South Hylton
Encyclopedia
South Hylton is a suburb of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear
, England
. Lying west of Sunderland city centre on the south bank of the River Wear
, South Hylton has a population of 10,317 (2001 Census
). Once a small industrial village, South Hylton (with only one access road) is now a dormitory village and is a single track terminus for the Tyne and Wear Metro
.
South Hylton was originally known as Hylton Ferry or Low Ford, its current name not coming into regular use until the late 18th to early 19th century. It originally formed part of the Manor of Ford owned by the Barons Hylton
, until the estates of Hylton Castle
were sold off in 1750 after the death of the last baron
. Originally a collection of farm
steads, it became a diversified industrial village as a result of the Industrial Revolution
.
Archaeological excavations around North Hylton
and South Hylton indicate the area has been occupied since at least the Mesolithic
era. The remains of either a Bronze Age
or Iron Age
log boat and bronze swords were recovered from the nearby River Wear in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Masonry from a possible Roman
bridge or dam across the Wear have been found, the local historian Robert Surtees
recorded the discovery in the Wear of a Roman milestone
, and Roman coins were found in the village in 1962 and 1994. An Anglo-Saxon
brooch has also been discovered near Wood House Farm in North Hylton.
and one of the few remaining examples of lowland
hay meadow in Britain, and the only example in Sunderland. The shallow, north-facing slopes of the pasture support unimproved neutral grassland, with associated wet flushes. Traditional management for hay production followed by winter grazing has maintained a herb-rich sward and supports the Common Blue
and Meadow Brown
.
chapel in South Hylton was donated by Captain (later Admiral) Thomas James Maling (whose first wife, Harriot Darwin, was the half-aunt of Charles Darwin
) in 1817 as a chapel of ease
, due to the distance between the village and the mother church of St Michael's
in Bishopwearmouth
. It was consecrated on 15 February 1821 by Thomas Burgess, the Bishop of St Davids, and the chapelry district was formed in 1844 as a perpetual curacy. Originally a house chapel known as Hylton Lodge, it burnt down in 1878 and was rebuilt in 1880 by Charles Hodgson Fowler. The tower was added in 1930 by George Edward Charlewood and the porch in 1970 by Ronald Sims
.
s (including a working men's club
) in the area is The Golden Lion, situated near the river bank. The pub has existed since at least the mid-19th century, but the current building dates to around 1910. One of its main external features is the front door stone surround commemorating the marriage of John Hylton and his wife, Dorothy Musgrave, which was recovered from the north wing of Hylton Castle
.
was unveiled by Major John Rodham Wigham of Ford Villa, who donated the site. The memorial is of granite
with wrought-iron railings and commemorates the villagers who died in the First World War on the west face, and those of the Second World War on the north face.
, becoming High Street at the heart of the village, and ends at the riverbank.
A railway line once ran from Sunderland to Durham
from the 1850s until 1964, when the track from nearby Penshaw
to Sunderland was removed following the Beeching Axe
. The line was restored to the village in 2002 when South Hylton Metro station
was constructed as a terminus for the Tyne and Wear Metro
.
South Hylton formerly had a resident bus company, W. H. Jolly
, which ran frequent services from the village into Sunderland town centre. The dominance of Stagecoach
which also ran a similar route, coupled with the announcement of the upcoming Tyne & Wear Metro extension to South Hylton, caused the company to close in 1995. In August 2008, Stagecoach stopped its direct route to the village after 7pm and all day Sunday. The route was restored in part, via another company, by the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive
(Nexus) in December 2008.
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
, 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...
. Lying west of Sunderland city centre on the south bank of the River Wear
River Wear
The River Wear is located in North East England, rising in the Pennines and flowing eastwards, mostly through County Durham, to the North Sea at Sunderland.-Geology and history:...
, South Hylton has a population of 10,317 (2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
). Once a small industrial village, South Hylton (with only one access road) is now a dormitory village and is a single track terminus for the Tyne and Wear Metro
Tyne and Wear Metro
The Tyne and Wear Metro, also known as the Metro, is a light rail system in North East England, serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Sunderland. It opened in 1980 and in 2007–2008 provided 40 million public journeys on its network of nearly...
.
South Hylton was originally known as Hylton Ferry or Low Ford, its current name not coming into regular use until the late 18th to early 19th century. It originally formed part of the Manor of Ford owned by the Barons Hylton
Baron Hylton
Baron Hylton is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in the Peerage of England 1295 when Robert Hylton was summoned to the Model Parliament as Lord Hylton by writ. His son, Alexander, was called to...
, until the estates of Hylton Castle
Hylton Castle
Hylton Castle is a ruined stone castle in the North Hylton area of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. Originally built from wood by the Hilton family shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066, it was later rebuilt in stone in the late 14th to early 15th century...
were sold off in 1750 after the death of the last baron
John Hylton, de jure 18th Baron Hylton
John Hylton, de jure 18th Baron Hylton was an English politician.Hylton was the second son of John Hylton and his wife, Dorothy née Musgrave...
. Originally a collection of farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
steads, it became a diversified industrial village as a result of the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
.
History
- See also History of Sunderland
Archaeological excavations around North Hylton
North Hylton
North Hylton is a suburb of Sunderland, in northeast England. It is the site of Hylton Castle and falls on the north bank of River Wear opposite South Hylton....
and South Hylton indicate the area has been occupied since at least the Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
era. The remains of either a Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
or Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
log boat and bronze swords were recovered from the nearby River Wear in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Masonry from a possible Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
bridge or dam across the Wear have been found, the local historian Robert Surtees
Robert Surtees (antiquarian)
Robert Surtees was a celebrated English historian and antiquary of his native County Durham. Surtees was born in Durham, and educated at Kepier School, Houghton-le-Spring, and later at Christ Church, Oxford. Although a student of law he never practised as a lawyer...
recorded the discovery in the Wear of a Roman milestone
Milestone
A milestone is one of a series of numbered markers placed along a road or boundary at intervals of one mile or occasionally, parts of a mile. They are typically located at the side of the road or in a median. They are alternatively known as mile markers, mileposts or mile posts...
, and Roman coins were found in the village in 1962 and 1994. An Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
brooch has also been discovered near Wood House Farm in North Hylton.
Topography
South Hylton Pasture is a Site of Special Scientific InterestSite of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
and one of the few remaining examples of lowland
Lowland
In physical geography, a lowland is any broad expanse of land with a general low level. The term is thus applied to the landward portion of the upward slope from oceanic depths to continental highlands, to a region of depression in the interior of a mountainous region, to a plain of denudation, or...
hay meadow in Britain, and the only example in Sunderland. The shallow, north-facing slopes of the pasture support unimproved neutral grassland, with associated wet flushes. Traditional management for hay production followed by winter grazing has maintained a herb-rich sward and supports the Common Blue
Common Blue
The Common Blue is a small butterfly in the family Lycaenidae, widespread over much of the Palaearctic. Recently, Polyommatus icarus was discovered in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada by Ara Sarafian, an amateur entomologist who observed the butterfly from 2005 to 2008...
and Meadow Brown
Meadow Brown
The Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina, is a butterfly found in European meadows, where its larvae feed on grasses, such as Sheep's Fescue.Similar species are Gatekeeper and Small Heath ....
.
St Mary's Church
The first AnglicanChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
chapel in South Hylton was donated by Captain (later Admiral) Thomas James Maling (whose first wife, Harriot Darwin, was the half-aunt of Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
) in 1817 as a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
, due to the distance between the village and the mother church of St Michael's
Sunderland Minster
Sunderland Minster Church of St. Michaels and All Angels is a church in Sunderland city centre, England. It was known as St. Michael's Church, serving the parish of Bishopwearmouth, but was renamed on 11 January 1998 in recognition of Sunderland's city status. In May 2007 the Minister ceased to...
in Bishopwearmouth
Bishopwearmouth
Bishopwearmouth is an area in Sunderland, North East England.Bishopwearmouth was one of the original three settlements on the banks of the river Wear that merged to form modern Sunderland....
. It was consecrated on 15 February 1821 by Thomas Burgess, the Bishop of St Davids, and the chapelry district was formed in 1844 as a perpetual curacy. Originally a house chapel known as Hylton Lodge, it burnt down in 1878 and was rebuilt in 1880 by Charles Hodgson Fowler. The tower was added in 1930 by George Edward Charlewood and the porch in 1970 by Ronald Sims
Ronald Sims
Ronald Sims was a distinguished ecclesiastical architect who redesigned many English church interiors. His style combined modernism with a respect for tradition and particularly the arts and crafts movement. He graduated in 1952, when he joined the practice of George Pace, the ecclesiastical...
.
41 and 42 High Street
41 High Street dates from the late 18th century. Adjacent to 41 is 42 High Street, known as Hylton House. It is the oldest house in the village and also dates from the late 18th century. Both houses and the retaining walls outside constitute separate listed buildings.The Golden Lion
One of the four public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s (including a working men's club
Working men's club
Working men's clubs are a type of private social club founded in the 19th century in industrial areas of the United Kingdom, particularly the North of England, the Midlands and many parts of the South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class men and their families.-...
) in the area is The Golden Lion, situated near the river bank. The pub has existed since at least the mid-19th century, but the current building dates to around 1910. One of its main external features is the front door stone surround commemorating the marriage of John Hylton and his wife, Dorothy Musgrave, which was recovered from the north wing of Hylton Castle
Hylton Castle
Hylton Castle is a ruined stone castle in the North Hylton area of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. Originally built from wood by the Hilton family shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066, it was later rebuilt in stone in the late 14th to early 15th century...
.
War Memorial
On 16 August 1924 the village war memorialWar memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
was unveiled by Major John Rodham Wigham of Ford Villa, who donated the site. The memorial is of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
with wrought-iron railings and commemorates the villagers who died in the First World War on the west face, and those of the Second World War on the north face.
Transport
Road access to South Hylton is via one road, Hylton Bank. The road starts at nearby PennywellPennywell
Pennywell is one of the UK's largest post-war social housing schemes, and is situated in the central-west area of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, North East England. Pennywell is the largest local authority housing estate in the City of Sunderland...
, becoming High Street at the heart of the village, and ends at the riverbank.
A railway line once ran from Sunderland to Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
from the 1850s until 1964, when the track from nearby Penshaw
Penshaw
The village of Penshaw , formerly known as Painshaw or Pensher, is an area of the metropolitan district of the City of Sunderland, in Tyne and Wear, England...
to Sunderland was removed following the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
. The line was restored to the village in 2002 when South Hylton Metro station
South Hylton Metro station
South Hylton Metro station serves the suburb of South Hylton on the banks of the River Wear. The station opened as part of the Sunderland extension in 2002...
was constructed as a terminus for the Tyne and Wear Metro
Tyne and Wear Metro
The Tyne and Wear Metro, also known as the Metro, is a light rail system in North East England, serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Sunderland. It opened in 1980 and in 2007–2008 provided 40 million public journeys on its network of nearly...
.
South Hylton formerly had a resident bus company, W. H. Jolly
Jolly bus
The Jolly Bus was the colloquial term for buses that ran on the scheduled service operated by the W.H. Jolly Company, an independent bus company based in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, England...
, which ran frequent services from the village into Sunderland town centre. The dominance of Stagecoach
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
which also ran a similar route, coupled with the announcement of the upcoming Tyne & Wear Metro extension to South Hylton, caused the company to close in 1995. In August 2008, Stagecoach stopped its direct route to the village after 7pm and all day Sunday. The route was restored in part, via another company, by the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive
Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive
The Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive using the brandname of Nexus, is the Passenger Transport Executive for the Tyne and Wear region of North East England....
(Nexus) in December 2008.