Corbridge

Not to be confused with Cobridge.
Corbridge

Market Place, Corbridge town centre
Corbridge
 Corbridge shown within Northumberland
Population 3,672 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceNY990646
Shire countyNorthumberland
RegionNorth East
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town CORBRIDGE
Postcode district NE45
Dialling code 01434
Police Northumbria
Fire Northumberland
Ambulance North East
EU Parliament North East England
UK ParliamentHexham
List of places
UK
England
Northumberland

Coordinates: 54°58′30″N 2°01′01″W / 54.975°N 2.017°W / 54.975; -2.017 

Corbridge is a village in Northumberland, England, 16 miles (26 km) west of Newcastle and 4 miles (6 km) east of Hexham. Villages nearby include Halton, Acomb, Aydon and Sandhoe.


History

Etymology

Known to the Romans as something like Corstopitum or Coriosopitum, wooden writing tablets found at Vindolanda suggest it was probably locally called Coria (meaning a tribal centre). According to Bethany Fox, the early attestations of the English name Corbridge 'show variation between Cor- and Col-, as in the earliest two forms, Corebricg and Colebruge, and there has been extensive debate about what its etymology may be. Some relationship with the Roman name Corstopitum seems clear, however'.[2]

Roman fort and town

The Stanegate, Corbridge Roman Site
Main article: Coria (Corbridge)

Coria was the most northerly town in the Roman Empire, lying at the junction of Stanegate and Dere Street.

The first fort was established c. AD 85, although there was a slightly earlier base nearby at Beaufront Red House. By the middle of the 2nd century AD, the fort was replaced by a town with two walled military compounds, which were garrisoned until the end of the Roman occupation of the site. The best-known finds from the site include the stone Corbridge Lion and the Corbridge Hoard of armour and sundry other items. In Rudyard Kipling's Puck of Pook's Hill, the town of Hunno on the Wall, is probably based on Corstopitum.

The Roman Town is now managed by English Heritage on behalf of HM Government. The site has been largely excavated and features a large museum and shop. The fort is the top-rated attraction in Corbridge and is open daily between 10 and 6 in the summer and at weekends between 10 and 4 in the winter.

Buildings

St Andrew's parish church

The Church of England parish church of Saint Andrew is thought to have been consecrated in 676. Saint Wilfrid is supposed to have had the church built at the same time as Hexham Abbey. It has been altered several times since, with a Norman doorway, and a lychgate built as a First World War memorial. The Church is built largely from stone taken from Hadrian's Wall, and the entrance to the Church is through glass doors given by Rowan Atkinson (Blackadder and Mr. Bean) and etched in memory of his mother. (Information obtained during a recent visit to the town and the Church.)

There are only three fortified vicarages in the county, and one of these is in Corbridge. Built in the 14th century, the Vicar's Pele is to be found in the south-east corner of the churchyard, and has walls 1.3 metres (4 ft) in thickness. The register for St. Andrews dates from 1657. Later on in the town's history, Wesleyan, Primitive and Free Methodist chapels were all built too.

Corbridge Low Hall

Even older than the Vicar's Pele is Corbridge Low Hall, dating from the late 13th or early 14th century with one end converted to a pele tower in the 15th century. The main block was remodelled in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the building restored c1890.[3]

A number of fine Victorian mansions were developed on Prospect Hill to house successful industrialists and local businessmen in the late 19th century.

Border warfare

Corbridge suffered, as did many other settlements in the county, from the border warfare which was particularly prevalent between 1300 and 1700. Raids were commonplace, and it was not unusual for the livestock to be brought into the town at night and a watch placed to guard either end of the street for marauders. A bridge over the Tyne was built in the 13th century, but this original has not survived. The present bridge, an impressive stone structure with seven arches, was erected in 1674.

Governance

Corbridge is in the parliamentary constituency of Hexham. An electoral ward of the same name exists. This ward includes Corbridge and Sandhoe. It had a total population taken at the 2011 census of 4,191.[4]


Transport

Corbridge is bypassed to the north by the A69 road, linking it to Newcastle and Carlisle. It is also linked to Newcastle and the A1 by the A695 which passes about 1 mile (1.6 km) away on the south side of the River Tyne.

Railway
Corbridge railway station

The town is served by Corbridge railway station on the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, also known as the Tyne Valley Line. The line was opened in 1838, and links the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear with Carlisle in Cumbria. The line follows the course of the River Tyne through Northumberland.

Passenger services on the Tyne Valley Line are operated by Northern Rail and First ScotRail. The line is also heavily used for freight.

The railway station is about 1 mile (1.6 km) away on the south side of the River Tyne.


Fairs and shows

Stagshaw Bank Fair, traditionally held on 4 July, was one of the most famous of the country fairs. It included a huge sale of stock, and was proclaimed each year by the bailiff to the Duke of Northumberland. Today the Northumberland County Show, an agricultural event, is held in the fields outside Corbridge each year, a very popular rural event, drawing people from all over Northumberland as well as further afield.

Fastlane Show

The Fastlane show is a supercar show which exhibits supercars from around the world.

Corbridge Steam Fair and Vintage Rally

The Corbridge Steam Fair and Vintage Rally is held every year in June to celebrate steam engines. There are also classic cars, trucks and tractors.

Notable people

Born at Corbridge
Lived at Corbridge

References

  1. ↑ "Parish population 2011". Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  2. ↑ Bethany Fox, 'The P-Celtic Place-Names of North-East England and South-East Scotland', The Heroic Age, 10 (2007), http://www.heroicage.org/issues/10/fox.html (appendix at http://www.heroicage.org/issues/10/fox-appendix.html).
  3. ↑ Corbridge Low Hall at British Listed Buildings Online
  4. ↑ "Ward population 2011". Retrieved 27 June 2011.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Corbridge.
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Corbridge.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Corbridge.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, April 15, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.