Peterlee

Peterlee
Peterlee
	Town Centre, Memorial Methodist Church, Apollo Pavilion, Lee House and Essington Way
	Peterlee Location withinCounty Durham
Population	20,300 (2021)
OS grid reference	NZ430409
Civil parish	Peterlee;
Unitary authority	County Durham;
Ceremonial county	County Durham;
Region	North East;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Areas of the town	List Easington; Easington Colliery(Town); Horden; Little Thorpe; Shotton;
Post town	PETERLEE
Postcode district	SR8
Dialling code	0191
Police	Durham
Fire	County Durham and Darlington
Ambulance	North East
UK Parliament	Easington;
Website	www.peterlee.gov.uk
	List of places UK England County Durham 54°46′N1°20′W/ 54.76°N 1.33°W

Peterleeis a town inCounty Durham,England. It is located south ofSunderland,north ofHartlepool,west of theDurham Coastand east ofDurham.It gained town status in 1948 under theNew Towns Act 1946(9 & 10 Geo. 6.c. 68). The act also created the nearby settlement ofNewton Aycliffeand laterWashington, Tyne and Wear.

History

The case for founding Peterlee was put forward inFarewell SqualorbyEasington Rural District CouncilSurveyor C. W. Clarke, who also proposed that the town be named after celebrated Durham miners' leaderPeter Lee.^[2]It is one of the few places in theBritish Islesnamed after a recent individual, and unique among post-Second World Warnew towns in having its existence requested by local people through theirMP.A deputation, consisting mostly of workingminers,met the Minister of Town and Country Planning to put the case for a new town in the district. The minister,Lewis Silkin,responded by offering a half-size new town of 30,000 residents. The subsequent new residents came largely from surrounding villages in the District of Easington.

Peterlee Development Corporation was founded in 1948, first under Dr Monica Felton,^[3]then under A.V. Williams.The original master plan for tower blocks of flats byBerthold Lubetkinwas rejected as unsuitable for the area's geology, which had been weakened by mining works, and Lubetkin resigned in 1950.George Grenfell Baines' plan was accepted, and construction quickly began, but it was of poor quality. Williams invited artistVictor Pasmoreto head the landscaping design team.

Governance

Peterlee is acivil parishand has aTown Council.^[4]Peterlee is underDurham County Council,theunitary authorityelected to governCounty Durham.

Mayor

Peterlee's first elected mayor was William Whitehouse, who previously served on its council. Earlier he was in theRoyal Air Forceand taught at a school inHorden.

Landmarks

Apollo Pavilion

The Apollo Pavilion (1970) was designed byVictor Pasmore.It provided a focal point for the Sunny Blunts estate as well as a bridge across a water-course.^[5]^[6]^[7]It was named after theApollo Moon missions.

From the late 1970s the Pavilion suffered from vandals and antisocial behaviour. The murals on the building faded, and to discourage antisocial behaviour, staircases were removed in the 1980s.^[5]^[8]^[9]^[10]In 1996, there was a failed attempt tolistthe Pavilion.English Heritagedescribed it as "an internationally important masterpiece"; however, some local residents and councillors considered it an eyesore and campaigned to have it demolished. The campaign seemed to have been successful when demolition was proposed in 2000.^[11]However, in July 2009, a six-month revamp programme was completed at a cost of £400,000, which includes reinstating the original murals and stairs.^[6]^[12]

In December 2011, English Heritage gave the pavilion a Grade-II* listing.^[5]^[13]

Transport

Road

Peterlee is served by the mainA19 roadrunning west of the town to Sunderland in the north andHartlepoolin the south, and the A1086 to its east leading to Easington in the north and Hartlepool to the south. The B1320 runs through the town centre linking the town to Horden and the A1086 in the east and Shotton Colliery and the A19 in the west. The B1432 to the north of the town centre leads to Easington Village, Hawthorn and Seaham on the route of the old A19. The A181 runs to the south-west of the town at the Castle Eden and Wingate junction on the A19 leading to Wheatley Hill, Thornley, and Durham. In 2008, the A688 was extended to the A181 at Running Waters from the A1(M) junction at Bowburn, creating a trunk road from Peterlee to the A1(M) via the A19, A181 and A688.

Buses

Peterlee is served byArriva North EastandGo North Eastin the local area, to Dalton Park, and to the towns and cities ofNewcastle,Gateshead,Sunderland,Houghton-le-Spring,Durham,Hartlepool,Sedgefield,Newton Aycliffe,Billingham,Stockton,MiddlesbroughandDarlington.

Rail

Peterlee is served byHorden,approximately 1 mile (1.5 kilometres) east, on theDurham Coast Line.This station, which opened on 29 June 2020,^[14]replaced Horden's earlier station which closed in May 1964.^[15]Until 1952, there had also been a station approximately two miles (three kilometres) west inShotton CollierycalledShotton Bridge.^[16]

Education

Secondary

Culture

Castle Eden Dene,most of which is within the boundaries of Peterlee, is a national nature reserve.^[17]

Town twinning

Nordenham,Germany (since 1981)

Notable residents

Chris Brown,formerPremier Leaguefootballer born inDoncaster,who moved to Peterlee when young and attendedThe Academy at Shotton Hall^[18]
Courtney Hadwin(born 2004), award-winning rock singer, studied here^[19]^[20]
Mark Hoban(born 1964), politician, former Conservative MP forFareham^{[citation needed]}
Gina McKee(born 1964), actress^[21]
Crissy Rock(born 1958), Liverpool-born actress and comedienne^[22]
Roy Walker(born 1940), comedian and television presenter^{[citation needed]}

References

^"Profile Peterlee".ons.gov.uk.Retrieved8 May2024.
^David Kynaston(2008).Austerity Britain 1945–51.Bloomsbury.p. 159.ISBN 978-0-7475-9923-4.
^Mark Clapson,The rise and fall of Dr. Monica Felton, British town planner & peace activist,[1]Archived18 October 2015 at theWayback Machine
^"Peterlee Town Council".peterlee.gov.uk/.Retrieved27 May2024.
^^a ^b ^cHistoric England(14 December 2011),"Apollo Pavilion (1400364)",National Heritage List for England,retrieved26 June2012
^^a ^b"Peterlee pavilion's £400,000 revamp is one giant leap",Sunderland Echo,13 July 2009,retrieved26 June2012
^"Public artwork's plans go on show",BBC News,21 January 2006,retrieved26 June2012
^Glancey, Jonathan (12 November 2001),"If they had an A-bomb...",The Guardian,retrieved26 June2012
^McIntyre, Marjorie (2 July 2008),"Controversial sculpture to get £336,000 facelift",The Northern Echo,retrieved26 June2012
^"Revamp for moon mission pavilion",BBC News,12 July 2009,retrieved26 June2012
^Burnham, Nigel; Harrison, David (16 July 2000),"Sixties 'concrete bungle' sculpture to be scrapped",The Daily Telegraph,retrieved26 June2012
^"Revamp for moon mission pavilion",BBC News,12 July 2009,retrieved26 June2012
^"County Durham pavilion awarded Grade II-listed status",BBC News,15 December 2011,retrieved26 June2012
^Thompson, Fiona (29 June 2020)."First trains to make their stop at new £10.55 million train station in Horden".Sunderland Echo.Retrieved29 June2020.
^Waller, Paul (2013).Rail Atlas: The Beeching Era.Ian Allan Publishing Ltd. pp. 67 and 104.ISBN 9780711035492.
^Hoole, K. (1985).Railways of East Durham.Clapham, Lancashire: The Dalesman Publishing Company Ltd. pp. 8–9 & 33.ISBN 0852068352.
^Natural England site.
^"Player's goal".ChronicleLive.24 February 2005.
^Duke, Simon (13 June 2017)."Watch: Courtney Hadwin, the Peterlee school girl with the huge voice".Evening Chronicle.Retrieved27 November2018.
^"Mum of America's Got Talent star Courtney Hadwin speaks of pride after teenager singer lands record deal".www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk.18 December 2018.Retrieved9 April2019.
^Lane, Harriet;"'I had nothing to lose'"Guardian.co.uk,30 November 2008 (Retrieved: 1 August 2009)
^"Cleaning up with Crissy Rock – from Liverpool to Peterlee, via Benidorm".9 April 2015.

[1] "Profile Peterlee".ons.gov.uk.Retrieved8 May2024.

[2] David Kynaston(2008).Austerity Britain 1945–51.Bloomsbury.p. 159.ISBN 978-0-7475-9923-4.

[3] Mark Clapson,The rise and fall of Dr. Monica Felton, British town planner & peace activist,[1]Archived18 October 2015 at theWayback Machine

[4] "Peterlee Town Council".peterlee.gov.uk/.Retrieved27 May2024.

[ListEntry-5] Historic England(14 December 2011),"Apollo Pavilion (1400364)",National Heritage List for England,retrieved26 June2012

[SE_Pav-6] "Peterlee pavilion's £400,000 revamp is one giant leap",Sunderland Echo,13 July 2009,retrieved26 June2012

[7] "Public artwork's plans go on show",BBC News,21 January 2006,retrieved26 June2012

[8] Glancey, Jonathan (12 November 2001),"If they had an A-bomb...",The Guardian,retrieved26 June2012

[9] McIntyre, Marjorie (2 July 2008),"Controversial sculpture to get £336,000 facelift",The Northern Echo,retrieved26 June2012

[10] "Revamp for moon mission pavilion",BBC News,12 July 2009,retrieved26 June2012

[11] Burnham, Nigel; Harrison, David (16 July 2000),"Sixties 'concrete bungle' sculpture to be scrapped",The Daily Telegraph,retrieved26 June2012

[12] "Revamp for moon mission pavilion",BBC News,12 July 2009,retrieved26 June2012

[13] "County Durham pavilion awarded Grade II-listed status",BBC News,15 December 2011,retrieved26 June2012

[14] Thompson, Fiona (29 June 2020)."First trains to make their stop at new £10.55 million train station in Horden".Sunderland Echo.Retrieved29 June2020.

[15] Waller, Paul (2013).Rail Atlas: The Beeching Era.Ian Allan Publishing Ltd. pp. 67 and 104.ISBN 9780711035492.

[16] Hoole, K. (1985).Railways of East Durham.Clapham, Lancashire: The Dalesman Publishing Company Ltd. pp. 8–9 & 33.ISBN 0852068352.

[17] Natural England site.

[18] "Player's goal".ChronicleLive.24 February 2005.

[chronicle2-19] Duke, Simon (13 June 2017)."Watch: Courtney Hadwin, the Peterlee school girl with the huge voice".Evening Chronicle.Retrieved27 November2018.

[hartlepoolmail-20] "Mum of America's Got Talent star Courtney Hadwin speaks of pride after teenager singer lands record deal".www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk.18 December 2018.Retrieved9 April2019.

[Guard300108-21] Lane, Harriet;"'I had nothing to lose'"Guardian.co.uk,30 November 2008 (Retrieved: 1 August 2009)

[22] "Cleaning up with Crissy Rock – from Liverpool to Peterlee, via Benidorm".9 April 2015.

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v t e Ceremonial countyofDurham
Unitary authorities	Borough of Darlington Borough of Hartlepool Borough of Stockton-on-Tees(part) County Durham
Major settlements (cities in italics)	Barnard Castle Billingham Bishop Auckland Chester-le-Street Chilton Consett Crook Darlington Durham Eaglescliffe Easington Colliery Ferryhill Hartlepool Middleton-in-Teesdale Newton Aycliffe Peterlee Seaham Sedgefield Shildon Spennymoor Stanhope Stanley Stockton-on-Tees Tow Law Wolsingham See also:Durham
Topics	Flag Parliamentary constituencies Places Population of major settlements SSSIs Schools Country houses Museums Grade I listed buildings Scheduled monuments Lord Lieutenant High Sheriff

v t e Civil parishesinCounty Durham
includingStockton-on-Tees(north of the river)
Darlington	Parishes Archdeacon Newton Barmpton Bishopton Brafferton Coatham Mundeville Denton East and West Newbiggin Great Burdon Great Stainton Heighington High Coniscliffe Houghton le Side Hurworth Killerby Little Stainton Low Coniscliffe and Merrybent Middleton St. George Morton Palms Neasham Piercebridge Sadberge Summerhouse Walworth Whessoe Unparished areas The formerDarlington County Borough
County Durham	Towns Barnard Castle Bishop Auckland Chilton Ferryhill Great Aycliffe Greater Willington Peterlee Seaham Sedgefield Shildon Spennymoor Stanley Tow Law Parishes Barforth Barningham Bearpark Belmont Bishop Middleham Bolam Boldron Bournmoor Bowes Bradbury and the Isle Brancepeth Brandon and Byshottles Brignall Burnhope Cassop-cum-Quarrington Castle Eden City of Durham Cleatlam Cockfield Cornforth Cornsay Cotherstone Coxhoe Croxdale and Hett Dalton-le-Dale Dene Valley Easington Colliery Easington Village Edmondbyers Edmondsley Eggleston Egglestone Abbey Eldon Esh Etherley Evenwood and Barony Fishburn Forest and Frith Framwellgate Moor Gainford Gilmonby Great Lumley Greencroft Hamsterley Hamsterley Common Haswell Hawthorn Headlam Healeyfield Hedleyhope Hilton Holwick Hope Horden Hunderthwaite Hunstanworth Hutton Henry and Station Town Hutton Magna Ingleton Kelloe Kimblesworth and Plawsworth Lanchester Langleydale and Shotton Langton Lartington Little Lumley Lunedale Lynesack and Softley Marwood Mickleton Middleton in Teesdale Middridge Monk Hesleden Mordon Morton Tinmouth Muggleswick Murton Nesbitt Newbiggin North Lodge Ouston Ovington Pelton Pittington Raby with Keverstone Rokeby Romaldkirk Sacriston Satley Scargill Seaton with Slingley Shadforth Sheraton with Hulam Sherburn Village Shincliffe Shotton South Bedburn South Hetton Staindrop Stanhope Startforth Streatlam and Stainton Thornley Toft Hill Trimdon Trimdon Foundry Urpeth Waldridge Wackerfield Weather Hill Wood West Auckland West Rainton and Leamside Westwick Wheatley Hill Whorlton Windlestone Wingate Winston Witton Gilbert Witton-le-Wear Wolsingham Wolsingham Park Moor Woodland Wycliffe with Thorpe Unparished areas The formerChester le Street Urban District Consett Parts of the formerDurham Municipal Borough Parts of the formerBishop Auckland Urban District Crook and Willington Urban District Stanley Urban District
Hartlepool	Towns Headland Parishes Brierton Claxton Dalton Piercy Elwick Greatham Hart Newton Bewley Wynyard Unparished areas Part of the formerHartlepool County Borough
Stockton-on-Tees	Towns Billingham Parishes Aislaby Carlton Egglescliffe Elton Grindon and Thorpe Thewles Longnewton Newsham Preston-on-Tees Redmarshall Stillington and Whitton Wolviston Wynyard Unparished areas Part of the formerTeesside County Borough
For further information about the above parishes, seeList of civil parishes in County Durham. For the part ofStockton-on-Tees (borough)south of theRiver Tees,seeList of civil parishes in North Yorkshire.

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