Chilton, County Durham
Encyclopedia
Chilton 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%.
, Year 1; right up to Year 6. The school also participates in the Sure Start
programme. After leaving Chilton Primary, many pupils go to Ferryhill Business and Enterprise College
to begin with their secondary education, beginning with Year 7 through to Year 11. There are also three churches, a Catholic church (Sacred Heart), an Anglican church (St. Aidan's) and a Methodist chapel, a post office, a public house, a WMC
, a Catholic club which serves as a WMC as well as a polling station
for the Sedgefield
consituency
at election times, an NHS
healthcare centre, dentist, public library, and two supermarkets serving the local community. There are three take-away restaurants on the main street: a fish and chip
shop, a Chinese restaurant and a pizzeria. There is another pizzeria next door to the Co-op supermarket, near the school's playing field.
There is also a football ground and an all-night automatically lit basketball court, as well as recreation areas with swings, slides and climbing apparatus. There are regular bus services to Ferryhill, Bishop Auckland
, Spennymoor
, Durham
, and other towns and cities outside the county, such as Hartlepool
and Darlington
.
The town has a thriving allotment community, serving over 200 allotments.
Chilton gained town status in 2000 (despite lacking common features of a town such as its neighbour, Ferryhill; including a bank, a butcher shop, or even a town hall), along with a town council and mayor.
Chilton also gained a new war memorial in 2008 to commemorate men from the town who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars. The names of the fallen are engraved on the marble cenotaph, and each year on Remembrance Sunday
there is a ceremony in the morning, when veterans congregate to lay poppy wreaths and civilians can pay their respects to the dead of World War I
. In tradition with the day, two minutes of silence are observed at 11.00, to commemorate the armistice on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, 1918.
If the 11th is not a Sunday, the service is held on the second Sunday in November (nearest to the 11th). The two minutes silence is observed on both days, however. The Sunday ceremony continues notwithstanding.
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 a few miles to the east of Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland is a market town and civil parish in County Durham in north east England. It is located about northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham at the confluence of the River Wear with its tributary the River Gaunless...
and a short distance to the south of Ferryhill
Ferryhill
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...
, on the A167
A167 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....
. 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 mining town and called Chilton Buildings. The mine was located on the site of the current primary school, with the miners living in Windlestone Colliery, a series of terraced houses named Albert Street, Arthur Street and Prospect Terrace, locally known as The Five Rows owing to their appearance from the front.Local area
Chilton is home to a primary school (Chilton Primary, known as Chilton Junior up until September 2002), for nursery children, to receptionReception (school)
Reception or Primary 1 or FS2 is the first year of primary school in the United Kingdom and South Australia. It is preceded by nursery and is followed by Year One in England and Wales or Primary 2 in Northern Ireland and Scotland.Pupils in Reception are usually aged between four and five...
, Year 1; right up to Year 6. The school also participates in the Sure Start
Sure Start
Sure Start is a UK Government initiative applying in England, originating with HM Treasury, with the aim of "giving children the best possible start in life" through improvement of childcare, early education, health and family support, with an emphasis on outreach and community development...
programme. After leaving Chilton Primary, many pupils go to Ferryhill Business and Enterprise College
Ferryhill 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:**...
to begin with their secondary education, beginning with Year 7 through to Year 11. There are also three churches, a Catholic church (Sacred Heart), an Anglican church (St. Aidan's) and a Methodist chapel, a post office, a public house, a WMC
Working men's club
Working men's clubs are a type of private social club founded in the 19th century in industrial areas of the United Kingdom, particularly the North of England, the Midlands and many parts of the South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class men and their families.-...
, a Catholic club which serves as a WMC as well as a polling station
Polling station
A polling place or polling station is where voters cast their ballots in elections.Since elections generally take place over a one- or two-day span on a periodic basis, often annual or longer, polling places are often located in facilities used for other purposes, such as schools, churches, sports...
for the Sedgefield
Sedgefield
Sedgefield is a small town and civil parish in County Durham, England. It has a population of 4,534.Sedgefield has attracted particular attention as the Member of Parliament for the wider Sedgefield constituency was the former Prime Minister Tony Blair; he was the area's MP from 1983 to 2008,...
consituency
Sedgefield (UK Parliament constituency)
Sedgefield is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
at election times, an NHS
National Health Service (England)
The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
healthcare centre, dentist, public library, and two supermarkets serving the local community. There are three take-away restaurants on the main street: a fish and chip
Fish and chips
Fish and chips is a popular take-away food in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada...
shop, a Chinese restaurant and a pizzeria. There is another pizzeria next door to the Co-op supermarket, near the school's playing field.
There is also a football ground and an all-night automatically lit basketball court, as well as recreation areas with swings, slides and climbing apparatus. There are regular bus services to Ferryhill, Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland is a market town and civil parish in County Durham in north east England. It is located about northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham at the confluence of the River Wear with its tributary the River Gaunless...
, Spennymoor
Spennymoor
Spennymoor 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...
, 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 other towns and cities outside the county, such as Hartlepool
Hartlepool
Hartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...
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...
.
The town has a thriving allotment community, serving over 200 allotments.
Redevelopment and future
A road bypass now carries traffic around the village, cutting out around 80% of vehicles travelling through the town itself. The bypass itself was implemented in 2005, although the concept was conceived decades before. It has been positively received by the town residents and has made a huge improvement in traffic management in the area. To allow the construction of the bypass, West Chilton Terrace was cut in half, as were the allotments behind. A large amount of the social housing in Chilton and all terraces, were to be demolished (a large percentage of Dale Street has already been demolished), however as of April 2010 phase 2 of the plans have been put on hold due to shortage of local government funding.Chilton gained town status in 2000 (despite lacking common features of a town such as its neighbour, Ferryhill; including a bank, a butcher shop, or even a town hall), along with a town council and mayor.
Chilton also gained a new war memorial in 2008 to commemorate men from the town who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars. The names of the fallen are engraved on the marble cenotaph, and each year on Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday
In the United Kingdom, 'Remembrance Sunday' is held on the second Sunday in November, which is the Sunday nearest to 11 November Armistice Day. It is the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War at 11 a.m...
there is a ceremony in the morning, when veterans congregate to lay poppy wreaths and civilians can pay their respects to the dead of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In tradition with the day, two minutes of silence are observed at 11.00, to commemorate the armistice on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, 1918.
If the 11th is not a Sunday, the service is held on the second Sunday in November (nearest to the 11th). The two minutes silence is observed on both days, however. The Sunday ceremony continues notwithstanding.