Tow Law
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(November 2009) |
| Tow Law | |
|---|---|
 High Street, Tow Law, A68 | |
  Tow Law Location withinCounty Durham | |
| Population | 2,138 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | NZ119393 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BISHOP AUCKLAND |
| Postcode district | DL13 |
| Dialling code | 01388 |
| Police | Durham |
| Fire | County Durham and Darlington |
| Ambulance | North East |
| UK Parliament | |
Tow Law/taʊˈlɔː/is a town andcivil parishinCounty Durham,England. It is situated a few miles to the south ofConsettand 5 miles to the north west ofCrook.
According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,952, increasing to 2,138 at the 2011 Census.[1]
The main road through the town is theA68,which starts inDarlingtonand goes on north, ending nearDalkeith,just south-east ofEdinburgh.TheRiver Deernessrises from a spring on the eastern edge of the town.[2]
Tow Law Townfootball club is based in the town. The town is mentioned inMark Knopfler's song "Hill Farmer's Blues" from his albumThe Ragpicker's Dream.
History
[edit]The name "Tow Law" is from theOld Englishtot hlawmeaning "lookout mound," the name of a house which stood there before the iron works and the village were built.[3]
There was rapid growth in the mid 19th century after theWeardale Iron and Coal Companywas established here in 1845.Blast furnaceswere built and collieries were opened; the population was about 2000 in 1851, and 5000 in 1881.[4]
The town constituted anurban districtfrom 1894 until 1974.
21st century
[edit]Since December 2001 the town has had a 2.3Megawattwind farm consisting of three 50 m (160 ft)-highwind-poweredturbines. During the2001 foot and mouth crisis,MAFFburied diseased animals at the formerInkerman Pitsite. This was an emotive issue for local residents, who were disturbed by vehicle movements and smells from the pit.[5]Many protesters attended the site every day for six months but had no effect andDefracontinued to keep the site operational until the spring of 2002.
Notable people
[edit]- Albert Ernest Hillary,English chocolate manufacturer andLiberalpolitician
- Sean Hodgson,Britain's longest serving prisoner (27 years) found to be innocent
- Alan Milburn,BritishLabour politician
- Chris Waddle,former Premier League footballer played forTow Law Town A.F.C.
References
[edit]- ^"Town population 2011".Archivedfrom the original on 11 March 2016.Retrieved1 February2016.
- ^Ordnance Survey, 1:25,000 map
- ^Room's bookISBN0-7475-0170-X
- ^"Tow Law"Archived3 March 2021 at theWayback MachineTow Law Community Association. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- ^unknown (February 2002)."Wear Valley Community Research Tow Law Community Appraisal"(PDF).Wear Valley District Council. Archived fromthe original(pdf)on 18 July 2011.Retrieved4 November2009.
