Peterlee

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Peterlee
Peterlee Town Centre, February 2022.jpg
Peterlee town centre
Durham UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Peterlee
Location within County Durham
Population20,300 (2021) [1]
OS grid reference NZ430409
Civil parish
  • Peterlee
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town PETERLEE
Postcode district SR8
Dialling code 0191
Police Durham
Fire County Durham and Darlington
Ambulance North East
UK Parliament
Website www.peterlee.gov.uk
List of places
UK
England
County Durham
54°46′N1°20′W / 54.76°N 1.33°W / 54.76; -1.33

Peterlee is a town in County Durham, England, with Sunderland to the north, Hartlepool to the south, the Durham Coast to the east and Durham to the west. It gained town status in 1948 under the New Towns Act 1946. The act also created the nearby settlement of Newton Aycliffe and later Washington, Tyne and Wear.

Contents

History

The case for founding Peterlee was put forward in Farewell Squalor by Easington Rural District Council Surveyor C. W. Clarke, who also proposed that the town be named after celebrated Durham miners' leader Peter Lee. [2] It is one of the few places in the British Isles named after a recent individual, and unique among post-Second World War new towns in having its existence requested by local people through their MP. A deputation, consisting mostly of working miners, met the Minister of Town and Country Planning to put the case for a new town in the district. The minister, Lewis Silkin, responded by offering a half-size new town of 30,000 residents. The subsequent new residents came largely from surrounding villages in the District of Easington.

Peterlee Development Corporation was founded in 1948, first under Dr Monica Felton, [3] then under A.V. Williams.The original master plan for tower blocks of flats by Berthold Lubetkin was rejected as unsuitable for the area's geology, which had been weakened by mining works, and Lubetkin resigned in 1950. George Grenfell Baines' plan was accepted, and construction quickly began, but it was of poor quality. Williams invited artist Victor Pasmore to head the landscaping design team.

Governance

Mayor

Peterlee's first elected mayor was William Whitehouse, who previously served on its council. Earlier he was in the Royal Air Force and taught at a school in Horden.

Landmarks

Apollo Pavilion

The Apollo Pavilion Victor Pasmore's 'Apollo Pavilion', Peterlee - geograph.org.uk - 1705684.jpg
The Apollo Pavilion

The Apollo Pavilion (1970) was designed by Victor Pasmore. It provided a focal point for the Sunny Blunts estate as well as a bridge across a water-course. [4] [5] [6] It was named after the Apollo Moon missions.

From the late 1970s the Pavilion suffered from vandals and antisocial behaviour. The murals on the building faded, and to discourage antisocial behaviour, staircases were removed in the 1980s. [4] [7] [8] [9] In 1996, there was a failed attempt to list the Pavilion. English Heritage described it as "an internationally important masterpiece"; however, some local residents and councillors considered it an eyesore and campaigned to have it demolished. The campaign seemed to have been successful when demolition was proposed in 2000. [10] However, in July 2009, a six-month revamp programme was completed at a cost of £400,000, which includes reinstating the original murals and stairs. [5] [11]

In December 2011, English Heritage gave the pavilion a Grade-II* listing. [4] [12]

Transport

Road

Peterlee is served by the main A19 road running west of the town to Sunderland in the north and Hartlepool in the south, and the A1086 to its east leading to Easington in the north and Hartlepool to the south. The B1320 runs through the town centre linking the town to Horden and the A1086 in the east and Shotton Colliery and the A19 in the west. The B1432 to the north of the town centre leads to Easington Village, Hawthorn and Seaham on the route of the old A19. The A181 runs to the south-west of the town at the Castle Eden and Wingate junction on the A19 leading to Wheatley Hill, Thornley, and Durham. In 2008, the A688 was extended to the A181 at Running Waters from the A1(M) junction at Bowburn, creating a trunk road from Peterlee to the A1(M) via the A19, A181 and A688.

Buses

Peterlee is served by Arriva North East and Go North East in the local area, to Dalton Park, and to the towns and cities of Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, Houghton-le-Spring, Durham, Hartlepool, Sedgefield, Newton Aycliffe, Billingham, Stockton, Middlesbrough and Darlington.

Rail

Peterlee is served by Horden, approximately 1 mile (1.5 kilometres) east, on the Durham Coast Line. This station, which opened on 29 June 2020, [13] replaced Horden's earlier station which closed in May 1964. [14] Until 1952, there had also been a station approximately two miles (three kilometres) west in Shotton Colliery called Shotton Bridge . [15]

Education

Secondary

Culture

Town twinning

Notable residents

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Durham</span> County of England

County Durham, officially simply Durham (/ˈdʌrəm/), is a ceremonial county in North East England. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne and Wear to the north, the North Sea to the east, North Yorkshire to the south, and Cumbria to the west. The largest settlement is Darlington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Easington, County Durham</span> Village and civil parish in Northern England

Easington, also known as Easington Village, is a village and civil parish in eastern County Durham, England. It is located at the junction of the A182 and B1283, leading north-west to Hetton-le-Hole and south east to Horden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A19 road</span> Road in Northern England

The A19 is a major road in England running approximately parallel to and east of the A1 road. Although the two roads meet at the northern end of the A19, the two roads originally met at the southern end of the A19 in Doncaster, but the old route of the A1 was changed to the A638. From Sunderland northwards, the route was formerly the A108. In the past the route was known as the East of Snaith-York-Thirsk-Stockton-on-Tees-Sunderland Trunk Road. Most traffic joins the A19, heading for Teesside, from the A168 at Dishforth Interchange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Easington District</span> Former local government district in England

Easington was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district in eastern County Durham, England. It contained the settlements of Easington, Seaham, Peterlee, Murton, Horden, Blackhall, Wingate and Castle Eden. It did not however include Easington Lane which is administered as part of the City of Sunderland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Easington Lane</span> Human settlement in England

Easington Lane is a village in the City of Sunderland metropolitan borough in the county of Tyne and Wear, North East England. Historically part of County Durham and located between Hetton-le-Hole, Seaham, Peterlee and Durham. It had a population of 4,044 at the 2001 Census, increasing to 7,193 at the 2011 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A1086 road</span> Road in England

The A1086 is a road in County Durham, north-east England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hesleden</span> English village in County Durham

Hesleden is a village in County Durham, England, south of Peterlee. The name is a combination of Dene and Hesle, which is from "hazel". The combined population of the five communities making up the parish of Monk Hesleden was 5,722 at the 2011 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horden</span> Village in County Durham, England

Horden is a village and electoral ward in County Durham, England. It is situated on the North Sea coast, to the east of Peterlee, approximately 12 miles south of Sunderland. Horden was a mining village until the closure of the Horden Colliery in 1987. Main features include the Welfare and Memorial Parks and St Mary's church. It is connected to the villages of Blackhall Colliery and Blackhall Rocks to its south by a spectacular rail viaduct which spans Castle Eden Dene near Denemouth. Horden Dene provides Horden's northern boundary with Easington Colliery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wingate, County Durham</span> Human settlement in England

Wingate is a village in County Durham, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Easington (UK Parliament constituency)</span> UK Parliament constituency since 1950

Easington is a constituency created in 1950 represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Grahame Morris of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Eden Dene</span>

Castle Eden Dene is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserve in the Easington district of County Durham, England. It is located mostly in Peterlee, between the A19 and A1086 roads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North East Party</span> British political party

The North East Party (NEP) was a regionalist political party in North East England founded in 2014 by a group of 16 people including the former Labour MP; Hilton Dawson, and 7 members of the FAIR party. The party campaigned for a better deal for North East England generally and was committed to a devolved assembly in the North East with powers similar to those in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, if approved by a referendum. It said bodies such as the North East Combined Authority do not have a mandate to take on new responsibilities and representatives must be directly-elected. Dawson stepped down as Chair of the party in June 2016 and was replaced by John Tait. Dawson remained active in the party taking on the role of Secretary and Nominating Officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horden railway station</span> Railway station in County Durham on the Durham Coast Line

Horden is a railway station on the Durham Coast Line, which runs between Newcastle and Middlesbrough via Hartlepool. The station, situated 10 miles 74 chains (17.6 km) south-east of Sunderland, serves the villages of Horden, Blackhall Colliery and Easington along with the town of Peterlee in County Durham, North East England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Easington railway station</span>

Easington railway station served the town of Easington Colliery and Easington Village in County Durham, North East England. It was located on the Durham Coast Line between the stations at Horden and Seaham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shotton Bridge railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Shotton Bridge railway station was a railway station built by the North Eastern Railway (NER) on the route of the Hartlepool Dock & Railway (HD&R) as part of a programme of works to modernise that line and link it with the Durham & Sunderland Railway (D&SR) so as to create a railway through-route between West Hartlepool and Sunderland. On opening, the station served the relatively new village of Shotton Colliery, which grew around the nearby Shotton Grange Colliery, as well as Old Shotton on the Stockton to Sunderland turnpike road, further to the east.

References

  1. ↑ {{Cite web |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/customprofiles/build/#E04010677
  2. ↑ David Kynaston (2008). Austerity Britain 1945–51. Bloomsbury. p. 159. ISBN   978-0-7475-9923-4.
  3. ↑ Mark Clapson, The rise and fall of Dr. Monica Felton, British town planner & peace activist, Archived 18 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  4. 1 2 3 Historic England (14 December 2011), "Apollo Pavilion (1400364)", National Heritage List for England , retrieved 26 June 2012
  5. 1 2 "Peterlee pavilion's £400,000 revamp is one giant leap", Sunderland Echo, 13 July 2009, retrieved 26 June 2012
  6. ↑ "Public artwork's plans go on show", BBC News, 21 January 2006, retrieved 26 June 2012
  7. ↑ Glancey, Jonathan (12 November 2001), If they had an A-bomb... , retrieved 26 June 2012
  8. ↑ McIntyre, Marjorie (2 July 2008), "Controversial sculpture to get £336,000 facelift", The Northern Echo, retrieved 26 June 2012
  9. ↑ "Revamp for moon mission pavilion", BBC News, 12 July 2009, retrieved 26 June 2012
  10. ↑ Burnham, Nigel; Harrison, David (16 July 2000), "Sixties 'concrete bungle' sculpture to be scrapped", The Daily Telegraph, retrieved 26 June 2012
  11. ↑ "Revamp for moon mission pavilion", BBC News, 12 July 2009, retrieved 26 June 2012
  12. ↑ "County Durham pavilion awarded Grade II-listed status", BBC News, 15 December 2011, retrieved 26 June 2012
  13. ↑ Thompson, Fiona (29 June 2020). "First trains to make their stop at new £10.55 million train station in Horden". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  14. ↑ Waller, Paul (2013). Rail Atlas: The Beeching Era. Ian Allan Publishing Ltd. pp. 67 and 104. ISBN   9780711035492.
  15. ↑ Hoole, K. (1985). Railways of East Durham. Clapham, Lancashire: The Dalesman Publishing Company Ltd. pp. 8–9 & 33. ISBN   0852068352.
  16. ↑ Natural England site.
  17. ↑ "Player's goal". ChronicleLive. 24 February 2005.
  18. ↑ Duke, Simon (13 June 2017). "Watch: Courtney Hadwin, the Peterlee school girl with the huge voice". Evening Chronicle . Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  19. ↑ "Mum of America's Got Talent star Courtney Hadwin speaks of pride after teenager singer lands record deal". www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  20. ↑ Lane, Harriet; "'I had nothing to lose'" Guardian.co.uk, 30 November 2008 (Retrieved: 1 August 2009)
  21. ↑ "Cleaning up with Crissy Rock – from Liverpool to Peterlee, via Benidorm". 9 April 2015.
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