Ovington, County Durham

Ovington
250px Ovington
Ovington  Ovington shown within County Durham
Population	217 (2011)
OS grid reference	NZ131146
Unitary authority	County Durham
Ceremonial county	County Durham
Region	North East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Richmond
Postcode district	DL11 7
Police	Durham
Fire	County Durham and Darlington
Ambulance	North East
EU Parliament	North East England
List of places UK England County Durham

Ovington is a hamlet on the south bank of the River Tees in the North East of England, situated close to Barnard Castle. It was historically located in the North Riding of Yorkshire but along with the rest of the former Startforth Rural District it was transferred to County Durham for administrative and ceremonial purposes on 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972.

Home to the famous Ovington maypole, the tree for the maypole was fell and then erected by George Kidson MM, a former resident of the village who lived there for 83 years. All the daffodils that spring every year are also thanks to George Kidson who planted all them around the small village. The maypole was recently replaced with a new maypole donated by Wycliffe Hall. The new maypole stands tall in the centre of the green and two large chunks of the former maypole have been made into benches on either side of the green.

The Maypole was snapped off at ground level by storm force winds on Monday 9th November 2015. It is hoped to replace it with a similar sized pole as soon as one can be sourced and the relevant legalities and paperwork completed.

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons