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Consett

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See also: Consett (UK Parliament constituency)
Consett
Christ Church, Consett
Population27,394 (2001)[1]
OS grid referenceNZ108511
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCONSETT
Postcode districtDH8
Dialling code01207
PoliceDurham
FireCounty Durham and Darlington
AmbulanceNorth East
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
County Durham

Consett is a town in the northwest of County Durham, England, roughly 10 kilometres southwest of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It is home to 27,394 (2001).

Consett sits high on the edge of the Pennines. In 1841, it was a village community of only 145, but it was about to become a boom town: below the ground was coking coal and blackband iron ore, and nearby was limestone. These were the three ingredients needed for blast furnaces to produce iron and steel.

The town is perched on the steep eastern bank of the River Derwent and owes its origins to industrial development arising from lead mining in the area, together with the development of the steel industry in the Derwent Valley, which is said to have been initiated by immigrant German cutlers and sword-makers from Solingen, who settled in the village of Shotley Bridge during the seventeenth century.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Derwent Valley was the cradle of the British steel industry, helped by the easy availability of coal from Tyneside and the import of high quality iron ore from Sweden via the port of Newcastle upon Tyne. However, following the invention of the Bessemer process in the 19th century, steel could be made from British iron ore (which was otherwise too heavily contaminated by phosphorus) and the Derwent Valley's geographical advantage was lost, allowing Sheffield to become the leading centre of the British steel industry.

Governance

Consett is part of the North West Durham Parliamentary Constituency represented by Labour MP, Pat Glass. Before her, Hilary Armstrong had held the seat since 1987, having taken over the position from her father Ernest Armstrong. Before 1983, the town had its own Member of Parliament. David Watkins held the Consett seat from 1966 until its demise.

Consett was part of Derwentside District Council which merged into the unitary authority, Durham County Council on 1 April 2009. The Consett area is currently split into four electoral divisions (Benfieldside; Consett North; Delves Lane and Consett South; and Leadgate and Medomsley), each of which elects two County Councillors.

Consett is part of the North East Region that elects three MEPs (Member of the European Parliament) to the European Parliament. The region is currently represented by Labour MEP, Stephen Hughes, Conservative MEP, Martin Callanan and Liberal Democrat MEP Fiona Hall.

Geography

Consett sits above the rural Derwent valley on the edge of the boundary of County Durham and Northumberland. The Derwent Reservoir is located just west of the town. It is a town with the usual range of amenities, shops, pubs, night clubs, residential areas and industrial estates. There are a number of villages in its immediate surroundings; some of them are contiguous (for example Shotley Bridge and Blackhill) and some are not (for example Moorside and Castleside).

Consett town centre is around 885 feet (270m) above sea level making it only slightly lower than the town of Alston in Cumbria which is said to be the highest market town in Britain.Is also the home of Stephen Dyson who was voted the best asset in consett with a landslide victory over

Economy

Small and medium-sized businesses now provide most jobs in the area. Phileas Fogg Company (County Durham), with its factory on the town's Number One Industrial Estate, were mildly famous for a few years from 1988 for their snack food "Made in Medomsley Road, Consett" television adverts. The Phileas Fogg Company is now owned by KP Snacks as part of United Biscuits.

Since 2000, several new housing developments have taken place on the former steelworks site and surrounding areas. Derwentside College, formerly sited at Park Road, moved to a new campus at Berry Edge in September 2002 and national retailers have moved into Hermiston Retail Park.

Culture

Consett was the first town in the world to have a Salvation Army Corps Band. The band was formed in December 1879 and went out on the streets playing at Christmas. The original band consisted of just four players, bandmaster Edward Lennox and bandsmen George Storey, James Simpson and Robert Greenwood.[2]

Consett is home to the Empire Theatre, one of County Durham's oldest theatres. Recently refurbished, the theatre stages variety acts, plays and a Christmas pantomime. The theatre also screens blockbuster films at times when there are no live performances.

Several pubs have at least taken names that reflect the town's steel-making past - the Works, the Company, and the Company Row. From its bygone days of a steeltown, with a huge reliance on rail, next to where the main railway station used to be is a club named the Station Club, now opposite a health centre. With the steelworks gone, visitors and inhabitants are beginning to realise the beauty of the picturesque views over the Derwent Valley, and Consett is becoming a popular place to live for commuters from Durham and Tyne & Wear looking for a taste of the country.

New developments

There are plans for a new £20,000,000 sports complex, incorporating a swimming pool, regional tennis centre and new football stadium for Consett A.F.C. ("The Steelmen") as part of Durham County Council's plans for the regeneration of Consett. These plans involve the demolition of the former headquarters of Derwentside District Council at Consett Civic Centre and the relocation of Consett AFC to Crookhall. The site will be redeveloped and the new Consett Academy built there.[3]

On 5 July 2010, the Secretary of State for Education announced plans for the overhaul of England's school building programme. The announcement stated that it would be "irresponsible to carry on regardless with an inflexible, and needlessly complex programme." Many building programmes that had not commenced were cancelled but the plans for Consett Academy and an academy at nearby Stanley were "for discussion."[4]

Local opponents to the building of an academy on the Belle Vue site in Consett unsuccessfully launched an application to have the land registered as a village green. This would have prohibited the development of the land. A public inquiry was held at Consett Civic Centre during the week commencing 12 July 2010.[5] Finally, on 11 April 2011, Durham County Council's Highways Committee turned down the application to grant village green status for the Belle Vue area [6] paving the way for the promised development of Consett Academy and a sports centre to replace the separate wet and dry centres in Consett. The development will see the demolition of Belle Vue Sports Centre (formerly known as Consett Sports Centre), Belle Vue Swimming Centre (formerly known as Consett Baths), Belle Vue football ground (home of Consett A.F.C.) and Consett Civic Centre (former headquarters of Derwentside District Council). Durham County Council intend to maintain a presence in the town centre through its Customer Access Point in Front Street which occupies half of the former Woolworth store. [7]

Notable people

  • Matthew Tait - England international and ex Newcastle Falcons Rugby Union player. He now plays for Sale Sharks. Born in Shotley Bridge but brought up in the nearby town of Wolsingham.
  • Barry Venison - retired footballer and pundit was born in Shotley Bridge Hospital, although is from Stanley.
  • Denise Welch, ex-star of Coronation Street and Soldier Soldier drama series. Married to Tim Healy and now starring in Waterloo Road on BBC1 and Loose Women on ITV1.
  • Keith Strachan born in Consett. Award winning composer and musical theatre director. Compositions include "Mistletoe and Wine" and the theme music for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?[12]
  • Michael Kay is a footballer who plays in the right back position. He currently plays for Tranmere Rovers. Formerly represented England Under-17s and after starting his career in the Sunderland academy had brief loan spells at Gateshead and current club Tranmere Rovers .
  • Ben Clark (footballer) plays at Centre Half and current club captain for Gateshead in the Blue Square Premier. Formerly represented England up to Under 19 level and has had spells at Manchester United, Sunderland and Hartlepool.

References

  1. ^ 2001 Census Profiles (Numbers) for Major Centres in County Durham, Durham County Council, Retrieved on 10 August 2007
  2. ^ Salvation Army Firsts, Salvation Army Collectables. Retrieved on 16 December 2007.
  3. ^ "Consett's regeneration". Durham County Council. 2009. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
  4. ^ "Overhaul of England's school building programme". Department for Education. 2010-07-12. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
  5. ^ "Village green status inquiry is underway". The Northern Echo. 2010-07-13. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
  6. ^ "Durham County Council Highways Committee minutes". Durham County Council. 2011-04-11. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); Unknown parameter |http://www.durham.gov.uk/Pages/minutesinfo.aspx?ItemId= ignored (help)
  7. ^ "Consett customers to gain easier access to council services". Durham County Council. 2011-01-17. Retrieved 2011-07-23.
  8. ^ Barratt, Nick (25 August 2007). "Family Detective - Rowan Atkinson". The Daily Telegraph.
  9. ^ a b c "Honourary degree for opera couple". BBC News. BBC.co.uk. 2006-07-19. Retrieved 2008-09-19. Graeme Danby was born in Consett and studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He is Principal Bass with the English National Opera.
  10. ^ Tunney, John (2008-09-04). "Big night for Sir Bobby sells out". The Journal. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
  11. ^ BBC (3 August 2004). "Rams' match remembers John Robson". BBC. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
  12. ^ Nick Smurthwaite (21 March 2005). "Million pound notes - Keith Strachan". The Stage. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
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