91-600: The Northumberland Line is a railway project under construction in North East England ; it is aimed at reintroducing passenger rail services to freight-only lines in South East Northumberland . Under the scheme, a new passenger service will link some of Northumberland's major population centres in Ashington and Blyth to the nearby city of Newcastle upon Tyne . Construction of new stations and works to upgrade
182-598: A business growth fund to help small and medium-sized businesses (SMES). Businesses investing in the region are supported by the Local Enterprise Partnerships of Tees Valley (part of the TVCA ) and the North East. Both these organisations manage enterprise zones (Invest North East England and Tees Valley Business) to encourage new business investors. There are also several Industry and Business led Cluster bodies in
273-499: A castle, Morpeth and the traditional seaside town of Newbiggin . Workless claimants as registered jobseekers, with high male unemployment , which is widespread but exacerbated in the area, in November 2012, was higher than the national average of 3.8%, at 6.2% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian . This was marginally higher than the then regional average of 5.9%. The seat alternated in accordance with
364-429: A new National Rail platform adjacent to the existing Northumberland Park Metro station . Just east of Northumberland Park station, the new passenger service will leave the current Metro line corridor, following the freight line as it curves away to the north towards Northumberland. Passing along this freight line, it will proceed to serve the following new or reopened stations, from south to north: Once in operation, it
455-619: A result of abundant minerals such as salt and coal, the chemical industry of the Northeast England is today spread across the whole of the region, with pharmaceuticals being primarily produced in the north of the region, speciality and fine chemicals spread across the middle of the region and commodity chemicals and petrochemicals on Teesside. These companies are members of the Northeast of England Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC). The early chemical industry in this region, however,
546-559: A secondary concern, passenger services had been operated on this network since the 1840s, but this traffic would greatly expand from the 1860s, when the company (and its successors) began to develop a network of commuter railways connecting the existing system to central Newcastle. Following the amalgamation of the B&;TR into the North Eastern Railway in 1874, the succeeding company incorporated these more southerly commuter railways into
637-576: A separate scheme. The planned new passenger service will begin at Newcastle , before heading north along the East Coast Main Line to Benton Junction, with an intermediate stop at the existing Manors station . At Benton Junction, Northumberland Line trains will join the existing freight line, which parallels the Yellow Line of the Tyne and Wear Metro , past Palmersville Metro station , before calling at
728-548: A strong religious past, as can be seen in works such as the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle . The works of Cuthbert (634–687 AD), Bede (673–735 AD) and Hilda of Whitby (614–680 AD) were hugely influential in the early church, and are still venerated by some today. These saints are usually associated with the monasteries on the island of Lindisfarne , Wearmouth-Jarrow , and
819-451: A £40 million contract to undertake detailed design and construction works for the new stations and footbridges, as well as the major track upgrade works associated with the project. Following the aforementioned granting of the Transport and Works Act Order and most of the required planning permissions, main-stage construction work was reported as having begun by late August 2022, ahead of
910-568: Is also the English stronghold of black grouse and contains 80–90% of the UK population of yellow marsh saxifrage . The Magnesian Limestone grasslands of East Durham are a unique habitat not found anywhere else in the world which is particularly important to many species of butterfly and moths. The Northeast of England also features woodland such as Kielder Forest , the largest man-made forest in Europe. This
1001-499: Is an organisation created in the region to share knowledge and best practice between membership based business support organisations in the Northeast of England. The Forum creates a single voice for business when this is needed. This business led forum also links its member organisations to wider business issues, both locally and nationally, through the local and national business membership organisations that are also represented. Members of
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#17328446915501092-416: Is anticipated that the new passenger service will run every 30 minutes between 6:00 am and 7:30 pm Monday to Saturday, with hourly services provided in the evenings and all-day on Sundays. It is predicted that the new passenger service will have an end-to-end journey time of 36 minutes. North East England North East England is one of nine official regions of England at
1183-574: Is located within Northumberland National Park and contains an important habitat for the endangered red squirrel . The North East has the smallest population of all English regions. The North East with Scotland , the South West of England, Wales and Northern Ireland are the British regions to have seen the least immigration in over 50 years. The Northeast of England as a region has
1274-409: Is often low by English standards, in spite of the low levels of sunshine, with Stockton-on-Tees averaging only 574.2 millimetres (22.61 in) annually, and with the seaside town of Tynemouth (despite its slightly sunnier climate) recording 597.2 millimetres (23.51 in) annually. The summers on the northern coastlines are significantly cooler than in the southern and central inland areas: Tynemouth
1365-502: Is only just above 18 °C (64 °F) in July. Further inland, frosts during winter are more common, due to the higher elevations and distance from the sea. The region has a diverse landscape that includes maritime cliffs and extensive moorland that contains a number of rare species of flora and fauna . Of particular importance are the saltmarshes of Lindisfarne , the Tees Estuary ,
1456-546: Is the UK region with lowest cost of living per household. The 2023 data shows that for the first time since 2010 renting is now 11.3% cheaper than owning a mortgaged property in the North East. Businesses in Northeast England are supported by the North East Chamber of Commerce. The North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) is based in Durham and has active sub committees working in all sub regions. To further encourage SMEs in
1547-537: The 2009 European election , Labour got 25% of the region's vote, the Conservatives 20%, the Liberal Democrats 18%, and UK Independence Party 15%. However, in recent years, the North East has seen a significant swing away from Labour. In the 2019 election, many constituencies were targeted by the Conservatives and their representation increased to 10 MPs. The region wide vote shares were 43% for Labour and 38% for
1638-547: The Blyth and Tyne Railway system, a once-extensive railway network that historically covered much of South East Northumberland. Most of the lines being utilised as part of this project have been without passenger services since 1964, when they were withdrawn as part of the Beeching cuts . The Blyth and Tyne Railway (B&TR) was incorporated in 1853 to unify several small independent railways and waggonways that had been constructed in
1729-654: The Health and Safety Executive and remains the foundation of this area of English law. The constituency was held solely by Labour since its recreation, presenting a safe seat . However, in 2019 - in line with the huge swing in their favour in traditional Labour seats in the North and Midlands - the Conservatives reduced the Labour majority to an unprecedentedly low three-figure total. General Election 1914–15 : Another General Election
1820-593: The National Coal Board (and Lord Robens) and oversaw substantial cuts in the mining industry. During this period he co-authored the Robens Report that followed his difficult but practical risk management of the coal mining sector, including accepting some culpability in the Aberfan Disaster . This led, with the ministry of Barbara Castle 's adjustments, to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 which set up
1911-691: The North Atlantic Current of the Gulf Stream . The Met Office operates several weather stations in the region and are able to show the regional variations in temperature and its relation to the distance from the North Sea . The warmest summers in the region are found in Stockton-on-Tees and the Middlesbrough area, with a 1981–2010 July average high of 20.4 °C (68.7 °F). Precipitation
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#17328446915502002-476: The North Tyneside Loop which, in 1904, was electrified. Faced with declining patronage during the first half of the 20th century, passenger services were withdrawn from the more northerly parts of the network (serving Blyth, Bedlington, Ashington and Newbiggin) on 30 July 1964 as part of the Beeching cuts , but much of this part of the system was retained for mineral traffic serving local collieries. While
2093-623: The Tees Valley Combined Authority in 2016. The region is generally hilly and sparsely populated in the North and West, and urban and arable in the East and South. The highest point in the region is The Cheviot , in the Cheviot Hills , at 815 metres (2,674 ft). The region contains the urban centres of Tyneside , Wearside , and Teesside and is noted for the rich natural beauty of its coastline, Northumberland National Park , and
2184-521: The Woodhorn Colliery Museum and Northumberland Archives ) with a potential end-to-end journey time of 37 minutes. After receiving the GRIP 2 study, NCC initially announced that it was proceeding with a GRIP 3 Study from Network Rail, but such a report was not commissioned at that time. Despite a change in the political leadership of Northumberland County Council following the 2017 local elections ,
2275-685: The heaths , bogs and traditional upland hay meadows of the North Pennines, and the Arctic-alpine flora of Upper Teesdale. The beauty of the Northumbrian coastline has led to its designation as an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) stretching 100 miles from Berwick-Upon-Tweed to the River Coquet estuary. Among the 290 bird species identified on the Farne Islands , is the rare seabird
2366-511: The roseate tern . One of the foremost bird sanctuaries and observatory for migratory and wading birds in the UK is now operated at "Saltholme" which is part of a wider site of special scientific interest called Seal Sands . The Saltholme reserve is managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). This project was pronounced as one of the best places to view birds by Bill Oddie ,
2457-589: The 1580s, but by the 16th century the industry had been eclipsed by South Shields on the Tyne. In 1894 the industry returned to Greatham with the establishment of the Greatham Salt and Brine Company by George Weddell. The works was later purchased by the famous salt-making company Cerebos in 1903. By the mid-20th century, Cerebos was owned by the food conglomerate Rank Hovis McDougall , and the factory closed in 2002. Wansbeck (UK Parliament constituency) Wansbeck
2548-701: The 1990s. Denis Murphy , the then Labour MP for Wansbeck , expressed support in the House of Commons in an adjournment debate in April 1999 and again in a debate in January 2007. The Railway Development Society (renamed Railfuture in 2000) endorsed the proposal in 1998. The South East Northumberland Rail User Group began a campaign to reopen the remaining freight lines between Benton Junction, Morpeth, Bedlington and Ashington in March 2005. In an effort to draw attention to their campaign,
2639-1048: The 2007 Indices of Deprivation (these indices have been updated in 2010 ). It takes many years for areas to become deprived, suggesting that the underlying causes of area-based deprivation are long-term such as: Industrial restructuring has disproportionately affected some communities and groups. In particular: The region's most deprived council districts, as measured by the LSOA data before County Durham and Northumberland became unitary authorities in 2007, are in descending order Easington (7th in England), Middlesbrough (9th), Hartlepool (23rd), Wear Valley (33rd), Sunderland (35th), Newcastle upon Tyne (37th), South Tyneside (38th), Wansbeck (46th), Redcar and Cleveland (50th), Gateshead (52nd), Sedgefield (54th), Derwentside (73rd), Blyth Valley (80th), and Stockton on Tees (98th). The least deprived council districts in 2007 were, in descending order, Tynedale, Castle Morpeth , Teesdale , then Alnwick . Since
2730-494: The 21st century was in the late 1990s as a result of the government's dispersal policy scheme that relocated asylum seekers and new arrivals throughout the country. In 2017, most migrants were non-EU born, and about 60,000 EU-born. North East England, together with Tweeddale, was the ancient British tribal kingdom of Bernicia (Bryneich) and is notable for providing the stable ancestry of its present indigenous population, which has been identified by DNA analysis to be an offshoot of
2821-470: The Abbey at Whitby , though they are also associated with many other religious sites in the region. Bede is regarded as the greatest Anglo-Saxon scholar. He worked at the monasteries of Wearmouth and Jarrow, translating some forty books on all areas of knowledge, including nature, history, astronomy, poetry and theological matters such as the lives of the saints. His best known work is " The Ecclesiastical History of
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2912-426: The April 2009 abolition of these four districts, Northumberland is the least deprived, followed by North Tyneside. Unemployment is a severe problem in the North East, where many children grow up in households where no adult works. in 2010 Easington had the highest rate in the country, as 40.3% of its households with children had no working adult, followed by Sedgefield with 34%. As of April 2013, youth unemployment in
3003-410: The B&TR system. It would have included reopening stations at Seaton Delaval , Bedlington , Newsham (for Blyth) and Ashington . In the early 2010s Northumberland County Council became interested in the reintroduction of passenger services onto remaining freight-only sections of the network. In June 2013 NCC commissioned Network Rail to complete a GRIP 1 study to examine the best options for
3094-586: The Conservatives, with the Brexit Party a distant third on 8%. In November 2004, a referendum on whether a directly elected regional assembly should be set up for North East England resulted in a decisive "no" vote. The number of people who voted against the plans was 696,519 (78%), while 197,310 (22%) voted in favour. John Prescott , the Deputy Prime Minister at the time, admitted that his plans for regional devolution had suffered an "emphatic defeat" to
3185-587: The English People ". One of the most famous pieces of art and literature created in the region is the Lindisfarne Gospels , thought to be the work of a monk named Eadfrith, who became Bishop of Lindisfarne in 698. This body of work is thought to have been created in honour of Cuthbert, around 710–720. In 793, the Vikings arrived on the shores of north-east England with a raiding party from Norway who attacked
3276-489: The GRIP 2 Study could be reduced by reducing the initial scope of the project, but the report failed to identify any feasible such cost or time savings. The county council has, however, continued to develop the project and hired AECOM and SLC Rail as contractors to develop the scheme on their behalf in 2018. On 8 February 2019, the council chartered a train from Northern that carried the then Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling and other dignitaries over part of
3367-801: The Industrial Revolution alkali was mostly used to aid the bleaching process of cloth. As the Industrial Revolution took hold, increasing demand for alkali came from higher production of dyestuffs, and bleach. In 1798 John Losh and the Earl of Dundonald took out a lease for a rich supply of brine pumped from a nearby coal mine, the Walker pit, becoming the supplier of raw material for The Losh, Wilson & Bell Alkali works. The works were established at Walker-on-Tyne in 1807 and bleaching powder manufacture began there in 1830, Losh Brothers soon manufactured half
3458-777: The North East of England to Export, the Northeast Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) has collaborated with the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) and RTC North Limited to create a jointly owned subsidiary company Go Global Limited to manage the contract they have to deliver the United Kingdom Trade & Investment (UKTI), Government funded, support products and programme for all business sectors in their region. The UKTI business support products, to help grow international trade, are focused on supporting individual SMEs to grow their exports and they also support Trade Missions to new markets. The Northern Business Forum
3549-549: The North East was 24.8%, with 51,000 out of work. In 2013, the Office for National Statistics report issued the statements highlighted in the table below: In November 2017 the region's employment dropped to 5.5%, the joint highest unemployment rate in the UK. In the ONS International Territorial Levels (ITL), North East England is a level-1 ITL region, coded "UKC", which is subdivided as follows: In 2013,
3640-567: The North Tyneside Loop into the electrified Tyne and Wear Metro . As part of this conversion, a parallel third freight line was added alongside the Loop's existing passenger lines between Benton Junction (where they meet the East Coast Main Line ) and the site of Backworth station (just east of the site of the modern Northumberland Park Metro station ) where the freight line towards Bedlington diverges. Nonetheless, remaining freight traffic on
3731-408: The Northeast, and if so, how deprived neighbourhoods can be better recognised. Secondly to present a summary of "what works" in tackling deprivation in each of these types of area. The report discusses the factors influencing deprivation and points out that it is a significant problem for the North East with 34% of the regions Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) are amongst England's 20% most deprived in
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3822-681: The Tyne includes the Port of Tyne North Estate, Swan Hunter in North Tyneside, and Neptune Yard in Newcastle. The zone was launched in April 2012. In that year another cluster of sites, composing the Blyth Estuary Renewable Energy Zone at Port of Blyth , was added to the zone. The enterprise zone contains ten sites over the three clusters, covering 115 hectares (280 acres) in total. After more than 2,000 years of industrial activity as
3913-580: The Wansbeck constituency. In 2009, a government reorganisation resulted in the abolition of all local government boroughs and districts in Northumberland and the establishment of the county as a unitary authority . However, this did not affect the constituency boundaries. Named after the River Wansbeck and former district of the same name, the seat had the visitor attractions of a historic main town with
4004-504: The anticipated launch of the new passenger service in December 2023. In the winter of 2023/2024, it was reported that despite services planning to begin in summer 2024, only Ashington , Newsham and Seaton Delaval would open at the start of services. It was likely that Bedlington , Blyth Bebside and Northumberland Park will not open until 2025. As of August 2024, the initial services and stations were delayed again to December 2024, with
4095-505: The authority continued to work towards the reintroduction of a passenger service onto the line, encouraged by the Department for Transport's (DfT) November 2017 report, A Strategic Vision for Rail , which named the line as a possible candidate for a future reintroduction of passenger services. Eventually, NCC commissioned a further interim study in November 2017 (dubbed GRIP 2B ) to determine whether high costs and long timescales identified in
4186-625: The change from raiding to settlement when it records that in 876 the Vikings "Shared out the land of the Northumbrians and they proceeded to plough and support themselves" The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria extended from the Scottish borders (then Pictish borders) at the Firth of Forth to the north, and to the south of York , its capital, down to the Humber. The last independent Northumbrian king from 947–8
4277-533: The conquest in 1080 by Robert Curthose , William the Conqueror's eldest son. The region has the following sub-divisions: Created in 1994, the region was defined as Northumberland , Tyne and Wear , County Durham and Cleveland . A 1996 local-government reform created ceremonial counties and unitary authorities, allowing districts to govern outside their designated counties. The reform also abolished Cleveland with it split between County Durham and North Yorkshire ,
4368-516: The constituency were distributed as follows: The majority of the constituency, including Morpeth, Ashington, and Newbiggin had comprised the bulk of the abolished constituency of Morpeth. Bedlington was transferred from Blyth. In the fifth periodic boundary review of parliamentary representation in Northumberland, which came into effect for the 2010 general election , the Boundary Commission for England recommended that no changes be made to
4459-496: The estimated number of conceptions to women aged under 18 in England and Wales in 2011 is the lowest since records began in 1969. Conception statistics include pregnancies that result in either one or more live births or stillbirths or a legal abortion. A comparison of rates across regions in England shows that the North East had the highest of under 18 conception rates in 2011, with 38.4 per thousand women aged 15–17. The South East had
4550-535: The existing rail infrastructure to bring it up to passenger-carrying standards was reported as having begun by late August 2022. The first anticipated launch date of the new passenger service was December 2023. However, this was pushed back, first to the summer of 2024 and then in August it changed to December, when three of the new stations will be opened. The rest of the stations will open in 2025. The new passenger service will run on lines which formerly constituted part of
4641-419: The first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It has three administrative levels below regional level: combined authorities , unitary authorities or metropolitan boroughs , and civil parishes . There are also multiple divisions without administrative functions; ceremonial counties , emergency services ( fire-and-rescue and police ), built-up areas and historic counties . The largest settlements in
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#17328446915504732-545: The former host of the BBC's Spring Watch Programme. In December 2012 he also presented the project with a prize as the UK's favorite National Lottery funded project. The seal colony at Seal Sands on the mouth of the River Tees is thriving and in 2013 had more than 60 harbour seals . This is the only breeding colony of this species on the northeast coast. " Rainton Meadows " is also a recently created bird-watching site. The region
4823-415: The forum include NECC, NEPIC, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Confederation of British Industry (CBI) North East, the Make UK Northern, The Institute of Directors (IOD) and RTC North. RTC North provide business expertise in specific growth areas such as product innovation, market research, technology transfer, commercialisation, business growth. North East Access to Finance (NEA2F) operates
4914-430: The group "Scotland, Cumbria and the North of Ireland", but not so closely related to the other peoples of the UK. In a 2022 study by Joscha Gretzinger et al., the population of North East England was found to be among the groups with the highest amount of Iron Age/Roman period British Isles-related ancestry, being on par with Cornish people in that regard. The Office for National Statistics in April 2013 report that
5005-402: The group chartered a Northern Rail Class 156 DMU to run three return trips along the lines on 7 June 2008, with the first train carrying local politicians and other key stakeholders, and the other two carrying fare-paying public passengers. In 2009, the Association of Train Operating Companies published a £34 million proposal to restore passenger services to the north-eastern part of
5096-762: The initial cost; the first phase, at an estimated £90 million, was to introduce an hourly passenger service to serve new or reopened stations at Northumberland Park, Newsham, Bedlington and Ashington and would have included some line-speed upgrades, extension of the double track section further to the south of Newsham, creation of turn-back facilities at Ashington and some level crossing upgrades or closures. Two further stations, at Seaton Delaval and Blyth Bebside (formerly dubbed Blyth Park & Ride ), and additional line-speed improvements were suggested for Phase 2, while Phase 3 would have delivered further line-speed and signalling improvements and Phase 4 would have created an additional passing-loop at Seaton Delaval so as to enable
5187-447: The latter county covers parts of two regions since. The region is mostly parished with some remaining unparished areas following the 1974 creation of the Cleveland districts, Darlington , Tyne and Wear districts, Derwentside and Wear Valley . The North East has a strong tendency to vote Labour . In the 2015 election , 47% of the electorate voted Labour, while 25% voted Conservative , 17% UKIP, 6% Liberal Democrat and 4% Green. At
5278-419: The line each year by 2034. The 2016 GRIP 2 study envisaged a project (at the time referred to as the Ashington, Blyth & Tyne Line ), at an estimated cost of £191 million, involving construction of new or reopened stations at Northumberland Park (for interchange with the Tyne and Wear Metro), either Seghill or Seaton Delaval, Newsham, Blyth Park & Ride , Bedlington, Ashington and Woodhorn (for
5369-403: The lowest rate for women aged under 18 in 2011 with 26.1 per thousand women aged 15–17. A study into social deprivation was published in 2010 to help the local partners developing a Regional Strategy for the North East better understand the factors influencing deprivation in the region. The study had two main aspects: Firstly to establish if there are different types of deprived neighbourhoods in
5460-421: The lowest rate of HIV infection in the UK, but has the highest rate of heart attacks among men and of lung cancer among women in England, along with the highest male lung cancer rate in the UK. In 2010, the region had the second highest trade union membership among UK men. Higher education students from the North East are most likely to pick a university in their home region. The last immigration wave before
5551-399: The main locations for the chemical industry such that in the 19th century, which led to a cluster of iron, soap and alkali manufacturing. By 1828 the alkali works had a large problem controlling emissions of hydrochloric acid fumes which devastated the neighbouring countryside. One solution was to build tall chimneys to drive the fumes further away and in 1833 the tallest chimney in England
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#17328446915505642-433: The monastic settlement on Lindisfarne. The monks fled or were slaughtered, and Bishop Higbald sought refuge on the mainland. A chronicler recorded: "On the 8th June, the harrying of the heathen miserably destroyed God's church by rapine and slaughter." There were three hundred years of Viking raids, battles and settlement until William the Conqueror defeated King Harold at Hastings in 1066. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle notes
5733-400: The national trend in strong mining communities outside of South Yorkshire , which as such saw significant early Labour support, and, in the 1931 and 1935 elections, led to a general transfer of loyalty to the Conservative Party , ushering in a return to Labour support at the next contested election in 1945. Alfred Robens represented the area in the Attlee ministry and towards the end of
5824-402: The necessary land to be purchased, detailed designs to be prepared and some early preparatory and site works to begin. In January 2021, it was anticipated that the UK Government would fund the remainder of the project cost, estimated at £166 million as of January 2021, once the final phase of design works were completed, but, as of June 2022, the release of the bulk of this funding
5915-414: The network gradually declined during the late 20th century as local collieries were closed. As of 2022, around five freight services a day were operating the branch, providing the biomass (former coal-fired) power station at Lynemouth , at the northern end of the line, with wood chips from the Port of Tyne . There have been proposals to reintroduce passenger services to part of the ex-B&TR system since
6006-409: The new stations to be constructed and the line upgraded to carry regular passenger services. The order was granted, subject to some modifications, on 27 June 2022. The first preliminary infrastructure works implemented as part of this project – renewal of 600 yards (550 m) of track near Newsham – were completed in June 2021. In August 2021, Morgan Sindall was awarded
6097-411: The no campaign, spearheaded by Dominic Cummings . Bernard Jenkin, the Conservative spokesman for the regions, said the vote would mean the end of plans for a North East Assembly. He told the BBC : "The whole idea of regional government has been blown out of the water by this vote". The former Association of North East Councils was based in Newcastle upon Tyne , and the preceding North East Assembly
6188-418: The project costs during a visit to the site of Bedlington station in January 2020 which was supplemented by an allocation of £10 million of funds from Northumberland County Council the following month. This funding enabled AECOM to begin detailed on-site ground investigation works in October 2020. The allocation of a further £34 million of UK Government funding for the project in January 2021 enabled
6279-479: The provision of a half-hourly service. Previously proposed stations at Woodhorn and Seghill had been dropped from the scheme by this time. In August 2020, it was reported that consideration was being given to merging the four proposed phases announced in 2019 into one and, as of June 2022, this combined option appeared to have been adopted. The then Minister for Railways , Chris Heaton-Harris , announced an initial UK Government grant of £1.5 million towards
6370-428: The region and a special exhibition based around the Roman Fort of Segedunum at Wallsend and the other forts along Hadrian's Wall are complemented by the numerous artifacts that are displayed in the Great North Museum Hancock in Newcastle. St. Peter's Church in Monkwearmouth , Sunderland and St. Pauls in Jarrow also hold significant historical value and have a joint bid to become a World Heritage Site. The area has
6461-403: The region are Newcastle upon Tyne , Middlesbrough , Sunderland , Gateshead , Darlington , Hartlepool and Durham . The region's historic importance is displayed by Northumberland's ancient castles, the two World Heritage Sites of Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle , and Hadrian's Wall , one of the frontiers of the Roman Empire . In fact, Roman archaeology can be found widely across
6552-586: The region had the highest proportion of Christians in Great Britain. A number of the region's settlements expanded from around priories, abbeys and monasteries. The latest statistical report from the Office for National Statistics comparing the North East of England to other regions of the United Kingdom, dated May 2012, states: The North East is the most affordable region in the UK. Figures from 2017 indicate it
6643-591: The region since the 18th century to enable efficient transport of coal from the South East Northumberland Coalfield to ports at Blyth and on the River Tyne . As coal production increased during the remainder of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the network of railway lines in this part of the region under the control of this company and its successors continued to expand, reaching what would become Ashington and Newbiggin by 1872. Though generally
6734-563: The region to network and engage companies on a sector basis and give local business-to-business advice and supply chain intelligence: the Northeast of England Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) (chemicals-polymers-pharmaceuticals-biotech), the Northern Offshore Federation (NOF) (energy and offshore engineering), Service Network (accountants-finance-law firms-HR) and Make UK (defence related engineering), Design Network North (DNN) (design issues for all sectors.) The Invest North East,
6825-412: The remainder of the surviving passenger network fared better, remaining passenger traffic was insufficient to justify the considerable expenditure required to renew the electrical systems and rolling stock on the electrified sections of the network and, consequentially, these routes were converted to diesel traction in 1967. However, in the 1970s, renewed interest in suburban rail led to the incorporation of
6916-489: The route (now rechristened the Northumberland Line ) between Morpeth and Newsham, after which NCC announced an additional £3.46 million in funding for a further business case and detailed design study (equivalent to GRIP 3) to be completed by the end of 2019. Revised proposals, released in July 2019, were reduced in scope from the plan considered in the 2016 GRIP 2 study and proposed a four-phase project to reduce
7007-529: The scheme. NCC received the GRIP 1 study in March 2014 and in June 2015 it commissioned a more detailed GRIP 2 feasibility study at a cost of £850,000. The GRIP 2 study, which NCC received in October 2016, confirmed that the reintroduction of a frequent seven-day a week passenger service between Newcastle and Ashington was feasible and could provide economic benefits of £70 million with more than 380,000 people using
7098-451: The section of the Pennines that includes Teesdale and Weardale . North East England has a Marine west coast climate (generally found along the west coast of middle latitude continents) with narrower temperature ranges than the south of England and sufficient precipitation in all months. Summers and winters are mild rather than extremely hot or cold, due to the strong maritime influence of
7189-449: The soda in England. By 1814 the Leblanc process of making alkali from common salt was introduced to Britain. Alkali works using this process opened at Tyne Dock 1822, Felling shore Tyneside 1826, Friars Goose Gateshead 1828 and again on Felling Shore in 1834. Such works also produced soda, alum and Epsom salts. The river frontage at South Shore of the River Tyne at Gateshead was one of
7280-412: The version abolished in 1950; only Newbiggin-by-the-Sea and some rural areas were in both. The Sessional Districts of: NB included non-resident freeholders in the parliamentary borough of Morpeth Gained Newburn and surrounding areas from the abolished Tyneside Division. Ashington transferred to Morpeth and a small area in north ( Amble ) transferred to Berwick-upon-Tweed . The contents of
7371-524: The whole project's final cost being £298.5 million, £130 million more than the initial bid. However, as of November 2024, citing difficulties with power, engineering and regulations, Newsham will now not open until at least early 2025, leaving Ashington and Seaton Delaval as the only new stations to open at the line's start. Ashington station has been developed in such a way that an extension, such as that previously proposed to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea and Woodhorn could still be built, albeit part of
7462-475: The year of Attlee's more marginal victory (1950–51) served as Minister of Labour and National Service . He then in 1951 won instead the newly created Blyth seat to the immediate south. In 1955 he became Shadow Foreign Secretary until an unimpressive performance in predicting and reacting to events in the Suez Crisis in 1956. However, in a position which would span the period 1961 until 1971, he became Chairman of
7553-616: Was Eric Bloodaxe , who died at the Battle of Stainmore , Westmorland, in 954. After Eric Bloodaxe's death, all England was ruled by Eadred , the grandson of Alfred the Great ; and so began the machinery of national government. Today, the Viking legacy can still be found in the language and place names of north-east England and in the DNA of its people. The name Newcastle comes from the castle built shortly after
7644-575: Was a constituency in Northumberland in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament . It was represented from its 1983 re-creation until its abolition for the 2024 general election by members of the Labour Party . Under the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies , the seat's area was split between the two new seats of Blyth and Ashington and North Northumberland . Wansbeck
7735-682: Was announced by the government in 2011. The zone focuses on technology for low carbon vehicle development, marine offshore and subsea engineering, petrochemicals and renewable energy. At the time of announcement the enterprise zone included two clusters of sites, an Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle zone in Sunderland and a zone on the River Tyne North Bank. The Sunderland cluster is close to the Nissan plant and includes Turbine Business Park. It hosts Gateshead College 's Future Technology Centre. The cluster on
7826-581: Was based in Gateshead until its dissolution in 2009. Local enterprise partnerships were established, these later became combined authorities. The North East Combined Authority was established in 2014 and covered much of the region excluding Tees Valley . North of Tyne authorities later split off, leaving authorities south of the River Tyne. The Tees Valley boroughs (Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar & Cleveland, and Middlesbrough) established
7917-649: Was built at the Friars Goose Alkali Works. The passing of the Alkali Act of 1863 in the UK Parliament brought about a further reduced pollution from these processes and was the first industrial environmental legislation to come into practice globally. Salt-making in and around Greatham (between Hartlepool and Billingham) had been important in Roman and medieval times, and salt was also produced on Wearside from
8008-479: Was first created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 as one of four single-member Divisions of the county of Northumberland. It was abolished for the 1950 general election , when it was largely replaced by the new constituency of Blyth . The seat was re-established for the 1983 general election, largely replacing the abolished Morpeth constituency. The new version of the seat had very little in common with
8099-480: Was primarily Tyneside based and associated with the manufacture of soap and glass. The most important chemical activity in the 18th and 19th centuries was the manufacture of alkali to make soap, which was when mixed with lime and sand and used to make glass. The effects of the industrial revolution could be seen through an economy dominated by iron and steel, coal mining and shipbuilding. Rationalisation of chemical firms in 1891 left only four works on Tyneside. Before
8190-508: Was unclear whether this would ultimately be built as part of the project. Northumberland County Council also submitted a complementary Transport and Works Act Order application to the UK Department for Transport on 26 May 2021, under which they would be conferred certain additional powers (including those relating to compulsory purchasing of land, temporary use of land, closure of level crossings and diversion of highways) deemed necessary for
8281-680: Was yet to be announced. During 2021, planning applications were submitted for the proposed stations: for Northumberland Park and Ashington in February; for Blyth Bebside and Bedlington in March; for Seaton Delaval in June; and for Newsham in September. All of these applications had been approved by 3 March 2022. A further planning application was submitted for the replacement of a pedestrian crossing in Ashington with an underpass, on 24 September 2021, but strong local opposition meant that, as of June 2022, it
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