Ouston is a village in

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 ...

, about south-west of

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

in the north-east of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. The main village of Ouston (formerly called Ulkerton in earlier medieval times) is adjoined by the 1970s built housing estate known as Urpeth Grange but both are referred to colloquially as Ouston by locals. The population of the parish, according to the 2011 census, was 2,821.

Governance

Ouston is part of the

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...

named Ouston and Urpeth. The total population of this ward at the 2011 census was 7,490.

Schools

There were three schools in Ouston: St. Benet's Roman Catholic Infant & Junior School which has celebrated their 40th anniversary of the school, Ouston Infant and Ouston Junior school. Ouston Junior School was opened in December 1964. In 2014, the Infant and Junior schools were amalgamated on the site of the Junior School to form Ouston Primary. This school also provides a venue for several community activities and is often the venue for local cross country events.

Amenities

There are two pubs: the Red Lion in Ouston and The Cherry Tree in Urpeth Grange. A

Working men's club Working men's clubs are British private social clubs first created in the 19th century in industrial areas, particularly the North of England, Midlands, Scotland, Northern Ireland and South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education ...

(The Ranch) is also situated in the neighbouring village of Perkinsville. Shops are limited to a

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

located in the petrol station, a hairdressers and a couple of general stores. Organisations based in the village include the Ouston and Urpeth Conservation Volunteers and the Ouston Villagers Association

Transport

There are regular bus routes through Ouston with the

Go North East Go North East is a bus operator running 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 No ...

bus company. The 34 and 34A run from Ouston to

Chester-le-Street Chester-le-Street () is a market town in County Durham, England. It is located around north of Durham and is close to Newcastle. The town holds markets on Saturdays. In 2021, the town had a population of 23,555. The town's history is ancient; ...

and the 28 and 29 buses run from

through Ouston and into

via

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

Locality

The village itself was mostly constructed in 1961 with the showhomes being in Ardrossan opposite the Junior School which opened in 1964. Over time, the village expanded to its current size with further expansion continuing from Penhill, Urpeth, in the early 1970s onwards. In recent years. the housing development has rebegun in earnest in Turnberry and Woodlands, the former being a disused farmer's field with some World War II bunkers in it and the latter being an area next to the council estate (The Brooms) in an area near Walter's Wood.

References

External links

Ouston Primary School website

Community Amenities in Ouston

Cross Country at Ouston Junior School {{authority control Villages in County Durham