Quebec, County Durham
Encyclopedia
Quebec is a small village in County Durham
, in North East England
. Once a coal mining
village, it is situated 6 miles (10 km) west of the city of Durham
, and close to the villages of Esh
, Cornsay Colliery
, Esh Winning
and Langley Park
. The village has a public house, the Hamsteels Inn, a hotel, Hamsteels Hall, a church, St. John the Baptist Hamsteels, a village hall, a playground and a used car dealership.
, ceremonial
and administrative
) located in County Durham. The local police force is Durham Constabulary
.
. It is in the Esh
ward, which as of 2005 is represented on Durham County Council by Joseph Armstrong (Labour). It is part of the North West Durham parliamentary constituency, which as of 2005 is represented in Parliament
by Hilary Armstrong
(Labour). It is in the North East England
region, which serves as a constituency for the European Parliament
.
known as Dere Street
passes through the village on its way from Yorkshire
to Hadrian's Wall
via the Roman fort
at Lanchester
.
city of Quebec
. The fields in the area were enclosed in 1759, the year Quebec was captured from France
. It was common at the time for fields distant from their home farm to be given the names of foreign lands, and cases where these names have come to be applied to whole villages are numerous throughout the North East. For example, not far away is the village of Toronto
.
, the West Hartlepool Mails rugby correspondent described Quebec as an "outlandish place". Today, the village has only football teams. Two of these, Hamsteels Inn FC and the Hammers FC, play at Quebec's Hamsteels Colliery Welfare Ground, while a third, Steelers FC, is based in Langley Park
.
At the age of 20, Chris Waddle
was working in Quebec's former meat factory, Hamsteels Frozen Foods, when he was signed by Newcastle United in 1980 from nearby Northern League
side Tow Law Town for £1,000.
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 North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
. Once a 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,...
village, it is situated 6 miles (10 km) west of the city of Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
, and close to the villages of Esh
Esh, County Durham
Esh is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England. It is situated about five miles to the west of Durham.Esh Village or Old Esh as it is sometimes known dates from Anglo-Saxon times. Esh is an Anglo-Saxon name meaning Ash Tree and the spelling reflects the old Northumbrian dialect.In the...
, Cornsay Colliery
Cornsay Colliery
Cornsay Colliery is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated a few miles to the west of Durham, close to Cornsay, Quebec and Esh Winning....
, Esh Winning
Esh Winning
Esh Winning is a village, and location of a former colliery, in County Durham, England. It is situated in the Deerness Valley to the west of Durham...
and Langley Park
Langley Park, County Durham
Langley Park is a village in County Durham, England. The historic city of Durham lies to the east whilst the larger city of Newcastle upon Tyne is to the north....
. The village has a public house, the Hamsteels Inn, a hotel, Hamsteels Hall, a church, St. John the Baptist Hamsteels, a village hall, a playground and a used car dealership.
Civic
Quebec is for all purposes (historicHistoric counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
, ceremonial
Ceremonial counties of England
The ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
and administrative
Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England
Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of subdivisions of England used for the purposes of local government outside Greater London. As originally constituted, the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties each consisted of multiple districts, had a county council and...
) located in County Durham. The local police force is Durham Constabulary
Durham Constabulary
Durham Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the non-metropolitan county of County Durham and the unitary authority of Darlington. The force covers the 2,232 km² of the county which has a resident population of 595,308. It is one of the smaller forces of the...
.
Political
Quebec is located in County DurhamCounty 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...
. It is in the Esh
Esh, County Durham
Esh is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England. It is situated about five miles to the west of Durham.Esh Village or Old Esh as it is sometimes known dates from Anglo-Saxon times. Esh is an Anglo-Saxon name meaning Ash Tree and the spelling reflects the old Northumbrian dialect.In the...
ward, which as of 2005 is represented on Durham County Council by Joseph Armstrong (Labour). It is part of the North West Durham parliamentary constituency, which as of 2005 is represented in Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
by Hilary Armstrong
Hilary Armstrong
Hilary Jane Armstrong, Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for North West Durham from 1987 to 2010.-Early life:...
(Labour). It is in the North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
region, which serves as a constituency for the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
Geography
- Grid referenceBritish national grid reference systemThe Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, different from using latitude and longitude....
: - Latitude and longitude: 54°47′N 1°43′W (54.78, −1.72)
- Elevation: 650 feet (200 m)
- Road access: Minor roads off B6301 and B6302
- Rail access: DurhamDurham railway stationDurham railway station serves the city of Durham on the East Coast Main Line. The railway station is managed by East Coast. Despite its small functional capacity the station is a principal stop on the East Coast Main Line and is called at by many intercity services travelling the route.The travel...
, 6 miles (10 km) by road - Nearest large village: Esh WinningEsh WinningEsh Winning is a village, and location of a former colliery, in County Durham, England. It is situated in the Deerness Valley to the west of Durham...
, 2 miles (3 km) - Nearest city: DurhamDurhamDurham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
, 6 miles (10 km)
History
The Roman roadRoman roads in Britain
Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the vast standing Roman army , constituted the three most impressive features of the Roman Empire. In Britain, as in other provinces, the Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the...
known as Dere Street
Dere Street
Dere Street or Deere Street, was a Roman road between Eboracum and Veluniate, in what is now Scotland. It still exists in the form of the route of many major roads, including the A1 and A68 just north of Corbridge.Its name corresponds with the post Roman Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Deira, through...
passes through the village on its way from Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
to Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
via the Roman fort
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
at Lanchester
Lanchester
Lanchester may refer to:Places*Lanchester, County Durham, village in England*Lanchester Polytechnic, former name of Coventry UniversityPeople*Elsa Lanchester , Oscar-nominated English character actress*Frederick W...
.
Etymology
The village takes its unusual name from the more famous CanadianCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
city of Quebec
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
. The fields in the area were enclosed in 1759, the year Quebec was captured from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It was common at the time for fields distant from their home farm to be given the names of foreign lands, and cases where these names have come to be applied to whole villages are numerous throughout the North East. For example, not far away is the village of Toronto
Toronto, County Durham
Toronto is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated a short distance to the north of Bishop Auckland and was represented in Wear Valley District Council until that authority was merged into Durham County Council in April 2009.- History :...
.
Sport
In 1902, after the village's Hamsteels Rugby Club was beaten 77-0 in a match at Quebec against Hartlepool RoversHartlepool Rovers
Hartlepool Rovers are an English rugby union club who play at The Friarage, West View Road in Hartlepool. Hartlepool Rovers have a coaching set-up with Alan Brown as head coach and Ian Cook as fitness guru.-History:...
, the West Hartlepool Mails rugby correspondent described Quebec as an "outlandish place". Today, the village has only football teams. Two of these, Hamsteels Inn FC and the Hammers FC, play at Quebec's Hamsteels Colliery Welfare Ground, while a third, Steelers FC, is based in Langley Park
Langley Park
Langley Park can refer to as:LANGLEY* Langley Park, County Durham, England* Langley Park, Maryland, United States** Langley Park , an estate listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
.
At the age of 20, Chris Waddle
Chris Waddle
Christopher Roland "Chris" Waddle is a former footballer from England. He played for a number of clubs in the 1980s and 90s, including Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield Wednesday in England, and Olympique de Marseille in France...
was working in Quebec's former meat factory, Hamsteels Frozen Foods, when he was signed by Newcastle United in 1980 from nearby Northern League
Northern League
Northern League may refer to:In baseball & cricket:* Northern League , the name of the five 'northern' baseball leagues* Northern League , an independent baseball league in the United States...
side Tow Law Town for £1,000.
External links
- Aerial photograph from Multimap