Waldridge: Back of Lime St. 2011


Waldridge Colliery Village June 1974 6/1974


Back Lime St, Waldridge Colliery, June 1974 6/1974


Waldridge Colliery Village, June 1974 6/1974


Waldridge Colliery Village, June 1974 6/1974


Waldridge Colliery Village, November 1971 11/1971


The Square, Waldridge Colliery, November 1971 11/1971


The Square, Waldridge Colliery, June 1974 6/1974


Waldridge Colliery Village June 1974 6/1974

The name of the village of Wladridge comes from the Old English for 'ridge with or near a wall'. It is first reorded in 1297. The wall was probably the wall surrounding the Bishop of Durham's deerpark. The Bishop's stables were built in the village and he used the now fell land as a race course. The early cottages were built in the 1830's and followed the course of the Cong Burn, giving the impression that it was probably used as the water supply. Most of these cottages have been demolished and replaced by terraced housing built in the late 19th century. The Workmen's Club, which every village had, was built against the wishes of the Colliery Manager, so was sited down in the valley. The fell land surrounding the village on three sides now covers an area of 300 acres and is the last surviving lowland heath in County Durham.