Annfield Plain
Annfield Plain is a village in
County Durham, in
England. It is situated on a plateau between the towns of
Stanley, 4 km (2.5 miles) to the north-east, and
Consett, 8 km (5 miles) to the west. According to the 2001 census, Annfield Plain has a population of 3,569[
1]. Along with much of the surrounding area, Annfield Plain's history lies in
coal mining. While the industry collapsed in the 1980s and 90s, its effects are still apparent both in the landscape and in
folk memory.
Much of the surrounding landscape is rough
moorland, dominated by the nearby
Pontop Pike television mast. Not far from semi-rural
Derwentside, however, is the
Tyneside–
Wearside conurbation, with
Newcastle 20 km (12 miles) away, and
Sunderland a similar distance, as well as the massive
MetroCentre shopping complex. The cathedral city of
Durham is 20 km (12 miles) away and offers quite a contrast to the former pit villages in the area of Annfield Plain.
"Anfield", as the name was originally spelt, appears to derive from "the fields of An", referring to a man who lived before the
Norman Conquest. The "Plain" part of the name was originally "Plane" and appears to refer originally not to the plateau on which the village stands but to the
inclined plane on the
Stanhope and Tyne Railway of 1834. The engine used by the plane was known as the Anfield Engine because of its proximity to Anfield House, built in the 18th century on nearby Loud Hill. The spelling changed to "Annfield Plain" around 1856, when houses were built for miners on the nearby plateau.
The earliest hard evidence of habitation in the area comes from the 16th century, when the main economic activity was
sheep farming. The village's association with
mining begins in the late 17th century when many shallow mines were dug. The Stanhope and Tyne Railway, laid in 1834, assisted the transportation of
coal. Several
limekilns were built at this time and were fuelled by local coal, with
limestone being brought in by rail.
Demand for coal increased with the advent of the
Industrial Revolution, and a number of deep pits were sunk over the course of the 19th century. The village grew substantially and light industry increased, including the construction of a
brewery, mill, and candle factory; as well as various services for the population, including a school, church, at least two
nonconformist chapels, and a variety of shops.
In the 19th century Annfield Plain was the scene of a murder, when a man named William Thompson killed his wife. He was
hanged at
Durham Prison on
5 January 1874.³
While there is some light
industry, most of Annfield Plain is made up of housing, a few run down shops and several
pubs. The local
co-op supermarket is commonly known as the
Disco, an allusion to its former name: the
Discount Supermarket. The original Annfield Plain co-operative store was dismantled and rebuilt at the nearby
Beamish Open Air Museum in the late 1980s. The site of the village's main pit, the
Busty, is now a privately owned coach garage.
Its proximity to the major centres of the North East of England has in recent years attracted residents from Newcastle and
Gateshead to move out to escape the city. This has had the consequence of pushing up house prices, long among the cheapest in
Britain, which had been both a boon and burden to locals.
Administration
Annfield Plain is located in the
Derwentside district of County Durham. As of 2005 it is represented on the District Council by Alan Atkinson, Carl Christer, and Dennis Lavin (all
Labour), and on the County Council by Michele Hodgson (Labour). The village is part of the
North Durham parliamentary
constituency, which as of 2005 is represented in
parliament by
Kevan Jones (Labour). It is in the
North East England region, which serves as a constituency for the
European Parliament.
The local
police force is
Durham Constabulary. Annfield Plain is in the Derwentside division and its nearest police station is in Stanley.
Location
*
* Latitude and longitude:
(54.85, −1.73)* Elevation: 250 m (850 feet)
* Road access:
A693 between Stanley and Consett, and numerous minor roads
* Rail access:
Chester-le-Street, 11 km (7 miles) by road
Nearby places
Surrounding Annfield Plain and effectively joined to it are several other villages:
*
Greencroft to the west
*
New Kyo to the east
*
West Kyo and
Catchgate to the north
# Hatcher, Jane. "
Annfield Plain—a short history".
Durham Miner Project. Retrieved
11 January 2005.# Durham County Council & Northumberland County Council. "
Local History: Annfield Plain (County Durham)".
Keys to the Past. Retrieved
11 January 2005.# Mills, Alistair (2004). "
Executions at Durham, 1732–1909".
GENUKI. Retrieved
11 January 2005.
