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49 unusual facts about County Durham


1953 in British television

1 May – The BBC brings into service television transmitters at Pontop Pike (County Durham) and Glencairn (Belfast) to improve coverage prior to the Coronation broadcast.

Active ingredient

While Aesica, Piramal, MSD (Northumberland), Sanofi (Tyne & Wear) and GlaxoSmithKline (County Durham) are all secondary pharmaceutical manufacturers who formulate and package API's for consumer use.

Aislaby

Aislaby, County Durham, in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees and ceremonial county of County Durham

Arisaig

Interestingly, several areas of England have Arisaig as the street names, such as in Ouston, County Durham.

Arriva North East

On 1 December 2012 Durham – (Waddington Street) was closed with the completion of the new Belmont depot, despite being only one minute away from Durham bus station.

Atora

In 1974, production was moved from its factory in Ogden Lane Openshaw, Manchester to another site at Greatham, Hartlepool.

Battle of Stanhope Park

The English followed Rokesby and located the Scots near Stanhope in Durham.

Billy Wardle

William "Billy" Wardle (20 January 1918 – January 1989) was an English professional footballer born in Hetton-le-Hole, County Durham, who played as an outside left.

Bishopton Castle

Bishopton Castle was built by Roger de Conyers in 1143, in the village of Bishopton, near to the town of Darlington.

Blomer's Rivulet

The species’ British distribution covers two main areas – it occurs from Devon through Somerset, Wiltshire and Bristol to South Wales and the south-west Midlands, and then again from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire through Yorkshire to County Durham.

Bob Gregg

Robert Edmond "Bob" Gregg (4 February 1904 – 1991) was an English professional footballer born in Ferryhill, County Durham, who played as an inside forward.

British NVC community MG3

This community, although widespread in the past, is now almost confined to a few upland valleys in County Durham, North Yorkshire and Cumbria.

Charlie Hewitt

Charlie Hewitt (10 April 1884, Greatham, County Durham – 31 December 1966, Darlington) was a footballer and manager in the first half of the 20th century.

Charlie Wayman

Wayman, who was born in Chilton, Bishop Auckland, was a prolific centre-forward in the first decade after the Second World War.

Cleveland Dyke

The dyke has been worked for roadstone at numerous localities including Barrock Fell near Armathwaite in Cumbria and at both Cockfield Fell and Bolam in County Durham.

Cockfield F.C.

Cockfield Football Club was an association football team from the village of Cockfield, County Durham in the north of England which was dubbed the "Village Wonder Team" in the 1920s after achieving success in the national FA Amateur Cup.

County Durham

Among other early industries lead-mining was carried on in the western part of the county, and mustard was extensively cultivated.

Cross country running

An example would be schools near Ouston, County Durham which compete as part of Chester-le-Street & District Primary Cross Country Association.

Croxdale Hall

Croxdale Hall is a privately owned country mansion situated at Croxdale near Sunderland Bridge, County Durham.

Cutheard of Lindisfarne

It was this purchase that was later responsible for the parish becoming the exclave of County Durham known as Bedlingtonshire.

Dragonville, Virginia

Dragonville is an unincorporated community in King and Queen County, Virginia, United States, named after the English hamlet of Dragonville, County Durham.

Durham City A.F.C.

Presently the club play at New Ferens Park (also known as The Arnott Stadium) in Belmont on the northern outskirts of the city.

EDF Energy

EDF also owns and operates 2 wind farms, at Kirkheaton in Northumberland and the High Hedley Hope wind farm near Tow Law in County Durham, and is developing the Teesside Offshore Wind near Redcar, Teesside.

Edmund Keene

Having been ordained deacon on 18 July 1736, he held from 1740 to 1770 the rectory of Stanhope in County Durham.

From Langley Park to Memphis

The title is taken from a lyric to the song, "The Venus of the Soup Kitchen", and refers to the village of Langley Park, County Durham in England, and the city of Memphis, Tennessee in the United States.

George Macfarlan

Macfarlan was the only son of the Rev. George Macfarlan of Gainford, County Durham.

Gerard de Malynes

Among them was an attempt to work lead mines in Yorkshire and silver mines in County Durham in 1606, when at his own charge he brought workmen from Germany.

Hartburn

Hartburn, County Durham, suburb of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, England

Jack Humble

Humble was born in Hartburn, County Durham, but moved to London in 1880 to work at the Royal Arsenal, in a somewhat unusual manner; he and his brother walked the 400-mile journey south from their home village to the capital, which made headlines in the local newspapers back home.

James Dixon Murray

When the chapel closed, he founded and opened the new Murray Independent Methodist Church on 11 October 1958 on the new Saw Mills Estate, at Grove Road, Brandon which is locally known as "Jimmy Murray's chapel".

John Duckett

It was in the time of the Civil War and he was seized only a few months later, on 2 July 1644, near Wolsingham in the neighbourhood of Lanchester, County Durham, while on his way to baptize two children.

Mickleton

Mickleton, County Durham, in Teesdale (historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire)

Murton A.F.C.

Murton A.F.C. (formerly known as Murton Colliery Welfare) are a football team based in Murton near Durham in County Durham, England who play in the Durham Alliance.

North West Durham by-election, 1914

The result was declared on Saturday afternoon, 31 January at Lanchester in front of a large crowd.

Peel tower

In the upper Tweed valley, going downstream from its source, they were as follows: Fruid, Hawkshaw, Oliver, Polmood, Kingledoors, Mossfennan, Wrae Tower, Quarter, Stanhope, Drumelzier, Tinnies, Dreva, Stobo, Dawyck, Easter Happrew, Lyne, Barnes, Caverhill, Neidpath, Peebles, Horsburgh, Nether Horsburgh Castle, Cardrona.

Rafael Merry del Val

He received his first Holy Communion at Sacred Heart Church on Richmond Hill, and later enrolled at the northern seminary of Ushaw College in County Durham in northern England.

Renewable energy in the United Kingdom

In 2004 it was announced that a further scheme would be built to heat the UK's first geothermal energy model village near Eastgate, County Durham.

Richard Ord

Born in Murton, County Durham, Ord joined Sunderland on leaving school in 1986, and played nearly 300 first team games for them until he left the club in 1998.

Ronnie Sewell

Sewell was born at Wingate, County Durham and started off by playing for Wingate Albion, a local amateur team.

Sir Thomas Aston Clifford-Constable, 2nd Baronet

On his coming of age in 1828 Thomas inherited not only Tixall Hall, the family seat, but also Burton Constable Hall and an estate at Wycliffe, County Durham.

Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy

Not wishing to have Britain unrepresented in the competition, Lipton invited West Auckland FC, an amateur side from County Durham and mostly made up of coal miners, to take part.

Sir William Blackett, 1st Baronet, of Newcastle

His father, was a successful businessman at Jarrow and Gateshead and retired to Hoppyland, County Durham.

Stanhope and Tyne Railway

The Stanhope and Tyne Railway (formally the Stanhope and Tyne Railroad Company) was an early British industrial railway that ran from Stanhope, in County Durham, to South Shields at the mouth of the River Tyne.

Stanwick St John

Another contemporary walled ditch called Scots Dyke running from Stanwick as far south as the river Swale at Richmond (and possibly also north over the Tees at Gainford) may have formed part of a general defensive mechanism for the hill peoples in the area.

The Birtley Belgians

Their story was, until comparatively recently, known to a fairly small number of people in and around the village of Birtley, County Durham, England as well as a dwindling number of Belgians – and even then only imperfectly.

Thomas Macknight

Born in Gainford in County Durham, the son of Thomas Macknight, and his wife, Elizabeth, Macknight was privately educated at Dr Bowman's school in Gainford.

William Percival Crozier

Crozier was born at Stanhope in County Durham on 1 August 1879, the youngest son of Rev. Richard Crozier, a Methodist minister, and his wife, Elizabeth Hallimond.

William Plender, 1st Baron Plender

Plender was born at Felling, County Durham, the son of William Plender, of The Oaks, Dalston, Northumberland, by Elizabeth Agnes Smallpiece Vardy.

Wynyard Park

Wynyard Park, County Durham, a stately home in County Durham, England (formerly a seat of the Marquesses of Londonderry)


Aidan Davison

Aidan John Davison (born 11 May 1968 in Sedgefield, County Durham) is an English-born Northern Irish former professional footballer and coach who is without a club after previously holding the position of Head Coach at USL Premier Development League side FC JAX Destroyers until the club disbanded in 2012.

Ambrose Crowley

The Crowley Iron Works at Winlaton, Winlaton Mill, and at Swalwell, all in County Durham were probably, at the time, Europe's biggest industrial location and later, as he was owed so much money by the British Government, Ambrose became a director of the South Sea Company on its formation.

Angela Bruce

Bruce was born in Leeds, Yorkshire to a West Indian father and white mother, but was put up for adoption aged three and raised in Craghead, County Durham.

Aycliffe Stadium

Aycliffe Stadium was a sports facility located in County Durham, England, on the southern edge of the Aycliffe Industrial Estate, which has Newton Aycliffe to the North and Aycliffe Village to the South.

Bill Etherington

He became a fitter for Beal & Co in Sunderland in 1962, before joining the National Coal Board in 1963 and for the following twenty years worked as a fitter at the Dawdon Colliery in County Durham.

Blackett of Wylam

The Blacketts of Wylam were a branch of the Blackett family of Hoppyland, County Durham, England and were related to the Blackett baronets.

Bowes Museum

The Bowes Museum has a nationally renowned art collection and is situated in the town of Barnard Castle, Teesdale, County Durham, England.

Craghead United F.C.

Craghead United F.C. was an English association football club based in the village of Craghead, County Durham.

Deerness Valley Railway

Authorised in 1855, the line opened to goods on New Year's Day 1858, but it was not until 1 November 1877 that the first passenger station, Waterhouses near Esh Winning, was opened.

Dela Smith

Beaumont Hill in Darlington, County Durham caters for children aged five to 19 with a range of special needs.

Elvet Bridge

Elvet Bridge is a mediaeval masonry arch bridge across the River Wear in the city of Durham, in County Durham, England.

Frank Skinner

His father, who was born in West Cornforth, County Durham, played for Spennymoor United before the Second World War, and met his mother in a local pub after Spennymoor had played West Bromwich Albion in an FA Cup game in 1937.

Gainford, County Durham

Gainford on Tees is a village on the north bank of the River Tees in County Durham, England.

George Reay

William was by trade an iron-ship caulker in the local dockyard and was a native of South Hylton, County Durham.

Graeme Danby

Graeme Danby (born 23 May 1962 in Consett, County Durham, England) is an operatic bass who has performed at several of the world's leading opera houses, notably the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and the English National Opera.

History of local government in England

In County Durham, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Cambridgeshire, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Devon, Dorset, East Sussex, Shropshire, Kent, Essex, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, one or two major towns/cities were established as unitary authorities, with the rest of the county remaining two tier.

HM Prison Holme House

HM Prison Holme House is a Category B men's prison, located in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England.

Horden Colliery Welfare A.F.C.

Horden Colliery Welfare A.F.C. are a football club based in Horden, near Peterlee, County Durham, England.

Joseph Slater, Baron Slater

He was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield in County Durham at the 1950 general election, following the retirement of John Leslie.

Leamside Line

The Leamside Line (originally part of the Durham Junction Railway) is a railway line in the North East of England, branching off from the main East Coast Main Line (ECML) at Tursdale in County Durham, and continuing north through Washington and Wardley, finally joining the Newcastle upon Tyne to Sunderland line at Pelaw.

Lewis Stoker

Born in Wheatley Hill, County Durham, he spent most of his professional career at Birmingham, for whom he played 246 games in all competitions, including 230 in the First Division.

Peter Goggins

Born in South Moor, Durham, Goggins was a miner who joined the 19th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry as a volunteer, although his occupation exempted him from conscription.

Philip Middlemiss

Middlemiss was born on 19 June 1963 in Hartlepool, County Durham, to pub landlady Yvonne Lloyd who gave him up for adoption when he was ten days old.

Pitmatic

Pitmatic (originally "pitmatical"), also colloquially known as "yakka", is a dialect of English used in the counties of Northumberland and Durham in England.

Robert Whitworth

His next projects were farther afield, as he went to Ireland to assess proposals for the Lagan Canal, and then to County Durham to produce plans and reports for a proposed canal to link Winston to Stockton-on-Tees.

Selby baronets

It was created on 3 March 1664 for George Selby, of Whitehouse, Ryton, County Durham.

Steve Slater

Born in Darlington, County Durham in 1957, Slater's interest in motor sport began with rallying and rally-cross; marshalling and then competing with cars such as Mini Coopers in the mid-1970s as a hobby in the North of England.

Tim Westoll

Westoll was the son of Captain James Westoll, late Durham Light Infantry, by his marriage in 1917 to Marian Ellen, a daughter of Captain Arthur Lenox Napier OBE DL, of the Yorkshire Regiment, and the grandson of another James Westoll, a Justice of the Peace, of Coniscliffe in County Durham.

Valentine Dale

On 22 March following he was presented to the mastership of Sherburn Hospital, County Durham.

Vernostonos

Altar-stones raised to him have been recovered in the United Kingdom, such as that at Ebchester in County Durham (RIB 1102, DEO VERNOSTONO COCIDIO VIRILIS GER V S L).