Summary
Old Durham is a hamlet in County Durham, in England. It is situated approximately 1 mile east of central Durham and south of Gilesgate.
The most northerly remains of a Romanised farmstead in the Roman Empire were excavated at Old Durham during 1940s.[1][2][3]
Old Durham's 17th-century gardens became a popular attraction, which led to the opening of the Pineapple Inn to provide refreshments for local visitors. The gardens used to belong to a 17th-century mansion belonging to the Heath family which was demolished in the 18th century.[4]
In 1642 the marriage of John Tempest of the Isle (near Bradbury, County Durham) to Elizabeth Heath daughter and sole heiress of John Heath (1604–1664) brought the property to the Tempest family.[5] Their son William Tempest, Member of Parliament for the City of Durham in 1678, 1680 and 1689 also resided here. The Tempests deserted Old Durham in favour of Sherburn and Wynyard in 1742[6] and were ancestors of the Vane-Tempest-Stewarts, Earls Vane and Marquesses of Londonderry
Old Durham was the site of a colliery with the Marquis of Londonderry's Lord Ernest pit opening in 1849.
The remains of a railway embankment cut across the area, which featured two bridges, leading to the now-demolished Elvet Station at the end of the Durham Sunderland Line.
References edit
- Margot Johnson. "Old Durham and Old Durham Gardens" in Durham: Historic and University City and surrounding area. Sixth Edition. Turnstone Ventures. 1992. ISBN 094610509X. Pages 27 and 28. Also "Introduction", inside front cover.
- I A Richmond, T Romans and R P Wright, "A Civilian Bathhouse of the Roman period at Old Durham", Archaeologia Aeliana, Fourth series, 22 (1944) 1–21.
- J P Gillam and R P Wright, "Second Report on Roman Buildings at Old Durham", Archaeologia Aeliana, Fourth series, 29 (1951) 203–212.
- J P Gillam and R P Wright, "Third Report on Roman Buildings at Old Durham", Archaeologia Aeliana, Fourth series, 31 (1953) 116–126.
- ^ R B Dobson. Durham Priory 1400-1450. Cambridge University Press. 1973. Digitally Printed Paperback. 2005. (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought, Third Series, volume 6). Page 33.
- ^ John C Dewdney. Durham County and City with Teesside. British Association for the Advancement of Science (Durham Local Executive Committee). 1970. Page 182. Google Books
- ^ David Simpson. "Old Durham". The Millennium History of North East England. Leighton. 1999. Google Books
- ^ Durham City Gilesgate History
- ^ Robert Surtees, History of Durham,Vol.IV,City of Durham,p.71
- ^ Brian Masters,Wyyard Hall and the Londonderry family (1973),p.9
External links edit
- Durham Mining Museum entry on Old Durham Colliery
- Durham City Council guide to Old Durham Gardens
- Elvet Station
54°46.3′N 1°33.0′W / 54.7717°N 1.5500°W