Wearhead

Wearhead

Looking down to Wearhead (Winter 2009)
Wearhead
Wearhead shown within County Durham
OS grid reference NY858395
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Bishop Auckland
Postcode district DL13
Dialling code 01388
Police Durham
Fire County Durham and Darlington
Ambulance North East
EU Parliament North East England
UK Parliament

Wearhead is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated at the top of Weardale between Cowshill and Ireshopeburn. It is named after the nearby source of the River Wear which runs eastwards for approx 40 miles to Sunderland. In the 2001 census Wearhead had a population of 210.[1]

The first settlement at Wearhead may have been a farmstead, possibly a summer base for the Bishop's cattle which would have been taken to lower ground in winter. East of the village lies a steep hillside, which has evidence of shallow shafts and hushes which were the early methods used to extract lead and iron. In County Durham there were rich deposits of lead lying within a circle of about 10 miles radius drawn around Wearhead, hence the lead-mining industry of Weardale and Teesdale.

In 1858 the Post Office Directory listed: Beer Retailer, Grocer / Draper, Tailor / Draper, Grocer, Joiner / Postmaster, Grocer and Draper’s / Joiner.

In 1915 the Post Office Directory listed only The Bank of Liverpool.

In 1971 Barclays Bank (formerly Martins Bank) was sold and the property became a butcher’s shop, which has since closed.

Wearhead stands 1,104 feet (336m) above sea level and has some of the highest peaks in County Durham, Killhope Law, 2,208 feet (673m) and Burnhope Seat, 2,452 feet (747 m). Burnhope Reservoir is approximately 1 mile from Wearhead. In the construction six farms were submerged when water rose to fill the man-made reservoir in 1937.

Railways

Wearhead station and train for Bishop Auckland on Last Day, 1953

Wearhead was the terminus of the Weardale Extension Railway which opened in 1895, being mainly a goods line carrying limestone, iron ore, lead ore and fluorspar to the industrial areas of North East England. It closed to passenger traffic in 1953 and later to goods in 1961.

Decline, then seeds of revival

In 2005 Wearhead lost its last shop with the closure of the Co-op. Shortly afterwards the Methodist Church held its last service after being in existence for over 180 years.

Some signs of revival have been noted, in that the former Co-op shop has re-opened as an independent village store and the former Post Office was opened as a Craft Shop/Cafe. This has closed and been converted to a house since.

The houses of Wearhead are thought to be some of the most beautiful and original of Weardale.

There is a park & recreational field where the local teams play football.

What to Do

  • Burnhope Reservoir[2]
  • A Mineral Valleys Project walk - Wearhead (The River Starts Here)[3]
  • Killhope, The North of England lead Mining Museum[4]
  • The Weardale Museum[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Wear Valley Settlement Summary Sheets" (PDF). Durham County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 7, 2007. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  2. ↑ http://www.durham.gov.uk/durhamcc/usp.nsf/pws/8025694D002ACDA4802571C3003C7D95?opendocument
  3. ↑ Wearhead - 1/2 mile walk
  4. ↑ Killhop Mining Museum
  5. ↑ The Weardale Museum
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