Crawcrook
| Crawcrook | |
| County Durham | |
|---|---|
 Roofs of Crawcrook | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NZ134635 |
| Location: | 54°57’59"N, 1°47’23"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 5,407 (2011) |
| Post town: | Ryton |
| Postcode: | NE40 |
| Dialling code: | 0191 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Gateshead |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Blaydon |
Crawcrook is a semi-rural village in the north of County Durham. The population taken at the 2011 Census recorded 8,841 folk here.
The village stands midway between Prudhoe in Northumberland and Ryton, County Durham.
History
At the turn of the twentieth century, and in common with the nearby areas of Greenside, Clara Vale and Stargate, Crawcrook was a village with a vibrant coal industry. With major pits such as Emma and Clara, as well as several smaller pits, Crawcrook became a major coal mining centre. However the coal industry collapsed in the village during the 1950s and 1960s. As has happened to a number of other villages in the coal-mining counties, employment in tertiary industries has replaced the coal industry. However, Crawcrook's coal mining heritage is still evident; a number of the old miners' homes still exist in the surrounding area, including Clifford Terrace and Morgy Hill near to Crawcrook's main street, and the Simpson Memorial Home in nearby Barmoor. Old wagonways used to transport coal are also still present, although they are now maintained as footpaths.
During the 1970s and 1980s, with the creation of the Kepier Chare and Westburn private housing estates, Crawcrook grew significantly in size and became largely suburbanised and is being used increasingly as a commuter village for the conurbation along the Tyne.
Churches
The many churches of Crawcrook include:
- Church of England: Church of the Holy Spirit
- Methodist:
- Crawcrook Centenary Methodist Church
- The Ark
- Pentecostal
- Roman Catholic: St Agnes
Amenities and Transport links
Unlike many villages of a similar semi-rural character, Crawcrook has maintained its broad range of local shops and amenities.
After the closure of Kepier Chare school, the village now has only two primary schools; Emmaville School and St Agnes Roman Catholic school. During 2007, Emmaville School was extended to allow former pupils from Kepier Chare to attend there. In 2009 St Agnes Roman Catholic School relocated to the former Kepier Chare school. There is also a separate private nursery located next to the Doctor's Surgery.
The area is also well served by public transport, with regular bus links to Hexham, the MetroCentre, Gateshead and Newcastle Upon Tyne as well as nearby towns and villages such as Ryton, Prudhoe, Chopwell, High Spen and Clara Vale.
Crawcrook has its own village park, located in the Garden House Estate area of the village. Created in the 1950s it consists of toddler play equipment, a tennis court/five a side football area, and a bowling green.
Other recreational facilities nearby include four golf courses, Tyneside golf club at Ryton, Ryton golf club at Clara Vale, Close House golf club in Wylam, and Prudhoe golf club in Prudhoe. Golf courses slightly further away include Whickham golf club, at Whickham, Garesfield golf club at High Spen and Stocksfield golf club in Stocksfield.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Crawcrook) |