16 - Durham Coalfield Pennine Fringe : Description

Physical and functional links to other National Character Areas

The Durham Coalfield Pennine Fringe National Character Area (NCA) marks the transition between the open, windswept uplands of the North Pennines NCA to the west, in which 2,252 ha of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) lies, and the Tyne and Wear Lowlands NCA to the east. The Pennine Dales Fringe NCA, immediately to the south, is also a transitional landscape between upland and lowland but has a more rural, less industrial character. Higher ridges offer panoramic views into adjacent valleys and beyond to the North Pennines and Tyne and Wear lowlands.

The rivers Wear and Derwent, and their various tributaries, drain from the high Pennine moors into the area, then flow to the east into the Tyne and Wear lowlands, and out into the North Sea. The Kielder Water Scheme (England’s only regional water grid) uses water from Kielder Reservoir to maintain minimum flows in the area’s rivers. The water draining from the Pennines provides an important supply of drinking water, as well as water for industry, but can give rise to some flood risk within the area and also downstream. Migratory salmon and sea trout travel through the area on their journey from the sea to spawning grounds in the North Pennines.

A number of major roads pass through the NCA, including the A68, which runs north-south through the length of the area between Darlington and Corbridge. Long-distance access routes include the Sea to Sea Cycleway. Livestock rearing in the area produces a steady supply of meat and replacement breeding stock, much of which is transported to other areas. Short rotation coppice from the area is transported to the Wilton 10 power station in the Tees Lowlands; and wind turbines, such as those around Tow Law, supply power to the National Grid. Wildlife designations shared with other NCAs include the North Pennine Moors Special Protection Area and Special Area of Conservation, which straddles the boundary with the North Pennines NCA.

The Durham Coalfield Pennine Fringe today

The Durham Coalfield Pennine Fringe NCA is a transitional landscape between the North Pennines NCA to the west and the Tyne and Wear Lowlands NCA to the east. It is a large-scale landscape comprised of broad, gently rounded ridges and valleys with a strong west-east grain. The soils of the area are predominantly heavy clays, with alluvial sands and gravels in the valleys. The area is underlain by Coal Measures geology, which has had a profound impact on the landscape seen today, particularly through the mining of coal close to the surface and the use of local stone for building material. Elevation rises from 11 m in the river valleys of the Wear and the Derwent to 370 m in the foothills of the Pennines. Some 3 per cent (2,252 ha) of the NCA lies within the North Pennines AONB.

The area drains from west to east, with a number of rivers carrying water from the North Pennines through this area into the Tyne and Wear Lowlands NCA and ultimately the North Sea. The rivers and their valleys form important wildlife corridors linking upland and lowland. There are numerous small ponds and oxbow lakes and, although there are no reservoirs or lakes within the NCA’s boundaries, the main rivers are connected to the Derwent and Kielder reservoirs by the regional water grid, which maintains minimum river flows by releasing and redirecting water from the reservoirs.

Tree cover is mostly confined to ancient broadleaved woodland on steep valley sides, shelterbelts and conifer plantations on valley sides and higher ground, parkland trees and hedgerow trees. Broadleaved woodland in the area is a mixture of oak in more sheltered positions, particularly the steep-sided valleys, grading in to mixed ash woods and wet woodland on valley bottoms. Over a quarter of the woodland in the area is classed as ancient woodland; veteran trees also survive in historic parklands such as Auckland Castle Park.

The agricultural landscape varies from one of livestock rearing on the higher ground in the west to mixed farming in the east. The open, windswept higher ground is divided by drystone walls into large regular fields, mostly dating from 18th-century Parliamentary enclosure, with long straight roads featuring wide verges. The more sheltered valleys to the east have richer soils that support more arable cropping, with fields separated by low-cut hedges with hedgerow trees. Annual hedge cutting with autumn crop harvests and cultivation leads to dramatic seasonal changes in the colour, texture and feel of the landscape.

Upland moorland and hay meadows on higher ground in the west and lowland heathland, native woodland/parkland, ponds and wetlands in the east are the most characteristic habitats of the area. They occur mainly in small isolated patches that are vulnerable to impacts from surrounding land use. Hedgerows and riparian woodland form important wildlife corridors, especially in view of the fragmented nature of other habitats. The area’s rivers are very important for wildlife, supporting salmon, sea trout and lamprey, as well as otter. The area is important for a number of other priority species, including red squirrel, red kite and grey partridge. Wildlife sites with international and national conservation designations are few, but there are many Local Wildlife Sites, which cover about 5 per cent of the area. Many ex-industrial sites have been reclaimed and planted and are now sites of widely varying wildlife and landscape value.

Settlement takes the form of smaller rural villages and mining settlements in the west and south and more urban and industrial development in the north-east, where large parts of the landscape have an urban fringe character. The siting, layout and building materials of settlements give a very strong sense of history, with traditional agricultural villages tending to have buildings of local sandstone or gritstone with pantile or stone roofs, and mining settlements tending to have a core of 18th-century brick or stone terraces with Welsh slate roofs, surrounded by estates of post-war public housing. The larger urban areas have a mix of building styles and are often surrounded by allotments and pony paddocks.

The coal mining and steel industries have had a strong influence on the landscape and sense of place and many industrial historic features remain, such as railway lines, bridges, viaducts and coke works, along with several country houses built by wealthy colliery owners. Other prominent historic features include Roman infrastructure, such as the military route of Dere Street that links forts at Binchester, Lanchester and Ebchester.

Rights of way and open green spaces in this area are primarily used by local residents, with the exception of the Sea to Sea cycle route and notable sites such as Hamsterley Forest and Gibside. Upland open access areas to the west give valuable access to larger and more tranquil open spaces, and some of the woodland and forestry plantations, including Chopwell Wood and Hamsterley Forest, also provide large open access areas with good routes for cyclists. Footpaths and cycleways along disused railways, such as the Waskerley Way, are an important asset, often giving good connections between settlements and presenting opportunities for car-free travel to work. The river corridors also provide opportunities for walking, wildlife watching, fishing, swimming and kayaking.

The landscape through time

The area overlies Coal Measures rocks that were laid down during the Carboniferous Period, comprising thinly bedded sandstones, mudstones, ironstones and coal seams, which dip gently to the east along the flanks of the Alston Block, which forms the higher ground of the North Pennines to the west. Millstone Grit underlies the western part of the area, and dips down below the Coal Measures to the east. These rocks were eroded by glacial rivers flowing eastwards from the Pennine ice sheets, to form a series of alternating ridges and valleys running east-west. Boulder clay or till was deposited from the ice sheets during the last glacial period and covers much of the area, especially the lower valley slopes. Valley bottoms have deposits of alluvial sands and gravels.

The area has evidence to suggest Neolithic settlement, including a possible burial mound and signs of prehistoric tool-making. The Bronze and Iron Ages brought greater settlement, tree clearance and expansion of agriculture, particularly cattle and sheep husbandry, and created a pattern of dispersed farmsteads, moors and woodland and a network of routeways. Roman activity in the area included the creation of forts at Binchester, Lanchester and Ebchester on strategic river crossing points, and the construction of Dere Street, which ran all the way from York to Caledonia, linking the three forts in this area en route.

During the Anglo-Saxon period, the area fell within the Anglian Kingdom of Northumbria under the influence of the monastic community of St Cuthbert. This era saw the development of small villages surrounded by communal fields, separated by areas of common and waste. The distribution of different types of farming was similar to that of today, with cow and sheep production predominant in the west and more mixed agriculture on the lower land to the east. The pattern of agriculture and settlement in the landscape remained through the Middle Ages, as did the power and influence of the Church, with the Prince Bishops of Durham enjoying royal privileges and owning substantial estates, including deer parks and coal mines.

The landscape was dramatically redrawn in the 17th and 18th centuries, with large-scale enclosure of the common fields. Higher land to the west was much reorganised during this time into large holdings with large regular fields, although some older, more irregular fields survive in the valleys to the east.

Coal mining has a long and significant history in the area, going back to at least the 12th century. It intensified in the 16th century with the development of large collieries that exported coal to the south of England and Europe. Networks of wooden wagonways were created to transport coal using horses, and were replaced by railways with the advent of steam power in the 19th century, which also enabled deeper mines to be dug and drained and more coal extracted. Ironstone associated with coal seams led to the development of a local steel-making industry. Settlements developed around coal mines and steel works, such as Stanley and Consett. The wealth derived from the coal and steel industry enabled mine and factory owners to build a number of country houses, some surrounded by grand estates and parkland, such as Gibside. Coal mining settlements also had a good supply of allotments, many owned until the 1980s by the National Coal Board, which were provided for miners to grow vegetables and keep livestock.

In the 20th century, transport infrastructure continued to grow, as did settlements, particularly along railway lines. From the Second World War onwards the agricultural use of land intensified: walls and hedges were removed to create larger fields, and more land was converted to arable cropping. Conversely, the coal and steel industries started to decline from the 1930s. The last two decades of the 20th century saw the final demise of these industries, followed by the clearance of most of the associated infrastructure. Despite the closure of the mines, coal mining still forms an important part of local culture and identity, as shown by the continued participation in the nearby Durham Miners’ Gala.

During the 21st century, the landscape of this area has been marked by the advent of environmental concerns. Much work has been done (with varying success) to reclaim old industrial sites and convert them to woodland, farmland or nature reserves. The condition of the rivers, particularly in terms of their water quality and wildlife, has improved, with the River Wear being named by the Environment Agency in 2011 as one of the most improved rivers in England and Wales; salmon catches increased from 2 in 1965 to 1,531 in 2010. Renewable energy production has also increased in prominence, with an increase in the number of wind turbines, some on former mining sites, and increased production of short rotation coppice for biomass fuel. Environmental agreements taken up in the area for farming and forestry have a particular emphasis on grassland management, hedge/wall restoration and restocking of conifer plantations with broadleaf tree species. Conversely, development has increased, particularly in the urban fringe, and the sense of tranquillity has diminished.