Easington, County Durham

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Easington
  • Easington Village
Village and civil parish
Looking down at the village green.jpg
The village green
Durham UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Easington
Location within County Durham
Population2,171 
OS grid reference NZ415432
Civil parish
  • Easington Village
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
List of places
UK
England
County Durham
54°47′N1°21′W / 54.78°N 1.35°W / 54.78; -1.35

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.

Contents

It is near the A19, which travels north to Seaham and Sunderland as well as south to Peterlee and Stockton-on-Tees. The population of Easington Village was 2,164 in 2001, [1] increasing slightly to 2,171 at the 2011 Census. [2]

History

St Mary the Virgin, Easington St Mary the Virgin, Parish Church of Easington - geograph.org.uk - 1706454.jpg
St Mary the Virgin, Easington

There is evidence of Easington having been an important pre-Norman Conquest site, including architectural fragments (dating from as early as the 8th century) found within the fabric of St Mary's Church. St Mary's itself is mostly 12th–13th century, and contains a notable amount of seventeenth-century woodwork. [3] From 1256 until 1832 the Rector of Easington was also Archdeacon of Durham.

One of the most prominent events in the long history of the village was the hanging of two men on the village green for involvement in the plot to replace Tudor monarch Queen Elizabeth with Mary, Queen of Scots. Pope Adrian IV (c. 1100–1 September 1159), born Nicholas Breakspear, lived here for a time. [4] The village is also known as the setting of the folktale, "The Legend of the Easington hare". [5]

Seaton Holme Seaton Holme, Easington - geograph.org.uk - 1706399.jpg
Seaton Holme

The village is home to one of the few remaining 13th-century domestic buildings (open-hall) in the country, Seaton Holme. It became an archdeacon's residence, served as the rectory until around 1960 and was a children's home for a time before falling into disrepair. In 1992 it was finally restored to a semblance of its former stature. [6]

Overshadowed

The sinking of coal mines near the village began on 11 April 1899. The settlement of Easington Colliery developed around the colliery. The settlements along the B1283 road has resulted in both settlements merging. However, the two places have retained their distinctive characters and continue to reflect different trends. Easington Colliery was the last pit to close on the Durham Coalfields in 1993, with the loss of 1,400 jobs.

Amenities

There were two post offices in Easington. The one in the town serves the top of Easington, the middle post office serves the area which is predominantly council properties, and the lower post office served the colliery housing area. This post office closed on 10 October 2008 after being cut in the closure scheme by the Post Office.[ citation needed ] Easington Academy is located in the village. It acts as the main secondary school for the village and surrounding area.

Demography

Easington is notable for being the town with the highest percentage of white residents in England (99.2% white in 2001). [7] According to the results of the 2001 census, it also has the UK's lowest population of Jedi knights. [8]

Notable people

The film Billy Elliot , set in the fictional County Durham town of Everington, was mainly shot in Easington, though the filmmakers had to go a long way north to Ellington to find the only working mine in the North East. The subsequent stage musical version specifically identifies Easington as its location.

Easington was one of the locations the Ken Loach directed film The Old Oak was filmed. [9]

Related Research Articles

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Hetton-le-Hole is a town and civil parish in the City of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. It is in the historic county of Durham. A182 runs through the town, between Houghton-le-Spring and Easington Lane, off the A690 and close to the A1(M).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wearside</span> Built-up area in England

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<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.

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

Easington Colliery is a town in County Durham, England, known for a history of coal mining. It is situated to the north of Horden, a short distance to the east of Easington Village. The town suffered a significant mining accident on 29 May 1951, when an explosion in the mine resulted in the deaths of 83 men.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitburn, Tyne and Wear</span> Village in South Tyneside, England.

Whitburn is a village in South Tyneside, in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear on the coast of North East England. It is located 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the city of Sunderland and 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the town of South Shields. Historically, Whitburn is part of County Durham. Other nearby population centres include Seaburn, Cleadon and Marsden. The village lies on a south-facing slope, part of Durham's Magnesian Limestone plateau, which overlooks Sunderland. The population for the combined Whitburn and Marsden Ward in the 2011 UK Census was 7,448. For much of its history, Whitburn was a fishing and agricultural community. The village contains three schools, three churches, a cricket club, recreational grounds, a pub and a variety of shops.

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

Springwell Village is a village in the City of Sunderland, bordering Gateshead, approximately 7.6 miles (12.2 km) from Newcastle upon Tyne, 9 miles (14 km) from Sunderland, and 13 miles (21 km) from Durham. In 2011, Census data for the City of Sunderland ward of Washington West recorded a total population of 11,833.

<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.

References

  1. Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Easington Archived 3 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2009-09-18
  2. "Parish population 2011". Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  3. http://www.durham.anglican.org/userfiles/file/.../Easington.pdf%5B%5D Archaeological report, P. Ryder, 1994.
  4. Watson, Steve (15 March 2022). Paranormal Sunderland. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN   9781398110526.
  5. Grice, Frederick (1944). Folk Tales of the North Country. Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd. ASIN   B000PCXLEA . Retrieved 18 May 2007.
  6. "Seaton Holme Discovery Centre a tourist attraction in Easington, County Durham, to visit. | tourUK.co.uk". Archived from the original on 2 November 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  7. 'The whitest place in England' BBC News Magazine. Accessed 6 March 2008
  8. Census 2001 Summary theme figures and rankings – 390,000 Jedi There Are, Office for National Statistics. Accessed 9 November 2012
  9. Sagar, Sharuna (8 November 2022). "Ken Loach inspired by the North East for film The Old Oak". BBC Look North. Retrieved 24 April 2023.