Fishburn

Fishburn
Fishburn
	Fishburn Miners Memorial
	Fishburn Location within County Durham
Population	2,588 (2011)
OS grid reference	NZ364321
Civil parish	Fishburn;
Unitary authority	County Durham;
Ceremonial county	County Durham;
Region	North East;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	STOCKTON-ON-TEES
Postcode district	TS21
Dialling code	01740
Police	Durham
Fire	County Durham and Darlington
Ambulance	North East
UK Parliament	Sedgefield;
	List of places UK England County Durham 54°40′59″N 1°26′11″W / 54.68309°N 1.43636°W

Fishburn is a village and civil parish in County Durham, in England. It is situated about 12 miles west of Hartlepool. It had a population of 2,454,^[1] increasing to 2,588 at the 2011 Census.^[2]

Location

The village lies scattered along a dry swell of magnesian limestone rising north from the River Skerne (known locally as the "beck") to approx. 500 ft above sea level. The beck is one of the parish boundaries, as the township of Sedgefield begins on the other side of the river.

History

The earliest proprietors of the village (and then manor) on record were the family of "Fissebourne". There are a number of theories on how the village got its name. In one book it is stated that the name derives from the Saxon words "Fisc" meaning fish and " Bourne" meaning brook. Another theory is that it was derived from the monks who used to fish at this spot in early days; hence "fish in the burn", Fishburn. However it is more likely that the family of Fissebourne gave its name to the manor. It could also be a Flemish name associated with the Norman Conquerors, i.e. Ranulf de Fishbourne. Old maps suggest that the village was named "Fissebourne" at one time, and then some considerable years later, it became "Fishbourne", later adopting its present name "Fishburn".

Coal mining

Between 1910 and 1973 coal mining here was a major industry, Fishburn Colliery employees peaking at over 1500 in the 1950s.

Fishburn coking plant was built in 1954 alongside the colliery to produce high grade coke for industry and a coke for the domestic market called Sunbrite as well as other byproducts from the coking process such as town gas which was supplied directly to the nearby Winterton Hospital and to the national grid.

After much doubt about its future and attempts by the then MP Tony Blair to save it, the plant was eventually closed in 1986 with the loss of 250 jobs. Nothing remains of the former ovens and the site has been reclaimed as a nature reserve.

Culture

Fishburn is home to the Fishburn Brass Band, started by local miners as the Fishburn Colliery Welfare band in the 1950s. The band have won several high-profile contests including the Scottish Open Champions in 2005 and the Durham County Brass Band League. The band also play on the streets of Fishburn on the day of the Durham Miners Gala and at Christmas playing traditional Christmas carols.

Fishburn appeared in the BBC TV genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? featuring Tamzin Outhwaite, whose great-grandfather owned an ice cream shop on Chaytor Terrace.^[3]

Transport

Fishburn Airfield is a 600x30 metre grass strip runway catering for private flyers with light aircraft. The airfield hosted filming for a scene from the Bollywood film Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors^[4]

Site of Special Scientific Interest

Fishburn Grasslands is an area north of the village. It has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest as the underlying magnesian limestone provides a habitat for rare species of plant life.^[5]

Notable people

Colin Cooper - Footballer and manager
Mike Hooper - Footballer
Micky Horswill - Footballer
Irving Nattrass - Newcastle United Midfielder
Paul Ward - Footballer
Niall Quinn Footballer
Bert Draycott - World Champion Spoons Player^[6]
David James Llewellyn Broadcaster^[7]

References

^ Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Sedgefield Archived 12 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2009-09-18
^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Retrieved 31 January 2016.
^ Watts, Halina (15 August 2014). "Tamzin Outhwaite left distraught after discovering great granddad was sent to WW2 prison camp". mirror.
^ "Hari Puttar and the surprise Bollywood stars". Northern Echo. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
^ "Fishburn Grassland" (PDF). English Nature. 1990. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
^ "Farewell to Bert Draycott, Fishburn folk legend and World Spoons Champion, dead at 86". The Northern Echo. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
^ "12 times an hour this man broadcasts from a tiny Teesside studio - you'll likely recognise his voice". Gazette Live. Retrieved 25 June 2021.

External links

[1] Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Sedgefield Archived 12 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2009-09-18

[2] "Civil Parish population 2011". Retrieved 31 January 2016.

[3] Watts, Halina (15 August 2014). "Tamzin Outhwaite left distraught after discovering great granddad was sent to WW2 prison camp". mirror.

[4] "Hari Puttar and the surprise Bollywood stars". Northern Echo. Retrieved 3 December 2010.

[5] "Fishburn Grassland" (PDF). English Nature. 1990. Retrieved 19 July 2010.

[6] "Farewell to Bert Draycott, Fishburn folk legend and World Spoons Champion, dead at 86". The Northern Echo. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2018.

[7] "12 times an hour this man broadcasts from a tiny Teesside studio - you'll likely recognise his voice". Gazette Live. Retrieved 25 June 2021.

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v t e Civil parishes in County Durham
including Stockton-on-Tees (north of the river)
Darlington	Parishes Archdeacon Newton Barmpton Bishopton Brafferton Coatham Mundeville Denton East and West Newbiggin Great Burdon Great Stainton Heighington High Coniscliffe Houghton le Side Hurworth Killerby Little Stainton Low Coniscliffe and Merrybent Middleton St. George Morton Palms Neasham Piercebridge Sadberge Summerhouse Walworth Whessoe Unparished areas The former Darlington County Borough
County Durham	Towns Barnard Castle Bishop Auckland Chilton Ferryhill Great Aycliffe Greater Willington Peterlee Seaham Sedgefield Shildon Spennymoor Stanley Tow Law Parishes Barforth Barningham Bearpark Belmont Bishop Middleham Bolam Boldron Bournmoor Bowes Bradbury and the Isle Brancepeth Brandon and Byshottles Brignall Burnhope Cassop-cum-Quarrington Castle Eden City of Durham Cleatlam Cockfield Cornforth Cornsay Cotherstone Coxhoe Croxdale and Hett Dalton-le-Dale Dene Valley Easington Colliery Easington Village Edmondbyers Edmondsley Eggleston Egglestone Abbey Eldon Esh Etherley Evenwood and Barony Fishburn Forest and Frith Framwellgate Moor Gainford Gilmonby Great Lumley Greencroft Hamsterley Hamsterley Common Haswell Hawthorn Headlam Healeyfield Hedleyhope Hilton Holwick Hope Horden Hunderthwaite Hunstanworth Hutton Henry and Station Town Hutton Magna Ingleton Kelloe Kimblesworth and Plawsworth Lanchester Langleydale and Shotton Langton Lartington Little Lumley Lunedale Lynesack and Softley Marwood Mickleton Middleton in Teesdale Middridge Monk Hesleden Mordon Morton Tinmouth Muggleswick Murton Nesbitt Newbiggin North Lodge Ouston Ovington Pelton Pittington Raby with Keverstone Rokeby Romaldkirk Sacriston Satley Scargill Seaton with Slingley Shadforth Sheraton with Hulam Sherburn Village Shincliffe Shotton South Bedburn South Hetton Staindrop Stanhope Startforth Streatlam and Stainton Thornley Toft Hill Trimdon Trimdon Foundry Urpeth Waldridge Wackerfield Weather Hill Wood West Auckland West Rainton and Leamside Westwick Wheatley Hill Whorlton Windlestone Wingate Winston Witton Gilbert Witton-le-Wear Wolsingham Wolsingham Park Moor Woodland Wycliffe with Thorpe Unparished areas The former Chester le Street Urban District Consett Parts of the former Durham Municipal Borough Parts of the former Bishop Auckland Urban District Crook and Willington Urban District Stanley Urban District
Hartlepool	Towns Headland Parishes Brierton Claxton Dalton Piercy Elwick Greatham Hart Newton Bewley Wynyard Unparished areas Part of the former Hartlepool County Borough
Stockton-on-Tees	Towns Billingham Parishes Aislaby Carlton Egglescliffe Elton Grindon and Thorpe Thewles Longnewton Newsham Preston-on-Tees Redmarshall Stillington and Whitton Wolviston Wynyard Unparished areas Part of the former Teesside County Borough
For further information about the above parishes, see List of civil parishes in County Durham. For the part of Stockton-on-Tees (borough) south of the River Tees, see List of civil parishes in North Yorkshire.