Mowden, County Durham

Last updated

Mowden
Durham UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Mowden
Location within County Durham
Population3,708 (2011) [1]
OS grid reference NZ264154
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town DARLINGTON
Postcode district DL3
Dialling code 01325
Police Durham
Fire County Durham and Darlington
Ambulance North East
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
County Durham
54°32′02″N1°35′36″W / 54.534°N 1.5934°W / 54.534; -1.5934

Mowden is an area of west Darlington in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. Nearby areas include Hummersknott to the south, Branksome to the north and Cockerton to the north-east.

Contents

Houses here date back to the 1960s. The area has a pre-school, primary school, a row shops and two local pubs, the Mowden and the Model T.

Former rugby ground

Mowden was previously home to Darlington Mowden Park Rugby Club. In late 2012, the Club sold their ground at Yiewsley Drive to a housing developer and relocated to The Darlington Arena, a 25,000 all-seater stadium which was previously owned by Darlington Football Club.

Mowden Hall

Mowden Hall Mowden Hall Darlington - geograph.org.uk - 1327599.jpg
Mowden Hall

Mowden Hall is a Victorian house designed by Alfred Waterhouse [2] for the Pease family, it is located on Staindrop Road. [3] [4] The hall was one of many large houses built for notable Quaker families in Darlington, another example being Polam Hall (now home to Polam Hall School). [5] John Beaumont Pease bought the farmland in the 1840s on which Mowden Hall stands and demolished the farm in 1862. He tried to make it private grounds by diverting an ancient footpath to High Coniscliffe. After his death, his son Edwin Lucas Pease continued to block the footpath, angering local people. He had promised to unblock the path. However, it was not, with a second path also being diverted. In 1875, a protest was held at the Mechanics Institute, which resulted in councillors, mayors, solicitors and ramblers forming the Darlington Footpaths Preservation Society. A court battle went to the court of Queen's Bench in London, between Edwin Pease and the Society over the legality of his actions. The court ruled in favour of Pease, who used the monetary award to extend Mowden Hall in size. [6] The Pease family owned the property until the 1920s. [7] Edwin's son William Edwin Pease never married and Mowden Hall was inherited by a cousin Ernest Pease, who sold it in 1927 and moved to the Isle of Wight due to ill health.

Mowden Hall School was founded at the hall in 1935 but pupils were forced to evacuate during World War II to Stocksfield in Northumberland. The hall switched hands several times before being sold to the government in 1966. The main occupier was the Department for Education (and its predecessor agencies) and the Teachers' Pensions Agency. They moved out to new premises in the town in 2015. [8] [9] The hall reverted to usage as a school, Marchbank Free School for special needs children with socio-emotional and behavioural problems.; [10] [11] the office buildings on the site were demolished and replaced with housing.

Related Research Articles

Darlington is a large market town in County Durham, North East England.

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

Darlington is a market and industrial town in County Durham, England. It is the main administrative centre of the unitary authority Borough of Darlington. The borough is a constituent member of the devolved Tees Valley area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred Waterhouse</span> British architect (1830–1905)

Alfred Waterhouse was an English architect, particularly associated with the Victorian Gothic Revival architecture, although he designed using other architectural styles as well. He is perhaps best known for his designs for Manchester Town Hall and the Natural History Museum in London, although he also built a wide variety of other buildings throughout the country. Besides his most famous public buildings he designed other town halls, the Manchester Assize buildings—bombed in World War II—and the adjacent Strangeways Prison. He also designed several hospitals, the most architecturally interesting being the Royal Infirmary Liverpool and University College Hospital London. He was particularly active in designing buildings for universities, including both Oxford and Cambridge but also what became Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds universities. He designed many country houses, the most important being Eaton Hall in Cheshire, largely demolished in 1961-63. He designed several bank buildings and offices for insurance companies, most notably the Prudential Assurance Company. Although not a major church designer he produced several notable churches and chapels. He was both a member of The Royal Institute of British Architects, of which he served a term as President, and a Royal Academician, acting as Treasurer for the Royal Academy.

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

Waterhouses is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated to the west of Durham, near Esh Winning, on the northern Bank of the River Deerness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darlington (UK Parliament constituency)</span> UK Parliament constituency since 1868

Darlington is the parliamentary constituency for the eponymous market town in County Durham in the North East of England. It is currently represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Peter Gibson of the Conservative Party, who was first elected in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Pease, 1st Baron Gainford</span> British politician

Joseph Albert Pease, 1st Baron Gainford, known as Jack Pease, was a British businessman and Liberal politician. He was a member of H. H. Asquith's Liberal cabinet between 1910 and 1916 and also served as Chairman of the BBC between 1922 and 1926.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Joseph Pease, 1st Baronet</span> 19th-century British Quaker politician

Sir Joseph Whitwell Pease, 1st Baronet was a British Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1865 to 1903.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Darlington Arena</span> Rugby union stadium in Darlington, England

The Darlington Arena is a rugby union stadium, located in Darlington, County Durham.

The Pease family is an English and mostly Quaker family associated with Darlington, County Durham, and North Yorkshire, descended from Edward Pease of Darlington (1711–1785). They were 'one of the great Quaker industrialist families of the nineteenth century, who played a leading role in philanthropic and humanitarian interests'. They were heavily involved in woollen manufacturing, banking, railways, locomotives, mining, and politics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darlington Mowden Park R.F.C.</span> English rugby union club, based in Darlington

Darlington Mowden Park is a professional rugby union club, based in Darlington, County Durham, England. They currently compete in National League 1, the third division of the Rugby Football Union domestic league competition pyramid, having achieved promotion on 3 May 2014, after defeating Ampthill in the 2013–14 play-off. The club's former name, Darlington Grammar School Old Boys, was changed when they moved to Yiewsley Drive, which was located in Mowden. They relocated to The Darlington Arena, a 25,000 all-seater stadium in Darlington, purchasing the previously-vacated ground for £2 million; Yiewsley Drive had previously been sold to a housing estate company, and the Arena was previously owned by Darlington Football Club. They played their first game at the arena on 2 February 2013, in front of a crowd of over 1,000, comprehensively defeating Bromsgrove 62–7 in a National League 2 North league game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Gordon Hoskins</span> English architect

George Gordon Hoskins FRIBA, was an English architect responsible for the design of several public buildings in the North East of England. His works include many large and important buildings - mansions, banks, hotels, hospitals, libraries, and schools.

Mark Bedworth, known locally as Bedders, is a rugby union Footballer who is currently player Coach at Westoe RFC. Mark Bedworth was born in Durham City in 1982 and attended Bow Preparatory School before moving onto Durham School where he is now a teacher of Physical Education. Having completed his A-levels, he continued to university in York. An excellent points kicker he became one of the all-time top scorers in National League 2 North and National League 1 with over 2,000 points scored between the two divisions. Bedders is also well regarded for his unique coaching style, being quoted "it's better to pull out early than not pull out at all," when recounting a high tackle.

Polam Hall School is a mixed all-through school located in Darlington, County Durham, England. Polam Hall was founded as a Quaker "boarding school" for girls. It is now mixed-gender and inter-denominational but still retains its Quaker traditions and ethos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hutton Hall, Guisborough</span> Former country house in North Yorkshire, England

Hutton Hall is a grade II listed country house in the Hutton Lowcross area to the south west of Guisborough, North Yorkshire, England.

The Durham County Rugby Football Union is the governing body for the sport of rugby union in the historic county of Durham in England. The union is the constituent body of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) for Durham County, it administers and organises rugby union clubs, competitions and Durham county rugby representative teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Park, Darlington</span>

South Park is a historic park in Darlington, County Durham, England. It is Grade II listed with Historic England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Procter</span>

Jane Procter was a British headmistress, suffragist and temperance campaigner. She founded what would become the Quaker Polam Hall School in Darlington.

Edward Wooler was a solicitor, author, councillor, alderman and antiquarian from Darlington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benwell Dene</span> Grade II listed house designed by Alfred Waterhouse in Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Benwell Dene is a Victorian building in the suburb of Benwell, Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. It was designed by Alfred Waterhouse for Dr Thomas Hodgkin and was built in 1865. Hodgkin donated the house to the Royal Victoria Home in 1894, and bequeathed the gardens and grounds to the people of Newcastle as a public park. The building subsequently became the Royal Victoria School for the Blind. After the school's closure in 1985, the structure was converted into a hotel. It is a Grade II listed building.

References

  1. "Darlington ward population 2011" . Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  2. Cunningham, Colin; Waterhouse, Prudence (1992). Alfred Waterhouse, 1830-1905: Biography of a Practice. Clarendon Press.
  3. Chapman, Vera (1975). Rural Darlington: farm, mansion & suburb. Durham County Council. p. 32.
  4. Atkinson, Frank (1989). Victorian Britain: The North East. David & Charles. p. 202.
  5. "Darlington's Quaker Heritage". Religious Society of Friends – Darlington Meeting.
  6. "Hall's fighting talk". The Northern Echo . 23 January 2013.
  7. Woodhouse, Robert (2015). Haunted Darlington. The History Press.
  8. "Darlington DfE office officially opens". BBC. 19 March 2015.
  9. "Darlington Public Sector Hub and DfE". Darlington Borough Council.
  10. "History of the Building". educationvillage.org.uk.
  11. "EduBase — Marchbank Free School". Department for Education.