Hetton-le-Hole facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hetton-le-Hole |
|
|---|---|
| Town and Civil parish | |
 Front Street, Hetton-le-Hole |
|
 Hetton-le-Hole
|
|
| Population | 14,402 |
| OS grid reference | NZ354474 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HOUGHTON LE SPRING |
| Postcode district | DH5 |
| Dialling code | 0191 |
| Police | Northumbria |
| Fire | Tyne and Wear |
| Ambulance | North East |
| EU Parliament | North East England |
| UK Parliament |
|
Hetton-le-Hole is a town in Tyne and Wear, England. It is part of the City of Sunderland. The town is located in the historic County Durham. Main roads like the A182 pass through Hetton-le-Hole. It connects to nearby places like Houghton-le-Spring and Easington Lane.
The area around Hetton-le-Hole is called a civil parish. This parish includes Hetton itself, along with villages like Easington Lane and Warden Law. It also covers East Rainton, Middle Rainton, Low Moorsley, and High Moorsley. In 2001, about 14,402 people lived in this parish.
You might notice some tall structures near Hetton-le-Hole. These are wind turbines at Great Eppleton Wind Farm. They use wind power to create electricity for the National Grid. The first turbines had two blades, but they have been replaced with larger, three-bladed ones. They are far enough away from homes, so they don't make much noise.
Contents
The Story of Hetton-le-Hole
The history of Hetton-le-Hole goes back over a thousand years! The town's name comes from two very old words. These Anglo-Saxon words were "Heppedune," which means "Bramble Hill." A local family, the "le Hepdons," owned some of the land and took this name.
The ancient area was split into two parts: Hetton-on-the-Hill and Hetton-in-the-Hole. The village grew in Hetton-in-the-Hole because it was more sheltered. Records show who owned the land as far back as the 1300s. For example, William de Hepdon owned half the land in 1363. Even older papers from 1187 talk about the early village of Heppedune. They mention its people, homes, and farming lands.
Mining for Coal
By 1896, Hetton-le-Hole was a busy mining village. It was known for its coal. The village itself covered about 512 acres and had a population of 5,000 people.
People have been digging for coal in this area since Roman times. Back then, they used "drift mining," which meant digging into the side of a hill. By the 1300s, they started using shafts to dig deeper.
In 1819, the Hetton Coal Company was started. They began digging their first mine shaft a year later. Many experts doubted if they would find valuable coal there. The company also decided to build a special railway, called a wagonway. This wagonway would carry coal from the new Hetton mine to the River Wear at Sunderland.
George Stephenson, a famous engineer, was hired to build this 8-mile (13 km) railway. It was very special because it was the first railway to use no animal power at all! Trains went down hills using gravity. On flat or uphill parts, they used steam locomotives. These methods were used until 1959, and some of the original machines were still working.
Sadly, this railway was also the site of one of the earliest railway accidents. In 1831, two ministers were walking on the wagonway. They moved to avoid one set of wagons but didn't see another set coming from the other direction. It was a very unfortunate event.
Because of the mines, Hetton-le-Hole grew very quickly. Over 200 houses were built for the miners and their families. Most of these houses are gone now. However, twelve of these old mining cottages were carefully moved and rebuilt. You can see them at the Beamish Open Air Museum near Chester-le-Street.
The UK miners' strike (1984–1985) was a very tough time for many mining families. Local bands even recorded a song to help raise money for them. The song was called 'Knocking on Hetton's Floor'. It sold over 1000 copies, showing how much local communities supported the miners.
The Hetton Colliery mine closed in 1950. Elemore Colliery closed in 1974, and Eppleton Colliery closed in 1986. Today, you won't see any mines in Hetton. The old mine areas have been changed. Some are now lakes and places for fun activities. The Eppleton Colliery site is now a landscaped area. It has the Hetton Centre, which used to be the miners' welfare building. It also has the Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground. This is where the Sunderland A.F.C. Women and Sunderland Under-23s football teams play their home games. There is also a quarry nearby where sand is dug.
In 2006, the old St Nicholas' Church in Front Street was destroyed by fire. It was a very old building and was known for its special design.
Hetton's Local Government
Hetton-le-Hole became a "civil parish" in 1866. A civil parish is a local area with its own council. On April 1, 1937, the parish of "Hetton-le-Hole" joined with other nearby areas. These included East Rainton, Great Eppleton, Little Eppleton, Moorsley, and Pittington. Together, they formed a new, larger parish simply called "Hetton." In 1931, the original "Hetton-le-Hole" parish had a population of 17,665 people.
Famous People from Hetton-le-Hole
Many talented people have come from Hetton-le-Hole!
- Terence Burns, Baron Burns: A well-known economist. An economist studies how money and resources are used.
Sports Stars
Hetton-le-Hole has produced many great sports players, especially in football!
- Thomas Adey: A former football player.
- Allan Ball: Another former football player. He is also an honorary director for the Queen of the South football club.
- Ralph Coates: A former football player who played for teams like Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur.
- Jordan Cook: A footballer who plays for Hartlepool United.
- Bobby Cram: A former football player for West Bromwich Albion and Colchester United.
- Tommy Harland: A former cricketer. Cricket is a popular bat-and-ball game.
- Bob Paisley: A very famous former football player and manager for Liverpool.
- Harry Potts: A former football player and manager for Burnley.
- Bryan "Pop" Robson: A former footballer who played for Sunderland and Newcastle United.
Music Makers
Hetton-le-Hole is also home to musical talent!
- Trevor Horn: A famous record producer and recording artist. He helps create music for many artists.
- Albert H. Oswald (1879–1929): A composer who wrote light music.
