Cramlington is a town and civil parish in the county of Northumberland, North East England, situated north of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. The town's name suggests a probable founding by the Danes or an Anglo-Saxon origin, the word "ton" meaning town. The population was estimated as 39,000 in 2004.

History

The first record of the Manor of Cramlington is from a mention in 1135 when the land was granted to Nicholas de Grenville. A register of early chaplains begins with John the Clerk of Cramlington (c.1163-1180). The register continues to the present day.

From the 12th Century onwards, its history has been mostly rural incorporating several farms and the parish church of St. Nicholas (built at a cost of £3,000 during 1865-1868 in the Gothic style). During the early 19th Century, coal mining with several mine shafts in the immediate vicinity (the first was sunk in 1824) began to change that. It remained small, however, until 1964 when it was proclaimed a New Town and developers such as William Leech and J.T. Bell developed large housing estates. Those estates have since been named Beaconhill, Collingwood, Eastfield, Mayfield, Nelson Village, Shankhouse, Southfield, and Whitelea and the town has effectively become a dormitory town of the much larger city to its south.

During World War I, the North East of England was protected by the No. 36 Home Defence Squadron. The squadron was formed at Cramlington on 1 February 1916 by Capt. R. O. Abercromby, with Cramlington subsequently becoming an important base for military planes and airships. A reference to Cramlington airfield is made in W. E. Johns 1935 book The Black Peril from the extremely popular Biggles series.

Economy

There are several large industrial zones in Cramlington, most to the town's north-west, housing major pharmaceutical companies including Merck Sharp and Dohme. Other growing chemical companies including Aesica Pharmaceuticals are also present. The Officers Club menswear firm has its headquarters in Cramlington.

The Manor Walks shopping centre was constructed in the centre of the town in the 1970s, and was subsequently expanded in the mid-1990s and in 2003/4. The centre now includes retailers such as Argos, Asda, Boots, Next and Sainsbury's.

Provisional permissions were recently given to an open cast mining operation to the north-west of the town, however the fine detail of how much coal is to be extracted has yet to be agreed. As of July 2006, it now appears mining will not go ahead.

Landmarks

Plessey Woods Country Park lies just to the north of Cramlington, with the River Blyth flowing through the country park.

Transport

The town is served by Cramlington railway station, with services to the MetroCentre, Morpeth and Newcastle upon Tyne provided by Northern Rail. Cramlington has an extensive bus service which is provided by Arriva Northumbria, including a number of express services to Newcastle upon Tyne.

Cramlington also has good road transport links, being situated between the A1, A19 and A189 roads. In common with many New Towns, Cramlington is also notable for its many roundabouts.

Education

Until September 2008, all schools in Northumberland operated under a three tier system, however, following a decision to convert the county to a two tier system, Cramlington was chosen as one of the first towns to complete this.

Prior to the closure of the area's many middle schools, some primary schools relocated to the former middle school sites. This will allow disused sites and land to be sold to housing developers and other parties.

There had been concern from local residents over traffic and parking arrangements at the new sites.

Cramlington Learning Village

In September 2008 Cramlington Community High School was renamed Cramlington Learning Village in line with the transfer from three to two tiers. The village has three sections: a Junior Learning Village (for Years 7 and 8), a Senior Learning Village (for Years 9 to 11) and an Advanced Learning Village (for Years 12 and 13).

Religious sites

Cramlington has a number of churches of various denominations:

Methodist

• Doxford Place Methodist Church
• Welcome Methodist Church (formerly Station Terrace Methodist Church)

Church of England

• St. Nicholas Parish Church
• St. Andrew's (a plant from St. Nicholas in the Beaconhill area of the town)
• St. Peter's (a plant from St. Nicholas in the Northburn area of the town)

Catholic

• St. Paul's

Others

• Church of the Nazarene
• Frontline

Leisure

Cramlington's main leisure centre, Concordia, is situated in the town centre adjacent to the shopping mall and was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1977. It consists of a leisure pool, originally designed as an indoor tropical paradise, indoor football pitches, tennis, badminton and squash courts, as well as a climbing wall. It also features a gymnasium, sauna, bowling green, and bar. 2008 sees a number of improvements to the centre to bring it in line with the current Disability Discrimination laws in England.

As part of the new town design, the town has a large cycle path network. A cycle route also connects the town to the nearest beach, in Blyth. As of late March 2007, Blyth Valley council have announced that the cycle network is to be extended to allow access to the neighbouring town of Bedlington.

The village square is home to no fewer than four public houses, including the Grade II listed Blagdon Arms.

Notable residents

• Ross Noble, comedian, comes from Cramlington.
• Sting briefly was a first schoolteacher at St Paul's First School.
• Charles Fenwick, Trade Unionist, was born in the town.
• Ray Stevenson, actor, grew up in Cramlington.

Sport

• Footballers Alan Shearer, Steven Taylor and Peter Ramage started their careers playing for Cramlington Juniors F.C..
• Joe Brown, football player in the 1940s and 50s, Burnley F.C. manager
• James Brown, Hartlepool United striker was born in Cramlington
• Jimmy Isaac, footballer in the 1930s and 40s for Huddersfield Town, born in Cramlington.
• Graeme Owens, winger with Middlesbrough FC was born in Cramlington
• Andy Sinton, former Sheffield Wednesday and Spurs footballer was born in Cramlington
• Roger Uttley, former England national Rugby Union player was a sports teacher at Cramlington High School
• Gary Robson, professional darts player born and lives in Cramlington.
• Peter Haddock, professional football player lived in Cramlington. Most notable for playing for Leeds United, he also played for Newcastle United and Burnley

References

1. Revised Opencast Plans - Northumberland County Council
2. BBC NEWS | England | Tyne | Sculpture and pit plans scrapped
3. Site visits to schools as residents raise issues - News Post Leader

External links

• History of the No. 36 Home Defence squadron
• Northumberland Communities Photos and maps of Cramlington from 1610-1910.