Bedlington

Not to be confused with Beddington.
Bedlington

St. Cuthbert's Church, Bedlington
Bedlington
 Bedlington shown within Northumberland
Population 18,470 
OS grid referenceNZ258819
Unitary authorityNorthumberland
Ceremonial countyNorthumberland
RegionNorth East
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town BEDLINGTON
Postcode district NE22
Dialling code 01670
Police Northumbria
Fire Northumberland
Ambulance North East
EU Parliament North East England
UK ParliamentWansbeck
List of places
UK
England
Northumberland

Coordinates: 55°07′59″N 1°34′59″W / 55.133°N 1.583°W / 55.133; -1.583

Bedlington is a town situated in South East Northumberland, England, United Kingdom, with a population of roughly 15,400, measured at 18,470 at the 2011 Census.[1][2] It is a former mining town roughly 10 miles (16 km) north of the nearest city, Newcastle upon Tyne and 4.5 miles (7 km) southeast of the county town of Morpeth. Other nearby places include Ashington to the north northeast, Blyth to the east and Cramlington to the south.

The parish of Bedlington constituted the historic exclave of County Durham called Bedlingtonshire. It is famous for giving its name to a breed of dog; the Bedlington Terrier.[3][4]

History

The place-name "Bedlington" is first attested circa 1050 in a biography of Saint Cuthbert, where it appears as "Bedlingtun". The name means "the town of Bedla's people".[5]

Bedlington and the hamlets belonging to it were bought by Cutheard, Bishop of Durham, between 900 and 915, and although locally situated in the county of Northumberland, it became part of the county palatine (from Lat. palatium, a palace) of Durham, over which Bishop Walcher was granted royal rights by William the Conqueror.

When these rights were taken from Cuthbert Tunstall, Bishop of Durham, in 1536, Bedlington among his other properties, lost its special privileges, but was confirmed to him in 1541 with the other property of his predecessors. Together with the other lands of the see of Durham, Bedlington was made over to the ecclesiastical commissioners in 1866. Bedlingtonshire was made part of Northumberland for civil purposes by acts of parliament in 1832 and 1844.

Bedlington became an industrial town with an iron works and several coal mines, however subsequent closure of this industries in the latter half of the 20th century caused the town to undergo many changes, becoming more of a dormitory town for those working in the surrounding areas.

The most important historic building in Bedlington was Bedlington Old Hall, which consisted of a 15th-century pele tower with a long early 18th century stone block adjoining, occupying a prime location on the high street. It was scandalously demolished in 1959, and replaced with council offices.

Development

Bedlington once housed a public railway station, seen here in 1965. The line is still in use, but the station is no longer in service.

The town has several bus links, including the X21 and X22 via Arriva, to nearby Newcastle upon Tyne. The town's front street has one supermarket, a post office, and several other smaller shops.

A weekly market is held on Thursdays at the market place. The number of market stalls is now also starting to decline.

Education

Bedlington is served by two secondary schools: Bedlingtonshire Community High School and St Benet Biscop Catholic Academy. Bedlington is also served by two primary schools: Bedlington Station Primary School and St Bede's Primary School. One of the few middle schools left in England is Meadowdale Academy. The town of Bedlington also has three first schools: Whitley Memorial C of E School, Stead Lane First School and Bedlington West End County First School. Pupils may also commute around 13 miles (21 km) south to Newcastle upon Tyne if they choose to attend an independent school.

Local parish

One of the most important surviving historic buildings is the Anglican parish church, which is dedicated to St. Cuthbert. It is reputed that the church takes its dedication from an event that occurred 12 December 1069: fleeing northwards from the Conqueror's army, the monks of Durham are said to have rested the body of St Cuthbert in Bedlington Church. The building, originally of Saxon design, was rebuilt about a hundred years later. Little of either the Saxon or the Norman church has survived.

There is a Roman Catholic congregation who worship in a relatively new church called St Bede's. In addition, there is a Salvation Army chapel.

Hartford Hall lies within the parish. Much of the riverside land between Bedlington and the hall forms the Bedlington Country Park, a designated local nature reserve.[6][7]

Local media

Local newspapers include the Evening Chronicle, the Journal, which also cover Tyneside and the rest of south east Northumberland. The Newspost Leader is weekly and covers most of the former district of Wansbeck. The community-run Bedlington Website Bedlington.co.uk was started in 1998. It has been active in many of the recent initiatives to promote the town.

There are also several radio regional stations provide local broadcasts. Local news on television is provided by ITV Tyne Tees and BBC Look North. These TV stations cover most of the north east, County Durham, Teesside, Tyneside and Northumberland.

Notable residents

Twin towns

Country Place County / District / Region / State Date
Germany Germany Schalksmühle North Rhine-Westphalia 1974

Neighbouring towns

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Population 2011,East Bedlington". Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "West Bedlington population 2011". Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  3. ↑ In the early 1820s, a breeder named Joseph Aynsley started the breed and eventually in 1873 the first Stud Book of The Kennel Club listed 30 Bedlingtons: Muriel P. Lee "Bedlington Terrier"; Interpet Pub., Surrey, 2001. The Bedlington Terrier was developed as a breed in the early 19th century in a village called Bedlington, Northumberland. Folklore has it that the Bedlingtons where used by Romani people of the Rothbury Forest to hunt silently for small game and the livestock of the landowners: Kerry V. Kern, "The Terrier Handbook"; Barron's Edu. Ser., 2005 New York.
  4. ↑ The Westminster: Road To Ruin Sports Illustrated, 8 February 1960
  5. ↑ Ekwall, Eilert (1960). Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names (4th ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 34. OCLC 400936.
  6. ↑ "Bedlington Country Park". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  7. ↑ "Map of Bedlington Country Park". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 4 August 2013.

External links

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