Urpeth (Urpeth Grange) is a village in County Durham, England.[1] It is situated a short distance from Ouston and Beamish, near the border with Tyne and Wear. The parish population taken at the 2011 census was 3,630.[2]
Urpeth started its life as a coal mining area with multiple seams of coal being mined from various locations around the current housing estate. Urpeth Colliery was owned by the Birtley Iron Company and during its heyday employed 300 men and boys. The on site coke ovens produced up to 470 tons of coke each day.
Geographically Urpeth is situated to the west of Ouston and is surrounded by fields and rolling hills to the west and south, much of which is farmland and greenbelt land. There are some beautiful walks to be had, leading towards Kibblesworth to the north west, through farmland and the Bowes Nature Reserve, towards High Urpeth and onwards to Beamish to the south west, through farmland following the river Team and Urpeth Burn. A hill, which separates Urpeth from Ouston, was formed from the coal spoils from both the Ouston and Urpeth collieries. The hill provides local children with an area for sledging during winter and dog walkers throughout the year. This area is frequented by local wildlife, such as deer, rabbits, hedgehogs, squirrels, moles and numerous species of birds. The fields are open grassland with wooded borders, with a small stream (tributary to the larger river Team) running through the woodland, a further children's play area, closer to Ouston than Urpeth, with various paved walkways, one being lit with streetlights, connecting Urpeth to Ouston.
There are currently two main businesses run within Urpeth which is the 'shop' (currently an Evri Parcel Shop) selling household conveniences, sweets, drinks (including off-license) and newspapers, and The Cherry Tree pub. The Cherry Tree is popular with locals, dog walkers, as it is very dog-friendly (dog treats and water bowels available) and families. There is a good children's play area in the enclosed rear of the pub. The staff are fantastic and there are numerous music nights on weekends and bank holiday weekends.
Urpeth was once host to a controversial landfill site to the south west of its main location. The site was used for the disposal of low level radioactive waste along with three other sites at Kibblesworth, Ryton and Cowpen Bewley.[3] However, since the late 1990s the site was closed and a methane burner sits on the site.