Chester-le-Street is a pleasant and thriving market town in the North East of England located midway between the cities of Durham and Newcastle upon Tyne. The District which includes several surrounding villages has a population of around 57,000 people spread across twenty five square miles of predominantly rural and agricultural land. The area has many attractions ranging from beautiful countryside to a rich and historic heritage spanning over 1100 years. The town has served many functions including being an encampment of the ancient British Epican tribe, the site of Conganium, a Roman fort and, for over 150 years, the resting place of St. Cuthbert's body before its transfer to Durham, a place of greater safety from Viking invaders.
Chester-le-Street has a great many attractions and a rich and varied history, some details of which appear later in this page.
Myths, Legends and Folklore
Local legend tells of the Lambton Worm (or dragon) which at the time of the crusades emerged and terrorised the local area for seven years. It was reportedly slain by John Lambton the then heir to the Lambton estate and title. It was said that after he took advice from a local witch on how to defeat the dragon she told him to have a set of armour made with razor sharp blades sticking out of it from all angles. Once the armour was ready he then engaged the creature in combat and when the dragon tried repeatedly to wrap itself around him to crush him to death it was cut to ribbons by the blades. The dragon became so weakened, he was then able to cut off its head with his sword. The witch also stated that when he had slain the worm he must kill the first living thing he saw, unfortunately that first living thing was his father and he refused to honour the oath. The witch then cursed him and said that all subsequent Lambtons would die a violent death because of this curse.
Landmark and Historical Buildings
Chester-le-Street boasts a number of historical and landmark buildings.
The Parish Church of Saint Mary and Saint Cuthbert is in the centre of the town and is an imposing sight especially when floodlit at night. The oldest parts of the church were built in the Norman period on the site of the Anglo Saxon cathedral and it is one of the oldest churches in the North East of England. Adjoining the church is the Ankers House, one of the smallest museums in the country and once home of a mediaeval hermit.
Lumley Castle, which dominates the countryside across the River Wear, to the east of Chester le Street, was for centuries the seat of the Lumley family. It was begun in 1389 by Sir Ralph Lumley, whose descendants include `Lily of Lumley', a ghost who reputedly haunts the castle. Today Lumley castle, situated by a pretty wooded valley adjoining the River Wear, is a luxury hotel, restraunt and conference venue where popular `Elizabethan Banquets' are held. Here guests are entertained by staff in period costume, as they enjoy a hearty feast of food, wine and mead.
A few miles outside of Chester-le-street is the famous Penshaw Monument, an imposing reminder of the Lambton family. It is a copy of the temple of Theseum in Athens, though half its size, It can be seen clearly for miles around. The monument was erected in 1848 in honour of John George Lambton, first Earl of Durham (1792 - 1840), known to Durham pitmen as `Radical Jack', because of his democratic views. The Earl was a chief instigator of the 1832 Reform Bill, which abolished the so called `Rotten Boroughs', an undemocratic feature of British politics. Such Boroughs included Old Sarum in Wiltshire, where two MPs were elected by the owner of a `green mound and a well'. This Reform Bill also gave MPs to large towns like Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds, which previously had none at all. Other government reforms of the 1830s brought about the abolishment of the County Palatinate of Durham, terminating the last remaining vestiges of power held by the `Prince Bishops'.
Durham County Cricket Club Ground is another major landmark for the town even if it is a relatively new one. The club moved to its' new permanent home at Riverside, Chester-le-Street, after having played for four years at various grounds in County Durham. The ground which was opened by Her Majesty the Queen in 1995 has attained test match status and forms the pivotal attraction in the Riverside development which has seen a massive investment and improvement to provide first class leisure and sports facilities and prestigious housing development as well as ornamental gardens and childrens play areas.
Attractions and Countryside
On the outskirts of the district the North East of England's social and industrial past is celebrated in the internationally-recognised North of England Open Air Museum which is located at Beamish. The site features a colliery, restored pit cottages, a school, farms, a town, bank and pub as well as trams and a steam railway. The museum is very interactive and you can buy some sweets from the shop, take a lesson at the school, take a ride on the tram and even go down the mine. One of the newest attractions is a completely restored Masonic Temple which has been transported brick by brick from its original location in Sunderland. The Beamish 2000 project has been substantially supported financially by brethren throughout the Province of Durham to the tune of half a million pounds and was opened by HRH The Duke of Kent in April 2006.
The district has some outstanding scenery with lowland fells to the east and west of Chester-le-Street. Waldridge fell has retained its character as the only uncultivated lowland common in county Durham and as such is a local nature reserve. The site is a patchwork of heather, bilberry and moorland grasses with wooded valleys to the north west and south east. There is an extensive network of paths that allow you to fully explore the site (two of the paths are designated 'easy access' routes - suitable for visitors with a physical disability). There are many seats scattered throughout the site, where you can pause and take in the panoramic views of the Fell and surrounding countryside.
The extremely popular Coast to Coast cycle route passes through Chester-le-Street on its route from Cumbria. The Route is the flagship of Sustrans long distance routes, having won a global award in 1996. It is a wonderful route through the Northern Lake District and over the Pennines, beginning on the Cumbria coast at Whitehaven or Workington on the Irish Sea, and finishing in Sunderland or Tynemouth on the North Sea. The route takes the path through the town on the now disused Sunderland to Consett railway line which in days gone by transported coal and iron ore wagons to the steelworks at consett which also closed many years ago. Along the pleasant route there are many works of public art and sculpture with "King Cole" pictured to the right being situated around two miles North of the town and a small herd of cows made from old JCB parts adorning the route near Beamish. There are a number of smaller cycleways linking into the C2C including safe routes to the town centre and into the Riverside park areas and beyond.
The Angel of the North
The 208-tonne “Angel” basically takes the form of a human figure based on artist Antony Gormley's own body. At 20 metres high, the Angel is higher than a five-storey building. Its wings are 54 metres wide - almost the same as a jumbo jet.
Overlooking the A1 at Gateshead, at least 90,000 motorists a day will pass by the sculpture. Rail passengers travelling on the East Coast mainline from London to Edinburgh will also see the angel as they approach Newcastle.
The sculpture has been created by the artist as his own response to the site, which had already been chosen as the location for a ‘landmark’ work of public art. It is a stark, otherwise unremarkable, skyline site visible from a distance. The artist has described how he felt this called for a feature which would link between earth and sky.
Antony Gormley was born in 1950, and is at the forefront of a generation of celebrated younger British artists who emerged during the 1980s and in1994 he won the prestigious Turner Prize.