Waldridge, County Durham

Waldridge is a village in County Durham, in England. The population at the 2001 Census was 215. Prior to the 2011 Census the parish boundaries changed and the population shown at this census was 4,215. It is situated to the south west of Chester-le-Street. It is known as either Waldridge Fell or Waldridge Village, the 'Fell' referring to the surrounding area of moorland. The village used to be known as Waldridge Colliery. The current village dates back to the 1890s, the original village having been located on the fell which overlooks the present location. Rainwater runs into the Cong Burn to the north and the South Burn to the south, both of which flow into the River Wear which is a few miles to the east.

1. Waldridge Fell

Waldridge Fell is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), as it is one of the last remaining areas of lowland fell (heathland less than 300m above sea level), in the county, with a raised valley floor peat bog. Wanister Bog is the most significant area of wetland and contains plants such as marsh marigold, bogbean, sedges and bog moss. There is extensive evidence of coal mining with subsidence and other features related to the colliery and pits. Typical heathland vegetation and wildlife are present consisting of heather, bracken, gorse, rabbit, game birds, blackberry, bilberry and raspberry. Waldridge Fell has had many uses over the years;grazing, part of the Prince Bishops' hunting chase and even a military training ground during the Napoleonic Wars. Extensive coal mining took place from the early 1800s until 1963. Waldridge colliery and village community thrived here. The present car parks are named after the rows of houses that once stood here. There are panoramic views across the Fell and surrounding countryside. A number of way-marked routes around the site enable access to different parts of the Fell. Guided walks often take place around this fascinating site. Coppicing of birch trees takes place on a rotational basis to prevent the Fell from returning to woodland, and the rare heathland habitat would be lost. The heather itself is cut on rotation. This encourages new growth and creates stands of different aged heather which benefits a broader range of animals. The Country Park is home to a number of interesting insects and plants, some of which are scarce in this county, such as the green hairstreak butterfly and emperor moth. The very rare red tipped clearwing moth has been recorded here. Pairs of breeding European stonechat may be seen, often perching on a gorse bush.

1. Farming

Over recent decades Waldridge area farms have engaged in typical farming such as free-range poultry, dairy processing, beekeeping, potatoes and rapeseed. Farmland area continues to reduce as housing expands out from Chester-le-Street, ever closer to Waldridge. The List of farms in Waldridge, County Durham shows farm names, dates and production in more detail.

1. Coal mining

Waldridge became a coal-mining village. Waldridge Colliery was located on the hill south of Waldridge overlooking the village and the Wear valley. It opened in 1831 and closed in April 1926, having been linked, underground, to a nearby colliery (Chester Moor); the shaft and pithead gear remained until 1967 for ventilation and emergency access. The large slag heap was to the south of the colliery winding gear and buildings. There were other small drift mines on the fell. A waggonway which was in service until 1955 took Waldridge coal to the Tyne via Stella Gill sidings. The most recent mining ended in 1992, when Smithy Dene drift closed; Daisy hill to the southwest of the fell was extensively opencast mined at this time. As the mine was closed & the buildings & winding gear due for demolition, the mine was used as a set for the BBC 2 drama Germinal, shown in 1970. The winding gear was "blown up" during filming. This took two attempts before the winding gear was destroyed.

1. Roman times

The Waldridge Fell region south of the Cong Burn is suspected to be the location of the Roman road from Chester-le-Street Roman fort to Lanchester Roman fort and the Roman aqueduct to Chester-le-Street.

1. Points of interest

The main points of interest are the unique (for the county) flora and fauna of the Fell and surrounding area

1. Transport

The only form of scheduled public transport to/from Waldridge Village/Fell is by bus.

1. Tourism

The Fell and the Cong Burn woodland are the main tourist attractions.

1. References


1. External links

Durham Mining Museum - Waldridge Colliery Durham Mining Museum - Daisy Hill Opencast Durham Mining Museum – Waldridge Fell Drift Waggonway Maps Northern Archaeology Group Chester-le-Street Roman fort - Concangis Lanchester Roman fort - Longovicium

Nearby Places View Menu

Waldridge Fell

Waldridge Fell is a Site of Special Scientific Interest located immediately south-west of Chester-le-Street in the northern part of County Durham, England. It is one of the largest areas of lowland heath in County Durham and contains the only lowland valley-mire in the county. The fell is home to a number of plants and insects that are scarce to rare elsewhere in the county.

Hiking National Park

Durham Coalfield

The Durham Coalfield is a coalfield in north-east England. It is continuous with the Northumberland Coalfield to its north. It extends from Bishop Auckland in the south to the boundary with the county of Northumberland along the River Tyne in the north, beyond which is the Northumberland Coalfield. The two contiguous coalfield areas were often referred to as the Durham and Northumberland Coalfield(s) or as the Great Northern Coalfield.

Industrial Landmark

South Burn

The South Burn is a small river in County Durham, England. One branch of the river has its source on Waldridge Fell, the other (and longer) branch, known as Black Burn, rises on the northern slope of Barras Hill, north-east of Sacriston village. The lower course of the burn occupies an incised valley, Southburn Dene, from which it emerges to cross the floodplain of the River Wear, into which it flows just south of Chester-le-Street. Part of the river's valley is included in the Waldridge Fell Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Landmark

Iveston

Iveston is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated a short distance to the east of Consett. Housing in the area consists of a mixture of traditional cottages and large, newer residential properties. Historically, farming and mining formed the chief sources of employment in the village. In 1931 the parish had a population of 6395. First documented in the Boldon Book as Ivestan. The village is also listed in Bishop Hatfield’s survey (1381) as Ivestane. Little is known about the prehistory of the Iveston area. In fact no certain remains from this period have been found at all. It was once thought that 'Castle Hill' might be the sight of an Iron Age hillfort. However, the remains at this site are simply those of an early-19th-century quarry. The hill itself is a spoil tip from the quarry. The only object to have been found here is a 17th-century shoe buckle. More likely to be of prehistoric date is the enclosure shown by cropmarks, which was excavated in 1963. Although no dating evidence was found, this is not surprising as many prehistoric sites produce very few finds. The Romans arrived in County Durham in the 1st century and swiftly defended their newly captured territory by building a series of forts and connecting them with a network of roads. It is thought that the course of Dere Street ran through this area connecting the forts such as Binchester with Hadrian's Wall. A number of Roman coins have also been discovered- at least one was of mid-3rd century date. It is likely that there was other Roman activity in the area which remains to be discovered. Little is known about the area between the Roman period and the medieval period, although the name Iveston is of Old English origin suggesting that there was a village here during the Anglo-Saxon period. In fact little is known about the village until the 14th century when it is recorded that a chapel dedicated to St Margaret was built by the monks of the abbey of St Mary at Blanchland. However, after the dissolution it was used for agricultural purposes and finally demolished to use the stone for a farmhouse. All that can be seen today are the remains of a roughly rectangular earth platform. Coal mining probably became important in the area as early as the 15th century; coal mines are recorded in 1440. Further mines are recorded between 1611 and 1703, but like the rest of Durham it was really the 19th century that saw the massive expansion of coal mining in the area. Iveston Colliery itself was sunk in 1839 and closed in 1892. The colliery was served by the Iveston Railway. The Roman road of Dere Street, locally following the route of the A691 from Consett and Leadgate onward to Lanchester and Durham, passes through the south of the village. However, most of the village lies on an unclassified road called Iveston Lane heading north through the village from a junction with the A691 at The New Pavilion Chinese restaurant, formerly the Iveston Inn public house. Iveston Lane passes through the village green, before descending steeply down a bank locally well known with cyclists and joggers / runners with a gradient of 15% to the north of the village. This lane then terminates at a junction with Lund's Lane and Stoneyheap Lane. A further unclassified road heads north from the A691 at the south end of Iveston across a narrow gully and connecting with the north end of Delves Lane.

Historic Site Neighbourhood