Horden is a village and
electoral ward in
County Durham, England. It is situated on the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
coast, to the east of
Peterlee
Peterlee is a town in County Durham, England. It lies between Sunderland to the north, Hartlepool to the south, the Durham Coast to the east and Durham to the west. It gained town status in 1948 under the New Towns Act 1946. The act also cre ...
, approximately 12 miles south of
Sunderland. Horden was a mining village until the closure of the
Horden Colliery
Horden Colliery was a coal mine situated in Horden, near Peterlee in County Durham.
History
It opened in 1900 and was closed on 28 February 1987. Initially owned by Horden Collieries Ltd, it was handed over to the National Coal Board in 1947 whe ...
in 1987. Main features include the Welfare and Memorial Parks and St Mary's church. It is connected to the villages of
Blackhall Colliery
Blackhall Colliery is a village on the North Sea coast of County Durham, in England. It is situated on the A1086 between Horden and Hartlepool. To the south of the Blackhall Colliery's Catholic church is Blackhall Rocks.
Built around the ...
and
Blackhall Rocks
Blackhall Rocks is a village on the North Sea coast of County Durham, North East England. It is situated on the A1086 between Horden and Hartlepool, and just south of Blackhall Colliery which it adjoins. It is sometimes referred to by locals ...
to its south by a spectacular rail viaduct which spans
Castle Eden Dene
Castle Eden Dene is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserve in the Easington district of County Durham, England. It is located mostly in Peterlee, between the A19 and A1086 roads.
The dene is the largest, and biolo ...
near Denemouth. Horden Dene provides Horden's northern boundary with
Easington Colliery
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 ...
.
History
The local manor house, Horden Hall, was built in the early 17th century by
Sir John Conyers, 1st Baronet (d.1664). However, Horden village did not really begin to develop beyond a few farmhouses until the construction of Horden Colliery began in 1900. By 1920 Pitmen’s homes were built, initially in rows of houses named First to Thirteenth Streets.
Horden has an Anglo-Saxon name that comes from an old word ‘horu’ meaning ‘dirty’ with the ‘den’ part of the name referring to the dene or valley. Horden is first mentioned in the eleventh century as ‘Horeden’, when there is also mention of a ‘Horetun’ (dirty farm).
The first church in the village, St Hilda’s – now the church hall - was opened in 1904, and in 1913 St Mary’s church, built by local landowner Colonel Burdon, was consecrated. The village continued to grow strongly, reaching a peak population of 15,000 in 1951. By 1964 there were 3 cinemas, cricket, rugby and football pitches and also a bowling green.
By 1970 the colliery was considered the "Jewel in the Crown" and expected to have a life of 30 years.
Since closure of the mine in 1987 Horden’s population has fallen to around 8,500 (2001 census) and it now suffers high unemployment, higher than average health issues and problems with poor housing stock. In addition, Horden has gradually lost most of its services and amenities including Police and Fire Stations, secondary school, many local shops and cinemas.
Its railway station reopened in June 2020.
Primary and nursery schools remain, including Horden Nursery School, Cotsford Primary School, Yohden Primary School and Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary School.
In political terms, Horden is split between the Horden North and Horden South wards of Durham County Council, both of which are part of the parliamentary constituency of Easington, represented since 2010 by Grahame Morris of the Labour Party.
Mining
Horden Colliery
Horden Colliery was a coal mine situated in Horden, near Peterlee in County Durham.
History
It opened in 1900 and was closed on 28 February 1987. Initially owned by Horden Collieries Ltd, it was handed over to the National Coal Board in 1947 whe ...
was one of the biggest mines in the country. From the beginning of construction in 1900 to nationalisation in 1947 it was owned and operated by Horden Collieries Ltd, who also operated mines at
Blackhall,
Castle Eden
Castle Eden is a village in County Durham, in England. The population of the parish at the 2011 census was 642. It is situated a short distance to the south of Peterlee, Wingate, Hutton Henry, the A19 and Castle Eden Dene. The village is fam ...
and
Shotton. Following nationalisation the mine was operated by the
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board (NCB) was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the United Kingdom's collieries on "ve ...
.
The mine was operated mainly for the purpose of working undersea coal, and had three shafts. At the height of operating in the 1930s it employed over 4000 men and produced over 1.5million tonnes of coal a year.
Large volumes of water and other geological issues meant that Horden Colliery failed to make a profit from the later-1970s onwards, and was finally closed in 1987. The only original sites left now are the medical centre (site now occupied by a gymnasium), the baths (now rebuilt into offices), the canteen (now occupied by a garage) and the ventilation office (now used by the local council).
Rising minewater following the closure led to fears of contamination of drinking water. A minewater treatment plant was installed in 2004 by the
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 Brit ...
to remove the majority of the iron and raise the
pH level of the water. This was a temporary measure, prior to a permanent passive mine water treatment system having been installed.
Regeneration
![Eroding bank of coal-mine waste, Horden Beach - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Eroding_bank_of_coal-mine_waste%2C_Horden_Beach_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1582657.jpg)
In recent years Horden has benefited from the removal of mining spoil heaps and the redevelopment of its Welfare Park (which houses Horden's rugby, cricket and football teams). The Welfare and Memorial Parks are both currently designated Green Flag Parks with the Welfare Park also recognised with th
Green Heritage Award one of only four in the North East of England. The Colliery Welfare Park was originally funded by the miners themselves in the 1920s who paid an amount of money from their wages. At one time there was a swimming pool which was filled with the water pumped out from the mine, and you could only use it if you were able to swim a certain length. Now there is a basketball court / tennis court, two children's play areas, a band stand and beautiful gardens to walk round. ''Marra'' is a 2015 sculpture by
Ray Lonsdale of a miner with his heart torn out, depicting the death of mining communities. The Durham Heritage Coast Partnership (previously the lottery funded Turning the Tide programme) is committed to the conservation, protection and enhancement of the coastline, which is home to a rich variety of flora and fauna.
For a small village, Horden still boasts quite a nightlife especially at weekends with several clubs bringing people from nearby villages. Pubs and clubs in Horden include; Horden Comrades, The Bell, Horden Cricket Club and popular on weekends, Horden Catholic Club.
Transport
The
A1086 road is the main road through the village linking with Easington and the A19 to Sunderland in the north and Blackhall and the A179 to Hartlepool in the south; the B1320 links the village to Peterlee and Shotton in the west.
The village is served by
Horden railway station
Horden (also known as Horden Peterlee during the planning stage) is a railway station on the Durham Coast Line, which runs between Newcastle and Middlesbrough via Hartlepool. The station, situated south-east of Sunderland, serves the villages of ...
on the
Durham Coast Line
The Durham Coast Line is an approximately railway line running between Newcastle and in North East England. Heavy rail passenger services, predominantly operated Northern Trains, and some freight services operate over the whole length of the li ...
. This station, which opened on 29 June 2020, replaced Horden's earlier station which closed in May 1964.
In 1987 the United Peterlee Panther bus service was launched between Peterlee and Horden/Horden Hall Estate. It stopped anywhere passengers wanted, except on Cosford Lane. The service is mirrored today in Go North East's services 209 and 210. A number of regular Arriva and Go North East services operate through the main streets of Horden.
Schools
*
Our Lady Star of the Sea, RC primary school
*
Cotsford Primary School
*
Yohden Primary School
Notable residents
*
Stan Anderson (professional footballer, born 1933)
*
Eddy Ellwood (world champion bodybuilder and professional Strongman competitor)
*
Alan Hammonds, founder member and lead singer of the cult British power pop band
Incredible Kidda Band
The Incredible Kidda Band (aka The Kidda Band) were a British power pop band formed in Nuneaton on 10 February 1976, and composed of Alan Hammonds (guitars, vocals), Graham "Kidder" Hammonds (percussion, backing vocals), Dave 'Legs' Lister, (le ...
*
Dale Roberts professional footballer
*
Bob Taylor professional footballer
References
External links
{{authority control
Villages in County Durham
Populated coastal places in County Durham
Civil parishes in County Durham