County Hall, Morpeth | |
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![]() County Hall | |
General information | |
Address | Morpeth, Northumberland |
Country | United Kingdom |
Coordinates | 55°09′13″N1°41′03″W / 55.1536°N 1.6841°W Coordinates: 55°09′13″N1°41′03″W / 55.1536°N 1.6841°W |
Completed | 1981 |
Design and construction | |
Architect | Modern style |
County Hall is a municipal building in Morpeth, Northumberland, United Kingdom. It is the offices and meeting place of Northumberland County Council. The current building was completed in April 1981, after the county hall was moved from the old county hall in Newcastle. A statue of a Viking Warrior stands outside the building and was moved there from Doxford Hall.
For much of the 20th century County Hall was situated within an exclave of Northumberland (in the Moot Hall precincts) within the county borough of Newcastle upon Tyne; the area became part of the county of Tyne and Wear in 1974 and was thus extraterritorial to the county of Northumberland. [1] After deciding that this arrangement was unsatisfactory, county leaders chose to procure a new purpose-built county headquarters within the territorial limits of the county: the site selected in Morpeth had previously been agricultural land. [2]
The foundation stone for the new building was laid by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother on 6 April 1979. [3] [4] It was designed in the modern style and was opened on 21 April 1981. [5] [6] The design for the three-storey building involved continuous bands of glazing with red brick above and below: Pevsner described it as a "spreading building of informal style in brick". [7]
A statue of a Viking Warrior, which had been sculpted by Margaret Wrightson in 1925 and placed in the grounds of Doxford Hall, was relocated to Morpeth at that time of the construction of County Hall. [8] [9] Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Northumberland had lunch at County Hall on 26 July 2001. [10] [11]
In October 2014 county leaders announced proposals to move the county headquarters to Ashington. [12] However, after a change in political leadership, the new county leaders announced, in May 2017, that the proposals would be abandoned. [13] Instead a phased programme of refurbishment works were announced with a project to repair the external fabric of the building approved in February 2018, a project to repair back-of-house office areas approved in November 2018 and a project to repair the reception area approved in March 2020. [14]
Northumberland is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
Bedlington is a town and former civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 18,470 measured at the 2011 Census. Bedlington is an ancient market town, with a rich history of industry and innovative residents. Located roughly 10 miles north east of Newcastle and Newcastle Airport, Bedlington is roughly 10 minutes from the A1 road, in south-east Northumberland. Other nearby places include Morpeth to the north-west, Ashington to the north-east, Blyth to the east and Cramlington to the south. In 1961 the parish had a population of 29,403.
Morpeth is a historic market town in Northumberland, North East England, lying on the River Wansbeck. Nearby towns include Ashington and Bedlington. In the 2011 census, the population of Morpeth was given as 14,017, up from 13,833 in the 2001 census. The earliest evidence of settlement is believed to be from the Neolithic period, and some Roman artifacts have also been found. The first written mention of the town is from 1080, when the de Merlay family was granted the barony of Morpeth. The meaning of the town's name is uncertain, but it may refer to its position on the road to Scotland and a murder which occurred on that road. The de Merlay family built two castles in the town in the late 11th century and the 13th century. The town was granted its coat of arms in 1552. By the mid 1700s it had become one of the main markets in England, having been granted a market charter in 1200, but the opening of the railways in the 1800s led the market to decline. The town's history is celebrated in the annual Northumbrian Gathering.
Morpeth is a railway station on the East Coast Main Line, which runs between London King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley. The station, situated 16 miles 50 chains north of Newcastle, serves the market town of Morpeth, Northumberland, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
Newcastle Central Station is a major railway station in Newcastle upon Tyne. It is located on the East Coast Main Line, around 268 miles (432 km) north of London King's Cross. It is the primary national rail station serving Newcastle upon Tyne, with local rail services provided by the Tyne and Wear Metro network to which the station is connected to by Central Station Metro station, situated beneath the national rail station.
John Dobson was a 19th-century English architect in the neoclassical tradition. He became the most noted architect in the North of England. Churches and houses by him dot the North East – Nunnykirk Hall, Meldon Park, Mitford Hall, Lilburn Tower, St John the Baptist Church in Otterburn, Northumberland, and Beaufront Castle among them. During his career he designed more than 50 churches and 100 private houses. He is best known for designing Newcastle railway station and for his work with Richard Grainger developing the centre of Newcastle in a neoclassical style.
The Blyth and Tyne Railway was a railway company in Northumberland, England. It was incorporated in 1853 to unify several private railways and waggonways that were concerned with bringing coal from the Northumberland coalfield to Blyth and to the River Tyne. Over the years, it expanded its network to include Ashington, Morpeth and Tynemouth. As coal output increased, the company became very prosperous in hauling the mineral to quays for export and, in addition, a residential passenger service based on Newcastle built up.
Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 27,864 at the 2011 Census. It was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is 15 miles (24 km) north of Newcastle upon Tyne, west of the A189 and bordered to the south by the River Wansbeck. The North Sea coast at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea is 3 miles (5 km) away.
Blyth railway station served Blyth, Northumberland on the Blyth Branch line in Northeast England.
The Northumberland Football Association is a governing body in the historic county of Northumberland, England. The association was formed in 1883. It is responsible for the governance and development of football at all levels in the county.
Ashington railway station was a station on the Newbiggin-by-the-Sea branch of the Blyth and Tyne Railway network which served the town of Ashington in Northumberland, North East England. The station was closed by British Railways in 1964, but it has been the subject of a reopening campaign since at least the 1990s.
Bedlington railway station was a railway station that served the town of Bedlington, Northumberland, England from 1850 to 1964 on the Blyth and Tyne Railway. The station was closed by British Railways in 1964, but it has been the subject of a reopening campaign since at least the 1990s.
Bebside railway station was a railway station that served the village of Bebside in Northumberland, North East England from 1850 to 1964. It is proposed that a new station should be opened close to the original to serve Blyth as part of the Northumberland Line project.
Newsham railway station served the village of Newsham near Blyth, England, from 1851 to 1964 on the Blyth and Tyne Railway. It was located at the junction of the Percy Main to Blyth and Bedlington lines of the Blyth and Tyne Railway. The station was closed by British Railways in 1964, but it has been the subject of a reopening campaign since at least the 1990s.
Seaton Delaval railway station served the village of Seaton Delaval in Northumberland, North East England, from 1841 to 1965 on what became part of the Blyth and Tyne Railway. The construction of a new station has been proposed nearby as part of the Northumberland Line project.
Seghill railway station served the village of Seghill, Northumberland, England from 1841 to 1965 on the Blyth and Tyne Railway.
Woodhorn was a railway station proposed as part of the project to reintroduce passenger rail services onto the Ashington, Blyth & Tyne Railway which closed to passenger traffic in 1964. It was initially proposed that the newly reopened line could terminate at a new station, close to the Woodhorn Colliery Museum and Northumberland Archives, rather than at Ashington, the previous station however revised plans, released in July 2019 appear to have dropped Woodhorn station from project scope.
The North of Tyne Combined Authority is the combined authority for the historic county boundaries of Northumberland, North East England. The authority came into being on 2 November 2018 under the statutory name Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside and Northumberland Combined Authority. The three local authorities previously formed part of the North East Combined Authority. For transport policy the two combined authorities come together to form the North East Joint Transport Committee.
County Hall is a former municipal building, now a hotel, in Castle Garth, in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The county hall, which was the meeting place of Northumberland County Council from 1910 to 1981, is a Grade II listed building.
The Northumberland Line is a planned railway project aimed at reintroducing passenger rail services to freight-only lines in South East Northumberland, North East England. Under the scheme, a new passenger service would link some of Northumberland's major population centres in Ashington and Blyth to the nearby city of Newcastle upon Tyne. Construction of new stations and works to upgrade the existing rail infrastructure to bring it up to passenger-carrying standards is reported as having begun by late August 2022, ahead of the anticipated launch of the new passenger service in December 2023.