Willington, County Durham
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Willington | |
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| Population | 4,534 (2001) [1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Wear Valley |
| Shire county | County Durham |
| Region | North East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CROOK |
| Postcode district | DL15 |
| Dial code | 01388 |
| Police | Durham |
| Fire | County Durham and Darlington |
| Ambulance | North East |
| UK Parliament | North West Durham |
| European Parliament | North East England |
| List of places: UK • England • County Durham | |
Willington is a former-pit town in County Durham, England. It is in the foothills of the Pennines and near the River Wear close to Crook and Bishop Auckland. Like many communities in the area, Willington's economy was largely based on coal mining. The closure of the colliery in 1967 therefore hit the town hard. Similarly to many former mining communities this is a blow that Willington has struggled to recover from.
[edit] Meaning of the place-name
Willington comes from Old English wilign-tun "farm with willow trees. Willow trees can be seen frequently in the area.
