Greatham, County Durham
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Greatham is a village and
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in the borough of
Hartlepool Hartlepool ( ) is a seaside resort, seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is governed by a unitary authority borough Borough of Hartlepool, named after the town. The borough is part of the devolved Tees Valley area with an estimat ...
,
County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...
, England. The population of the civil parish (including Newton Bewley) was taken in the 2011 census was 2,132. Greatham village is located approximately three miles south of Hartlepool town centre.


History

Greatham village is not mentioned in the
Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
of 1086, but appears first in written sources as ''Gretham'' in 1196. Greatham is the site of the Hospital of God, founded in 1273 by the then
Bishop of Durham The bishop of Durham is head of the diocese of Durham in the province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler (bishop), Paul Butler was the most recent bishop of Durham u ...
, Robert de Stichell. Greatham Hospital was originally a foundation to aid poor people. By the 16th century the foundation was used more as a "house of entertainment for gentlemen" and it was not well used for helping the poor. After 1610 there were reforms, and its original mission was resumed. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
it was the site of the short-lived RAF Greatham base. In May 2021, the parish council of Greatham, alongside the parish councils of the villages of Elwick, Hart, and
Dalton Piercy Dalton Piercy is a village and civil parish in the borough of Hartlepool, County Durham, in England. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 Cernsus was 289. Location Dalton Piercy is situated 1 mile east of the A19 and 1 mile t ...
, all issued individual votes of no confidence in
Hartlepool Borough Council The Borough of Hartlepool is a unitary authority area with borough status in County Durham, England. Hartlepool Borough Council became a unitary authority in 1996; it is independent from Durham County Council. It is named after its largest sett ...
, and expressed their desire to re-join
County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...
.


Landmarks

At present the village has around a thousand occupants, separated into varying areas, Saltaire Terrace, Hillview, The Grove, The Drive, The Green, Front Street and Ashfield Close, with some village residents living in the houses located at the extremes of the village parish. A new estate is currently being built near Hill View, next door to the school and will be known as Station Manor. There is a long history of salt works nearby, but this declined in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the middle of the 20th century, Cerebos salt works had a factory there, which was later taken over by Sharwood's. The factory has now closed and has been demolished. The site now consists of large areas of hardstanding and rubble. Greatham railway station was positioned near the old Cerebos factory, away from the majority of the village. It survived the Beeching cuts but was later downgraded to a halt before eventually closing on 24 November 1991 due to lack of use. The station was part of the
Durham Coast Line The Durham Coast Line is an approximately railway line running between Newcastle railway station, Newcastle and in North East England. Heavy rail passenger services, predominantly operated Northern Trains, and some freight services operate ove ...
.


Amenities

Greatham is a separate village from Hartlepool, with two pubs and a village green. Other amenities include: * Whitfield's General Store * Post office (though it is currently closed) * Greatham Sports field, a large field with various sports facilities including tennis courts and a small adventure playground. Greatham also has a small Church of England primary school. The school is open to children of all faiths. It is well equipped, with four classrooms, a large multi-purpose school hall with gym equipment, a kitchen and a dedicated nursery area. The school grounds include a nature garden, which is looked after by the pupils, a formal garden and a large playing field.
The Church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, was erected over the foundations of an early Saxon building, by Bishop Stichell of Durham, in 1270. It was rebuilt in 1792, a
clerestory A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...
added by the Rev. H. B. Tristram in 1869, and a new vestry and organ, at a cost of £650, by the present vicar in 1881. It consists of nave, aisles, chancel, and a square western tower of modest dimensions. The exterior of the church is neat and attractive; the recent additions, especially the clerestory, which is lighted by elegant quatrefoils, have been well carried out, and add much to the general appearance of the structure.
rom History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan, London, 1894


Transport

A bus service is operated by
Stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...
. The number 36 bus route comes every 15 minutes, heading towards
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
via Stockton,
Billingham Billingham is a List of towns in England, town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in County Durham, England. The town is on the north side of the River Tees and is governed as part of the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees unitary authority ...
and Norton and to Hartlepool via the Fens. There was also the 527 Service, operated by
Arriva Arriva Ltd. is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England. The company was originally established on 24 October 1938 as T Cowie Ltd. Initially focused on the sale of motorcycles, it relaunched shortl ...
, which came every 60 minutes, and headed into Hartlepool, terminating at Maritime Avenue on the
Marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...
. This service was axed in 2011 due to the withdrawal of financial support from
Hartlepool Borough Council The Borough of Hartlepool is a unitary authority area with borough status in County Durham, England. Hartlepool Borough Council became a unitary authority in 1996; it is independent from Durham County Council. It is named after its largest sett ...
. A petition was signed by residents to encourage this decision to be re-evaluated but has not had the service reinstated. There was once an operating
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
at the bottom of the village, but this is now disused and derelict. However the Middlesbrough to
Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...
trains still pass through the village.


References


External links

{{authority control Villages in County Durham Civil parishes in County Durham Borough of Hartlepool Places in the Tees Valley