Wearhead

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 (64 km) to Sunderland. In the 2001 census Wearhead had a population of 210.[1]

Wearhead

Looking down to Wearhead (Winter 2009)
Wearhead
Location within County Durham
Population210 (2001 census)
OS grid referenceNY858395
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBishop Auckland
Postcode districtDL13
Dialling code01388
PoliceDurham
FireCounty Durham and Darlington
AmbulanceNorth East
UK Parliament

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 (1.6 km) 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 on 21 October 1895.[2] The line was mainly used for freight carrying limestone, iron ore, lead ore and fluorspar to the industrial areas of North East England. The station was host to a LNER camping coach from 1935 to 1939 and possibly one for some of 1934.[3] It closed to passenger traffic on 29 June 1953 and to goods on 2 January 1961.[2][4]

Decline and revival

In 2005 the last remaining shop in the village, Co-op, closed. Shortly afterwards the Methodist Church held its last service after being in existence for over 180 years.

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 and recreational field where the local teams play football.

What to Do
  • Burnhope Reservoir[5]
  • A Mineral Valleys Project walk - Wearhead (The River Starts Here)[6]
  • Killhope, The North of England lead Mining Museum[7]
  • The Weardale Museum[8]
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See also

References
  1. "Wear Valley Settlement Summary Sheets" (PDF). Durham County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2007. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  2. Quick, Michael (2019) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF) (5th ed.). Railway and Canal Historical Society.
  3. McRae, Andrew (1997). British Railway Camping Coach Holidays: The 1930s & British Railways (London Midland Region). Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part One). Foxline. p. 10. ISBN 1-870119-48-7.
  4. Hurst, Geoffrey (1992). Register of Closed Railways: 1948-1991. Worksop, Nottinghamshire: Milepost Publications. pp. 8 & 17 (refs 0359 & 0837). ISBN 0-9477-9618-5.
  5. http://www.durham.gov.uk/durhamcc/usp.nsf/pws/8025694D002ACDA4802571C3003C7D95?opendocument
  6. Wearhead - 1/2 mile walk
  7. Killhop Mining Museum
  8. The Weardale Museum
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