Stakeford

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stakeford is a village in South East Northumberland in the United Kingdom approximately 17 miles north from Newcastle Upon Tyne. It lies across the River Wansbeck from Ashington, the nearest town. The village takes its name from the former river crossing to the north of the village; this comprised of a crossing through the mudflats which was marked with stakes to give an idea of the water depth, hence the name Stakeford. the river crossing is long gone, But remains of the stakes can be seen in the river bed becoming visible whenever the dam downstream is opened. the old rivecrossing was replaced by a bridge in the early 20th century , which in itself was replaced by a new Stakeford Bridge in 1994. There is now no trace of the original ford due to the mudflats being used as a landfill site in the 50s and 60s and the creation of a riverside country park in the 70s.

It is a mainly residential village with a major employer Wansbeck District Council having there depot here. There are 3 pubs and a Social Club also a miners institute although it never had a mine as this was located in the adjacent village of Bomarsund. Stakeford also has several shops and a primary school. Today Stakeford forms one built-up area with neighbouring Guidepost and Sheepwash.