Eastgate, County Durham
Encyclopedia
Eastgate is a village in County Durham
, England
. It is situated in Weardale
, a few miles west of Stanhope
.
Eastgate originally marked the eastern border of the private hunting park of the Prince Bishops of Durham. This was second in extent only to the royal hunting park of the New Forest
in Hampshire
. Emerson Muschamp Bainbridge, the founder of the world's first department store, was born in the village.
plant would go ahead on the site of a former cement works. The geothermal plant will heat the UK's first geothermal energy model village
, the official working title being Eastgate Renewable Energy Village
.
The exploratory geothermal borehole drilled in December 2004 was the first to be completed in the United Kingdom for over 20 years. The water temperature at a depth of 995 m was found to be 46.2°C, and it was estimated that the water temperature of a production borehole with a depth of about 1800m would be in the range 75-80°C, with a volume of water similar to that already being exploited in the existing geothermal energy scheme in Southampton
.
, which currently runs between Wolsingham
and Stanhope.
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is situated in Weardale
Weardale
Weardale is a dale, or valley, of the east side of the Pennines in County Durham, in England. Large parts of Weardale fall within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - the second largest AONB in England and Wales. The upper valley is surrounded by high fells and heather grouse...
, a few miles west of Stanhope
Stanhope, County Durham
Stanhope is a small market town in County Durham, in England. It is situated on the River Wear between Eastgate and Frosterley on the north side of Weardale. The A689 trans-Pennine road meets the B6278 road from Barnard Castle to Shotley Bridge here....
.
Eastgate originally marked the eastern border of the private hunting park of the Prince Bishops of Durham. This was second in extent only to the royal hunting park of the New Forest
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. Emerson Muschamp Bainbridge, the founder of the world's first department store, was born in the village.
Geothermal plant
In 2004 it was announced that a hot geothermal powerGeothermal power
Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter. Earth's geothermal energy originates from the original formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of minerals...
plant would go ahead on the site of a former cement works. The geothermal plant will heat the UK's first geothermal energy model village
Model village
A model village is a type of mostly self-contained community, in most cases built from the late eighteenth century onwards by industrialists to house their workers...
, the official working title being Eastgate Renewable Energy Village
Eastgate Renewable Energy Village
The Eastgate Renewable Energy Village is a multi-million pound project planned for the village of Eastgate in Weardale, County Durham...
.
The exploratory geothermal borehole drilled in December 2004 was the first to be completed in the United Kingdom for over 20 years. The water temperature at a depth of 995 m was found to be 46.2°C, and it was estimated that the water temperature of a production borehole with a depth of about 1800m would be in the range 75-80°C, with a volume of water similar to that already being exploited in the existing geothermal energy scheme in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
.
Weardale Railway
The plans for the energy village include constructing a terminus for the Weardale RailwayWeardale Railway
The Weardale Railway is a British single-track branch line railway providing regular daily passenger service between Bishop Auckland , Wolsingham, Frosterley and Stanhope. Services began on 23 May 2010 after a lapse of almost sixty years. The railway originally ran from Bishop Auckland to...
, which currently runs between Wolsingham
Wolsingham
Wolsingham is a small market town in Weardale, County Durham, England. It is situated by the River Wear, between Crook and Stanhope in North West Durham.-History:Wolsingham sits at the confluence of the River Wear and Waskerley Beck...
and Stanhope.