The Denes is a centrally located area of

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

in the

borough of Darlington The Borough of Darlington is a unitary authority and borough in County Durham, Northern England. The borough is named after the town of Darlington, and in 2011 had a population of 106,000. It is in the Tees Valley combined authority, mayoralty ...

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 consists mainly of semi-detached and 1900s terraced housing, surrounding valley areas of wooded public park and Cocker beck. The area runs parallel to and between Woodland Road to the south and Brinkburn Road to the north from

Cockerton Cockerton is an area, or township, of north-west Darlington in the borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The Cocker Beck flows through the area and empties into the River Skerne via The Denes, an area and string of valleyed parks do ...

to High Northgate. At the easterly end the southerly border is often judged around Corporation Road, by local estate agent descriptions. The area is close to

Faverdale Faverdale is a suburb of Darlington in County Durham, England. It is situated in the north west of Darlington, north of Cockerton. The area was rural until the 20th century, a large wagon works was established in the 1920s, with housing develop ...

and Mowden.

Geography

The Denes is one of the most heavily populated areas of the Darlington Borough due to the close proximity of 1900s terraced streets, 1930s semis and new build housing. The Denes has pleasant surroundings due to the wooded/beck area which runs from Hopetown lane (to the east) and West Auckland Road (to the west).

Parks

There are six parks in this area which are called 'The Denes', sometimes known locally as the following:- *Tennis Dene - adjacent to Deneside Road up to Pierremont Road (containing 2 tennis courts and 1 basketball court), with entrances on Woodland Road (2, one next to Dene Grove and one next to Tandridge Court), Westlands Road (2, located in close proximity but serving different directions), Deneside Road (bottom of Banklands Road), Pierremont Road (2 on either side of the beck) and one each on Bracken Road and Dene Grove. *Sheddy Dene - between Pierremont Road and Hollyhurst Road, (apparently named after a Swiss cottage type structure previously there in the 1920s, however locals may also be referring to building at the top of the bank near Pierremont Road known as 'The Shed) *Play Dene - between Hollyhurst Road and Surtees Street. Previously known as ''swingy dene'' due to the former presence of swings. *Bowling Dene - between Surtees Street and Bartlett Street. (a

bowling green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on ...

was and still is in this dene) *Football Dene - between Bartlett Street and Widdowfield Street. (as it is flat and perfect for football), but also unofficially known to some as the Doggy Dene because of the lack of footways making it ideal for dog walkers) *Paddley Dene - between Widdowfield Street and Westbrook Villa's (so called as it once had a Paddling Pool), but also unofficially known to some as the Bumpy Slide Dene, owing to the uneven slide that was once featured in its play area).

History

In April 2010, The Parks for People programme which is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund agreed to award a grant of £878,500 to Darlington Borough Council to fund the restoration of the Denes. The restoration work is focused on the following elements: * Replacing the existing footbridges. * Improving all the entrances with new artistic archways and paving. * Street lighting in three of the Denes to light popular cross routes. * Planting and other works to improve the biodiversity. * Pond construction in the Paddly Dene. * Replacement of all the seating and bins, plus new notice boards and signage.

References

Darlington Borough Council, "The Denes"

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dene, The Suburbs of Darlington Places in the Tees Valley