Overton to Basingstoke

The village of Overton dates from the Iron Age. It was granted the right to hold the first official sheep fair in England in 1246. By the early Georgian period up to 30,000 sheep were being penned at this event.

Overton was badly hit by the Black Death in the 14th Century and much later, in 1587, the Court of Chancery deemed that Overton should lose its character as a town ‘through neglect’ and it reverted to being a village.

In 1754 the route from London to the West Country was turnpike and what is now the High Street had a large number of Inns to service stagecoach passengers. Lieutenant Lapenotiere changed horses here and there is a commemorative plaque celebrating this on the Community Centre on the High Street.

Today the village continues the tradition of banknote paper manufacture begun in Whitchurch, and still produces Pound Sterling Banknotes for the Bank of England.

The Trafalgar Way heads due east out of Overton on the B3400 (otherwise known as the Andover Road) passing through or near the villages of Ashe, Deane and Oakley and Newfound before entering Basingstoke.