| Holwick | |
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Holwick
Holwick shown within County Durham |
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| OS grid reference | NY905269 |
|---|---|
| Unitary authority | County Durham |
| Ceremonial county | County Durham |
| Region | North East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Durham |
| Fire | County Durham and Darlington |
| Ambulance | North East |
| EU Parliament | North East England |
| List of places: UK • England • County Durham | |
Holwick is a small village in Teesdale, County Durham, England. Located in the Pennine hills, it consists of a few houses spread along a road in the pattern of a linear settlement.
It has a public house, the Strathmore Arms, and a campsite. Holwick sits above the River Tees, beyond Middleton-in-Teesdale, and opposite the village of Newbiggin on the other side of the valley. Nearby are the High Force and Low Force waterfalls. The surrounding landscape is high moorland and fells.
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Being south of the Tees, Holwick lies within the historic county boundaries of the North Riding of Yorkshire, but along with the rest of the former Startforth Rural District it was transferred to[County Durham for administrative and ceremonial purposes on 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972.
Holwick is part of the Bishop Auckland parliamentary constituency, which is represented in parliament by Helen Goodman (Labour). It is in the North East England region, which serves as a constituency for the European Parliament.
The local police force is Durham Constabulary. Holwick is in the Wear and Tees division and its nearest police station is in Middleton-in-Teesdale.
The earliest evidence of habitation in the area comes from Mesolithic microliths dating back at least 6000 years. The people who left them, however, were not settled in the area, but hunted there during the summer. Agriculture began in the Neolithic period, and the remains of buildings have been found from the Bronze Age. The present-day village of Holwick was first recorded in 1235, though the origin of the name is uncertain, believed to mean either "dairy farm in a hollow" or "in the holly". In addition to hill farming of sheep, lead mining and iron smelting was conducted in the mediæval period, with lead mining and stone quarrying increasing in importance throughout Teesdale in the 18th century. A suspension bridge was built across the Tees near Holwick in 1704, and collapsed in 1802, killing one. It was repaired but finally replaced in 1830. Substantial quarrying and lead mining did not continue into the 20th century, and the economy of the village has since returned to sheep farming.
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