School Aycliffe is a village in
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 �About North East E ...
, England. It is a short distance west of
Newton Aycliffe, and east of
Heighington. Its name derives from a
Viking called
Scula Onlafbald and Scula (Old Norse: Skúli) were two early 10th-century Viking chieftains, notable for receiving lands through successful campaigning in what is now northern England. Onlafbald is also said to have been killed by the spirit of the 7th-ce ...
, who owned land in that part of South Durham.
School Aycliffe is split into two by School Aycliffe Lane. On the north side is the original village. It is under the remit of
Durham County Council
Durham County Council is a local authority administering all significant local government functions in the unitary authority area of County Durham in North East England. The council area covers part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, e ...
(between 1974 and 2009, it was part of the borough of
Sedgefield), and part of the parish of
Great Aycliffe
Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements
* Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size
* Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent
People
* List of people known as "the Great"
*Artel Great (born ...
. The School Aycliffe Wetlands is a wildlife habitat situated on the northern edge of the village.
On the southern side is a new housing estate, "The Chestnuts", under the remit of the
Borough of Darlington and part of the parish of
Heighington. The now-closed Aycliffe Hospital, a mental health facility, was located there before the estate was built. The father of comedian, writer and actor
Mark Gatiss worked at the hospital, and it became the inspiration for a number of ideas used by Gatiss in the TV show ''
The League Of Gentlemen''.
References
External links
Villages in County Durham
Heighington, County Durham
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