Urpeth

Last updated October 08, 2024

Urpeth (Urpeth Grange) is a village in County Durham, England.^[1] It is situated a short distance from Ouston and Beamish, near the border with Tyne and Wear. The parish population taken at the 2011 census was 3,630.^[2]

Urpeth started its life as a coal mining area with multiple seams of coal being mined from various locations around the current housing estate. Urpeth Colliery was owned by the Birtley Iron Company and during its heyday employed 300 men and boys. The on site coke ovens produced up to 470 tons of coke each day.

Geographically Urpeth is situated to the west of Ouston and is surrounded by fields and rolling hills to the west and south, much of which is farmland and greenbelt land. There are some beautiful walks to be had, leading towards Kibblesworth to the north west, through farmland and the Bowes Nature Reserve, towards High Urpeth and onwards to Beamish to the south west, through farmland following the river Team and Urpeth Burn. A hill, which separates Urpeth from Ouston, was formed from the coal spoils from both the Ouston and Urpeth collieries. The hill provides local children with an area for sledging during winter and dog walkers throughout the year. This area is frequented by local wildlife, such as deer, rabbits, hedgehogs, squirrels, moles and numerous species of birds. The fields are open grassland with wooded borders, with a small stream (tributary to the larger river Team) running through the woodland, a further children's play area, closer to Ouston than Urpeth, with various paved walkways, one being lit with streetlights, connecting Urpeth to Ouston.

Urpeth was once host to a controversial landfill site to the south west of its main location. The site was used for the disposal of low level radioactive waste along with three other sites at Kibblesworth, Ryton and Cowpen Bewley.^[3] However, since the late 1990s the site was closed and a methane burner sits on the site.

54°52′52″N1°37′52″W / 54.88111°N 1.63111°W / 54.88111; -1.63111

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References

↑ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 88 Newcastle upon Tyne (Durham & Sunderland) (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2012. ISBN 9780319229989.
↑ "Parish population 2011" . Retrieved 19 July 2015.
↑ "Hansard: Written Answers 1 December 1994 - Nuclear Waste". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . 1 December 1994. Retrieved 9 April 2016.

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[OS88-1] Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 88 Newcastle upon Tyne (Durham & Sunderland) (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2012. ISBN 9780319229989.

[2] "Parish population 2011" . Retrieved 19 July 2015.

[3] "Hansard: Written Answers 1 December 1994 - Nuclear Waste". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . 1 December 1994. Retrieved 9 April 2016.

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v t e Civil parishes in County Durham
including Stockton-on-Tees (north of the river)
Darlington	Parishes Archdeacon Newton Barmpton Bishopton Brafferton Coatham Mundeville Denton East and West Newbiggin Great Burdon Great Stainton Heighington High Coniscliffe Houghton le Side Hurworth Killerby Little Stainton Low Coniscliffe and Merrybent Middleton St. George Morton Palms Neasham Piercebridge Sadberge Summerhouse Walworth Whessoe Unparished areas The former Darlington County Borough
County Durham	Towns Barnard Castle Bishop Auckland Chilton Ferryhill Great Aycliffe Greater Willington Peterlee Seaham Sedgefield Shildon Spennymoor Stanley Tow Law Parishes Barforth Barningham Bearpark Belmont Bishop Middleham Bolam Boldron Bournmoor Bowes Bradbury and the Isle Brancepeth Brandon and Byshottles Brignall Burnhope Cassop-cum-Quarrington Castle Eden City of Durham Cleatlam Cockfield Cornforth Cornsay Cotherstone Coxhoe Croxdale and Hett Dalton-le-Dale Dene Valley Easington Colliery Easington Village Edmondbyers Edmondsley Eggleston Egglestone Abbey Eldon Esh Etherley Evenwood and Barony Fishburn Forest and Frith Framwellgate Moor Gainford Gilmonby Great Lumley Greencroft Hamsterley Hamsterley Common Haswell Hawthorn Headlam Healeyfield Hedleyhope Hilton Holwick Hope Horden Hunderthwaite Hunstanworth Hutton Henry and Station Town Hutton Magna Ingleton Kelloe Kimblesworth and Plawsworth Lanchester Langleydale and Shotton Langton Lartington Little Lumley Lunedale Lynesack and Softley Marwood Mickleton Middleton in Teesdale Middridge Monk Hesleden Mordon Morton Tinmouth Muggleswick Murton Nesbitt Newbiggin North Lodge Ouston Ovington Pelton Pittington Raby with Keverstone Rokeby Romaldkirk Sacriston Satley Scargill Seaton with Slingley Shadforth Sheraton with Hulam Sherburn Village Shincliffe Shotton South Bedburn South Hetton Staindrop Stanhope Startforth Streatlam and Stainton Thornley Toft Hill Trimdon Trimdon Foundry Urpeth Waldridge Wackerfield Weather Hill Wood West Auckland West Rainton and Leamside Westwick Wheatley Hill Whorlton Windlestone Wingate Winston Witton Gilbert Witton-le-Wear Wolsingham Wolsingham Park Moor Woodland Wycliffe with Thorpe Unparished areas The former Chester le Street Urban District Consett Parts of the former Durham Municipal Borough Parts of the former Bishop Auckland Urban District Crook and Willington Urban District Stanley Urban District
Hartlepool	Towns Headland Parishes Brierton Claxton Dalton Piercy Elwick Greatham Hart Newton Bewley Wynyard Unparished areas Part of the former Hartlepool County Borough
Stockton-on-Tees	Towns Billingham Parishes Aislaby Carlton Egglescliffe Elton Grindon and Thorpe Thewles Longnewton Newsham Preston-on-Tees Redmarshall Stillington and Whitton Wolviston Wynyard Unparished areas Part of the former Teesside County Borough
For further information about the above parishes, see List of civil parishes in County Durham . For the part of Stockton-on-Tees (borough) south of the River Tees, see List of civil parishes in North Yorkshire .