Girsby
| Girsby | |
| Yorkshire North Riding | |
|---|---|
 Girsby Bridge, built 1870 | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NZ355083 |
| Location: | 54°28’10"N, 1°27’10"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 40 |
| Post town: | Darlington |
| Postcode: | DL2 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Hambleton |
Girsby is a village and civil parish in the North Riding of Yorkshire, adjacent to the border with County Durham. The village lies on high ground on the eastern bank of the River Tees, which, for the most part, forms the county border. The population of the parish was estimated at 40 in 2010.[1] The population as of the 2011 census remained less than 100.
The civil parish originates as the township of the ancient parish of Sockburn, a parish divided by the River Tees between the North Riding of Yorkshire (including Girsby) and County Durham (including the township of Sockburn).[2] Girsby became a civil parish in 1866.[3]
The settlement has fallen into disrepair, and with many of the remaining buildings derelict, there are barely enough houses to constitute a hamlet.
The small and secluded All Saints Church overlooks the meandering Tees from its elevated position, which, although part of Girsby, is just within County Durham. The views from this vantage point are most enjoyable at sunset.
A private farmers' track leads down to a rarely used bridge over the Tees.[4] A public bridle path crosses the bridge linking Girsby with the nearby village of Neasham on the opposite bank of the river. A plaque on the bridge is inscribed:
Bridle Bridge,
Erected by Theophania Blackett 1870,
Thomas Dyke Esq Civil Engineer.
This engineer from Newcastle owned lots of land in this area. He erected the church at Girsby after the ruins of the church near Sockburn Hall were no longer visitable.
References
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Girsby) |
- ↑ "Population Estimates". North Yorkshire County Council. 2010. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120113133520/http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=16424&p=0. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
- ↑ The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)
- ↑ Vision of Britain website
- ↑ "Bridge over Troubled Water. Details the history of the building of Girsby bridge". The Northern Echo. http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/history/4443058.Bridge_over_troubled_water/. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
