The history of Overton Community Centre
The New Inn
The site now occupied by Overton Community Centre has a long and varied history. Evidence suggests that houses – and very likely an ale house – stood here well before the 1750s, when the New Inn was constructed.
Unlike the White Hart, which still fronts directly onto the crossroads today, the New Inn sat slightly further back. With the old Market House occupying the centre of Winchester Street, however, the road remained impressively wide.
In 1754, the London to Exeter road through Overton was turnpiked, bringing increased trade and prosperity to the village and sustaining what were, by then, two sizeable coaching inns.
| Jane Austen's local post office
As the New Inn thrived, in 1775 Jane Austen was born in the neighbouring village of Steventon. For 25 years, the New Inn served as the Austen family’s post office. Jane’s letters from Steventon are postmarked Overton and addressed “Steventon near Overton” – and she visited regularly to shop and post letters, describing the village as a “neat little town”.
It was during these formative years at Steventon that Austen drafted the novels that would become Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Northanger Abbey.
| A stop on the Trafalgar Way
Just after Jane Austen moved away, Overton featured in one of the most dramatic episodes of the Napoleonic era.
Following the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805 – in which the Royal Navy achieved a decisive victory over the combined French and Spanish fleets, at the cost of Vice Admiral Lord Nelson’s life – Lieutenant John Richards Lapenotière was dispatched to carry the news to the Admiralty in London.
Travelling by post-chaise along the 271-mile route, his journey passed through Overton, where he made one of his many changes of horse. The road he followed is now commemorated as the Trafalgar Way, and a plaque on the Community Centre building marks his passage through the village.
| A change of name
In the mid 1800s, Major General Poyntz, a notable huntsman from Newbury and pal of George III, regularly went out with the local Vine Hunt, bringing his own hounds. He stayed so often at the New Inn that it became known as, and renamed, The Poyntz Arms.
It had one WC, two outside privies, could stable 60 horses, and boasted that it was ‘a very superior house of accommodation for the commercial gentleman or posting’ being on the main London to Exeter coaching route.”
By the mid-nineteenth century, however, the rapid expansion of the railway network had taken its toll on the coaching trade, and the Poyntz Arms closed in 1856.
The site was subsequently purchased by George Lamb – a local solicitor, Basingstoke councillor, and man with deep roots in Overton.
Overton's National School
George Lamb funded the construction of a new National School for Overton right at the heart of the village on the former New Inn site. He also acquired a further site in Red Lion Lane for an infant school.
Overton National School opened in 1868. It was the third National School to serve Overton, its predecessors having occupied the Workhouse on Dellands and a site just north of the River Test on Kingsclere Road.
National Schools were operated by a church-affiliated charity – the National Society for Promoting Religious Education, ‘National’ being an abbreviation of that full title – with a strong early emphasis on moral instruction alongside academic learning.
By the time of the Second World War, the age of the building had become a practical concern. In 1956, the primary school relocated to the Lordsfield site near the current primary school, and the infants moved from Red Lion Lane into the village centre building.
In 1978, the infants followed suit, moving up to Lordsfield, and George Lamb’s school finally closed after more than a century of service.
Overton Community Centre
| The early years
In 1978, the former school was passed to the newly established charity Overton Community Association (OCA) for day-to-day management, with Hampshire County Council (HCC) retaining the freehold.
Significant improvements followed in 1982: indoor toilets were constructed for the playgroup, the playroom roof was repaired, the cloakroom and Library rooves were stripped and re-felted, and the clock tower was fully reconstructed – all at a cost of more than £100,000, funded by a grant from Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council. A later grant from the Lottery Fund enabled the installation of sound-proofed doors between the playroom and the Club Room.
The building was listed in 1984, in recognition of its architectural and historical significance.
| Renovation and new ownership
Between 2010 and 2012, a major two-phase refurbishment was completed, funded through a combination of local fundraising, developers’ contributions, and HCC funding.
In 2015, rather than renewing its lease – which was due in 2016 – HCC transferred ownership of the Centre to the OCA for £1, with the charity assuming full responsibility for the building’s management and maintenance.
The Community Centre is now run and managed by a group of Trustees. If you’d like to find out about becoming a Trustee, please use the Contact page.
| Signs of past lives remain
As the Community Centre continues to sit at the heart of village life, the building’s original purpose is still legible in its fabric today. Girls were educated in what is now the Library, boys in what we call the Club Room, and the signage for their respective entrances remains visible.
The headmaster’s attached house at the southern end of the building now forms the Palmer Room, the accessible toilet, and storage. A third classroom, now used by Overton Playgroup, was added in 1898.
| The heart of the community to this day
The Trustees of Overton Community Centre continually strive to honour the rich heritage of this attractive building, while remaining culturally significant today.
In June 2025, Overton hosted its inaugural Music Festival – a free, family-friendly, three-day event celebrating local talent. It drew hundreds of visitors and brought together community groups from across the village and elsewhere in Hampshire.
The festival has since become an annual summer event, and looks set to grow into one of the highlights of the village calendar.
In winter, when the High Street is transformed with lights, trees and signs of Santa, the Centre hosts an annual Christmas Market, drawing visitors from across the area. Organised by the Overton Business Association in partnership with the Basingstoke Rotary Club, it has become a much-loved fixture in the village year.
These events, and more, reflect the same community spirit that has sustained this building – and the village it serves – for well over 150 years.
We look forward to seeing what happens next . . .