Greatham, County Durham
Encyclopedia
Greatham is a village
and civil parish
in the borough of Hartlepool
and the ceremonial county of County Durham
, England
. Greatham village is located approximately three miles south of Hartlepool town centre.
, but appears first in written sources as Gretham in 1196.
Greatham is the site of the Hospital of God, founded in 1273 by the then Bishop of Durham, Robert de Stichell
. Greatham Hospital was originally a foundation to aid poor people. By the 16th century the foundation was used more as a "house of entertainment for gentlemen" and it was not well used for helping the poor. After 1610 there were reforms, and its original mission was resumed.
See also
There is a long history of salt works nearby, but this declined in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the middle of the 20th century, Cerebos
salt works had a factory there, which was later taken over by Sharwood's. The factory has now closed but is being leased out as office units.
Greatham had a railway station positioned near the old Cerebos factory, away from the majority of the village. It survived the Beeching cuts but was later downgraded to a halt before eventually closing on 24 November 1991 due to lack of use. The station was part of the Durham Coast Line
.
Greatham also has a small Church of England primary school. The school is open to children of all faiths. It is well equipped, with four classrooms, a large multi-purpose school hall with gym equipment, a kitchen and a dedicated nursery area. The school grounds include a nature garden, which is looked after by the pupils, a formal garden and a large playing field.
[From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan , London, 1894]
via Stockton, Billingham
and Norton
and to Hartlepool via the Fens. There was also the 527 Service, which comes every 60 minutes, and heads into Hartlepool, and terminates at Maritime Avenue but as of 2011 this bus service has been stopped due to lack of use. A petition has been signed by residents to encourage this decision to be re-evaluated.
There was once an operating railway station at the bottom of the village, but this is now disused and derelict however the Middlesbrough to Carlisle trains still pass through the village.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the borough of Hartlepool
Hartlepool (borough)
Hartlepool is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of County Durham, north east England. In 2003 it had a resident population of 90,161. It borders the non-metropolitan county of County Durham to the north, Stockton-on-Tees to the south and Redcar and Cleveland to the south-east along the...
and the ceremonial county of County Durham
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...
. Greatham village is located approximately three miles south of Hartlepool town centre.
History
Greatham village is not mentioned in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, but appears first in written sources as Gretham in 1196.
Greatham is the site of the Hospital of God, founded in 1273 by the then Bishop of Durham, Robert de Stichell
Robert Stitchill
Robert Stitchill was a medieval Bishop of Durham in England.-Life:Stitchill probably came from the village of Stitchill in Roxburghshire. His father was a priest, and may have been the William Scot who was elected to the see of Durham in 1226. William Scot was never confirmed as bishop, for his...
. Greatham Hospital was originally a foundation to aid poor people. By the 16th century the foundation was used more as a "house of entertainment for gentlemen" and it was not well used for helping the poor. After 1610 there were reforms, and its original mission was resumed.
See also
- RAF GreathamRAF GreathamRAF Greatham was an RAF base situated in Greatham, County Durham, England.Also known as RAF 'West Hartlepool', was located at Hartlepool and was little more than a grass airstrip, a satellite station of RAF Thornaby. It was home to four of 403 Squadron's Spitfires from 19 June 1942 to 22 January...
- British History Of Greatham
Landmarks
At present the village has around a thousand occupants, separated into varying areas, The Grove, The Drive, The Green, Hill View & Saltaire Terrace, Front Street and Ashfield Close, with some village residents living in the houses located at the extremes of the village parish.There is a long history of salt works nearby, but this declined in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the middle of the 20th century, Cerebos
Cerebos
Cerebos is an English brand of salt and, more recently, other flavourings and nutritional supplements. Its promise was "See How It Runs", describing how fine the salt was...
salt works had a factory there, which was later taken over by Sharwood's. The factory has now closed but is being leased out as office units.
Greatham had a railway station positioned near the old Cerebos factory, away from the majority of the village. It survived the Beeching cuts but was later downgraded to a halt before eventually closing on 24 November 1991 due to lack of use. The station was part of the Durham Coast Line
Durham Coast Line
The Durham Coast Line is the name given to the railway line which links Newcastle upon Tyne with Middlesbrough, via Sunderland and Hartlepool...
.
Amenities
Greatham is a separate village from Hartlepool, with three pubs and a village green. Other amenities include:- Post office
- General store
- Butchers
- TV repair shop
- Taxidermist
Greatham also has a small Church of England primary school. The school is open to children of all faiths. It is well equipped, with four classrooms, a large multi-purpose school hall with gym equipment, a kitchen and a dedicated nursery area. The school grounds include a nature garden, which is looked after by the pupils, a formal garden and a large playing field.
The Church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, was erected over the foundations of an early Saxon building, by Bishop Stichell of Durham, in 1270. It was rebuilt in 1792, a clerestory added by the Rev. H. B. Tristram in 1869, and a new vestry and organ, at a cost of £650, by the present vicar in 1881. It consists of nave, aisles, chancel, and a square western tower of modest dimensions. The exterior of the church is neat and attractive; the recent additions, especially the clerestory, which is lighted by elegant quatrefoils, have been well carried out, and add much to the general appearance of the structure.'
[From History, Topography and Directory of Durham, Whellan , London, 1894]
Transport
A good bus service is operated by Stagecoach. The number 36 comes every 15 minutes, heading towards MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
via Stockton, Billingham
Billingham
Billingham is a town in the unitary authority of Stockton on Tees, in north east England, with a population of 35,765 . It was founded circa 650 by a group of Saxons known as Billa's people, which is where the name Billingham is thought to have originated...
and Norton
Norton
-England:*Norton, County Durham*Norton, Hertfordshire*Norton, Kent*Norton, Northamptonshire*Norton, Nottinghamshire*Norton, Runcorn, Cheshire*Norton, Suffolk*Norton, Dudley, West Midlands*Norton, Worcester, Worcestershire*Norton, Doncaster, South Yorkshire...
and to Hartlepool via the Fens. There was also the 527 Service, which comes every 60 minutes, and heads into Hartlepool, and terminates at Maritime Avenue but as of 2011 this bus service has been stopped due to lack of use. A petition has been signed by residents to encourage this decision to be re-evaluated.
There was once an operating railway station at the bottom of the village, but this is now disused and derelict however the Middlesbrough to Carlisle trains still pass through the village.