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22 unusual facts about River Wear


Architecture of the medieval cathedrals of England

The view of the cathedral from the south west is particularly famous because of its “incomparable setting” on a steep promontory above the River Wear.

Burnhope Reservoir

The reservoir was created by the construction of an earth embankment dam across the valley of Burnhope Burn, a tributary of the River Wear, 1 km above Wearhead.

Castletown, Sunderland

A former mining community, the Hylton Colliery was located at the east end of the village, it lies north of the River Wear, and is near to Hylton Castle and Washington.

Edward Temperley Gourley

He was also a shipowners' representative on the River Wear Commission, a borough magistrate, a justice of the peace for the county, and a Deputy-Lieutenant.

Born on the banks of the River Wear on 8 June 1826, he left school at 13 and served his apprenticeship as a coalfitter with John Halcro.

Elvet Bridge

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

Fatfield

The southern part of the village by the River Wear is popular for country walks and the three public houses and working men's club that are situated on the banks of the river.

Framwellgate Bridge

Framwellgate Bridge is a mediaeval masonry arch bridge across the River Wear, in Durham, England.

Godric of Finchale

Upon Aelric's death, Godric made one last pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and then returned home where he convinced Ranulf Flambard, the Bishop of Durham, to grant him a place to live as a hermit at Finchale, by the River Wear.

Hamsterley, Bishop Auckland

The village lies on a rise above the upper reaches of the Wear valley.

Houghall

In 2009, heavy rain at the Houghall site caused the River Wear to carve a massive trench through the grounds of the college, some 14 feet deep and 80 feet wide.

Mackem

The term could also be a reference to the volume of ships built during wartime on the River Wear, e.g. "We mackem and they sink em".

New House

It is situated on the north side of the River Wear, opposite Ireshopeburn and is linked to the main Weardale valley road by Coronation Bridge.

New Wear bridge

The bridge is likely to be constructed to the west side of the city over the River Wear, with the purpose of reducing traffic congestion.

Penshaw

It lies about three miles north of Houghton-le-Spring, just over the River Wear from Washington.

Roker

The story of Roker begins in 1587, when the Abbs family were granted land on the north side of the River Wear on the condition that they provided six soldiers to defend the mouth of the river.

Shincliffe

Shincliffe is the site of a mediaeval bridge over the River Wear and archaeological investigations in 2005 suggest Shincliffe may have been the site of a Roman crossing.

South Hylton Metro station

South Hylton Metro station serves the suburb of South Hylton on the banks of the River Wear.

Southwick, Sunderland

Southwick is a former village and now a suburb on the north banks of the River Wear in the city of Sunderland in the county of Tyne and Wear.

Sunderland Lustreware

Several potteries were located along the banks of the River Wear in Sunderland in the Nineteenth Century.

The Racecourse

It is located along the River Wear and has been used as a sports ground since at least 1733.

University of Sunderland

St Peter's opened during the 1990s on the north bank of the River Wear, the site of St. Peter's Church and monastery built by Benedict Biscop in 674AD.


Charles Labelye

Other British projects of his were Brentford Bridge (1740–42), London Bridge (his consultations were sought in 1746 but not acted upon by the corporation of London), designs for a harbour at Sandwich (engraved by Harris about 1740) and reports on the port and harbour facilities at Great Yarmouth (1747) and Sunderland (1748, also with suggested improvements to the River Wear).

Liberty of Durham

In about 883, a cathedral housing the saint's remains was established at Chester-le-Street and Guthfrith, King of York granted the community of St Cuthbert the area between the Tyne and the Wear.

Michael Ramsey

In October 2009 it was reported by Maev Kennedy that two divers had found a number of gold and silver items in the River Wear in Durham City which were subsequently discovered to have come from Ramsey's personal collection, including items presented to him from dignitaries around the world while he was Archbishop of Canterbury.

Onlafbald and Scula

Scula received a massive tract of land which comprised the estates from Castle Eden to Billingham; and Onlafbald received a similarly large tract, which included the rest from Eden to the River Wear.

Queen Alexandra Bridge

:This article is about the bridge crossing the River Wear; for the bridge crossing the Ottawa River, see Alexandra Bridge.

Sea to Sea Cycle Route

A number of public artworks have been commissioned for the route, including Tony Cragg's Terris Novalis at Consett, sheepfolds by Andy Goldsworthy at various points in Cumbria and Alison Wilding's Ambit in the River Wear at Sunderland.

Tunstall Reservoir

The reservoir is now used solely to maintain minimum regulatory flows on the River Wear, in support of raw water abstractions further downstream, at Chester-le-Street.