Wear Valley

Last updated

Wear Valley District
Offices of Durham County Council in Crook - geograph.org.uk - 2188270.jpg
Former district offices
DurhamWearValley.png
Shown within Durham County Council area.
History
  OriginBishop Auckland Urban District
Crook and Willington Urban District
Tow Law Urban District
Weardale Rural District
  Created1974
  Abolished2009
  Succeeded by County Durham
StatusDistrict
ONS code 20UJ
GovernmentWear Valley District Council
   HQ Crook

Wear Valley was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district in County Durham, England. Its council and district capital was Crook.

Contents

The district covered much of the Weardale area. In the west it was parished and rural, whereas in the east it was more urban. Crook and Willington are unparished.

The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by the merger of the Bishop Auckland, Crook and Willington and Tow Law urban districts, along with Weardale Rural District.

The district was abolished as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, becoming part of the Durham County Council unitary authority.

Wear Valley had a population of around 65,000 in 2001.

Electoral divisions

At the time Wear Valley District Council was abolished the electoral wards were:

Largest settlements

1. Bishop Auckland - 24,000

2. Crook - 13,000

3. Willington - 5,000

54°42′58″N1°55′30″W / 54.716°N 1.925°W / 54.716; -1.925


Related Research Articles

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

Willington is a town and former civil parish, now in the parish of Greater Willington, in the County Durham district, in the ceremonial county of Durham, England, in the foothills of the Pennines and near the River Wear close to Crook, Bishop Auckland and Durham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester-le-Street (district)</span>

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

Crook is a market town in the district and ceremonial county of County Durham, England. The town is located on the edge of Weardale and is sometimes referred to as the "Gateway to Weardale".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weardale</span> Open valley in County Durham, England

Weardale is a dale, or valley, on the east side of the Pennines in County Durham, England. Large parts of Weardale fall within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) – the second-largest AONB in England and Wales. The upper dale is surrounded by high fells and heather grouse moors. The River Wear flows through Weardale before reaching Bishop Auckland and then Durham, meeting the sea at Sunderland.

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

Helmington Row is a small village and former civil parish, now in the unparished area of Crook, in the County Durham district, in the ceremonial county of Durham, England. It is situated between Crook and Willington. About 7 miles South West of Durham and 3 miles north, north west of Bishop Auckland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Escomb</span> Village in England

Escomb is a village and former civil parish on the River Wear about 1+12 miles (2.4 km) west of Bishop Auckland, in the County Durham district, in the ceremonial county of Durham, England. In 2001 it had a population of 358. In 2011 the ward had a population of 3323.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North West Durham (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom

North West Durham is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 12 December 2019 by Richard Holden of the Conservative Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop Auckland (UK Parliament constituency)</span> UK Parliament constituency in England since 1885

Bishop Auckland is a constituency in County Durham represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Dehenna Davison, a Conservative.

Crook and Willington was an urban district in County Durham, England from 1937 to 1974. It was created by a merger of the previous Crook and Willington urban districts, along with part of the disbanded Auckland Rural District. It later formed part of the Wear Valley district. Today the population of this area is approximately 21,500.The area Includes Crook, Willington, Sunnybrow, Helmington Row, Billy Row and Roddymoor

Weardale was a rural district in County Durham, England from 1894 to 1974. It was formed under the Local Government Act 1894 as a successor to the Weardale rural sanitary district.

Barnard Castle was a county constituency centred on the town of Barnard Castle in County Durham, which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 1885 general election and abolished for the 1950 general election.

Spennymoor was a county constituency centred on the town of Spennymoor in County Durham. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system from 1918 to 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durham to Bishop Auckland Line</span> Railway line in County Durham, England

The Durham to Bishop Auckland Line was a railway line originally built by the North Eastern Railway (NER) to provide rail transport access to coal mines in West County Durham. It closed under the Beeching Axe to passenger traffic in May 1964, and freight in 1968. Today it forms the major part of the 9 miles (14 km) Brandon to Bishop Auckland rail trail.

Crook railway station served the town of Crook, County Durham, England. It was located on the Bishop Auckland and Weardale Railway line from Bishop Auckland to Blackhill between Wear Valley Junction and Tow Law, 17 miles (27 km) north west of Darlington.

Wear Valley Junction railway station primarily served as an interchange between the Wear Valley Line and the Weardale Extension Railway (WXR) between 1847 and 1935. It was the closest railway station to the village of High Grange in County Durham, North East England.

<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.

The county of Durham has returned 7 MPs to the UK Parliament since 1983. Under the Local Government Act 1972, which came into effect on 1 April 1974, the boundaries of the historic/administrative county were significantly altered with the north-east of the county, comprising more than half the electorate, being transferred to the new metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear. In addition, the borough of Hartlepool was included in the new county of Cleveland. These changes were reflected in the following redistribution of parliamentary seats which did not come into effect until the 1983 general election, resulting in a reduction in the county's representation from 16 to 7 MPs.