Shotley Bridge is a village, adjoining the town of
Consett
Consett is a town in County Durham, England, about south-west of Newcastle upon Tyne. It had a population of 27,394 in 2001 and an estimate of 25,812 in 2019.
History
Consett sits high on the edge of the Pennines. Its' name originates in th ...
in
County Durham, England. It is on the
A694 road and beside the
River Derwent which is crossed by the bridge giving the name. It was once the heart of Britain's swordmaking industry.
The village is southwest of
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is a ...
.
History
There were formerly several
fords over the
River Derwent near this place and in medieval times a wooden bridge. The present stone bridge was widened in 1820, but its original date is not known.
The bed of the river itself was the source of stone for
millstones, and licences for this are recorded at "Shotley Brig" in 1356.
[ A water-powered corn mill was established in the 14th century, later replaced by a steam-powered one which was sold to the Derwent Co-operative Flour Mill Society Ltd in 1872, and continued until its closure in 1920.][ A paper mill was established in 1788 (the first in the north of England) and greatly expanded with mechanization so that in 1894 it had 300 hands (half being girls) and was a major factor in the expansion of the village. However it closed in 1905.][ A well near the village had unpleasant tasting water rumoured to be effective in curing disease and thus known as the "Hally Well" (''hally'' = healthy, like ''hale''). In 1828 a local entrepreneur John Richardson used this as the basis for a ]Spa
A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneothe ...
which enjoyed considerable success with the well-to-do, becoming less fashionable as industry grew in nearby towns, but being remade as a playground for workers. It was during the Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edward ...
that much of the town's architecture was constructed, including some grand residences and many listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...
s, so that by 1898 it had much of its present form.[ and a population of over 1000.][ This also saw the advent of ]Shotley Bridge railway station
Shotley Bridge railway station served the village of Shotley Bridge, County Durham, England from 1867 to 1953 on the Derwent Valley Railway (County Durham), Derwent Valley Railway.
History
The station opened on 2 December 1867 by the North E ...
(closed 1952) and a gasworks which closed in the 1960s,[ electric lighting having replaced gas lamps from 1950.][ The closure of the steelworks at Consett in 1980 caused an economic decline, however since then the village has become more popular.][
]
Swordmaking
In the 17th century a group of swordmakers (Oley, Vooz, Molle and Bertram) from Solingen
Solingen (; li, Solich) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located some 25 km east of Düsseldorf along the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area, and, with a 2009 population of 161,3 ...
in Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
settled in Shotley Bridge, in order to escape religious persecution. Shotley Bridge was chosen because of the quality of the ironstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical replacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron ore compound from which iron (Fe) can be smelted commercially. Not to be con ...
in the area and the softness and fast flow of the River Derwent.[ The Oley family were makers of the highest quality swords, rivalling those of ]Toledo
Toledo most commonly refers to:
* Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain
* Province of Toledo, Spain
* Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States
Toledo may also refer to:
Places Belize
* Toledo District
* Toledo Settlement
Bolivia
* Toledo, Orur ...
, by using Damascus steel,[ in great demand during the ]Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
. They became very wealthy.[ Their steel production facility was one of the earliest factories for manufacture of steel. The Oley family were involved in the formation of the ]Consett Iron Company
The Consett Iron Company Ltd was an industrial business based in the Consett area of County Durham in the United Kingdom. The company owned coal mines and limestone quarries, and manufactured iron and steel. It was registered on 4 April 1864 a ...
.[ New weapons and industrialization reduced demand for swords so they diversified into other types of cutlery, but could not compete with ]Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
,[ and the sword works closed in 1840.][ Some moved to ]Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
and their business eventually became part of Wilkinson Sword.[
Evidence of this industry includes grooves in the stones of the river,][ the fine house inscribed "Cutlers Hall, 1767, William Oley"][ and the name of the public house "The Crown and Crossed Swords".][ Before the last remaining cottages occupied by the swordmakers were demolished, there was an inscription over the door of the Oley house on Wood Street reading ''"Das Herren segen machet reich ohn alle Sorg wenn Du zugleich in deinem Stand treu und fleissig bist und tuest alle vas die befolen ist"''. This means ''"The blessing of the Lord makes rich without care, so long as you are industrious in your vocation and do what is ordered you"''.][
]
Places of Worship
The first mention of a chapel at Shotley is in 1165.[ This is the site of the (now disused) Anglican parish church, ]St Andrew's, Shotley
St Andrew's Church, Shotley, is a redundant Anglican church standing in an isolated position at a height of on Greymare Hill in Northumberland, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II lis ...
, which is high on a hill above the town. It is an eighteenth-century Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...
rebuilt in 1892 because of subsidence due to coal workings below. The current parish church is that of St John at Snod's Edge, also Grade II listed, dating from 1837 when it was founded as a chapel outpost of St Andrew's. There is a Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, Our Lady of the Rosary (1952),[ and an Anglican Church, St Cuthbert's (1850), designed by John Dobson, in the Benfieldside area south-east of the main town. The Methodist Church was built in 1894, and closed in 2014.]
Shotley Bridge Hospital
Shotley Bridge Hospital
Shotley Bridge Hospital is a healthcare facility in Shotley Bridge, County Durham
County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is ...
originated with the acquisition of the Whinney House Estate in 1912. The site was initially used as a tuberculosis hospital but served as a facility for the care of people with mental problems being known as "Shotley Bridge Mental Defectives Colony" from 1927 to 1940, when it was converted to an Emergency Hospital to cope with the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, particularly providing plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes cranio ...
, becoming a general hospital in 1948.[ Although it was once one of the largest of the Northern Region][ services have been transferred elsewhere, most of the buildings demolished for housing and the current hospital is a much smaller group of modern buildings operating as a ]community hospital A community hospital can be purely a nominal designation or have a more specific meaning. When specific, it refers to a hospital that is accessible to the general public, and provides a general or specific medical care which is usually short-term, i ...
.
Other buildings
In the Victorian boom time, the village was often referred to as a town,[ which such enthusiasm that a Town Hall was actually built in 1860.][ It is one of several buildings from this period in ]Neogothic
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
style. Another is Shotley Hall
Shotley Hall is a Grade II* listed historic mansion in Shotley Low Quarter, Northumberland, England. It was designed in the Gothic Revival architectural style by Edward Robert Robson, and its construction was completed in 1863.
History
The n ...
by Edward Robson
Edward Robert Robson FRIBA FSA FSI (2 March 1836 – 19 January 1917) was an English architect famous for the progressive spirit of his London state-funded school buildings of the 1870s and early 1880s.
Born in Durham, he was the elder son of ...
. There are other grand houses from this period which are some of the many listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...
s in the area.[ While the Wesleyan Chapel was demolished, its Sunday School remains and is now the Village Hall.][ The clergyman's house is now known as The Manse.][ The 1876 Temperance Hall is now the Assembly Rooms.][ The Crown and Crossed Swords hotel includes what was once a separate establishment, The Commercial.][
]
Notable people
*Professional footballer Ben Clark was born in Shotley Bridge.
*England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
Test cricket
Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...
er Paul Collingwood
Paul David Collingwood (born 26 May 1976) is an English cricket coach and former player, who played in all three formats of the game internationally for England. He played for Durham County Cricket Club and was the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 winn ...
played for Shotley Bridge Cricket Club in his youth.
*The Italian poet and writer Avro Manhattan spent his final years in Shotley Bridge, his wife's home town, and is buried there.
* England Rugby Union international Mathew Tait was born in Shotley Bridge.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Shotley Bridge Directory
Map and local information
Shotley Bridge Conservation Area
{{authority control
Villages in County Durham
Consett