum, rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen ...

. The

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

motto adopted: ' ("Riches from the earth") also referred to the mineral industries of Swadlincote. 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 Vincent appeared on 7 September 1963, and

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

in 1962, while he was drummer for Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.

Governance

Swadlincote covers four of the 17 wards of South Derbyshire District, returning 11 of the 36 district councillors: Church Gresley (two councillors), Newhall and Stanton (three), Midway (three) and Swadlincote (three). Of the eleven elected in 2007, ten are Labour Party and one a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

. Swadlincote forms part of the

parliamentary constituency. Between 1997 and 2010 its MP was Mark Todd (Labour). In the 2010

General Election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

, the seat was won by the Conservative Party candidate Heather Wheeler, an ex-leader of the Conservative group on South Derbyshire District Council. A notable previous MP is Edwina Currie (Conservative). Until 1983 the area was part of the Belper constituency.

Geography

The town is located within the Leicestershire 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 the

National Forest A state forest or national forest is a forest that is administered or protected by some agency of a sovereign or federated state, or territory. Background The precise application of the terms vary by jurisdiction. For example: * In Australia ...

, and there has been significant tree planting around Gresley Common, Swadlincote Woodlands and Church Gresley. The suburbs of Newhall and Stanton to the north-west lie along the Burton upon Trent and Swadlincote Green Belt, as a curb to development which could have caused Swadlincote to merge with the Winshill and

Stapenhill Stapenhill is a suburban village and civil parish in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire in the UK. It was a small village owned by Nigel of Stafford as far back as 1086, however, this ancient parish area has long since been surrounded by new hous ...

districts of

Burton-on-Trent Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. In 2011, it had a population of 72,299. Th ...

. Most of the green belt lies in Derbyshire, with small tracts in Staffordshire. 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 including Hartshorne, Albert Village, Blackfordby, Overseal, Moira, Linton, Boundary, Norris Hill and Spring Cottage.

Economy

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-sized town centre typical of the

Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Mercia, Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in ...

, containing national

chain store A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate the retail and dining markets and many service categories, in many ...

s and small local businesses. It had a branch of Somerfield before the Co-operative Group took 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. The shops that lined West Street and High Street from 1901 had disappeared by the early 21st century. 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. A link road called Sir Herbert Wragg Way has been built, named after the area's mid-20th century

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...

and pipe-yard owner. A pub bar and restaurant opened on the former Empire Cinema site in April 2007, named ''The Paramount'' after Paramount Cars, a manufacturer based in the town in the 1950s. The pub closed in June 2013.

Transport

Swadlincote is near the junction of the A514 (Derby to A444) and A511 (Burton-upon-Trent to Ashby-de-la-Zouch) roads. In 1804 the Ashby Canal opened, with its northern terminus at Moira, Leicestershire. Also built were

tramways Tramway may refer to: * Tramway (industrial), a lightly laid railway for uses such as logging or mining * A tram transport system (public transport vehicles running on rails) ** The tracks which trams run on (also a section of reserved track for t ...

to carry coal and ceramics from Swadlincote and elsewhere to the canal for shipment. The Midland Railway opened its Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line in 1845, with Gresley railway station to serve the area. It later built a branch with two stations, at Swadlincote itself and neighbouring Woodville. Passenger services on the branch ended in 1947. British Railways closed Gresley in 1964, making the nearest station, 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's Ivanhoe Line. This plan was shelved after the privatisation of British Rail, and Swadlincote remains one of the UK's largest towns without a railway station. Swadlincote is served by the Arriva Midlands and Midland Classic bus companies. Swadlincote is on

National Cycle Network The National Cycle Network (NCN) is the national cycling route network of the United Kingdom, which was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout Britain, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the cha ...

Route 63. Though currently under development, it is signed from Civic Way through to Church Gresley via Maurice Lea Park with links onward to the heart of the

Education

Schools in Swadlincote include Granville Academy at Woodville, William Allitt School at Newhall, St George's School and Pennine Way Junior Academy in Church Gresley, Belmont and Springfield Junior Schools and

The Pingle Academy The Pingle Academy is a co-educational secondary school and sixth form located at ''Coronation Street'' in Swadlincote, South Derbyshire, England. The name comes from the former Pingle Farm; Pingle being a Midlands term for a small field or all ...

on Coronation Street, which with 1,200 pupils is Swadlincote's largest secondary school. The closest university is the University of Derby, 18 miles (29 km) to the north, with

Staffordshire University , mottoeng = Dare to know , type = Public , endowment = £70 million (2015) , administrative_staff = 1,375 , chancellor = Francis Fitzherbert, 15th Baron Stafford , vice_chancellor = Professor Martin Jones , ...

Lichfield Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west ...

campus an equal distance to the south-west.

Amenities

The main attractions in Swadlincote are local parks, such as Maurice Lea at Church Gresley and Eureka, Green Bank Leisure Centre, a large dry ski slope, and a '50s American Diner, said to be the largest such establishment in the UK. 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. It is also the proposed site for the Pipeworks arts and media project, a charity-based community theatre and media production facility. The town's one museum is the Sharpe's Pottery Museum, devoted to the town's ceramic heritage. It contains a café and the town's Tourist Information Centre is based there. Gresley F.C., formerly Gresley Rovers, is a semi-professional Association football team based at Moat Street, Church Gresley. Local youth organisations include No. 1211 (Swadlincote) Squadron of the

Air Training Corps The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British volunteer-military youth organisation. They are sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force. The majority of staff are volunteers, and some are paid for full-time work – including ...

based in Eureka Park.

Accent and dialect

The area around Swadlincote has historically had a distinct dialect. It shares terms and pronunciations common in Burton-upon-Trent ( West Midlands) and

(

East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England at the ITL 1 statistical regions of England, first level of International Territorial Level, ITL for Statistics, statistical purposes. It comprises the eastern half of the area tradi ...

). Recently, people have been moving to the town from Staffordshire ( Tamworth,

Rugeley Rugeley ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Cannock Chase District in Staffordshire, England. It lies on the north-eastern edge of Cannock Chase next to the River Trent; it is situated north of Lichfield, south-east of Stafford, n ...

, etc.), who use Swadlincote as a dormitory site, working elsewhere. This West Midlands accent can be heard alongside the traditional one.

Notable people

In birth order: *

George Stanhope George Stanhope (5 March 1660 – 18 March 1728) was a clergyman of the Church of England, rising to be Dean of Canterbury and a Royal Chaplain. He was also amongst the commissioners responsible for the building of fifty new churches in Lond ...

(1660–1728), royal chaplain and promoter of church building, was born at Hartshorne near Swadlincote. * Henry Isaac Stevens (1806–1873), architect, designed Emmanuel Church in Swadlincote. * George Lloyd (1820–1885), archaeologist and cleric, was curate of Church Gresley in the 1860s. * Helen Allingham (née Paterson, 1848–1926), water colourist and illustrator, was born to a Swadlincote doctor's family. *

J. Thomas Looney John Thomas Looney (luni) (14 August 1870 – 17 January 1944) was an English school teacher who is notable for having originated the Oxfordian theory, which claims that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (1550–1604) was the true author of S ...

, (1870–1944), scholar who advanced the " Oxford wrote Shakespeare" theory, died in Swadlincote. *

George H. Widdows George H. Widdows (15 October 1871 – 11 February 1946) was an English architect who pioneered changes to school building design to enhance the health of school children. He was also responsible for the design of about 80 schools in Derbyshire ...

(1881–1976), schools architect, designed the Grade II listed Springfield Junior School in Swadlincote. *

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in ...

(1940–2017), actor, lived in Woodville while aged five to twelve. His father was Vicar of St Stephen's parish church. *

John Bloor John Stuart Bloor (born 16 June 1943) is a British billionaire businessman. His business, Bloor Holdings, owns both Bloor Homes and Triumph Motorcycles. Early life Bloor was born in a small Derbyshire village. His father was a coal miner. H ...

(born 1943), owner of

Bloor Homes Bloor Homes is an English housebuilder based in Measham, Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the nor ...

and

Triumph Motorcycles Ltd Triumph Motorcycles Ltd is the largest UK-owned motorcycle manufacturer, established in 1983 by John Bloor after the original company Triumph Engineering went into receivership. The new company, initially called Bonneville Coventry Ltd, cont ...

* Joe Jackson (born 1954), jazz-rock musician and singer-songwriter, spent the first year of his life in Swadlincote. * Andrew Bridgen (born 1964), Conservative politician, attended

The Pingle School The Pingle Academy is a co-educational secondary school and sixth form located at ''Coronation Street'' in Swadlincote, South Derbyshire, England. The name comes from the former Pingle Farm; Pingle being a Midlands term for a small field or all ...

in Swadlincote.

Sports

* John Hulme (1862–1940), county cricketer, was born in Church Gresley. *

Arthur Archer Arthur Archer (1874–1940) was an English professional association footballer who played as a full back. Born in Derby, Archer made 170 appearances in all competitions for Small Heath in a five-year career, including over 150 games in the Foot ...

(1874–1940), professional footballer, played also for Swadlincote Town FC. *

Ben Warren Benjamin Warren (7 May 1879 – 15 January 1917) was an England international footballer who played as a half-back for Derby County and Chelsea. Born in Newhall, Derbyshire, Warren began his playing career with Derby County, whose secretary-ma ...

(1879–1917), England international footballer, was born in Newhall. * John Heath (1891–1972), was a first-class and international cricketer born in Swadlincote. * George Harrison (1892–1939), professional footballer and publican, was born and died in Church Gresley. * Frederick Heath (1894–1967), first-class cricketer, was born in Swadlincote. *

Lew Bradford Lewis Bradford (24 December 1916 – October 1984) was an English professional footballer who played as a centre half. Career Born in Swadlincote, Bradford played for Preston North End, Kilmarnock, Bradford City Bradford City Association ...

(1916–1984), professional footballer, was born in Swadlincote. *

Douglas Meakin Douglas Meakin (28 March 1929 – 13 February 1998) was an English first-class cricketer and Royal Air Force airman. Meakin made his debut in minor counties cricket for Bedfordshire against Cambridgeshire at Luton in the 1952 Minor Counties ...

(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. * Luke Simpkin (born 1979), is a Swadlincote-based

light heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruis ...

professional boxer. * Marc Goodfellow (born 1981), professional footballer, was born in Swadlincote. * Carl Dickinson (born 1987) is a Swadlincote-born professional footballer playing for Yeovil Town. * Harry Ward (born 1997), professional darts player, was born in Swadlincote. * Lewis White (born 2000), Paralympic, S9 swimming champion, was born in Swadlincote.

Notes

Sources

* * *

External links

* * * * {{authority control Towns in Derbyshire Unparished areas in Derbyshire South Derbyshire District