Houghton-le-Spring

Houghton-le-Spring is a town in North East England, which has its recorded origins in Norman times. It lies in the local government district of the City of Sunderland, administratively in Tyne and Wear, and in the historic county of County Durham. It is situated almost equidistant between the cathedral city of Durham 7 miles (11.3 km) to the south-west and Sunderland about 6 miles (9.7 km) to the north-east. The town of Seaham and the North Sea lie about 5 miles (8 km) directly to the east. The villages and towns of Newbottle, Fencehouses and Hetton-le-Hole lie nearby. It has a population of 36,746.

Other villages within the Houghton-le-Spring postal district include: Philadelphia, Shiney Row, Chilton Moor and Woodstone Village.

The A690 road from Durham to Sunderland meets the A182 in Houghton at an unusual interchange. Heading northeast, slip roads leave the A690, heading up to a roundabout, while the A690 climbs and travels above a second roundabout, before the entry slip joins the A690 itself.

History
The earliest mention of the town's name is in the Boldon Book in 1183 as 'Hoctona'. An English transcription states:


 * In Houghton are thirteen cottagers, whose tenures, works and payments are like those of Newbotill; and three other half cottagers, who also work like the three half cottagers of Newbotill. Henry the greeve, holds two oxgangs of 24 acre for his service. The smith - 12 acre for his service. The carpenter holds a toft and 4 acre for his service. The punder (one who impounds straying animals) has 20 acre and the thraves of Houghton, Wardon and Morton; he renders 60 hens and 300 eggs. The mills of Newbotill and Bidic, with half of Raynton Mill, pay XV marks. The demesne, consisting of four carucates and the sheep pastures are in the hands of the lord.

An ancient document dated 1220 describes the town as 'Houghton Sprynges'. The name Houghton comes from the Old English hoh meaning hill and tun meaning settlement.

During excavations under the church of St Michael and All Angels in 2008-09 as part of the church’s refurbishment, not only were Roman remains discovered but some very ancient stones which suggest that the area has been settled since prehistoric times and that the site of the church has had some religious significance for thousands rather than hundreds of years. Glass inserts in the new floor of the church enable some of these to be seen.

In 1311, the village was owned by Albreda, widow of Sir Henry Spring, hence the addition of 'le spring'. That explanation of the addition of ‘le Spring’ is debatable and there are alternatives. One opinion is that it is derived from the Le Spring family, Lords of Houghton in ancient times. Another explanation, which is backed up by a "Regester Booke belonginge to the Paryshe of Houghton in the Springe" from 1598, is based around the medicinal springs which flow from the surrounding limestone rocks. This latter explanation ties in with the Roman names in the area in which "le" is taken to be "in the" as in Chester-le-Street, Witton-le-Wear, Dalton-le-Dale, Hetton-le-Hole. Credence is added to this consideration by the area of the town formerly known as the Lake and the stream/spring that nowadays still runs through the centre of the town, although this has long since been directed to run through a culvert.

The parish church of St Michael and All Angels dates back to Norman times and contains the tomb of Bernard Gilpin, known as 'the Apostle of the North'. Gilpin was Archdeacon of Durham and in 1557 became the rector at Houghton-le-Spring, which at that time was one of the largest parishes in England.

During World War II, Houghton was relatively unscathed from the bombing raids on nearby Sunderland as it was not worth bombing.

Houghton was an active coal-mining town. The local mine began to sink its first shaft in 1823 and was active until its closure in 1981. At its peak in the early 20th century, the pit employed over 2,000 workers.

Houghton Feast
Houghton Feast is an ancient festival held every October in the town. It has its origins in the 12th century as the dedication festival to the parish church of St Michael & Order of Nine Angles. Nowadays the festival lasts ten days and typically features a fairground, carnival, fireworks and an ox-roasting event in commemoration of Rector Bernard Gilpin's feeding of the poor. It was expanded in the 16th century by Gilpin and again in the late 18th century when it became connected with horse racing. The 19th century saw the introduction of steam-powered rides and all the fun of the fair, however events were downscaled as a result of World War II. Rector Noel Gwilliam was responsible for initiating the feast format as we know it today and encouraging an emphasis on the religious aspects. 2005 marked the 50th anniversary since former ward councilor John Mawston became involved with Houghton Feast.

Today
Houghton-le-Spring's main shopping areas are located in Newbottle Street, Mautland Square, Grey Street, the Broadway and Sunderland Street which include a Co-operative, a library, the post office and various other outlets including a computer repair shop. Pubs in Houghton-le-Spring include the White Lion, Houghton Comrades, the Copt Hill, the Mill, the Burn, the Britannia and the Wild Boar which is part of the Wetherspoons chain.

Houghton's Newbottle Street now includes a B&M Bargains superstore, and two fashion stores in Store 21 and JD Fashions. Unfortunately, two shops closed down in Newbottle Street: Best Wishes (a card and sweet shop) and the Games Emporium (a games, sweet and DIY shop). There is also an Italian Restaurant: 'Avanti' (formerly the Golden Lion Pub), Heron's Frozen Food, two fruit shops, Subway, various takeaway outlets, and three charity shops - Macmillan, the Children's Society and St. Benedict's Hospice. On top of that, Greggs: the Bakers and a Coopland's Bakers, which took over the former Peter's Store in early 2013. There are two banks - Lloyds (formerly Lloyds TSB pre-2013) and Barclays. Two chemists and several barber shops are also in Houghton.

Speedway racing was staged at the racecourse. Contemporary newspaper reports indicate the sport was staged in 1930 but it may have operated at other times. Horse racing last featured at the site in 1938 owing to the outbreak of the Second World War the following year, and was replaced with greyhound racing.

Nowadays, locals often travel the short distance to the Durham Wildlife Trust reserve at Joe's Pond between Chilton Moor and East Rainton for walks and relaxation.

Kepier School is the main secondary school serving the town. It is the modern successor to the original school founded by Bernard Gilpin in 1574.

Houghton Dance & Performing Arts Academy (originally Eazy-E's School of rap) announced a new name "ZAZZ" in January 2010. The academy is housed in Empire House which was the original Empire Cinema in Houghton le Spring. Nowadays Zazz hosts many theatre productions throughout the year.

Houghton and district round table will hosting their 4th annual beer festival on May 8th-9th which keeps getting better every year. Their first festival began as an idea of one of their members involved with CAMRA as a way to raise funds for very worthy local causes such as funding an Olympic hopeful, donations to the Bobby Robson Foundation and the Great North Air Ambulance. Their chosen charities this year are again the Great North Air Ambulance and Blood Bikes, all of the money raised goes straight to the charities as they have no expenditure and they have already raised £10000 so far. The weekend promises live music and lots of real ale particularly from local brewers, CAMRA Tyne and Wear will be providing support to make sure the weekend goes smoothly.

Famous people from Houghton-le-Spring

 * Bernard Gilpin (1517-1583), Apostle of the North, was associated with the town.
 * William Sancroft, later Archbishop of Canterbury, briefly held the living of Houghton-le-Spring in 1661-1662.
 * William Shanks, famous amateur mathematician, worked out the value of π to 707 decimals 9 of which the first 527 were correct) while living in Houghton. He died is 1882 and was buried in the town.
 * Linden Travers (1913-2001), actress.
 * Trevor Horn, music producer.
 * Paul Mullen, musician.
 * David "Jaff" Craig, musician, from rock band The Futureheads.
 * Gordon Scurfield, biologist.
 * Shelia Quigley, novelist.
 * David Knight, footballer.
 * Charlotte Crosby, reality television star, currently appears in the MTV reality TV show Geordie Shore.
 * Michael Adams, presenter.
 * Labour Party MP Jonathan Reynolds, MP.