Ferryhill
Encyclopedia
Ferryhill is a town
in south-central County Durham
, England
with a population of around 11,651 people, making it the 8th biggest town in the County. It is in the Durham County Unitary area. The town grew in the nineteenth century and very rapidly in the 1900s around the coal mining
industry, although the last mine closed in 1968.
It has a weekly Friday market in the Town Centre market place run by the Local Council Ferryhill Town Council.
The Town has seen many improvements in recent years including the award winning Mainsforth Sports complex, Surtees Doorstep Green, King George V rec corridor improvemements at Ferryhill Station, new Town Centre public toilets paid for by funding from Sedgefield Borough Councillors and is now run by Ferryhill Town Council and a youth cafe for the Town's Young people.
Over £1 million pounds in funding has recently been secured by Ferryhill Town Youth in partnership with Ferryhill Town Council to develop a new sports facility for the Town including new changing rooms and recreation area public toilets and 6 football pitches in Dean Bank Park and the adjacent former Ferryhill Athletic Football Ground. The facilities will be used by the town's thriving football clubs and in particular Ferryhill Town Youth. Dean Bank Park is maintained by Ferryhill Town Council and belongs to the welfare fund for the former Dean and Chapter Colliery in 1968. The Town Council later purchsed the former Ferryhill Athletic ground at auction in 2004 but unable to sell the land on, it was then given for improving recreation facilities in the Town.
The remainder of Dean Bank Park has recently been the subject to consultation by the Town Council. The final plans include a £70,000 play area for which funding has been secured from the lottery, a £50,000 MUGA for which funding is being sought by the Friends of Dean Bank Park but has since been turned down due to it not been a community led group. Also funding ihas been applied for £50,000 of playbuilder facilities. In addition to this the new park will include a viewing tower, BMX/skatepark, new planting areas to walk and relax as well as a performance arena.
The Town has many community events including an annual summer gala, Christmas market, parading of miners banners, vintage car rally, art and photography exhibitions and many more, all of which are organised jointly by the Town Council and the 2000 Committee.
, Ferryhill belonged to the Priory of Durham and was a thriving agricultural concern. In 1539, the properties and rights were transferred to the Dean and Chapter of Durham. This did not affect the people of Ferryhill very much, but some yeoman
families became quite prosperous and it is recorded that in 1615 a Lawrence Wilkinson was granted a personal Coat of Arms.
During the English Civil War
between Charles I
and Parliament (1642 – 1648), Ferryhill was split, some men supporting the Royalists whilst others backed the Parliamentarians
. The people of the village suffered from plundering and persecution as troops passed through.
In 1599, the scourge of plague
reached Ferryhill and during August and September of that year, 26 people are recorded to have died. This figure was probably around 5 to 10% of the population at that time. The village water supply was clean enough to ensure that no further outbreaks of the plague occurred in nearby villages, although a small farming community near the Bunny Banks and two houses in Kirk Merrington
were affected .
In 1683 there was a well known murder in Ferryhill at Brass Farm (now known as High Hill House Farm, which is behind Ferryhill Business and Enterprise College) where Andrew Mills, a servant, killed the three children of his employer John Brass whilst their parents were out visiting friends. He was tried, found guilty and hanged
in a gibbet to the north of the village.
Very little changed in the way of life in Ferryhill right up to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when a railway was laid (1840) and a blast furnace
was constructed. The population of Ferryhill in 1841 was 854 and in 1901 had grown to just over 1,000, but by the time the two main collieries (Dean and Chapter Colliery and Mainsforth Colliery) opened this had swelled tenfold to 10,133 in 1911. Lots of new terraced house
s were built to accommodate the great influx of labour that came to work in the North East Coalfields. A lot of these houses are still occupied today. In 1941, over 5,000 men were working at the two pits to produce coal to keep the Country going during the war effort. Both Collieries closed during the 1960s and the great pit heaps are now unrecognisable. New landscaping has hidden much of the evidence that this was a village driven by coal.
One of the most notable modern attractions of Ferryhill is the e-cafe, which was formed in the building of a former TV and appliance shop and contains various activities such as pool, darts and music. The e-cafe was created for the purpose of bringing together the youth community.
The town has a thriving history society who are in the process of opening a heritage centre in partnership with the town council . Geoff Wall the main instigator in this project is the societies treasurer and exhibition organiser anyone wishing to become acquainted with the society should contact Geoff on their web site www.ferryhillarchives.com donations in the way of items for the heritage centre would be greatly appreciated.
in the south.
Ferryhill Carrs
is a designated Local Nature Reserve
at the eastern edge of the town.
, a specialist Business and Enterprise College
.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in south-central County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with a population of around 11,651 people, making it the 8th biggest town in the County. It is in the Durham County Unitary area. The town grew in the nineteenth century and very rapidly in the 1900s around the coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
industry, although the last mine closed in 1968.
It has a weekly Friday market in the Town Centre market place run by the Local Council Ferryhill Town Council.
The Town has seen many improvements in recent years including the award winning Mainsforth Sports complex, Surtees Doorstep Green, King George V rec corridor improvemements at Ferryhill Station, new Town Centre public toilets paid for by funding from Sedgefield Borough Councillors and is now run by Ferryhill Town Council and a youth cafe for the Town's Young people.
Over £1 million pounds in funding has recently been secured by Ferryhill Town Youth in partnership with Ferryhill Town Council to develop a new sports facility for the Town including new changing rooms and recreation area public toilets and 6 football pitches in Dean Bank Park and the adjacent former Ferryhill Athletic Football Ground. The facilities will be used by the town's thriving football clubs and in particular Ferryhill Town Youth. Dean Bank Park is maintained by Ferryhill Town Council and belongs to the welfare fund for the former Dean and Chapter Colliery in 1968. The Town Council later purchsed the former Ferryhill Athletic ground at auction in 2004 but unable to sell the land on, it was then given for improving recreation facilities in the Town.
The remainder of Dean Bank Park has recently been the subject to consultation by the Town Council. The final plans include a £70,000 play area for which funding has been secured from the lottery, a £50,000 MUGA for which funding is being sought by the Friends of Dean Bank Park but has since been turned down due to it not been a community led group. Also funding ihas been applied for £50,000 of playbuilder facilities. In addition to this the new park will include a viewing tower, BMX/skatepark, new planting areas to walk and relax as well as a performance arena.
The Town has many community events including an annual summer gala, Christmas market, parading of miners banners, vintage car rally, art and photography exhibitions and many more, all of which are organised jointly by the Town Council and the 2000 Committee.
History
The town grew dramatically as a mining town in the early 20th Century but before that it was an agricultural village. There was an agricultural settlement here in medieval times and maybe much earlier than that. Before the ReformationEnglish Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
, Ferryhill belonged to the Priory of Durham and was a thriving agricultural concern. In 1539, the properties and rights were transferred to the Dean and Chapter of Durham. This did not affect the people of Ferryhill very much, but some yeoman
Yeoman
Yeoman refers chiefly to a free man owning his own farm, especially from the Elizabethan era to the 17th century. Work requiring a great deal of effort or labor, such as would be done by a yeoman farmer, came to be described as "yeoman's work"...
families became quite prosperous and it is recorded that in 1615 a Lawrence Wilkinson was granted a personal Coat of Arms.
During the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
between Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
and Parliament (1642 – 1648), Ferryhill was split, some men supporting the Royalists whilst others backed the Parliamentarians
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
. The people of the village suffered from plundering and persecution as troops passed through.
In 1599, the scourge of plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
reached Ferryhill and during August and September of that year, 26 people are recorded to have died. This figure was probably around 5 to 10% of the population at that time. The village water supply was clean enough to ensure that no further outbreaks of the plague occurred in nearby villages, although a small farming community near the Bunny Banks and two houses in Kirk Merrington
Kirk Merrington
Kirk Merrington is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated between the towns of Bishop Auckland and Ferryhill.It is part of the Spennymoor township....
were affected .
In 1683 there was a well known murder in Ferryhill at Brass Farm (now known as High Hill House Farm, which is behind Ferryhill Business and Enterprise College) where Andrew Mills, a servant, killed the three children of his employer John Brass whilst their parents were out visiting friends. He was tried, found guilty and hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
in a gibbet to the north of the village.
Very little changed in the way of life in Ferryhill right up to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when a railway was laid (1840) and a blast furnace
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
was constructed. The population of Ferryhill in 1841 was 854 and in 1901 had grown to just over 1,000, but by the time the two main collieries (Dean and Chapter Colliery and Mainsforth Colliery) opened this had swelled tenfold to 10,133 in 1911. Lots of new terraced house
Terraced house
In architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...
s were built to accommodate the great influx of labour that came to work in the North East Coalfields. A lot of these houses are still occupied today. In 1941, over 5,000 men were working at the two pits to produce coal to keep the Country going during the war effort. Both Collieries closed during the 1960s and the great pit heaps are now unrecognisable. New landscaping has hidden much of the evidence that this was a village driven by coal.
One of the most notable modern attractions of Ferryhill is the e-cafe, which was formed in the building of a former TV and appliance shop and contains various activities such as pool, darts and music. The e-cafe was created for the purpose of bringing together the youth community.
The town has a thriving history society who are in the process of opening a heritage centre in partnership with the town council . Geoff Wall the main instigator in this project is the societies treasurer and exhibition organiser anyone wishing to become acquainted with the society should contact Geoff on their web site www.ferryhillarchives.com donations in the way of items for the heritage centre would be greatly appreciated.
Geography
Ferryhill sits on the western edge of the Ferryhill Gap, a natural gateway in the Limestone Escarpment that outcrops on the Eastern Durham Plateau. The main settlement lies along the SW-NE ridge, with later development to the south of the ridge. Ferryhill lies on the medieval Great North Road which formerly was the A1, now the A167, which leads to Durham City and Newcastle-upon-Tyne to the North, and to DarlingtonDarlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
in the south.
Ferryhill Carrs
The Carrs
The Carrs is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Sedgefield district of County Durham, England. It is situated on the eastern outskirts of Ferryhill, between the town and the East Coast Main Line railway....
is a designated Local Nature Reserve
Local Nature Reserve
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...
at the eastern edge of the town.
Neighbouring settlements
- SpennymoorSpennymoorSpennymoor is a town in County Durham, England. It stands above the Wear Valley approximately seven miles south of Durham. The town was founded over 160 years ago...
- Kirk MerringtonKirk MerringtonKirk Merrington is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated between the towns of Bishop Auckland and Ferryhill.It is part of the Spennymoor township....
- Chilton, County DurhamChilton, County DurhamChilton is a town in County Durham, England. It is situated a few miles to the east of Bishop Auckland and a short distance to the south of Ferryhill, on the A167. The bypass on the A167 opened on 20 June 2005, cutting down the traffic through Chilton by up to 80%.-History:Chilton was originally a...
- MainsforthMainsforthMainsforth is a small village in County Durham, in England. It is situated to the east of Ferryhill, and lies within the ecclesiastical parish of Bishop Middleham The earliest settlement in Mainsforth may have been on Marble...
- Bishop MiddlehamBishop MiddlehamBishop Middleham is a village in County Durham, in England. It is close to Sedgefield.-History:Bishop Middleham lies in a valley about 9 miles south-west of Durham. Although much of County Durham had probably first been settled in the Mesolithic period, the first evidence for occupation in the...
Education
Ferryhill has one secondary school, Ferryhill Business and Enterprise CollegeFerryhill Business and Enterprise College
Ferryhill Business And Enterprise College is a comprehensive school located in Ferryhill, County Durham. The school has been awarded specialist Business and Enterprise College status.-External links:**...
, a specialist Business and Enterprise College
Business and Enterprise College
Business and Enterprise Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields...
.
Notable people
- Footballer Eric GatesEric GatesEric Lazenby Gates is an English former football player born on 28 June 1955 in Ferryhill, County Durham. He was a striker.He started 345 times for Ipswich Town with another 39 appearances as a substitute, under Bobby Robson, scoring 96 goals and winning the UEFA cup in 1981 and FA Cup in 1978 ; ...
- Darts Player Phill NixonPhill NixonPhillip Nixon is an English darts player from Ferryhill, County Durham. He is best known for reaching the 2007 World Final on his first appearance at the age of 50.-Darts career:...
- Religious Historian John McMannersJohn McMannersJohn "Jack" McManners CBE FBA was a British clergyman and historian of religion who specialized in the history of the Church and other aspects of religious life in 18th century France...
- Pauline MurrayPauline MurrayPauline Murray was the lead singer of the punk rock band, Penetration, which was originally formed in 1976.In May 1976 the then 18-year-old Murray saw the Sex Pistols...
is the lead singer of punk rock band PenetrationPenetration (band)Penetration is a punk rock band from County Durham, England formed in 1976. They re-formed in 2001 with several new members.Their debut single, "Don’t Dictate", is now acknowledged as a classic punk rock single and their debut album, Moving Targets , is still widely admired-Biography:The lead... - Footballer Stan CumminsStan CumminsStan Cummins was an English footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or forward....
- Alan WhiteAlan White (Yes drummer)Alan White is an English rock drummer known for his work with the progressive rock band Yes. White was also a member of the Plastic Ono Band, playing live in 1969 at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival, which was recorded and released three months later as Live Peace in Toronto 1969...
was the drummer of Plastic Ono Band and YesYes (band)Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets... - Olympic Bronze medallist Charlie SpeddingCharlie SpeddingCharles Spedding is an English former long-distance runner. He was fourth in the 10,000m at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane and was England’s Amateur Athletic Association 10,000m champion in 1983 in a time of 28:08.12...
- Weatherman Jack ScottJack Scott (meteorologist)John 'Jack' Scott was a British television weatherman who appeared for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 during a 20 year broadcasting career.-Early life:...
External links
- Ferryhill History Society Official Web Site
- Ferryhill and District Angling Club Unofficial Site
- Ferryhill Immanuel Christian Fellowship
- Ferryhill Weather Station
- Ferryhill Business And Enterprise College
- Ferryhill Town Council
- Old Merrington Parish Website
- Ferryhill and Chilton Chapter Community Newspaper
- A photographic tour of Ferryhill