Wingate, County Durham
Encyclopedia
Wingate is a village in County Durham
, England
Wingate is a former pit village
with a mixture of 19th-century, post-war, and more recent housing developments, it was originally enhabited by around 30 farmers before 1839 when coal was discovered. It is located in the East of County Durham, three miles south west of Peterlee
, and seven miles north west of Hartlepool
. As with most villages in the area, it grew rapidly with the development of coal-mining in the region.
The name Wingate is said to derive from the Anglo Saxon
words windig (windy) and geat (road) meaning windy road. Like all County Durham villages, born and bred residents are known to speak the pitmatic
dialect.
Wingate is also the birth place of Ted Harrison
, a Canadian artist notable for his paintings of the Yukon
. It is also said that Catherine Howard
, the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England
was born in Wingate somewhere from 1518 to 1524.
On 7th January 1971, the Avro Vulcan
bomber XM610 crashed near to the school after suffering an engine fire due to metal fatigue in the number 1 engine. The pilot remained in the burning aircraft before he ejected to direct the aircraft to crash into the sea, however the aircraft later spiraled down into the village and crashed leaving a large crater. There were no fatalities in the accident.
and then north and south via the A1. Heading east towards the East Durham Coast will lead you to the north and south bound A19, with links to Peterlee
, Sunderland and Teesside
. The main road through the village is the B1280.
Wingate was previously served by two railway stations at Wingate and Wellfield on the Castle Eden branch line of the North Eastern Railway. Both stations are long closed and the majority of the former right of way has been reclaimed and turned into walkways, notably parts of the Hart to Haswell Walkway. One of the level crossing gates survives next to the Railway Crossings pub on Front Street.
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...
Wingate is a former pit village
Pit village
A pit village is a term used in the UK for the village serving a deep coal mine.Many of the workers lived in houses that were provided by the colliery. Many villages have experienced depopulation after colliery closures forced people to move to other towns and cities where there are jobs for them...
with a mixture of 19th-century, post-war, and more recent housing developments, it was originally enhabited by around 30 farmers before 1839 when coal was discovered. It is located in the East of County Durham, three miles south west 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:...
, and seven miles north west of 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...
. As with most villages in the area, it grew rapidly with the development of coal-mining in the region.
The name Wingate is said to derive from the Anglo Saxon
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
words windig (windy) and geat (road) meaning windy road. Like all County Durham villages, born and bred residents are known to speak the pitmatic
Pitmatic
Pitmatic , also colloquially known as "yakka", is a dialect of English used in the counties of Northumberland and Durham in England. It developed as a separate dialect from Northumbrian and Geordie partly due to the specialised terms used by mineworkers in the local coal pits...
dialect.
History
There is no evidence of settlement at Wingate until the 16th century. However, mining made its presence felt in the 19th century and Wingate became a large settlement and regional centre for the area. The village is located approximately 2 miles east of the original settlement, which is now called Old Wingate. coal was discovered in 1839 when 2 shafts were sunk, coal was drawn in the December.Wingate is also the birth place of Ted Harrison
Ted Harrison
Edward Hardy "Ted" Harrison, CM is a Canadian artist notable for his paintings of the Yukon.-Life and work:Ted Harrison was born in Wingate, County Durham, England and currently lives in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada....
, a Canadian artist notable for his paintings of the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
. It is also said that Catherine Howard
Catherine Howard
Catherine Howard , also spelled Katherine, Katheryn or Kathryn, was the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, and sometimes known by his reference to her as his "rose without a thorn"....
, the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
was born in Wingate somewhere from 1518 to 1524.
On 7th January 1971, the Avro Vulcan
Avro Vulcan
The Avro Vulcan, sometimes referred to as the Hawker Siddeley Vulcan, was a jet-powered delta wing strategic bomber, operated by the Royal Air Force from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A V Roe & Co designed the Vulcan in response to Specification B.35/46. Of the three V bombers produced,...
bomber XM610 crashed near to the school after suffering an engine fire due to metal fatigue in the number 1 engine. The pilot remained in the burning aircraft before he ejected to direct the aircraft to crash into the sea, however the aircraft later spiraled down into the village and crashed leaving a large crater. There were no fatalities in the accident.
Car Travel
The Village has ready access to road links for commuters, with the A181 leading westward to DurhamDurham
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 then north and south via the A1. Heading east towards the East Durham Coast will lead you to the north and south bound A19, with links to 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:...
, Sunderland and Teesside
Teesside
Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
. The main road through the village is the B1280.
Public Transport
Public transport is provided by Arriva North East (Services 22, 26, 27, 239) and Go North East (Services 206, 211). Between 2 and 4 services an hour run to Peterlee offering connections with services to Sunderland, Newcastle, Stockton and Middlesbrough. An hourly service (every 2 hours on evenings and Sundays) runs to Durham and Hartlepool allowing connections to the National Rail network at their respective stations. A 2 hourly service also runs to Middlesbrough via Billingham on Monday to Saturday daytimes.Wingate was previously served by two railway stations at Wingate and Wellfield on the Castle Eden branch line of the North Eastern Railway. Both stations are long closed and the majority of the former right of way has been reclaimed and turned into walkways, notably parts of the Hart to Haswell Walkway. One of the level crossing gates survives next to the Railway Crossings pub on Front Street.
External links
- http://www.wellfield.durham.sch.uk/
- http://www.neam.co.uk/wingate.html (Vulcan crash)