Donisthorpe
| Donisthorpe | |
|---|---|
 Donisthorpe
|
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| Donisthorpe shown within Leicestershire | |
| OS grid reference | SK313140 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SWADLINCOTE |
| Postcode district | DE12 |
| Dialling code | 01530 |
| Police | Leicestershire |
| Fire | Leicestershire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Donisthorpe is a village in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. The population is included in the civil ward of Oakthorpe and Donisthorpe.
The historic county boundary between Leicestershire and Derbyshire is the River Mease, which runs through the village, with the village centre being on the southern (Derbyshire side), forming part of an exclave of Derbyshire. In 1086, Donisthorpe was part of the land given to Nigel of Stafford by William the Conqueror.
When administrative counties were set up, this exclave was considered to be part of Leicestershire.
The Derbyshire town of Swadlincote is usually given as the nearest town for the purposes of the postal service.
The railway came to Donisthorpe in 1873 in the guise of the Ashby & Nuneaton Joint Railway, see the Battlefield Line Railway (the last existing section of the ANJR) for more details.
The village was also home to the Donisthorpe Colliery, one of the many to fall victim to the decimation of the coal mining industry. The pit closed in 1991, and the character of the village has changed radically over the last decade. At the time of the closure it was very much a 'mining village', with a strong but insular sense of community and 4 local shops (including a post office). The shops proceeded to close one by one, and the former mine site was developed into a housing estate. The colliery site has since become the Donisthorpe woodland park.
The population of the village leans far more heavily now towards young professionals - doctors, lawyers etc. Further signs of the departing heart of the old community came with the departure of the vicar of St John's Church in 2006. It was announced there would be no permanent replacement, with the vicarage being sold, whilst the church hall has now been condemned. The Church is now part of a team ministry based in the nearby village of Measham. The erstwhile vicar Alan has moved to Thringstone Whitwick and Swannington where he has continued the vicaring career.
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Wikipedia