Eastgate, County Durham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eastgate |
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 Eastgate
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| Population | 163 (2001 census) |
| OS grid reference | NY951389 |
| Civil parish | |
| Unitary authority |
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| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Bishop Auckland |
| Postcode district | DL13 |
| Police | Durham |
| Fire | County Durham and Darlington |
| Ambulance | North East |
| EU Parliament | North East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Eastgate is a small village in County Durham, England. It is found in a beautiful area called Weardale, a few miles west of Stanhope. In 2001, about 163 people lived there.
Eastgate was once the eastern edge of a huge private hunting park. This park belonged to the powerful Prince Bishops of Durham. It was almost as big as the famous New Forest royal hunting park.
Contents
Discovering Eastgate
A Village with History
Eastgate has a long and interesting past. To its west, you can find traces of old medieval sites. These include what might have been a hunting lodge and a small settlement.
Ancient Hunting Grounds
One suspected hunting lodge was near a place called Round Hill. Another settlement, Westerhopeburn, might have been a shelter for hunters. These places were used when people had rights to graze animals in the park. They might have been left empty around 1458.
The hunting lodge at Cambokeels might also have been part of these old estates. Digging there showed a building with five rooms. Pottery and old coins suggest people lived there between 1430 and 1460. Some pottery also shows it was used again in the 1500s. People think this was a hunting lodge for the Bishops of Durham.
Old Buildings and Churches
A Wesleyan Methodist chapel was built in Eastgate in 1826. It later became a schoolroom when a new chapel was built in 1891. The Anglican church, All Saints, was built in 1888. There was also an older church nearby that was active in 1828. The Cross Keys public house, a local pub, was built a long time ago, between the early and late 1700s.
Important People from Eastgate
Eastgate is also known for some famous people. William Emerson, a brilliant mathematician, had a home near Eastgate. He would spend his summers there working on many different projects. These included things like stonemasonry and even watchmaking!
Another important person born in the village was Emerson Muschamp Bainbridge. He was the person who started the world's very first department store!
The Geothermal Energy Project
In 2004, there were big plans for Eastgate. A hot geothermal power plant was going to be built. This plant would use heat from deep inside the Earth. The idea was to heat the UK's first "model village" using this energy. It was called the Eastgate Renewable Energy Village.
What is Geothermal Energy?
However, the plan for the village didn't happen. Instead, a large outdoor set was built on the site. This was for filming the TV show Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands, which came out in 2016.
Scientists drilled a special hole in 2004 to explore for hot water. This was the first time such a hole was drilled in the UK for over 20 years. They found that the water was 46.2 degrees Celsius at a depth of 995 metres (about 3,264 feet). Experts thought that if they drilled deeper, to about 1,800 metres (about 5,900 feet), the water would be even hotter, around 75–80 degrees Celsius. There would also be enough water to use, similar to another geothermal project in Southampton.
The Weardale Railway
The plans for the energy village also included building a special train station. This station would have been the end point, or terminus, for the Weardale Railway. This railway currently runs between Bishop Auckland and Stanhope.
