Barnard Castle

Coordinates: 54°33′N 1°55′W / 54.55°N 1.92°W / 54.55; -1.92
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the town in England. For the castle in the town, see Barnard Castle (castle). For the constituency, see Barnard Castle (UK Parliament constituency).

Barnard Castle
Market Cross)
Barnard Castle is located in County Durham
Barnard Castle
Barnard Castle
Location within County Durham
Population5,495 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceNZ047166
Civil parish
  • Barnard Castle [2]
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBARNARD CASTLE
Postcode districtDL12
Dialling code01833
PoliceDurham
FireCounty Durham and Darlington
AmbulanceNorth East
UK Parliament
Websitebarnardcastletowncouncil.gov.uk
List of places
UK
England
County Durham
54°33′N 1°55′W / 54.55°N 1.92°W / 54.55; -1.92

Barnard Castle (/ˈbɑːnəd/, BAR-nəd) is a market town on the north bank of the River Tees, in County Durham, England. The town is named after and built around a medieval castle ruin. The town's Bowes Museum has an 18th-century Silver Swan automaton exhibit and paintings by Goya and El Greco.

Barnard Castle is on the left bank of the River Tees, opposite to

GlaxoSmithKline, with a manufacturing facility on the town's outskirts.[3][4][5]

History

Before the Norman Conquest, in 1066, the upper half of Teesdale was combined into an Anglo-Norse estate, which was centred upon the ancient village of Gainford, and mortgaged to the Earls of Northumberland.

During Norman times, in 1080, the first Norman Bishop of

Guy de Balliol
.

The earthwork fortifications of the

Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. King Richard III inherited it through his wife, Anne Neville
, but it fell into ruins in the century after his death.

The remains of the castle are Grade I listed,[7] whilst the chapel, in the outer ward, is Grade II listed.[8] Both sets of remains are now in the care of English Heritage and open to the public.

John Bowes lived at nearby Streatlam Castle (demolished in 1959). His Streatlam stud never had more than ten breeding mares at one time, but produced no fewer than four Derby winners in twenty years. The last of these, "West Australian", was the first racehorse to win the Triple Crown, in 1853.

Bowes and his wife

Joséphine Benoîte Coffin-Chevallier founded the Bowes Museum, which is of national status. Housed in its own ornate building, the museum contains an El Greco, paintings by Goya, Canaletto, Boucher, Fragonard and a collection of decorative art. A great attraction is the 18th century silver swan automaton
, which periodically preens itself, looks round and appears to catch and swallow a fish.

Although never a major manufacturing centre, in the 18th century industry centred on hand loom wool weaving, and in the early 19th century the principal industry was spinning and the manufacture of shoe thread.[9]

Notable visitors

The ruins of Barnard Castle, which gave the town its name

Walter Scott frequently visited his friend, John Sawrey Morritt, at Rokeby Hall, and was fond of exploring Teesdale. He begins his epic poem Rokeby (1813) with a man standing on guard on the round tower of the Barnard Castle fortress.[10]

Hablot Browne (Phiz), stayed at the King's Head in Barnard Castle, while researching his novel, Nicholas Nickleby, in the winter of 1837–38. He is said to have entered William Humphrey's clock-maker's shop, then, opposite the hotel, and enquired who had made a certain remarkable clock. William replied that his boy, Humphrey, had done it. This seems to have prompted Dickens to choose the title "Master Humphrey's Clock" for his new weekly, in which The Old Curiosity Shop and Barnaby Rudge appeared.[11][12][13]

William Wordsworth,[14] Daniel Defoe,[15] Ralph Waldo Emerson,[16] Hilaire Belloc,[17] Bill Bryson[18] and the artist, J. M. W. Turner,[19] have also visited the town.

In May 2020, Barnard Castle came to national attention when

British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, was discovered to have driven to the town, with his family, during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was, at that time, at a significant risk of having the disease himself, because of recent contact with the infected Prime Minister. (Cummings developed symptoms the next day.) Following media allegations that he had broken lockdown regulations by driving to the town, he told how he drove there to test his eyesight, to reassure his wife that he was able to drive them back to London the next day.[20][21][22]

Governance

Barnard Castle Post Office

Barnard Castle is for all purposes (historic, ceremonial and unitary authority) located in County Durham. Barnard Castle has a Town Council governing a civil parish. The Town Council elects a ceremonial Town Mayor annually.

It is part of the Bishop Auckland parliamentary constituency, which, as of 2024, is represented in parliament, by Sam Rushworth of the Labour Party. All four Durham County Councillors, whose wards (Barnard Castle East and Barnard Castle West) include part of Barnard Castle, are Conservative.[23]

The local

area
.

Former

Between 1894 and 1974, the town was, administratively, part of Barnard Castle Urban District.[24] The administrative and ceremonial county boundary was adjusted in 1974. Barnard Castle became the administrative centre of the Teesdale district of County Durham non-metropolitan county, until its abolition, on 1 April 2009, and the county council became the unitary authority of County Durham.

Geography

  • Elevation: 180 m (600 ft)
  • Nearest large towns: Darlington, 16 miles (26 km). Bishop Auckland 14.8 miles (24 km)

Economy

The most important employer in Barnard Castle is

GSK, which has a large pharmaceutical manufacturing plant on the outskirts of the town which employs around 1,000 people.[25] GSK has invested £80 million into the plant since 2007.[26] Barnard Castle School follows GSK in second place, employing 183 people.[27]

Transport

Barnard Castle Bridge over the River Tees

Barnard Castle has road connections to

A1(M) to the east. The B6278 also connects Barnard Castle with Middleton-in-Teesdale. The old road bridge over the River Tees was built in 1569 and is Grade I listed.[28][29]

South Durham & Lancashire Railway
proposed a line from Bishop Auckland to Tebay via Barnard Castle and Kirkby Stephen but only the western section was built with the Company receiving its Bill in 1857.

The line opened on 8 August 1861 from a second terminus at Barnard Castle to a junction with the

GlaxoSmithKline.[30] Today rail access is via Bishop Auckland, or Darlington. There are two bus routes provided by Arriva North East which connect Barnard Castle to Darlington, the X75 (Via Staindrop) and X76 (Via Winston) and there is also the 79, provided by Hodgsons Coaches, which travels from Barnard Castle to Richmond
.

Education

Barnard Castle School is an independent co-educational boarding school located on the eastern edge of the town. Teesdale School is an 11–18 comprehensive school on the outskirts of the town, just off the A688.

There are three primary schools serving the town. Green Lane school is a primary school for 4–11 year olds. St Mary's is a Roman Catholic school situated on Birch Road near the church of the same name.[31] Montalbo Primary School and Nursery is for 3-11year olds.

Culture

The Bowes Museum was purpose-built to house the collection of John and Josephine Bowes. The museum is built in the style of a French chateau, in extensive grounds, and is by far the largest building in the town. It contains paintings by El Greco, Francisco Goya, Canaletto, Jean-Honoré Fragonard and François Boucher, together with a sizable collection of decorative art, ceramics, textiles, tapestries, clocks and costumes, as well as older items from local history. It is famous for the Silver Swan automaton, which played every day at 2pm until it seized up during the 2020 COVID-19 Lockdown, it is currently undergoing repairs.[32][33]

The Witham Arts Centre, on the Horse Market, presents a variety of events, including drama, cinema, music, spoken word and children's events, as well as being the town's visitor information centre.[34]

The Barnard Castle Meet is an annual carnival festival, held on the second bank holiday weekend in May, the schools' summer half-term week. The Meet, as it is known locally, grew from the North East Cyclists' Meet, dating back to 1885. Since the early 1900s, the town has staged a carnival and grand procession through the town centre on the bank holiday Monday. There are around twenty separate events that the Meet Committee asserts 'reach every corner of the community'. In recent years, the committee has staged its own music event, showcasing local and national talent on the Sunday and Monday, with all technical and musical support from Teesdale Community Resources (TCR).

The TCR Hub[35] is a community centre on the edge of the town, with a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities.

The Barnard Castle Band, founded in 1860, is a brass band, based in the town, known outside the area as a result of the march Barnard Castle by Goff Richards.[36]

Notable people

  • George Brown – missionary and ethnographer
  • Anne Fine – children's writer. Twice Whitbread Prize winner
  • Arthur Henderson – Winner of Nobel Peace prize (1934). Former MP for Barnard Castle and first Labour cabinet minister[37]
  • David Harper - BBC TV Antiques Presenter
  • Glenn Hugill – television presenter and producer
  • David Jennings – composer
  • Ian Usher – traveller, adventurer, writer and speaker. Sold "entire life" on eBay in 2008

Former residents

References

  1. ^ "Town population 2011". Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  2. ^ "Home :Barnard Castle Town Council". Barnardcastletowncouncil.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  3. ^ "GSK Barnard Castle". Devereux Architects. Archived from the original on 3 May 2014.
  4. ^ "BBC – Domesday Reloaded: A BARNARD CASTLE FACTORY". domesday. Archived from the original on 2 January 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  5. ^ "Teesdale Mercury". teesdalemercury.co.uk. Archived from the original on 3 May 2014.
  6. ISBN 9781840331059. Archived
    from the original on 2 November 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  7. ^ Historic England (24 February 1950). "The Castle (Grade I) (1218822)". National Heritage List for England.
  8. ^ Historic England (22 May 1973). "Former chapel at north west corner of garden to number 7 former chapel in outer ward of the castle, with wall attached (Grade II) (1282722)". National Heritage List for England.
  9. ^ All in due time: the collected essays and broadcast talks of Humphry House By Humphry House p283
  10. ^ "History of Barnard Castle, in Teesdale and County Durham – Map and description". visionofbritain.org.uk. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  11. ^ "BBC News – Exhibition explores Charles Dickens' links with County Durham". BBC News. 6 February 2012. Archived from the original on 1 January 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  12. ISBN 9780521669641. Archived
    from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Barnard Castle Blue Plaque Trail". teesdalediscovery.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2014.
  14. ^ "Places Visited and Letters Written: 1798–1800". Wordsworth.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  15. ^ "Vision of Britain – Daniel Defoe – Letter 8, Part 4: Leeds and North Yorkshire". Bisionofbritain.org.uk. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  16. ^ "XI. English Traits. Aristocracy. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. 1909–14. Essays and English Traits. The Harvard Classics". Bartleby.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  17. ^ Belloc, Hilaire. "On getting respected in inns and hotels". Quotidiana.org. Archived from the original on 13 November 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  18. ^ Dickinson, Katie (25 September 2016). "How kind will Bill Bryson be on the North East?". nechronicle. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  19. ^ "Barnard Castle: The Castle and Bridge looking Upstream, Joseph Mallord William Turner – Tate". Tate.org.uk. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  20. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived
    from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  21. ^ "No 10 'chaos' as 'defiant' PM defends Cummings". BBC News. UK: BBC. 25 May 2020. Archived from the original on 26 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  22. ^ Keating, Joshua (26 May 2020). "Why Is the U.K. in an Uproar Over a Boris Johnson Adviser's COVID Road Trip?". Slate Magazine. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  23. ^ "Your Councillors". Durham County Council. 17 August 2010. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  24. A Vision of Britain. Archived
    from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  25. ^ "Barnard Castle". GlaxoSmithKline. Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-22.
  26. ^ "Glaxo expansion meeting held". The Advertiser Series. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Also here Archived 26 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine
  27. ^ "Community Contribution". Barnard Castle School. Archived from the original on 19 March 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  28. ^ Historic England (24 February 1950). "Barnard Castle bridge (that part in Barnard Castle civil parish) and attached wall to south-east (Grade I) (1201056)". National Heritage List for England.
  29. ^ Historic England (12 January 1967). "Barnard Castle bridge (Grade I) (1121647)". National Heritage List for England.
  30. ^ "Disused Stations – Barnard Castle". Disused Railway Stations. Archived from the original on 29 August 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  31. ^ "St Mary's RC Primary School". St Mary's RC Primary School. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  32. ^ "The Bowes Museum > Home". Thebowesmuseum.org.uk. Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  33. ^ "Bowes Museum's Silver Swan seizes up during lockdown". BBC News. 15 May 2021. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  34. ^ "The Witham". thewitham.org.uk. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  35. ^ "County Durham Venue | Parties & Events| Businesses| Schools". TCR Hub. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  36. ^ "Barnard Castle Band". Archived from the original on 22 December 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-26.
  37. ^ "Arthur Henderson: a Labour pioneer". Northern Echo. 3 April 2013. Archived from the original on 24 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  38. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/14291. (Subscription or UK public library membership
    required.)
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