River Skerne

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Skerne river dam looking north Skerne river dam looking north - geograph.org.uk - 473160.jpg
Skerne river dam looking north
River Skerne in flood, April 2005 River Skerne in flood, April 2005 - geograph.org.uk - 45068.jpg
River Skerne in flood, April 2005
S&DR bridge of 1825; the side retaining walls are later additions Skerne Railway Bridge South Side May 2021.jpg
S&DR bridge of 1825; the side retaining walls are later additions

The River Skerne is a tributary of the River Tees. It flows through County Durham in England.

Contents

Course

The Skerne is about 25 miles (40 km) long and begins in Magnesian Limestone hills between Trimdon and Trimdon Grange and ends at Hurworth Place where it joins the River Tees. Three miles after the source the Skerne is joined by Hurworth Burn and enters Hurworth Burn Reservoir on the borders of Stockton-on-Tees and County Durham. On leaving the reservoir, the Skerne heads south-west towards Sedgefield. It flows through farmland between Fishburn and Sedgefield and it seems likely that the Skerne is "the fish-stream" that gives Fishburn its name.

Three miles west of Fishburn, it is crossed by the A1(M) motorway near Bradbury interchange. At this point the Skerne takes a southerly course and, for about five miles (8 km) as far south as Aycliffe, it runs roughly parallel to the motorway and the East Coast Main Line. A number of smaller tributaries join the Skerne in the area and often form little islands like the Great Isle and Little Isle near Bradbury. One major tributary of the Skerne is the Woodham Burn, which rises near Shildon and flows through Newton Aycliffe.

The Skerne skirts the village of Aycliffe before crossing under the motorway near its junction with the A167. After this it passes close to Brafferton and the farmland where the famous Durham Ox was bred, before heading for Barmpton, Great Burdon and Haughton-le-Skerne on the outskirts of Darlington, The Skerne then flows underneath 17 bridges in Darlington, including the railway bridge built by the Stockton and Darlington Railway and crossed by the inaugural train in 1825. [1] The river lends its name to the Skerne Park estate in Darlington.

To the south of Darlington the Skerne passes through South Park, and then, after flowing under the A66 bridge, leaves the town to flow through countryside for its last two miles (3 km), before joining the Tees at Hurworth Place.

Settlements

from source

(Joins River Tees)

Restoration

The River Skerne underwent a comprehensive restoration scheme between 1995 and 1998 as part of an EU-LIFE demonstration project carried out by the River Restoration Project (now The River Restoration Centre). [2] A 2 km stretch of the river running through the town of Darlington was improved including the formation of four new meanders, planting to strengthen banks, reshaping and narrowing of the bed, installation of footpaths and a planting scheme aimed to "bringing the countryside into town". [3] [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

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

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of Darlington</span> Unitary authority area in County Durham, England

Borough of Darlington, or Darlington borough, is a unitary authority area in County Durham, Northern England. It is named after the town of Darlington and in the Tees Valley mayoral area. The area borders three local authority areas; the County Durham district is to the north and west, Stockton-on-Tees to the east and North Yorkshire to the south, the River Tees forming the border for the latter. In 2011, the borough had a population of 106,000. The council is Labour / Liberal Democrat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durham County Council</span> Local authority in North East England

Durham County Council is a local unitary authority governing local government functions for the County Durham district of North East England. The council area covers part of wider ceremonial County Durham. County Hall in Durham is the council's headquarters.


Newton Ketton Meadow is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Darlington district of Durham, England. It is situated alongside a small tributary of the River Skerne, about 2 km south-west of the village of Great Stainton and 3 km east of the village of Brafferton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurworth Burn railway station</span> Railway station on the Castle Eden branch of the North Eastern Railway from 1880 to 1931

Hurworth Burn railway station was a railway station on the Castle Eden branch of the North Eastern Railway (NER) from 1880 to 1931. It was located between the embankment carrying the railway over Hurworth Burn Reservoir and the bridge carrying the line over the Hart to Trimdon road. As well as serving the then relatively new reservoir, the station primarily served a few scattered hamlets though it was also the nearest station to the village of Sheraton.

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

Morton Palms is a civil parish in the Darlington district, in the ceremonial county of Durham, England. In 2001 the parish had a population of 32. The parish borders Barmpton, Great Burdon, Hurworth, Middleton St. George, Neasham and Sadberge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Durham (district)</span> Unitary authority area in England

County Durham is a local government district in North East England. It is governed by Durham County Council, a unitary authority. The district has an area of 2,232.6 km2, and contains 135 civil parishes. It forms part of the larger ceremonial county of Durham, together with boroughs of Darlington, Hartlepool, and the part of Stockton-on-Tees north of the River Tees.

References

  1. "Skerne Bridge, Non Civil Parish - 1475481 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  2. 1 2 "the River Restoration Centre - Demonstration Projects - River Skerne, County Durham". Therrc.co.uk. 2008-01-14. Archived from the original on 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2013-08-27.
  3. "River Skerne | Centre of Expertise for Waters". CREW. Archived from the original on 2015-05-07. Retrieved 2022-08-10.

54°29′N1°33′W / 54.483°N 1.550°W / 54.483; -1.550