Merrybent
Encyclopedia
Merrybent is a linear village
in the civil parish of Low Coniscliffe and Merrybent in County Durham
, in England
. It is situated on the A67 road
to the west of Darlington
, a short distance to the north of the River Tees
and the Teesdale Way
. At the beginning of the 20th century there were hardly any buildings here, and its main feature at that time was Merrybent Nurseries with its many glasshouses
. The nursery was cut through by the A1 road in the 1960s; at this point it runs on the trackbed of the old Merrybent railway. The village is now a settlement of modern housing.
arranged in a north-west to south-east alignment on the A67 road
where it crosses the Motorway A1, 1 miles (1.6 km) west of the edge of Darlington
. Although the A1 is part of the landscape, there is no access to it from the A67. The underlying geology is glacial
clay
with areas of gravel
, sand
, peat
and alluvium
, and outcrops of magnesian
and carboniferous
limestone.
is listed. It is on the south side of the road in front of number 12, near the east end of the village, and was possibly associated with a previous turnpike
road. It is triangular in plan, of cast iron
with raised black-painted letters on a white-painted background. It says Durham County
on the back, Barnard Castle
13 miles with hand pointing west, and Darlington
3 miles with hand pointing east.
In 1870 the Merrybent and Darlington Railway was built as a branch line
which left the Darlington and Barnard Castle Railway
at Merrybent to carry stone from various quarries; it ran from Archdeacon Newton
to Barton
quarry in North Yorkshire
. It was closed in 1878 when the company went bankrupt, but the line and quarries were re-opened by North Eastern Railway
in 1890. The railway was abandoned in 1938, and later dismantled.
The A1, built 1963−1965, now follows the old rail trackbed as far as Barton quarries. The A1 was first proposed in 1929 but postponed due to the 1930s recession
and World War II
. After the Merrybent railway was abandoned, the road plan was associated with the Darlington bypass
as a motorway in 1949, and was moved eastwards onto the old trackway in 1950. After various planning adjustments, construction of this stretch of the A1 started officially by Dowsett Engineering Ltd. of Gateshead
on 6 May 1963. Peak production occurred in 1964, involving up to 800 men, and the road was opened on 14 May, 1965 at a final cost of £6.5 million. Because the road followed the rail trackway, the only property affected on this part of the A1, apart from the station house at Barton
, was the glasshouses
at Merrybent Nurseries.
map of 1912−1913 shows the area almost without buildings. During World War II
there were landgirls from the Women's Land Army
working at Merrybent Nurseries. There were 56 glasshouses
owned by the Co-operative Society
; the girls grew tomatoes, controlled the rats, and were billeted
in Darlington
.
greenfield
building site
was identified on fields at the south-east of Merrybent by Darlington Borough Council
in 2009. There is no school here, but the village is on the Barnard Castle School
bus route. The Teesdale Way
passes along the north bank of the meandering River Tees
to the south of the village.
Linear village
In geography, a linear village, or linear settlement, is a small to medium-sized settlement that is formed around a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Wraysbury, a village in Berkshire, is one of the longest villages in England....
in the civil parish of Low Coniscliffe and Merrybent in 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...
, in 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 on the A67 road
A67 road
The A67 is a road in England that links Bowes in County Durham with Crathorne in North Yorkshire.-Route:*Bowes *Barnard Castle*Gainford*Piercebridge*Darlington*Durham Tees Valley Airport*Egglescliffe*Yarm...
to the west 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...
, a short distance to the north of the 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:...
and the Teesdale Way
Teesdale Way
The Teesdale Way is a long distance walk between the North Sea coast of North Yorkshire and the Cumbrian Pennines in England. The walk is 100 miles / 161 km in length, it links in with other long distance walks such as the Pennine Way and the E2 European Walk between Harwich and Stranraer.The...
. At the beginning of the 20th century there were hardly any buildings here, and its main feature at that time was Merrybent Nurseries with its many glasshouses
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
. The nursery was cut through by the A1 road in the 1960s; at this point it runs on the trackbed of the old Merrybent railway. The village is now a settlement of modern housing.
Geography
This is a linear villageLinear village
In geography, a linear village, or linear settlement, is a small to medium-sized settlement that is formed around a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Wraysbury, a village in Berkshire, is one of the longest villages in England....
arranged in a north-west to south-east alignment on the A67 road
A67 road
The A67 is a road in England that links Bowes in County Durham with Crathorne in North Yorkshire.-Route:*Bowes *Barnard Castle*Gainford*Piercebridge*Darlington*Durham Tees Valley Airport*Egglescliffe*Yarm...
where it crosses the Motorway A1, 1 miles (1.6 km) west of the edge 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...
. Although the A1 is part of the landscape, there is no access to it from the A67. The underlying geology is glacial
Glacial period
A glacial period is an interval of time within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate within an ice age...
clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
with areas of gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
, sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
, peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
and alluvium
Alluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
, and outcrops of magnesian
Dolostone
Dolostone or dolomite rock is a sedimentary carbonate rock that contains a high percentage of the mineral dolomite. In old U.S.G.S. publications it was referred to as magnesian limestone. Most dolostone formed as a magnesium replacement of limestone or lime mud prior to lithification. It is...
and carboniferous
Carboniferous limestone
Carboniferous Limestone is a term used to describe a variety of different types of limestone occurring widely across Great Britain and Ireland which were deposited during the Dinantian epoch of the Carboniferous period. They were formed between 363 and 325 million years ago...
limestone.
Road and rail
The late 19th century milepostMilestone
A milestone is one of a series of numbered markers placed along a road or boundary at intervals of one mile or occasionally, parts of a mile. They are typically located at the side of the road or in a median. They are alternatively known as mile markers, mileposts or mile posts...
is listed. It is on the south side of the road in front of number 12, near the east end of the village, and was possibly associated with a previous turnpike
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
road. It is triangular in plan, of cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
with raised black-painted letters on a white-painted background. It says Durham County
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...
on the back, Barnard Castle
Barnard Castle
Barnard Castle is an historical town in Teesdale, County Durham, England. It is named after the castle around which it grew up. It sits on the north side of the River Tees, opposite Startforth, south southwest of Newcastle upon Tyne, south southwest of Sunderland, west of Middlesbrough and ...
13 miles with hand pointing west, and 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...
3 miles with hand pointing east.
In 1870 the Merrybent and Darlington Railway was built as a branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
which left the Darlington and Barnard Castle Railway
Barnard Castle railway station
Barnard Castle railway station was situated on the South Durham & Lancashire Union Railway between Bishop Auckland and Kirkby Stephen East. The railway station served the town of Barnard Castle. The first station opened to passenger traffic on 9 July 1856, and was replaced with a new station on 1...
at Merrybent to carry stone from various quarries; it ran from Archdeacon Newton
Archdeacon Newton
Archdeacon Newton is a hamlet and rural parish of several farms in the borough of Darlington and the ceremonial county of County Durham, in England. It is associated with an abandoned village site under pasture and farm buildings, and situated a short distance to the north-west of Darlington...
to Barton
Barton, North Yorkshire
Barton is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 884. It is situated near the border with the ceremonial county of County Durham, and is 6 miles south-west of Darlington. The village is recorded as...
quarry in 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...
. It was closed in 1878 when the company went bankrupt, but the line and quarries were re-opened by North Eastern Railway
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
in 1890. The railway was abandoned in 1938, and later dismantled.
The A1, built 1963−1965, now follows the old rail trackbed as far as Barton quarries. The A1 was first proposed in 1929 but postponed due to the 1930s recession
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the Merrybent railway was abandoned, the road plan was associated with the Darlington bypass
A66 road
The A66 is a major road in northern England which in part follows the course of the Roman road from Scotch Corner to Penrith. It runs from east of Middlesbrough in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire to Workington in Cumbria...
as a motorway in 1949, and was moved eastwards onto the old trackway in 1950. After various planning adjustments, construction of this stretch of the A1 started officially by Dowsett Engineering Ltd. of Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
on 6 May 1963. Peak production occurred in 1964, involving up to 800 men, and the road was opened on 14 May, 1965 at a final cost of £6.5 million. Because the road followed the rail trackway, the only property affected on this part of the A1, apart from the station house at Barton
Barton, North Yorkshire
Barton is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 884. It is situated near the border with the ceremonial county of County Durham, and is 6 miles south-west of Darlington. The village is recorded as...
, was the glasshouses
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
at Merrybent Nurseries.
Settlement
The Ordnance SurveyOrdnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
map of 1912−1913 shows the area almost without buildings. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
there were landgirls from the Women's Land Army
Women's Land Army
The Women's Land Army was a British civilian organisation created during the First and Second World Wars to work in agriculture replacing men called up to the military. Women who worked for the WLA were commonly known as Land Girls...
working at Merrybent Nurseries. There were 56 glasshouses
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
owned by the Co-operative Society
The Co-operative brand
The Co-operative is a common branding used by a variety of co-operatives based in the United Kingdom.Many in the UK mistakenly consider the Co-op to be a single national business, however each Co-operative is actually a franchise selling branded goods produced by the Co-operative Group The...
; the girls grew tomatoes, controlled the rats, and were billeted
Billet
A billet is a term for living quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. Historically, it referred to a private dwelling that was required to accept the soldier....
in 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...
.
Merrybent today
The present village was built mostly in the 20th century, and in 2008−2009 new houses cost £95−320k. A strategicStrategic planning
Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy. In order to determine the direction of the organization, it is necessary to understand its current position and the possible avenues...
greenfield
Greenfield land
Greenfield land is a term used to describe undeveloped land in a city or rural area either used for agriculture, landscape design, or left to naturally evolve...
building site
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
was identified on fields at the south-east of Merrybent by Darlington Borough Council
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...
in 2009. There is no school here, but the village is on the Barnard Castle School
Barnard Castle School
Barnard Castle School , is a co-educational independent day and boarding school situated in the market town of Barnard Castle, in the North East of England. It was founded in 1883 as the North Eastern County School, with the name changed to the current one in 1924, and to this day is generally...
bus route. The Teesdale Way
Teesdale Way
The Teesdale Way is a long distance walk between the North Sea coast of North Yorkshire and the Cumbrian Pennines in England. The walk is 100 miles / 161 km in length, it links in with other long distance walks such as the Pennine Way and the E2 European Walk between Harwich and Stranraer.The...
passes along the north bank of the meandering 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:...
to the south of the village.