WHITBURN, SOUTH TYNESIDE

'Whitburn' is a village on the coast of North East England, in South Tyneside between Seaburn and Marsden.

Contents

Etymology

A Brief History

Features

People from Whitburn

External links

Etymology

This Whitburn has a different origin to the one in Lothian: it means "white barn or house " from Old English ''hwit'' "white" and ''bere-ærn'' "barn". A record of the name as ''Wituberne'' in 1182 proves this.

A Brief History

Whitburn is listed in the "Boldon Buke" of 1183 as "Whitbern" and was probably a Saxon settlement. It was a fairly undisturbed settlement until 1718 when the Land Enclosure Act came into force and a number of farms were created . The settlement was isolated as no roads connected to it, but there was a path on Sea Lane (now East Street ) connecting it to Whitburn Bents, a nearby hamlet. Not until 1866 was a road built over the sandunes to Fulwell, in North Sunderland. In 1874 Marsden Pit was sunk and the community increased dramatically as a result. Whitburn Colliery closed in 1968, and the land is now a coastal park and nature reserve.

Features

Whitburn has retained its village character, with its main street, parish church and cricket ground. It has two newsagents in the centre of the village, as well as a butchers shop, an off-license, a hairdressers, a cafe, a very fine fish and chip shop, two pubs and a beautiful park with bowling greens and tennis courts. There are also a growing number of specialist outlets such as East Nineteen, a home furnishings and coffee shop, Roots and Shoots which specialises in organic produce, and Whitburn Hobbies which offers a wide range of radio controlled vehicles. Whitburn also has a Secondary School - Whitburn Church of England School. Work on the new "super-school" building will begin soon. Whitburn also has a beach, and fantastic cliffs.
It is generally accepted that Lewis Carroll wrote ''The Walrus and the Carpenter'' while holidaying at his cousins' house in Whitburn. A statue of Carroll is in the library.
South Tyneside Council took ownership of Whitburn mill in 1960 from the Church Commissioners. The buildings is listed (Grade 2) as it is considered to be of special architectural and historically importance and is protected therefore by the requirements of the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.
In 1991/1992 South Tyneside Council undertook a restoration project of the mill for which it was awarded the Civic Trust Award.
There are three schools in Whitburn - Whitburn Primary School, Marsden Primary School and The Church of England Secondary School. The school is highly recognised throughout the region for its excellent exam results. As a result, the school brings in children from miles around.

People from Whitburn

★ George Farrow - footballer, member of Blackpool's 1953 FA Cup-winning side.

External links

★ History of Mining at Whitburn from the Durham Mining Museum

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★ Photographs of Whitburn, old and new from the Whitburn Local History Group