Hurworth-on-Tees
Encyclopedia
Hurworth-on-Tees is a village in the borough of Darlington
, within the ceremonial county of County Durham
, England
. It is situated to the south of Darlington
, next to the meeting point of the River Skerne
and River Tees
.
There was a school at Hurworth before 1770, when it was refounded. Currently the village has two schools: Hurworth Primary School caters for around 250 children aged 4-11. The secondary school is called Hurworth School Maths & Computing College
, it caters for around 650 students aged 11-16. There was also a small independent school, Hurworth House School
, which closed in the summer of 2010.
The Hurworth Grange Community Centre
is situated in a manor house built in 1875 by the Backhouse family. Facilities include the large hall, meeting rooms, lounge bar, sports hall, football pitch, children's play area, 14 acres (56,656 m²) of grounds and an inshane concrete skateboard ramp. Hurworth Grange was once visited by Rudyard Kipling
; it is claimed that 'The Roman Centurion's Song' is based on a sarcophagus
he saw there.
The village has a number of other amenities including a fish and chip shop/takeaway, village shops, pubs, a garage and a residential home.
passes over Croft Bridge towards Darlington. The bridge was built on the site of an older one in 1673. The bridge has been closed to traffic many times in recent decades because of flooding of the Tees due to heavy rainfall in Teesdale
. The fourth of the seven arches on the bridge marks the boundary between North Yorkshire
and County Durham.
The London and North Eastern Railway
company opened a railway line in 1829 with stations at Hurworth and at nearby Croft Spa
across the river. Both stations have now closed but the line remains it now forms part of the East Coast Main Line
between Darlington
and Northallerton
.
When travelling on the East Coast Main Line it is possible to see Rockliffe Park training ground
, which lies to the east of the village. It is the training ground for Middlesbrough FC.
In 1665 the Great Plague almost wiped out the village population of 750 leaving only around 75 survivors. The plague struck many other nearby villages including Birkby
and South Cowton
. Three dips in the village green mark the site where as many as 1,500 people were buried in massive lime
pits. According to old records, bodies from other nearby villages were ferried across the River Tees for burial in Hurworth.
Perhaps the most famous person to have lived in Hurworth was William Emerson
, an eminent mathematician born in Hurworth in 1701. He was educated at Newcastle upon Tyne
and York
and then devoted himself to mathematics. He died at Hurworth in 1782 and has a monument in the church of All Saints.
Darlington (borough)
Darlington is a local government district and borough in North East England. In 2008 it had a resident population of 100,500 It borders County Durham to the north and west, North Yorkshire to the south along the line of the River Tees, and Stockton-on-Tees to the east.-Council:Traditionally part of...
, within the ceremonial county of 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...
. It is situated to the south of Darlington
Darlington
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...
, next to the meeting point of the River Skerne
River Skerne
The River Skerne is a tributary of the River Tees it flows through County Durham in England.The Skerne is about long, the Skerne begins in magnesian limestone hills between Trimdon and Trimdon Grange and ends at Hurworth Place where it joins the River Tees....
and River Tees
River Tees
The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...
.
Amenities
The church of All Saints lies in the middle of the village; it was extensively rebuilt in the 1830s and again in 1871. It is thought that there may have been a church on the site as early as the 12th century.There was a school at Hurworth before 1770, when it was refounded. Currently the village has two schools: Hurworth Primary School caters for around 250 children aged 4-11. The secondary school is called Hurworth School Maths & Computing College
Hurworth School
Hurworth School Maths & Computing College is a comprehensive school situated in Hurworth-on-Tees located on Croft Road in the borough of Darlington, England.-Admissions:The school caters for around 650 students aged 11-16...
, it caters for around 650 students aged 11-16. There was also a small independent school, Hurworth House School
Hurworth House School
Hurworth House School was an non-selective independent school located in Hurworth-on-Tees, in the borough of Darlington, England. There were approximately 130 pupils on the school roll, aged 4–16, as of July 2010....
, which closed in the summer of 2010.
The Hurworth Grange Community Centre
Hurworth Grange Community Centre
Built in 1875, Hurworth Grange Community Centre in the village of Hurworth-on-Tees, Durham, England, has had a long and varied history, from private residence of a wealthy Quaker banking family to its modern-day use as a well-loved community centre.- History :...
is situated in a manor house built in 1875 by the Backhouse family. Facilities include the large hall, meeting rooms, lounge bar, sports hall, football pitch, children's play area, 14 acres (56,656 m²) of grounds and an inshane concrete skateboard ramp. Hurworth Grange was once visited by Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
; it is claimed that 'The Roman Centurion's Song' is based on a sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
he saw there.
The village has a number of other amenities including a fish and chip shop/takeaway, village shops, pubs, a garage and a residential home.
Transport
The A167 roadA167 road
The A167 is a road in North East England. Most of its route was formerly the A1 as most of it is the original route of the Great North Road until the A1 was re-routed with the opening of the A1 in the 1960s....
passes over Croft Bridge towards Darlington. The bridge was built on the site of an older one in 1673. The bridge has been closed to traffic many times in recent decades because of flooding of the Tees due to heavy rainfall in Teesdale
Teesdale
Teesdale is a dale, or valley, of the east side of the Pennines in England. Large parts of Teesdale fall within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - the second largest AONB in England and Wales. The River Tees rises below Cross Fell, the highest hill in the Pennines, and its...
. The fourth of the seven arches on the bridge marks the boundary between North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
and County Durham.
The London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
company opened a railway line in 1829 with stations at Hurworth and at nearby Croft Spa
Croft Spa railway station
Croft Spa railway station was located on the East Coast Main Line between Northallerton and Darlington in North Yorkshire, England. The station served the settlements of Croft-on-Tees and Hurworth-on-Tees....
across the river. Both stations have now closed but the line remains it now forms part of the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
between Darlington
Darlington
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...
and Northallerton
Northallerton
Northallerton is an affluent market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Vale of Mowbray and at the northern end of the Vale of York. It has a population of 15,741 according to the 2001 census...
.
When travelling on the East Coast Main Line it is possible to see Rockliffe Park training ground
Rockliffe Park
Rockliffe Park near Hurworth, County Durham, is Middlesbrough Football Club's training facility and sports complex.-Early years :In 1863, Arthur Backhouse built Rockliffe Hall, then known as Pilmore Hall. The grounds and hall were then sold off to Lord Southampton and used as a command...
, which lies to the east of the village. It is the training ground for Middlesbrough FC.
History
There has been a settlement at Hurworth since at least as far back as the 12th century. The estate that Hurworth was part of has changed hands many times over the centuries.In 1665 the Great Plague almost wiped out the village population of 750 leaving only around 75 survivors. The plague struck many other nearby villages including Birkby
Birkby, North Yorkshire
Birkby is a village and civil parish about 6 miles north of Northallerton in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England.The village lies very close to the East Coast Main Line, it is possible to see Birkby from the left hand side of a southbound train on the line...
and South Cowton
South Cowton
South Cowton is a village and Civil Parish based around an abandoned medieval village in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire in England....
. Three dips in the village green mark the site where as many as 1,500 people were buried in massive lime
Calcium oxide
Calcium oxide , commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline crystalline solid at room temperature....
pits. According to old records, bodies from other nearby villages were ferried across the River Tees for burial in Hurworth.
Perhaps the most famous person to have lived in Hurworth was William Emerson
William Emerson (mathematician)
William Emerson , English mathematician, was born at Hurworth, near Darlington, where his father, Dudley Emerson, also a mathematician, taught a school...
, an eminent mathematician born in Hurworth in 1701. He was educated at Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
and York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
and then devoted himself to mathematics. He died at Hurworth in 1782 and has a monument in the church of All Saints.