Durham

LauRa BranigAn UK FanZine

Durham

More to come soon including photos.

In among the comments about the FanZine, many overseas fans have asked where County Durham and Shildon are in the UK. "Are you near London?" "Is Durham in Scotland or Ireland?". Just to put the record straight, I thought I'd include a few pages to tell you a little about the geography and history of this part of England. Afterall, we have as much as anywhere else and the scenery is spectacular, just we like to keep quiet about it!!

County Durham is in the North-East of England. Traditionally, it was said that the River Tyne was the northern boundary to the county, and the River Tees it's southern. To the east is the North Sea (next stop Denmark) and to the west are the high peaks of the Penine Hills, before they drop away to the Lake District National Park in Cumbria.

Until boundaries were changed, County Durham was served by 2 ports on the North Sea, Sunderland and Hartlepool. Both were noted until recent times for their shipbuilding industries. The Durham coastline is mainly composed of crumbling cliffs, and can only claim 2 small coastal resorts, Seaham and Seaton Carew. Many of the smaller beaches were ruined in the past by the coal mining which took place close to the land's edge.

As the land pulls back from the coast, the fertile plains give way to hill pasture and eventually to rugged steep hills and desolate moorland, suitable only for sheep farming. Two main rivers start in these remote high places, and their valleys dominate the county. The Tees valley runs to the south, until the river meets the sea between Stockton and Middlesbrough. The Wear valley runs through the middle of the county until it meets the sea at Sunderland. Between upper Teesdale and upper Weardale, the land is as wild as any of the Scottish highlands, and the villages are small and scattered, but the area posesses a beauty unrivaled anywhere else in the UK.

The River Tees is noted for it's high and spectacular waterfalls, High Force and Caldren Snout. Smaller tributary vallies such as Lune and Deep Dale were favourite spots for artists such as Turner, and indeed today, many artists have made the Durham dales their home. Between the Tees and the Wear stands Hamsterley Forest, one of the finest areas of countryside, owned and worked by the Forestry Commission.

Durham's main industries have been built round either farming & textiles or heavy industry & mineral resources. Large towns such as Darlington, Barnard Castle and Bishop Auckland grew from their markets, and their positions beside the rivers and to main roads to the north and south. Up in the dales, Portland limestone for cement is quarried and processed, and for many years lead was mined in the area. The lead has long since been worked out, but the mineral fluorspar became important. If you know where to look, you can even find gold, but don't expect to get rich quick!

It was in the 19th century and the comming of railways that Darlington (and nearby Middlesbrough) really grew. Coal was readily available in Durham, as was iron ore, so heavy industry soon grew. Sunderland was noted for it's ship building, Consett Ironworks was one of the largest in the country, though both closed down in the 1980s as did the railway engineering works in Shildon. The town of Wolsingham in Weardale was a noted producer of high grade steel castings, but now even though the works still run, they are a shadow of their glory days. One firm is still going strong however, Cleveland Bridge in Darlington. You may not have heard of them, but you know their work - the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Despite the loss of traditional industries over the last 30 years, Durham is bouncing back with large investments in new areas such as micro-electronics at Newton Aycliffe and mobile phone centres at Darlington and Peterlee.

History

The city of Durham, and main towns such as Darlington, Bishop Auckland and Barnard Castle may be minute in size compared to Buenos Aires, New York or Calgary, but what they lack in size, they more than make up for in terms of history and antiquety. Within 20 minutes drive from my home in Shildon, I can visit a Roman villa, a Roman military barracks, a Saxon church, a Norman cathedral, 2 Norman castles, several medieval castles, abbeys and priorys and a French Chateau.

Pearched high on a rocky and wooded peninsular in the River Wear stands the dominating Norman Durham Cathedral and castle. The castle was built by the Normans as part of a secondary line of defence against the Scots, and has proven to be the only castle in Northern England never to have fallen. This strategic site was first used by saxon priests around the 7th or 8th century who brought the holy remains of St. Cuthbert and Bede, south from their Monestry in Jarrow, for safe keeping from marauding Vikings. Durham Cathedral & Castle were built between 1093 and 1133, with the great central cathedral tower being rebuilt in 1470. Durham was unique in England in that it was a County Palatinate, being ruled by a Prince Bishop with his own army and privilages. In terms of power, he was second only to the King, above even Arch Bishops. (This title contiued, in name only till it was revoked by parliament in 1836.)

Other than the writings of Bede in the Dark Ages, little is actually recorded about early Durham, even in the Domesday Book. At that time, the area was under violent upheaval, and William the Conqueror found it easier to brutally scourge the lands before setting up castles and manors. However, many Roman traces remain, such as the military barracks and settlement at Piercebridge, just outside Darlington, and there are the remains of an once impressive villa at Binchester, near Bishop Auckland. If you look at a map of these areas, you can also see that the main roads follow the straight lines of the original Roman Roads. At the very edge of the County, there is also an important Roman fort at South Shields, thought to be an important garrison camp before the completion of Hadrian's Wall to the north at Wallsend.

Little of Saxon Durham remains, except for some of the town names which survive today. Many of the main buildings such as churches were either levelled and rebuilt by the Normans or were incorporated into Norman structures. However, the little 8th century church at Escomb (near Bishop Auckland) stands intact, and is one of perhaps 3 in the country today.

In the 12th century, one of the Prince Bishops prefered to be closer to his hunting grounds in Weardale than his magnificent castle allowed, so he had a palace built further up the Wear valley. This was improved in the 13th century before a major rennovation later in the 18th century. Outside the gates of this palace, a market town grew and became Bishop Auckland (Bishop's Parkland). This 800 acres of deer park with it's streams and wooded walks is open to the public today, and the palace is still home to the present Bishop of Durham. The main church of Bishop Auckland, St. Andrews contains a 9th century Saxon cross, and a holy water stoup is fashioned from a Roman alter stone. Dominating the present market place, the town hall wouldn't look out of place in a French or Belgian town of similar size.

Continuing a continental theme, just outside Barnard Castle, stands a remarkable Rennaisance French Chateau. This was infact built in the 19th century by the Bowes Family who were related to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Along with it's impressive gardens and magnificent art and china collection, it now forms the Bowes Museum. Barnard Castle itself, stands on top of an 80ft cliff above the River Tees. It was built in the 12th century by Bernard Balliol on the site of an earlier fortification. The Balliols became an important family and in the 13th century, John Balliol became King of Scotland. Nearby to the south at Egglestone, the remains of a 12th century abbey can be found, and to the east at Staindrop, the Nevill family established Raby Castle in the 14th century.

Darlington was originally a Saxon settlement at a crossing point on the River Skerne, and by the 11th century had grown to a market town. In 1192, a Norman Church was built, and the Bishop of Durham joined the town with the development of Bondgate. Darlington continued to grow steadily, but in 1585, much of the town was raised by fire, which explains why very little early Tudor architecture remains. However, the town was rebuilt by decree of Queen Elizabeth I. This wasn't the only time that a ruling monarch had thier say on the development of Darlington. The present railway station was built in 1887 in response to scathing criticism by Queen Victoria concerning the temporary station she saw on a royal visit.

THE RAILWAYS

Experts will argue as to where the railways were actually born, but Shildon and Darlington will be looked upon as the cradle. For perhaps ten years, steam engines were used round mines for hauling coal, and for decades before that, stationary steam engines were used to power industrial factories, but it wasn't until 1825 that the first passenger steam railway was opened between Stockton and Darlington. Much of the money for this new venture came from the Pease family in Darlington, who had made it in the textile industry. The engineering skills came from George Stephenson, a Newcastle engineer and pioneer of steam locomotion. What is not widely known is that the line extended west, beyond Darlington and finished at some workshops just outside Shildon. One of the chief engineers at this yard, and a Shildon man by birth was Timothy Hackworth, who is perhaps Shildon's most famous son. Hackworth went on to make several key developments in the engineering of steam locomotives.

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	LauRa BranigAn UK FanZine Durham More to come soon including photos. In among the comments about the FanZine, many overseas fans have asked where County Durham and Shildon are in the UK. "Are you near London?" "Is Durham in Scotland or Ireland?". Just to put the record straight, I thought I'd include a few pages to tell you a little about the geography and history of this part of England. Afterall, we have as much as anywhere else and the scenery is spectacular, just we like to keep quiet about it!! County Durham is in the North-East of England. Traditionally, it was said that the River Tyne was the northern boundary to the county, and the River Tees it's southern. To the east is the North Sea (next stop Denmark) and to the west are the high peaks of the Penine Hills, before they drop away to the Lake District National Park in Cumbria. Until boundaries were changed, County Durham was served by 2 ports on the North Sea, Sunderland and Hartlepool. Both were noted until recent times for their shipbuilding industries. The Durham coastline is mainly composed of crumbling cliffs, and can only claim 2 small coastal resorts, Seaham and Seaton Carew. Many of the smaller beaches were ruined in the past by the coal mining which took place close to the land's edge. As the land pulls back from the coast, the fertile plains give way to hill pasture and eventually to rugged steep hills and desolate moorland, suitable only for sheep farming. Two main rivers start in these remote high places, and their valleys dominate the county. The Tees valley runs to the south, until the river meets the sea between Stockton and Middlesbrough. The Wear valley runs through the middle of the county until it meets the sea at Sunderland. Between upper Teesdale and upper Weardale, the land is as wild as any of the Scottish highlands, and the villages are small and scattered, but the area posesses a beauty unrivaled anywhere else in the UK. The River Tees is noted for it's high and spectacular waterfalls, High Force and Caldren Snout. Smaller tributary vallies such as Lune and Deep Dale were favourite spots for artists such as Turner, and indeed today, many artists have made the Durham dales their home. Between the Tees and the Wear stands Hamsterley Forest, one of the finest areas of countryside, owned and worked by the Forestry Commission. Durham's main industries have been built round either farming & textiles or heavy industry & mineral resources. Large towns such as Darlington, Barnard Castle and Bishop Auckland grew from their markets, and their positions beside the rivers and to main roads to the north and south. Up in the dales, Portland limestone for cement is quarried and processed, and for many years lead was mined in the area. The lead has long since been worked out, but the mineral fluorspar became important. If you know where to look, you can even find gold, but don't expect to get rich quick! It was in the 19th century and the comming of railways that Darlington (and nearby Middlesbrough) really grew. Coal was readily available in Durham, as was iron ore, so heavy industry soon grew. Sunderland was noted for it's ship building, Consett Ironworks was one of the largest in the country, though both closed down in the 1980s as did the railway engineering works in Shildon. The town of Wolsingham in Weardale was a noted producer of high grade steel castings, but now even though the works still run, they are a shadow of their glory days. One firm is still going strong however, Cleveland Bridge in Darlington. You may not have heard of them, but you know their work - the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Despite the loss of traditional industries over the last 30 years, Durham is bouncing back with large investments in new areas such as micro-electronics at Newton Aycliffe and mobile phone centres at Darlington and Peterlee. History The city of Durham, and main towns such as Darlington, Bishop Auckland and Barnard Castle may be minute in size compared to Buenos Aires, New York or Calgary, but what they lack in size, they more than make up for in terms of history and antiquety. Within 20 minutes drive from my home in Shildon, I can visit a Roman villa, a Roman military barracks, a Saxon church, a Norman cathedral, 2 Norman castles, several medieval castles, abbeys and priorys and a French Chateau. Pearched high on a rocky and wooded peninsular in the River Wear stands the dominating Norman Durham Cathedral and castle. The castle was built by the Normans as part of a secondary line of defence against the Scots, and has proven to be the only castle in Northern England never to have fallen. This strategic site was first used by saxon priests around the 7th or 8th century who brought the holy remains of St. Cuthbert and Bede, south from their Monestry in Jarrow, for safe keeping from marauding Vikings. Durham Cathedral & Castle were built between 1093 and 1133, with the great central cathedral tower being rebuilt in 1470. Durham was unique in England in that it was a County Palatinate, being ruled by a Prince Bishop with his own army and privilages. In terms of power, he was second only to the King, above even Arch Bishops. (This title contiued, in name only till it was revoked by parliament in 1836.) Other than the writings of Bede in the Dark Ages, little is actually recorded about early Durham, even in the Domesday Book. At that time, the area was under violent upheaval, and William the Conqueror found it easier to brutally scourge the lands before setting up castles and manors. However, many Roman traces remain, such as the military barracks and settlement at Piercebridge, just outside Darlington, and there are the remains of an once impressive villa at Binchester, near Bishop Auckland. If you look at a map of these areas, you can also see that the main roads follow the straight lines of the original Roman Roads. At the very edge of the County, there is also an important Roman fort at South Shields, thought to be an important garrison camp before the completion of Hadrian's Wall to the north at Wallsend. Little of Saxon Durham remains, except for some of the town names which survive today. Many of the main buildings such as churches were either levelled and rebuilt by the Normans or were incorporated into Norman structures. However, the little 8th century church at Escomb (near Bishop Auckland) stands intact, and is one of perhaps 3 in the country today. In the 12th century, one of the Prince Bishops prefered to be closer to his hunting grounds in Weardale than his magnificent castle allowed, so he had a palace built further up the Wear valley. This was improved in the 13th century before a major rennovation later in the 18th century. Outside the gates of this palace, a market town grew and became Bishop Auckland (Bishop's Parkland). This 800 acres of deer park with it's streams and wooded walks is open to the public today, and the palace is still home to the present Bishop of Durham. The main church of Bishop Auckland, St. Andrews contains a 9th century Saxon cross, and a holy water stoup is fashioned from a Roman alter stone. Dominating the present market place, the town hall wouldn't look out of place in a French or Belgian town of similar size. Continuing a continental theme, just outside Barnard Castle, stands a remarkable Rennaisance French Chateau. This was infact built in the 19th century by the Bowes Family who were related to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Along with it's impressive gardens and magnificent art and china collection, it now forms the Bowes Museum. Barnard Castle itself, stands on top of an 80ft cliff above the River Tees. It was built in the 12th century by Bernard Balliol on the site of an earlier fortification. The Balliols became an important family and in the 13th century, John Balliol became King of Scotland. Nearby to the south at Egglestone, the remains of a 12th century abbey can be found, and to the east at Staindrop, the Nevill family established Raby Castle in the 14th century. Darlington was originally a Saxon settlement at a crossing point on the River Skerne, and by the 11th century had grown to a market town. In 1192, a Norman Church was built, and the Bishop of Durham joined the town with the development of Bondgate. Darlington continued to grow steadily, but in 1585, much of the town was raised by fire, which explains why very little early Tudor architecture remains. However, the town was rebuilt by decree of Queen Elizabeth I. This wasn't the only time that a ruling monarch had thier say on the development of Darlington. The present railway station was built in 1887 in response to scathing criticism by Queen Victoria concerning the temporary station she saw on a royal visit. THE RAILWAYS Experts will argue as to where the railways were actually born, but Shildon and Darlington will be looked upon as the cradle. For perhaps ten years, steam engines were used round mines for hauling coal, and for decades before that, stationary steam engines were used to power industrial factories, but it wasn't until 1825 that the first passenger steam railway was opened between Stockton and Darlington. Much of the money for this new venture came from the Pease family in Darlington, who had made it in the textile industry. The engineering skills came from George Stephenson, a Newcastle engineer and pioneer of steam locomotion. What is not widely known is that the line extended west, beyond Darlington and finished at some workshops just outside Shildon. One of the chief engineers at this yard, and a Shildon man by birth was Timothy Hackworth, who is perhaps Shildon's most famous son. Hackworth went on to make several key developments in the engineering of steam locomotives. BACK TO INDEX