Cleadon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cleadon | |
  Cleadon shown within Tyne and Wear |
|
| Population | 4, 500 [1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Metropolitan borough | South Tyneside |
| Metropolitan county | Tyne and Wear |
| Region | North East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SUNDERLAND |
| Postcode district | SR6 |
| Dialling code | 0191 |
| Police | Northumbria |
| Fire | Tyne and Wear |
| Ambulance | North East |
| European Parliament | North East England |
| List of places: UK • England • Tyne and Wear | |
Cleadon is a suburban village in North East England in the county of Tyne and Wear. The estimated population of Cleadon is around 4,500 and there are a few shops (including Boutiques and a Post Office) but mostly very expensive houses. Cleadon is a short walk from the local East Boldon Metro Station. The village is around 16 km (10 miles) from the city of Newcastle and about 8 km (5 miles) from the city of Sunderland. There has been a village on the site of Cleadon for over a thousand years. The name of the village is derived from 'Cliffa-dun' meaning a hill with a cliff, which down the years became Clevendona, Clyvedon (recorded in 1280), Clevedon, Cleydon and since the 1600's, Cleadon. The village was first mentioned in print in the Boldon Buke, a survey of the local area commissioned shortly after the Norman Occupation. Since then, the village expanded but most of the village only had houses built on during the 20th century. Nearby villages or population centres include, East Boldon, Whitburn and Jarrow.
The famous author Charles Dickens resided in Cleadon in 'Cleadon House' on Front Street. Here Dickens gained much inspiration for the character of Miss Havisham in his novel Great Expectations. The description of her house is a description of Cleadon House. It is alleged that a man who lived in the house was stood-up at the altar and immediately ordered the clocks and reception at Cleadon House to be kept exactly the same as that at the moment he was to be married for a year - thus the inspiration for Miss Havisham.
Oliver Cromwell also famously resided for a short while in the Village during the English Civil War.
As well as these people, many more modern famous people have lived or still reside within Cleadon. These include, footballers such as Kevin Phillips, Stefan Schwarz, Michael Gray, Julio Arca and the world-famous retired heaviweight boxer Frank Bruno has been known to regularly visit friends in the village.Carlo Little, original drummer of the Rolling Stones, and member of Screaming Lord Such and the Savages lived in Cleadon for many years. Actor Bill Travers also resided in the village at one time. Many other famous people are rumoured to live in Cleadon but they keep their lives private to avoid public attention.
There are no doctor's surgeries in Cleadon. There are two pubs in Cleadon Village, the Britannia Inn and the Cottage Tavern. An air raid during WWII resulted in the death of a bull on Cleadon Farm and a cow was also injured. Bombs also fell at various other locations in the village, in one instance the Cleadon Cottage Homes were severely damaged, and in another a container of propaganda leaflets was deposited on Cleadon Hills. This is the reason there are newer houses built in the 1950s and 60s among houses that were built before the Second World War. Houses in the village date back to the 15th Century one which contains both a secret passage and priest hole. Alongside these impressive homes there are two historic pubs, and a traditional village pond which is a reminant of an ice age lake. Another pond, situated on the corner of North Street and Sunniside Lane was filled in during the 1970's, its location now identifiable by a fenced area of grass. The park in central Cleadon was formerly the 'back garden' of Cleadon House (see above) which incorporates the lake, now filled in, one source suggesting that the area was landfilled with rubble from bomb-sites during the Second World War, as were the ponds on Cleadon Lane near East Boldon station. The famous boathouse in Bluebell Wood at the end of the park which has long since fallen into disrepair. This building is often perceived to be a dungeon or prison due to its metal bars and menacing appearance.The bars were fitted in the 1980's in an attempt to prevent further vandalism. It has recently been speculated that the building may have also served as an Ice Store for Cleadon House. Also in bluebell wood are several mud ramps which are popular for bmx & mountain biking.
On Cleadon Hills is situated the waterworks with its famous water tower. The works was opened in 1863 by the Sunderland and South Shields Water Company to exploit the huge volumes of water stored in the impermeable limestone below. The facility was typical of the grand Victorian waterworks style of the day, and resembles it's sister station at Ryhope which was built a few years later. The reservoir was later covered with a large concrete dome, then believed to the biggest of its type ever constructed. The water tower, together with the Paper Mill chimneys at Grangetown south of Sunderland were used as a navigation landmarks by Luftflotte (Air Fleet) 5 of the Luftwaffe operating from Norway and possibly Denmark during the Second World War, while engaged in attacks against Belfast and Liverpool. In recent years the buildings of the water works, such as the pumping station, were converted into luxury houses.
Also on Cleadon Hills are the remains of the windmill. This dates from the 1820's and in its working days would have resembled the restored windmill at Fulwell. The mill is built on the highest part of Cleadon Hills on a slight artificial mound, presumably constructed to allow the mill to catch a little extra wind. The building incorporates a stone reefing stage, again similar to the mill at Fulwell, a feature that was peculiar to windmills in the area. As the dates of construction are similar, it would be fair to assume that both windmills were erected by the same builder, a Mr. Allison. The mill was severely damaged in a storm some time during the 1870's. A photograph from the 1920's shows the mill with the remains of the cap and windshaft still in place but without its sails.In use the mill tower would have been tarred as a weatherproofing agent, and until a few years ago retained some of its internal plastering. Some of the machinery, including a millstone was still in the mill as late as the 1970's. The condition of the structure today reflects many years of neglect and vandlism, and, if the plaque adjacent to the mill is to be believed, its use as a practice target for artillery during the First World War. The windmill is also rumoured to be haunted by the ghost of a heartbroken woman who threw herself from the tower over a centuy ago.
