Oakthorpe
| Oakthorpe | |
|---|---|
 Oakthorpe
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| Oakthorpe shown within Leicestershire | |
| OS grid reference | SK3219813037 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Dialling code | 01530 |
| Police | Leicestershire |
| Fire | Leicestershire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Oakthorpe is a village in the English county of Leicestershire.
In 1086, Oakthorpe was part of Derbyshire and was amongst several manors given to Nigel of Stafford by William the Conqueror. Until 1897 Oakthorpe, and its neighbours Measham and Donisthorpe, continued to form part of an extensive exclave of Derbyshire. Oakthorpe lies within the Oakthorpe, Donisthorpe and Acresford civil parish, which is part of the district of North West Leicestershire.
In the past Oakthorpe's main use was for mining as there were numerous deep active mines in the area, however since the closing down of the mines in the 1990s Oakthorpe has simply become a residential village. Oakthorpe has a Leisure Centre, a Primary School, a Methodist church and an Ale house. Oakthorpe also has several local businesses such as Cosmos Biomedical Ltd, a biomedical distribution and education company, one newsagent and one takeaway.
The trunk A42 road divides Oakthorpe from Measham and Saltersford Brook divides it from Donisthorpe.
The first record of Mining in Oakthorpe dates back to 1412. There are a number of active deep mines in the area, however 'Oakthorpe Mine' was closed in 1990 and was purchased by Leicestershire County Council who developed the site for ecological and recreational purposes The mines have been extremely problematic for the residents of Oakthorpe, as underground coal fires in the 1980s resulted in numerous houses/buildings being deformed and restructured, some to the point where they became so inhabitable that they had to be demolished. This problem was a result of the sulphurous coal which lay beneath the village, which is capable of spontaneous combustion when exposed to sufficient air. Although most of the coal seams in the area were at a deep level, there was a shallow seam of coal which outcropped just South of School Street, inclining away from the street at an angle of about 20 degrees in a Northerly direction. In September 1983, a property in School Street suffered substantial damage so the National Coal Board were notified and in 1984 they sank boreholes. This showed that the ambient temperatures had substantially raised however the board denied liability and did nothing to; halt the fire, inform the county, the district or the parish councils or adjacent property owners, despite the fact that they had carried out a smoke test that showed an influx of air, the very cause of combustion. Their failure to notify anyone meant the fire continued to smoulder unchecked. On 4 April 1985 the County Council noticed a deformation of the carriageway. The NCB were contacted but once again denied liability. By the end of July smoke issued from a depression in another property in School Street so Leicestershire County Council decided to take action and engaged consultants who commenced monitoring procedures for subsidence temperatures and gaseous emissions, as well as borehole investigations to find out the extent of the fire. There was a great panic over the potential dangers and spread of fire and the media were soon involved, broadcasting the dangers in national newspapers, chat shows and the BBC news. Several more houses became unfit for habitation due to the subsidence caused by the fire, therefore had to be demolished and the residents re-housed. Despite the NCB's reluctance to admit responsibility, at this point they did get involved and agreed to pay for the re-housing of residents, refurbishment of houses and the prevention of the fire. They introduced 4 rigs into the area and drilled/injected grout and cement into the mines in order to stop the fire. They also put 4 extra rigs around the school in order to protect it. Since the 1980s, the Coal Authority have paid £95,000 towards general repairs in the village, but have not accepted responsibility for the subsidence.
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