Cramlington

The small town of Cramlington in the county of Northumberland is situated nine miles north of the provincial city of Newcastle Upon Tyne in the north east of England. Its population is about 39,000. Its name suggests a probable founding by the Danes or Anglo-Saxon origin, the word ‘Ton’ meaning town.

History

St Nicholas's Church

The first record of the Manor of Cramlington is from a mention in 1135 when the land was granted to Nicholas de Grenville. A register of early chaplains begins with John the Clerk of Cramlington (c.1163-1180). The register continues to the present day.

From the 12th Century onwards, its history has been mostly rural incorporating several farms and the parish church of St. Nicholas (built at a cost of £3,000 during 1865-1868 in the Gothic style) but during the early 19th Century, coal mining with several mine shafts in the immediate vicinity (the first was sunk in 1824) began to change that. It remained small, however, until 1964 when it was proclaimed a New Town and developers (such as William Leech and J.T.Bell) developed large housing estates. It has effectively become a suburb of the much larger city to its south.

During World War One, the North East of England was protected by the No. 36 Home Defence squadron squadron. The squadron was formed at Cramlington on February 1st, 1916 by Capt. R. O. Abercromby, with Cramlington subsequently becoming an important base for military planes and airships.

Geography and infrastructure

The latitude and longitude of Cramlington are 55.07N & 01.59W NZ2676. The River Blyth is close by, as is Plessey Woods Country Park.

The town is served by Cramlington railway station, with services to the MetroCentre, Morpeth and Newcastle upon Tyne provided by Northern Rail. Local bus services are provided by Arriva Northumbria, and the town has good road transport links, being situated between the A1, A19 and A189 roads. Cramlington is also notable for its many roundabouts.

Economy

There are several large industrial zones in Cramlington, most to the town's north-west, housing major pharmaceutical companies including Merck Sharp and Dohme. Other growing chemical companies including Aesica Pharmaceuticals are also present.

Manor Walks shopping centre was constructed in the centre of the town in the 1970s, and was subsequently expanded in the mid-1990s and in 2003/4. The centre now includes retailers such as Argos, ASDA, Boots, Next and Sainsbury's.

Provisional permissions were recently given to an open cast mining operation to the north-west of the town, however the fine detail of how much coal is to be extracted has yet to be agreed. [1] As of July 2006, it now appears mining will not go ahead. [2]

Famous residents

The acclaimed comedian Ross Noble comes from Cramlington. Footballers Alan Shearer, Steven Taylor and Peter Ramage also started their careers playing for Cramlington Juniors F.C.. Sting briefly was a first school teacher at St Paul's First School.

Twin towns

• Solingen, Germany
• Ratingen, Germany
• Gelendzhik, Russia

See also

Cramlington Community High School

External links

• History of the No. 36 Home Defence squadron
• Aesica Pharma Cramlington
• Northumberland Communities Photos and maps of Cramlington from 1610-1910.