Chester-le-Street (district)

Chester-le-Street was a local government district in County Durham, England. Its council was based in Chester-le-Street. Other places in the district included Great Lumley and Sacriston.

1. Formation

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 as part of a general reorganisation of local administration throughout England and Wales carried out under the Local Government Act 1972. Chester-le-Street was one of eight non-metropolitan districts into which County Durham was divided, and was formed from the areas of the abolished urban district of Chester-le-Street along with the bulk of Chester-le-Street Rural District, namely the parishes of Bournmoor, Birtley (reduced in size), Edmondsley, Great Lumley, Lambton, Little Lumley, North Lodge (created from the part of Harraton outside Washington New Town), Ouston, Pelton, Plawsworth, Sacriston, South Biddick (reduced in size), Urpeth and Waldridge. The remainder of the rural district was transferred to the metropolitan boroughs of Gateshead and Sunderland, in the new county of Tyne and Wear.

1. Insignia

The district council did not have a coat of arms, but instead used the design of the chairman's badge of office as its logo. the design consisted of a circle divided by a curved cross into four quarters.

In the centre of the cross was a lion, taken from the arms of the Lambton family of Lambton Castle. In the top left quarter was a cross of Saint Cuthbert. The saint's remains lay in Chester for more than a century, and the town was the see of a bishop. The saint's relics and the bishopric were subsequently transferred to Durham. The River Wear formed the background. In the top right quarter was a depiction of the pithead gear of a coal mine, illustrating the area's traditional source of wealth. Behind this was shown the Chester-le-Street Viaduct In the bottom left quarter was a falcon, with Lumley Castle in the background. In the bottom right quarter was a depiction of the legendary Lambton Worm. The emblems in the upper left and lower left quarters were subsequently altered to a bishop's mitre and a Roman eagle standard.

1. Abolition

The district was abolished as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England being replaced by a new unitary authority called Durham County Council.

1. Electoral divisions

Chester-le-Street North and East Chester East ward; Chester North ward Chester-le-Street South Chester South ward; Edmondsley and Waldridge ward Chester-le-Street West Central Chester Central ward; Chester West ward; Pelton Fell ward Lumley Bournmoor ward; Lumley ward Ouston and Urpeth Grange Villa and West Pelton ward; Ouston ward; Urpeth ward Pelton North Lodge ward; Pelton ward Sacriston Kimblesworth and Plawsworth ward; Sacriston ward

1. Villages in Chester-le-Street district

Beamish Great Lumley Pelton Pelton Fell Perkinsville Picktree Sacriston Ouston

1. References

Nearby Places View Menu

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Chester-le-Street Rural District

Chester-le-Street was a rural district in County Durham, England from 1894 to 1974. [1] It surrounded the urban district of Chester-le-Street. The district was split in 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, with the bulk going to the new Chester-le-Street district. Part of the parishes of Birtley, Harraton and South Biddick went to the Metropolitan Borough of Sunderland, in Tyne and Wear, and Lamesley and the rest of Birtley parish went to the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead.

Government Neighbourhood

Chester-le-Street

Chester-le-Street () is a market town in County Durham, England. It is located around 6 miles (10 kilometres) north of Durham and is close to Newcastle. The town holds markets on Saturdays. In 2021, the town had a population of 23,555. The town's history is ancient; records date to a Roman-built fort called Concangis. The Roman fort is the Chester (from the Latin castra) of the town's name; the Street refers to the paved Roman road that ran north–south through the town. The parish church of St Mary and St Cuthbert is where the body of St Cuthbert remained for 112 years (from 883 to 995 AD), before being transferred to Durham Cathedral. An Old English translation of the Gospels was made in the 10th century: a word-for-word gloss of the Latin Vulgate text, inserted between the lines by Aldred the Scribe, who was Provost of Chester-le-Street.

Historic Site Landmark

Chester Burn Viaduct

Chester Burn viaduct is a railway viaduct in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. It is an imposing structure, dominating the marketplace and north end of the town. It carries the East Coast Main Line, the main railway from Newcastle to London. Chester-le-Street station on that line is just south of the viaduct. It is a Grade II listed structure.

Bridge Landmark

Concangis

Concangis was an auxiliary castra in the Roman province of Lower Britain (Britannia Inferior). Its ruins are located in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, in England, and are now known as Chester-le-Street Roman Fort. It is situated 6 miles (10 km) north of the city of Durham and 8 miles (13 km) south of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Historic Site Landmark