Teesdale
Teesdale | |
---|---|
Middleton in Teesdale, Barnard Castle | |
Borders on | |
Coordinates | 54°32′42″N 1°55′37″W / 54.545°N 1.927°W |
Traversed by | Teesdale Way, B6277 road |
River | Tees, Skerne & Leven |
Teesdale is a dale, or valley, located principally in County Durham, North East England. It is one of the Durham Dales, which are themselves part of the North Pennines, the northernmost part of the Pennine uplands.
The dale is named after its principal river, the Tees, which has its source below Cross Fell (890 m (2,930 ft)) in Cumbria.[1] The upper dale is remote and high, but becomes gentler after it enters County Durham shortly downstream. The dale follows the river's south-easterly course to Barnard Castle, at which point the landscape begins to flatten into the Tees Lowlands. The Cumbria area of Teesdale was historically divided between Cumberland and Westmorland, and the County Durham area between the former and Yorkshire.
Large parts of Teesdale are within the North Pennines
Geology
Unusually for the Pennines, rock of
Economic deposits in
More recently, Ice Age glacial activity shaped the valley, and much of the pre-glacial river course is now buried beneath glacial drift.
Botany
In places this impervious
Part of
Geography
Over ledges in the Whin Sill fall the famous waterfalls of High Force and Low Force and the cataract of Cauldron Snout.[11] From the source to the Skerne, Teesdale's principal town and most populous settlement is Barnard Castle,[12] a historic market town. The area also includes the small town of Middleton-in-Teesdale and a number of villages, including Mickleton, Eggleston, Romaldkirk and Cotherstone.[12] Middleton was a lead-mining centre,[13] and plentiful traces of this industry can be seen round the adjoining slopes and side-valleys.[14] On the south side of Teesdale is the Bronze Age burial site of Kirkcarrion.[15] The other Durham Dales are on the northern side and to the south is the Yorkshire Dales, Swaledale with Richmond is the closest.
North | South |
---|---|
Source then Middleton-in-Teesdale | N/a |
Eggleston | Cotherstone |
Barnard Castle | Startforth |
Whorlton | Ovington |
Winston and Gainford | N/a |
Piercebridge | |
High Coniscliffe, Merrybent and Low Coniscliffe | Cleasby |
Darlington | Stapleton |
Hurworth and Neasham | Croft and Dalton |
Middleton One Row | Over Dinsdale |
Aislaby | Low Worsall |
Egglescliffe | Yarm |
Preston | Ingleby Barwick |
Stockton (Bowesfield, town centre and Portrack) | Thornaby
|
Haverton Hill and Port Clarence | Old Middlesbrough and North Ormesby )
|
N/a | South Bank then the mouth
|
Governance
The dale was formerly divided into four with the north in the Darlington and Stockton wards and the south was in the
Both dales gave their names to the former Teesdale district and Weardale district of western County Durham. The south is within the historic county boundaries of the North Riding of Yorkshire, Startforth Rural District, it was transferred to ceremonial County Durham on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972. West Teesdale lies within the parliamentary constituency of Bishop Auckland (County Durham).[16]
Uses in local culture
- Teesdale (district), County Durham
- Teesdale Allotments, Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Teesdale district
- Teesdale Mercury, newspaper
- Middleton-in-Teesdale
- Forest-in-Teesdale
- Teesdale School, Barnard Castle
- Teesdale Way, path following the river Tees
- Teesdale Iron Works, former name of defunct Head Wrightson large heavy industrial firm based at Thornaby-on-Tees
- Teesdale Business Park, on the site of the former works
- Teesdale Park, Thornaby FCGround
See also
- Cleveland, England
- Cleveland Hills
- List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cleveland
- Teesside
References
- ^ "Great country walks: Cross Fell, Pennine Hills, Cumbria". The Guardian. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ "North Pennines AONB". www.landscapesforlife.org.uk. Archived from the original on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ Gilbert, Joe (27 December 1997). "Skiing: Yad Moss: the St Moritz of the north". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ Cocker, Mark (27 April 2014). "The strange tale of Cronkley Scar, with its chaotic hem of boulder scree". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
- ^ "The Whin Sill" (PDF). northpennines.org.uk. North Pennines AONB. p. 2. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
- OCLC 933061775.
- ^ "Upper Teesdale SSSI" (PDF). naturalengland.org. pp. 1–5. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
- ^ "Moor House - Upper Teesdale NNR" (PDF). naturalengland.org. Natural England. 2014. p. 5. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ "High Force and Bowlees geotrail" (PDF). highforcewaterfall.com. Landscapes for Life. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ "Saving Teesdale's Juniper Wood". bbc.co.uk. BBC Tees. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ "Cow Green Reservoir – Visit Cumbria". www.visitcumbria.com. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ a b "Barnard Castle Masterplan Update" (PDF). durham.gov.uk. Durham County Council. December 2016. p. 3. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ "GENUKI - Middleton-in-Teesdale". joinermarriageindex.co.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ "Teesdale's industrial heritage". Teesdale Mercury. 27 February 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ Lloyd, Chris (8 April 2016). "Kirkcarrion keeps its secrets still". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ "History of Barnard Castle". www.barnardcastletowncouncil.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2017.