Old Shotton is a village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

, in Easington

Easington, County Durham

Easington is a town in eastern County Durham, England. It comprises the ancient village of Easington Village and the ex-mining town of Easington Colliery, which are separate civil parishes. It is located at the junction of the A182 leading north-west to Hetton-le-Hole. Seaham Harbour and...

 district 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...

, The village once lay on the route of the A19

A19 road

The A19 is a major road in England running approximately parallel to and east of the A1 road, although the two roads meet at the northern end of the A19, the two roads originally met at the southern end of the A19 in Doncaster but the old route of the A1 was changed to the A638. From Sunderland...

, before its redirection to the west of the village. Although Old Shotton retains its own identity, and its own village sign, it now forms part of the new town

New town

A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...

 of Peterlee

Peterlee

Peterlee is a new town in County Durham, England. Founded in 1948, Peterlee town originally mostly housed coal miners and their families.Peterlee has strong economic and community ties with Sunderland and Hartlepool.-Peterlee:...

. Following the foundation of Peterlee in 1948, the town spread westward, towards the A19, and so by the 1970s this small village had already begun to be encroached on.

Old Shotton today

Today, thanks to the redirection of the A19 in the 1970s, Old Shotton is now a quiet cul-de-sac

Cul-de-sac

A cul-de-sac is a word of French origin referring to a dead end, close, no through road or court meaning dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet...

. There are some 30 dwellings, most of which are post 1960s, and only about 10 which pre-date the 1950s. The village is home to two old pubs, the "Black Bull" and "The George". Nearby is Shotton Hall

Shotton Hall

Shotton Hall is a Grade II listed building, formerly a mansion house, now operated by Peterlee Town Council as offices and a conference centre.The Manor of Shotton, near Peterlee, Durham, was owned by the Thompson family...

, home of Peterlee

Peterlee

Peterlee is a new town in County Durham, England. Founded in 1948, Peterlee town originally mostly housed coal miners and their families.Peterlee has strong economic and community ties with Sunderland and Hartlepool.-Peterlee:...

 town council. Its ballroom

Ballroom

A ballroom is a large room inside a building, the designated purpose of which is holding formal dances called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions contain one or more ballrooms...

is used for both private and public functions.