Horden

Horden is a village and electoral ward in County Durham, England. It is situated on the North Sea coast, to the east of Peterlee, approximately 12 miles south of Sunderland. Horden was a mining village until the closure of the Horden Colliery in 1987. Main features include the Welfare and Memorial Parks and St Mary's church. It is connected to the villages of Blackhall Colliery and Blackhall Rocks to its south by a spectacular rail viaduct which spans Castle Eden Dene near Denemouth. Horden Dene provides Horden's northern boundary with Easington Colliery.

For the municipality in Lower Saxony in Germany, see Hörden am Harz.

Horden
Horden
Location within County Durham
Population8,087 (2011 census)[1]
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townPeterlee
Postcode districtSR8
Dialling code0191
PoliceDurham
FireCounty Durham and Darlington
AmbulanceNorth East
UK Parliament

History

The local manor house, Horden Hall, was built in the early 17th century by Sir John Conyers, 1st Baronet (d.1664).[3] However, Horden village did not really begin to develop beyond a few farmhouses until the construction of Horden Colliery began in 1900. By 1920 Pitmen’s homes were built, initially in rows of houses named First to Thirteenth Streets.

Horden has an Anglo-Saxon name that comes from an old word ‘horu’ meaning ‘dirty’ with the ‘den’ part of the name referring to the dene or valley. Horden is first mentioned in the eleventh century as ‘Horeden’, when there is also mention of a ‘Horetun’ (dirty farm).

The first church in the village, St Hilda’s – now the church hall, was opened in 1904 and in 1913 St Mary’s church, built by local landowner Colonel Burdon, was consecrated. The village continued to grow strongly, reaching a peak population of 15,000 in 1951.[4] By 1964 there were 3 cinemas, cricket, rugby and football pitches and also a bowling green.

By 1970 the colliery was considered the "Jewel in the Crown" and expected to have a life of 30 years.

Since closure of the mine in 1987 Horden’s population has fallen to around 8,500 (2001 census) and it now suffers high unemployment, higher than average health issues and problems with poor housing stock.[5] In addition, Horden has gradually lost most of its services and amenities including Police and Fire Stations, secondary school, many local shops and cinemas. Its its railway station. reopened in June 2020. Primary and nursery schools remain, including Horden Nursery School, Cotsford Primary School, Yohden Primary School and Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary School.

In political terms, Horden is split between the Horden North and Horden South wards of Durham County Council, both of which are part of the parliamentary constituency of Easington, represented since 2010 by Grahame Morris of the Labour Party.

Mining
Horden Colliery memorial pit wheel.

Horden Colliery was one of the biggest mines in the country. From the beginning of construction in 1900 to nationalisation in 1947 it was owned and operated by Horden Collieries Ltd, who also operated mines at Blackhall, Castle Eden and Shotton. Following nationalisation the mine was operated by the National Coal Board.

The mine was operated mainly for the purpose of working undersea coal, and had three shafts. At the height of operating in the 1930s it employed over 4000 men and produced over 1.5million tonnes of coal a year.[6]

Large volumes of water and other geological issues meant that Horden Colliery failed to make a profit from the later-1970s onwards, and was finally closed in 1987. The only original sites left now are the medical centre site now occupied by a Gymnasium The baths now rebuilt into offices The Canteen occupied by a Garage and the Ventilation office now used by the local council.

Rising minewater following the closure led to fears of contamination of drinking water. A minewater treatment plant was installed in 2004 by the Coal Authority to remove the majority of the iron and raise the pH level of the water.[7] This was a temporary measure, prior to a permanent passive mine water treatment system having been installed.[8]

Regeneration
Opening gates of Horden Colliery Welfare park.
Eroding bank of coal-mine waste, Horden Beach[9]

In recent years Horden has benefited from the removal of mining spoil heaps and the redevelopment of its Welfare Park (which houses Horden's rugby, cricket and football teams). The Welfare and Memorial Parks are both currently designated Green Flag Parks with the Welfare Park also recognised with the Green Heritage Award, one of only four in the North East of England. The Colliery Welfare Park was originally funded by the miners themselves in the 1920s who paid an amount of money from their wages. At one time there was swimming pool which was filled with the water pumped out from the mine, and you could only use it if you were able to swim a certain length. Now there is a basket ball court / tennis court, two children play areas, a band stand and beautiful gardens to walk round. 'Marra' is a sculpture of a miner with his heart torn out, by Ray Lonsdale (2015), which depicts the death of mining communities. The Durham Heritage Coast Partnership (previously the lottery funded Turning the Tide programme) is committed to the conservation, protection and enhancement of the coastline, which is home to a rich variety of flora and fauna.

For such a small village Horden boasts quite a nightlife especially at weekends with several clubs bringing people from nearby villages. Pubs and clubs in Horden include; Horden Comrades, The Bell, Horden Cricket Club and popular on weekends, Horden Catholic Club.

Transport

The A1086 road is the main road through the village linking with Easington and the A19 to Sunderland in the north and Blackhall and the A179 to Hartlepool in the south, the B1320 links the village to Peterlee and Shotton in the West.

The village is served by Horden railway station on the Durham Coast Line. This station, which opened on 29 June 2020,[10] replaced Horden's earlier station which closed in May 1964.[11]

In 1988 the United Peterlee Panther bus service was launched between Peterlee and Horden/Horden Hall Estate. It stopped anywhere you wanted, except on Cosford Lane. The service is still mirrored today in Go North East's services 209 and 210. A number of regular Arriva and Go North East services operate through the main roads of Horden.

Schools
  • Our Lady Star of the Sea, RC primary school
  • Cotsford Primary School
  • Yohden Primary School

Notable residents

References
  1. UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Horden Parish (1170219762)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  2. http://horden.parish.durham.gov.uk/
  3. Community, Durham (D.C.C.). "Horden History". Durham in Time. Durham City Council. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  4. Durham County Council historical records Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Horden South Ward Appraisal, Easington Council Archived 28 December 2004 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Durham Miner project research Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Coal Authority Pilot Project" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  8. Davies, T., Long, P. & Dunn, R. (2012): Horden Passive Mine Water Treatment Scheme – A collaborative partnership delivering a sustainable solution to the legacy of mine closures on the North East coastline. – 203-205 p., Lancaster (UK Water Projects)
  9. See also other picture of same place (with geograph.org.)
  10. Thompson, Fiona (29 June 2020). "First trains to make their stop at new £10.55 million train station in Horden". Sunderland Echo. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  11. Waller, Paul (2013). Rail Atlas: The Beeching Era. Ian Allan Publishing Ltd. pp. 67 and 104. ISBN 9780711035492.
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