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High Westwood
High Westwood is an English village in County Durham, a few miles to the north of Consett, near Ebchester and Hamsterley. It once had a colliery and coke works. Past and present Once a thriving industrial village, High Westwood is now much reduced in size and amenities. There was a railway station on the Derwent Valley line from 1904 to 1942. The village is now surrounded by countryside and the old railway line part of a country walkway. Nearby oak woodland still has deer and glades of bluebells, but the red squirrels vanished in the 2000s. Barn owl The barn owl (''Tyto alba'') is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalaya ...s and tawny owls are common, along with a wide range of smaller birds. The site of the former Westwood County Junior Mixed and Infant School is now a housing complex, where the ho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
County Durham
County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly â€About North East England. Retrieved 30 November 2007. The ceremonial county spawned from the historic County Palatine of Durham in 1853. In 1996, the county gained part of the abolished ceremonial county of Cleveland.Lieutenancies Act 1997 . Retrieved 27 October 2014. The county town is the of |
Consett
Consett is a town in County Durham, England, about south-west of Newcastle upon Tyne. It had a population of 27,394 in 2001 and an estimate of 25,812 in 2019. History Consett sits high on the edge of the Pennines. Its' name originates in the Old English ''Cunecsheafod'' ("Cunec's headland"), first recorded in the 13th century. In 1841, it was a village community of only 145, but it was about to become a boom town: below the ground were coking coal and blackband iron ore, and nearby was limestone. These three ingredients were needed for blast furnaces to produce iron and steel. The town is perched on the steep eastern bank of the River Derwent and owes its origins to industrial development arising from lead mining in the area, together with the development of the steel industry in the Derwent Valley, which is said to have been initiated by immigrant German cutlers and sword-makers from Solingen, who settled in the village of Shotley Bridge during the 17th century. During the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ebchester
Ebchester is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated to the north of Consett and to the south east of Whittonstall. The village sits at the intersection of the A694, which runs from Consett to Swalwell, and the B6309, which connects the A696 north of Belsay and runs into the A691 immediately south of the village of Leadgate. Etymology ''Chester'' derives from the Old English word for a Roman fortification. There have been some attempts to identify the first element with a Roman place-name, but on the available evidence it is safest to regard it as coming from an Old English personal name ''Ebba'', thus 'Ebba's fortification'. It is possible that the ‘Ebba’ element refers to Æbbe (c. 615 – 683) who was an Anglian abbess and noblewoman. Æbbe was the daughter of Æthelfrith, who was king of Bernicia from c. 593 to 616. Æbbe founded monasteries at Ebchester and St Abb's Head near Coldingham in Scotland. At Coldingham it is thought she founded her monastery in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hamsterley, Consett
Hamsterley is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated to the north of Consett and borders the hamlet of Low Westwood. Colliery It was known until recently as Hamsterley Colliery, after the large mining colliery situated to the south of the village by the south banks of the River Derwent. The colliery, halfway between Hamsterley and High Westwood, had opened in 1864 and closed on 2 February 1968. Homonymous Hamsterley Hall was the birthplace of the hunting novelist Robert Smith Surtees Robert Smith Surtees (17 May 180516 March 1864) was an English editor, novelist and sporting writer, widely known as R. S. Surtees. He was the second son of Anthony Surtees of Hamsterley Hall, a member of an old County Durham family. He is reme ..., author of ''Jorrocks' Jaunts and Jollities''. One of two villages of this name in County Durham, Hamsterley should not be confused with the larger village of Hamsterley, near Bishop Auckland, 20 miles to the south. References Exte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Derwent Valley Railway (County Durham)
The Derwent Valley Railway was a branch railway in County Durham, England. Built by the North Eastern Railway, it ran from (now in Tyne and Wear) to via five intermediate stations, and onwards to . Background In 1842, the Derwent Iron Company (DIC) had taken over the southern part of the former Stanhope and Tyne Railway. After the West Durham Railway constructed a line to , the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) began construction of the Weardale Extension Railway to Crook, which opened on 8 November 1843, from a junction on its leased Weardale Railway. As a result, the DIC proposed an extension from Crook to the foot of the Meeting Slacks incline, which latter became , to provide a southern shipping route for their lime and iron products. Having obtained an extension of their right of way from the Bishop of Durham, the DIC submitted the plans to the S&DR, who agreed to the extension as long as the DIC leased the entire southern section of the former S&TR to them. The Sta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sea To Sea Cycle Route
The Coast to Coast or Sea to Sea Cycle Route (C2C) is a cycle route opened in 1994. Combining sections of National Cycle Route 7, 14, 71 and 72; it runs from Whitehaven or Workington on the west coast of Cumbria, and then crosses the Lake District and the Pennines in the north of England by using a variety of both on and off-road trails, ending on the north-east coast in Tyne and Wear at Sunderland or Tynemouth. Sustrans state that it is the UK's most popular challenge cycle route, it is designed for the whole range of cyclists, from families to cycling club riders. Although a challenge with some hard climbsthe highest point being over the C2C is completed by an average of between 12,800 and 15,000 cyclists every year. History The C2C is part of the UK National Cycle Network (NCN), and was developed by Sustrans in partnership with various local authorities, Groundwork West Cumbria, North Pennines Tourism Partnership, Forest Enterprise and the Lake District National Par ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Common Bluebell
''Hyacinthoides non-scripta'' (formerly ''Endymion non-scriptus'' or ''Scilla non-scripta'') is a bulbous perennial plant, found in Atlantic areas from north-western Spain to the British Isles, and also frequently used as a garden plant. It is known in English as the common bluebell or simply bluebell, a name which is used in Scotland to refer to the harebell, ''Campanula rotundifolia''. In spring, ''H. non-scripta'' produces a nodding, one-sided inflorescence of 5–12 tubular, sweet-scented violet–blue flowers, with strongly recurved tepals, and 3–6 long, linear, basal leaves. ''H. non-scripta'' is particularly associated with ancient woodland where it may dominate the understorey to produce carpets of violet–blue flowers in "bluebell woods", but also occurs in more open habitats in western regions. It is protected under UK law, and in some other parts of its range. A related species, '' H. hispanica'' has also been introduced to the British Isles and hybr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red Squirrel
The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris'') is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'' common throughout Europe and Asia. The red squirrel is an arboreal, primarily herbivorous rodent. In Great Britain, Ireland, and in Italy numbers have decreased drastically in recent years. This decline is associated with the introduction by humans of the eastern grey squirrel (''Sciurus carolinensis'') from North America. However, the population in Scotland is stabilising due to conservation efforts, awareness and the increasing population of the pine marten, a European predator that selectively controls grey squirrels. Description The red squirrel has a typical head-and-body length of , a tail length of , and a mass of . Males and females are the same size. The red squirrel is somewhat smaller than the eastern grey squirrel which has a head-and-body length of and weighs between . The long tail helps the squirrel to balance and steer when jumping from tree to tree and running ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barn Owl
The barn owl (''Tyto alba'') is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalayas, most of Indonesia, and some Pacific Islands. It is also known as the common barn owl, to distinguish it from the other species in its family, Tytonidae, which forms one of the two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical owls (''Strigidae''). There are at least three major lineages of barn owl: the western barn owl of Europe, western Asia, and Africa; the eastern barn owl of southeastern Asia and Australasia; and the American barn owl of the Americas. Some taxonomic authorities classify barn owls differently, recognising up to five separate species; and further research needs to be done to resolve the disparate taxonomies. There is considerable variation of size and colour among the approximately 28 subspecies, but most ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tawny Owl
The tawny owl (''Strix aluco''), also called the brown owl, is commonly found in woodlands across Europe to western Siberia, and has seven recognized subspecies. It is a stocky, medium-sized owl, whose underparts are pale with dark streaks, and whose upper body may be either brown or grey. (In several subspecies, individuals may be of either color.) The tawny owl typically makes its nest in a tree hole where it can protect its eggs and young against potential predators. It is non-migratory and highly territorial: as a result, when young birds grow up and leave the parental nest, if they cannot find a vacant territory to claim as their own, they will often starve. The tawny owl is a nocturnal bird of prey. It is able to hunt successfully at night because of its vision and hearing adaptations and its ability to fly silently. It usually hunts by dropping suddenly from a perch and seizing its prey, which it swallows whole. It hunts mainly rodents, although in urbanized areas its d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coal Authority
The Coal Authority is a non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). On behalf of the country, it owns the vast majority of unworked coal in Great Britain, as well as former coal mines, and undertakes a range of functions including: * licensing coal mining operations * matters with respect to coal mining subsidence damage outside the areas of responsibility of coal mining licensees * dealing with property and historical liability issues; for example environmental projects, mine water treatment schemes and surface hazards relating to past coal mining * providing public access to information held by the Coal Authority on coal mininghttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/844421/Coal_Authority_and_BEIS_framework_agreement_2019.pdf Purpose The Coal Authority’s stated purpose is to: * keep people safe and provide peace of mind * pro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Villages In County Durham
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Though villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighborhoods. Villages are normally permanent, with fixed dwellings; however, transient villages can occur. Further, the dwellings of a village are fairly close to one another, not scattered broadly over the landscape, as a dispersed settlement. In the past, villages were a usual form of community for societies that practice subsistence agriculture, and also for some non-agricultural societies. In Great Britain, a hamlet earned the right to be called a village when it built a church. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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