Coordinates: 54°45′01″N 2°13′19″W / 54.750313°N 2.221961°W
| Wearhead | |
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.png)  Wearhead
 Wearhead shown within County Durham |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| Unitary authority | County Durham |
| Ceremonial county | County Durham |
| Region | North East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DARLINGTON |
| Postcode district | DL13 |
| Dialling code | 01388 |
| Police | Durham |
| Fire | County Durham and Darlington |
| Ambulance | North East |
| European Parliament | North East England |
| List of places: UK • England • County Durham | |
Wearhead is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated at the top of Weardale between Cowshill and Ireshopeburn.
It is named after the nearby source of the River Wear which runs eastwards for approx 40 miles to Sunderland.
The first settlement at Wearhead would have been a farmstead, possible a summer base for the Bishops cattle which would have been taken to the lower ground in winter. Looking up the main road in Wearhead (Front Street) you will see a steep hillside to the east, this is evidence of shallow shafts and hushes which were the early methods used to extract lead and iron. In County Durham there were rich deposits of lead lying within a circle of about 10 miles radius drawn around Wearhead, hence the lead-mining industry of Weardale and Teesdale.
In 1858 the Post Office Directory listed - Beer Retailer, Grocer / Draper, Tailor / Draper, Grocer, Joiner / Postmaster, Grocer and Drapers / Joiner. In 1915 the Post Office Directory listed - The Bank of Liverpool. In 1971 Barclays Bank (formerly Martins Bank) was sold and the property became a Butcher shop. Sadly the Butchers is now closed.
Wearhead stands 1,104 feet above sea level and has some of the highest peaks in County Durham, Killhope Law (673m) and Burnhope Seat 2,452 feet (747 m). Burnhope Reservoir is approx 1 mile from Wearhead. In the construction six farms were submerged when water rose to fill the man-made reservoir in 1937. Turn left just before the bridge and follow the road up to the car park, from the car park you can walk around the reservior.
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Railways
Wearhead was the terminus of the Weardale Valley Extension Railway which opened in 1895, being mainly a freight line carrying limestone, iron ore, lead ore and fluorspar to the industrial areas of North East England. It closed to passenger traffic in 1953 and later to freight in 1961.
Decline then seeds of revival
In 2005 Wearhead lost its last shop with the closure of the Co-op and shortly afterwards, the Methodist Church held its last service after being in existence for over 179 years.
Some signs of revival however in that the former Butchers Shop has re-opened as an independent village store & the former Post Office is open as a Craft Shop/Cafe.
Football
Wearhead United Football Club who play in the Second Division of the Crook & District League celebrated their Centenery in 2008 with 3 days of events including a fly over Ullsfield Park by the Red Arrows, and culminating in a sportsmans dinner with over 100 guests seated in a purpose made marquee on the field with guest of honour Eric Gates.
Ullsfield Park is reputedly the highest football ground in use in England being at an elevation of 338 metres (1110 ft) above sea level.
Photos
Old photos of Wearhead 1900s to 1960s
 View of Wearhead from the Weardale Way |
 Wearhead View from Burnhope Reservoir |
 Wearhead Store - Front Street |
What to Do
Burnhope Reservoir
A Mineral Valleys Project walk - Wearhead (The River Starts Here)
Killhope, The North of England lead Mining Museum
The Weardale Museum
See also
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
