Wearhead
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wearhead is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated at the top of Weardale between Cowshill and Ireshopeburn.
It is named after the nearby source of the River Wear which runs eastwards for approx 40 miles to Sunderland.
[edit] Railways
Wearhead was the terminus of the Weardale Valley Extension Railway which opened in 1895, being mainly a freight line carrying limestone, iron ore, lead ore and fluorspar to the industrial areas of North East England. It closed to passenger traffic in 1953 and later to freight in 1961.
[edit] Decline
In 2005 Wearhead lost its last shop with the closure of the Co-op and shortly afterwards, the Methodist Church held its last service after being in existence for over 179 years.
