Washington is a town in the
City of Sunderland
The City of Sunderland () is a metropolitan borough with city status in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, North East England. It is named after its largest settlement, Sunderland, spanning a far larger area, including nearby towns incl ...
district of
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear () is a metropolitan county in North East England, situated around the mouths of the rivers Tyne and Wear. It was created in 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972, along with five metropolitan boroughs of Gateshead, Newc ...
, England. Historically part of
County Durham, it is the ancestral settlement of the
Washington family
The Washington family is an American family of English origins that was part of both the British landed gentry and the American gentry. It was prominent in colonial America and rose to great economic and political eminence especially in the Co ...
, which
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
descended from.
It is located between
Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street (), also known as Chester, is a market town and civil parish in County Durham, England, around north of Durham and also close to Sunderland and Newcastle upon Tyne. It is located on the River Wear, which runs out to sea at ...
,
Gateshead and
Sunderland. Washington was designated a
new town in 1964 and became part of the Borough of Sunderland in 1974, the borough became a city in 1992. It has expanded dramatically since its designation, by new villages created and reassignment of areas from
Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street (), also known as Chester, is a market town and civil parish in County Durham, England, around north of Durham and also close to Sunderland and Newcastle upon Tyne. It is located on the River Wear, which runs out to sea at ...
, to house
overspill from surrounding cities. At the
2011 census, Washington had a population of 67,085, compared to 53,388 in 2001.
History
Disputed name origins
Early references appear around 1096 in Old English as Wasindone. The etymological origin is disputed and there are several proposed theories for how the name "Washington" came about. Early interpretations included Wasindone (''people of the hill by the stream'', 1096), or Wassyngtona (''settlement of Wassa's people'', 1183).
Hwæsa
The origins of the name ''Washington'' are not fully known. The most supported theory (especially amongst local historians) is that ''Washington'' is derived from
Anglo-Saxon ''Hwæsingatūn'', which roughly means "estate of the descendants (family) of Hwæsa". ''Hwæsa'' (usually rendered ''Wassa'' or ''Wossa'' in
modern English) is an
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...
name meaning "
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
sheaf".
Due to the evolution of
English grammar
English grammar is the set of structural rules of the English language. This includes the structure of words, phrases, clauses, Sentence (linguistics), sentences, and whole texts.
This article describes a generalized, present-day Standard English ...
, modern English lacks the
Germanic grammatical features that permeated Anglo-Saxon English. This adds an air of confusion for most in regard to the name ''Hwæsingatūn''. It is essentially composed of three main (albeit grammatically altered) elements:
*"Hwæsa" – most likely the name of a local Anglo-Saxon chieftain or farmer.
*"ing" – a Germanic component that has lost its original context in English: ''ing'' means roughly "
erivedof/from". In the name ''Hwæsingatūn'', "ing" is conjugated to "inga" in accordance with the
genitive plural declension of
OE.
*"tūn" – root of the modern English "town", and is a cognate of
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
''Zaun'' (fence),
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
''tuin'' (garden) and
Icelandic ''tún'' (paddock). The word means "fenced off estate" or more accurately "estate with defined boundaries".
The combined elements (with all correct conjugations in place) therefore create the name ''Hwæsingatūn'' with a full and technical meaning of "the
estate of the descendants of Hwæsa".
However, there has been no evidence found of any chieftain/land owner/farmer in the area by the name of ''Hwæsa'', although any such records from the time would likely have been long lost by now.
Washing
Another of the popular origin theories is that ''Washington'' is in fact derived from the Old English
verb
A verb () is a word ( part of speech) that in syntax generally conveys an action (''bring'', ''read'', ''walk'', ''run'', ''learn''), an occurrence (''happen'', ''become''), or a state of being (''be'', ''exist'', ''stand''). In the usual descr ...
''wascan'' and the
noun
A noun () is a word that generally functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.Example nouns for:
* Living creatures (including people, alive, ...
''dūn'' meaning "hill"; thus making the name ''Wascandūn'', meaning "washing hill". This theory likely originates from the proximity of the
river Wear to the actual Anglo-Saxon hall at the time (most likely where
Washington Old Hall
Washington Old Hall is a historic manor house in Washington, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom. It lies in the centre of Washington, being surrounded by other villages. The building was the ancestral home of the family of George Washington ...
stands today).
This idea is not backed by linguistic evidence. Combining the two Old English words "wascan" and "dūn" would actually have meant "washed hill" and not "washing hill". Also, the Old English "dūn" meant a range of gently rolling hills, as evidenced by the naming of the
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north ...
and
South Downs
The South Downs are a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, in the Eastbourne Downland Estate, East Sussex, in the eas ...
in southern England.
Old Hall
![Washington Old Hall (geograph 5906778)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Washington_Old_Hall_%28geograph_5906778%29.jpg)
The
Old Hall
Old or OLD may refer to:
Places
* Old, Baranya, Hungary
* Old, Northamptonshire, England
*Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD)
*OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, ...
may have been built by
William de Hertburn
Margaret of Huntingdon (1145 – 1201) was a Scottish princess and Duchess of Brittany. She was the sister of Scottish kings Malcolm IV and William I, wife of Conan IV, Duke of Brittany, and the mother of Constance, Duchess of Brittany. Her second ...
, who moved to the area in 1183. As was the custom, he took the name of his new estates (Wessyngtonlands), and became William de Wessyngton. By 1539, when the family moved to
Sulgrave Manor
Sulgrave Manor, Sulgrave, Northamptonshire, England is a mid-16th century Tudor hall house built by Lawrence Washington, the great-great-great-great-grandfather of George Washington, first President of the United States. The manor passed out of ...
in
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
, the spelling "Washington" had been adopted.
The present Hall is an early 17th-century small English
manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...
of
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
. Only the foundations and the arches between the Kitchen and the Great Hall remain of the original house.
George Washington connection
![John Washington plaque](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/John_Washington_plaque.JPG)
William de Wessyngton (originally William Bayard, later de
Hertburne) was a forebear of
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
, the first
president of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
, after whom
the US capital,
a state and many other places in the United States are
named. Though George Washington's great-grandfather
John Washington
John Washington (1633–1677) was an English merchant who emigrated across the Atlantic Ocean and became a planter, soldier and politician in colonial Virginia. In addition to leading the local militia, and running his own plantations, Washin ...
left for Virginia from
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
, Washington Old Hall was the family home of George Washington's ancestors. The present structure incorporates small parts of the medieval home in which they lived.
American Independence Day
Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...
is marked each year by a ceremony at Washington Old Hall.
Dame Margaret's Hall
Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell and his wife Margaret, grandparents of
Gertrude Bell
Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell, CBE (14 July 1868 – 12 July 1926) was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, and archaeologist. She spent much of her life exploring and mapping the Middle East, and became highl ...
, lived in Washington New Hall on The Avenue. After Margaret's death in 1871, Sir Isaac set up an orphanage in the house, named Dame Margaret Home in his late wife's honour. It later became a
Dr Barnardo's home until World War II. After the war, it was taken over 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 ...
as a training centre. It is now a private residence.
Building the ''New Town''
![Front Street, New Washington (15145980642)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Front_Street%2C_New_Washington_%2815145980642%29.jpg)
Washington's design was developed through the New Towns concept aiming to achieve sustainable socio-economic growth. The new town is divided into small self-sufficient "villages". It was originally also divided into the 15 numbered districts, a fate that confused many visitors to the area.The new town's numbered districts have gradually been phased out (for example on road signs) and replaced with village names.
A lot of the land that makes up the town was purchased from the Lambton family,
Earls of Durham who own the estate of the same name, which includes their ancestral home,
Lambton Castle
Lambton Castle stands above Chester-le-Street, County Durham and is a stately home, the ancestral seat of the Lambton family, the Earls of Durham. It is listed in the mid-category of listed building, Grade II*.
History
Largely constructed a ...
.
![Washington 1973](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Washington_1973.jpg)
In 1970, Washington hosted the English Schools Athletic Association (ESAA) annual National Championships, attended by the then
Lord Lieutenant of County Durham. On 15 November 1977, the very first
SavaCentre hypermarket (a venture between
Sainsbury's
J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales.
Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company ...
and
British Home Stores
British Home Stores, commonly abbreviated to BHS and latterly legally styled BHS Ltd, was a British department store chain, primarily selling clothing and household items. In its later years, the company began to expand into furniture, electro ...
) opened at The Galleries. By 2005, however, it had been rebranded as a traditional Sainsbury's as the SavaCentre brand was phased out.
Geography
The town is made up of villages:
*Donwell
*Usworth (originally Great Usworth)
*
Concord
Concord may refer to:
Meaning "agreement"
* Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony)
* Harmony, in music
* Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...
*Sulgrave
*
Albany
*Glebe
*Barmston
*Biddick
*Washington Village (the original village and location of the Old Hall)
*
Columbia
*
Blackfell
Blackfell is a village located in the new town of Washington, Tyne and Wear, Washington, Tyne and Wear in England.
Construction of the village began in the 1960s, and was completed over several years. The original prefabricated maisonettes in th ...
*
Oxclose
Oxclose is an area of Washington, Tyne and Wear, England. It is located between the A1231, A182 and A195 highways, close to Sunderland, and is well served by links from the A1(M) which passes within of Oxclose's boundaries. Oxclose covers an are ...
*Ayton
*
Lambton
*
Fatfield
Fatfield is an area of Washington, Tyne and Wear, England.
The southern part of the village by the River Wear is popular for country walks and the three public houses and working men's club on the banks of the river. The site of the original vil ...
*
Harraton
Harraton is a former civil parish and now a suburb in the unparished area of the town of Washington, in the City of Sunderland metropolitan borough, in Tyne and Wear, England. Harraton is near the River Wear and is 3 miles north-east of Chester- ...
*
Rickleton
Rickleton is an area of Washington, Tyne and Wear, England. It is located on the south side of Washington Town and borders Harraton village, Birtley and County Durham. The village centre includes a Londis supermarket, a general store, a haird ...
* Mount Pleasant (14), it is south of the River Wear therefore having a
DH4 Postcode (
Houghton le Spring
Houghton-le-Spring ( ) is a town in the City of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, North East England which has its recorded origins in Norman times. Historically in County Durham, it is now administered as part of the Tyne and Wear county. It ...
).
The town also has several industrial estates, named after famous local engineers, such as Parsons, Armstrong, Stephenson, Crowther, Pattinson, Swan and Emerson.
Community and culture
![Washington F Pit - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Washington_F_Pit_-_geograph.org.uk_-_614458.jpg)
The has a
Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) is an international wildfowl and wetland conservation charity in the United Kingdom. Its patron is Charles III, and its president is Kate Humble.
History
The WWT was founded in 1946 by the ornithologist a ...
nature reserve and The ''Washington 'F' Pit mining museum''. The Washington Arts Centre is a converted farm building. The Centre includes an exhibition gallery, community theatre, artist studios and a recording studio. The
North East Aircraft Museum
The North East Land, Sea and Air Museums (NELSAM), formerly the North East Aircraft Museum, is a volunteer-run aviation museum situated on the site of the former RAF Usworth/Sunderland Airport, between Washington and Sunderland, in Tyne and Wear ...
occupies part of the old
RAF Usworth
Royal Air Force Sunderland'' or ''RAF Sunderland is a former Royal Air Force station in Sunderland. In 1958 the station was closed and the airfield became Sunderland Airport. Following the closure of the airport in 1984, the site has since b ...
base. The
Nissan plant takes up much of the rest. The municipal
airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...
previously run from the site was closed to make way for the Nissan plant.
Industry
![Washington 'F' Colliery (15061535589)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Washington_%27F%27_Colliery_%2815061535589%29.jpg)
Historically, Washington was heavily involved in the coal industry with a number of pits. One of these in the Albany district of Washington is preserved as the
'F' Pit Museum (pits in Washington were named alphabetically e.g. the 'F' Pit). A number of the old communities of Washington grew up around the pits (e.g. the modern area of Usworth partly grew up around the Usworth mine and the area was known as Usworth Colliery (and still is to some of the older generation). In support of the mines, there was a series of
wagonway
Wagonways (also spelt Waggonways), also known as horse-drawn railways and horse-drawn railroad consisted of the horses, equipment and tracks used for hauling wagons, which preceded steam-powered railways. The terms plateway, tramway, dramway ...
s and later railway lines to transport the coal. The wagonways took coal to Staithes on the River Wear, where it could be loaded onto barges to be taken to the oceangoing vessels at Sunderland.
Washington was also involved in the chemical industry and the Washington Chemical Works was a major employer in the 19th century. This later became the Cape/Newalls Works, which produced insulation. The Pattinson Town area of Washington grew up around the chemical works. This area is now Pattinson industrial estate and Teal Farm housing estate.
Currently, Washington's main industries include textiles, electronics, car assembly, chemicals and electrical goods. The
Nissan automotive plant is a major employer. Nissan is the largest private-sector employer in the City of Sunderland.
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is an American multinational tire manufacturing company founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling and based in Akron, Ohio. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, motorcycles, S ...
, the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
tyre production giant, opened a new factory in Washington in 1968. However, it closed on 5 July 2006 with the loss of 585 jobs.
Education
There are several primary, secondary schools and colleges in the villages of Washington.
Primary schools
* Albany Village Primary
* Barmston Village Primary
* Biddick Primary School
* Fatfield Primary School
* George Washington School (formerly High Usworth)
* Holley Park Primary School
* John F. Kennedy Primary School
* Lambton Primary School
* Oxclose Primary
* Rickleton Primary School
* St Bedes Primary School
* St John Boste RC Primary School
* St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School
* Usworth Colliery
* Usworth Grange
* Wessington Primary – (formerly Glebe Primary)
Secondary schools
*
Biddick Academy
Biddick Academy (formerly Biddick School Sports College) is a coeducational secondary school and academy
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learnin ...
*
Oxclose Community Academy
Oxclose Community Academy (formerly Oxclose Community School) is a coeducational secondary school located in Oxclose in the City of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England.
The school was rebuilt in 2007 under the Building Schools for the Future pro ...
*
St Robert of Newminster Catholic School
*
Washington Academy
Colleges
* St Robert of Newminster Sixth Form
*
Usworth Sixth Form
Sunderland College, officially City of Sunderland College, is a further education and higher education college based in Sunderland, North East England. The enrolment includes around 6,300 part-time learners and approximately 4,800 full-time stu ...
Other
The
North East of England
North East England is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. The region has three current administrative levels below the region level in the region; combined authority, unitary authority ...
Japanese Saturday School (北東イングランド補習授業校 ''Hokutō Ingurando Hoshū Jugyō Kō''), a
Japanese weekend supplementary school, holds its classes in the Oxclose Community School in
Oxclose
Oxclose is an area of Washington, Tyne and Wear, England. It is located between the A1231, A182 and A195 highways, close to Sunderland, and is well served by links from the A1(M) which passes within of Oxclose's boundaries. Oxclose covers an are ...
.
Sport
Washington F.C.
Washington Football Club is a football club based in Washington, Tyne and Wear, England. The club was formed by the local miners at the local "F-Pit" Colliery in the early 20th century as Washington Colliery F.C. The club's distinctive red colo ...
is a club based in the
Northern League Division Two which is the tenth level of the English game.
In 2005, Washington R.F.C was established. The club currently plays in Durham and Northumberland Division 3.
Politics
![Official portrait of Mrs Sharon Hodgson MP crop 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Official_portrait_of_Mrs_Sharon_Hodgson_MP_crop_2.jpg)
Washington is part of the
Washington and Sunderland West
Washington and Sunderland West is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 2010 creation by Sharon Hodgson, a member of the Labour Party.
Constituency profile
The town of Washington has a well-preserv ...
parliamentary constituency
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...
and is represented in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
by
Sharon Hodgson
Sharon Hodgson (born 1 April 1966) is a British Labour Party politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Washington and Sunderland West, previously Gateshead East and Washington West, since 2005.
Hodgson was appointed as the Par ...
of the
Labour Party.
Transport
![Washington Galleries Bus Station (geograph 5190861)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Washington_Galleries_Bus_Station_%28geograph_5190861%29.jpg)
There is a major
bus station
A bus station or a bus interchange is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. While the term bus depot can also be used to refer to a bus station, it generally refers to a bus garage. A bus station is ...
situated at The Galleries, and another at Concord in the north of Washington. The primary provider of transport (buses) in the area is
Go North East
Go North East operates both local and regional bus services in County Durham, Cumbria, Northumberland, North Yorkshire and Tyne and Wear, England. It was previously known as the Northern General Transport Company and Go-Ahead Northern. The comp ...
, with local services as well as connections to Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland, and many other towns and cities in the region.
Major roads run through Washington: the
A182
List of A roads in zone 1 in Great Britain beginning north of the River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is ...
, the
A1231 (Sunderland Highway) and the
A195 all connect to the
A1(M)
A1(M) is the designation given to a series of four separate motorway sections in England. Each section is an upgrade to a section of the A1, a major north–south road which connects London, the capital of England, with Edinburgh, the capit ...
motorway (which acts as the western boundary of Washington proper) or its feeder, the
A194. Washington Services is situated between Junctions 64 and 65 of the
A1(M)
A1(M) is the designation given to a series of four separate motorway sections in England. Each section is an upgrade to a section of the A1, a major north–south road which connects London, the capital of England, with Edinburgh, the capit ...
, and incorporates a
Travelodge
Travelodge (formerly TraveLodge) refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and several countries in Asia. However, ma ...
.
The town's closed to passengers in the 1960s due to the
Beeching Cuts
The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Development of the M ...
and to freight in 1991. The now overgrown site is on the disused
Leamside Line which connected and via the town to . The line was lifted and mothballed by Network Rail and partly is in use as an unmarked footpath. In June 2009, the
Association of Train Operating Companies called for a scheme funding the reopening of 33 stations (including the town's station) on 14 lines closed by the Beeching Axe and seven new-build parkway stations. The first stage of a business case was published in 2022, this involved extending the
Tyne and Wear Metro
The Tyne and Wear Metro is an overground and underground light rail rapid transit system serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, and the City of Sunderland (together forming Tyne and Wear). The network opened in ...
to Washington if Government funding was secured.
Notable people
*
Gertrude Bell
Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell, CBE (14 July 1868 – 12 July 1926) was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, and archaeologist. She spent much of her life exploring and mapping the Middle East, and became highl ...
was born at Washington Hall.
*The musician
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ''The Independent'', Ferry an ...
(of
Roxy Music
Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone ...
fame) comes from Washington and attended Washington Grammar School (now
Washington Academy).
*
Heather Mills
Heather Anne Mills (born 12 January 1968) is an English former model, businesswoman and activist.
Mills first came to public attention in 1993 when she was a model and was involved in a traffic collision with a police motorcycle in London. T ...
, notable for marrying
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
, attended Usworth Grange Primary School and Usworth Comprehensive School.
*The musician
Toni Halliday
Antoinette "Toni" Halliday (born 5 July 1964) is an English musician best known as the lead vocalist, lyricist, and occasional guitarist of the alternative rock band Curve, along with Dean Garcia.
She was also a member of the bands Photofitz ...
from the band
Curve
In mathematics, a curve (also called a curved line in older texts) is an object similar to a line, but that does not have to be straight.
Intuitively, a curve may be thought of as the trace left by a moving point. This is the definition that ...
went to Washington School (Comprehensive).
*
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
and
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
footballer
Billy Furness
William Isaac Furness (8 June 1909 – 29 August 1980) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward for Leeds United and Norwich City in the 1930s, making one appearance for England in 1933.
Career
Furness was born i ...
was born in Washington and started his football career playing for Usworth Colliery
*
Sunderland,
Everton and England goalkeeper
Jordan Pickford
Jordan Lee Pickford (' Logan; born 7 March 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Everton and the England national team.
Pickford has previously played for Sunderland's academy, reserve, and senior te ...
was born in Washington.
References
External links
Detailed historical record about Washington "F" PitSunderland City CouncilOfficial Website Of The Galleries
{{authority control
Towns in Tyne and Wear
New towns in England
New towns started in the 1960s
Unparished areas in Tyne and Wear
City of Sunderland