Stocksfield

Stocksfield
Stocksfield Railway Station
Stocksfield  Stocksfield shown within Northumberland
Population	2,616 2011 Census
OS grid reference	NZ053612
Civil parish	Broomley and Stocksfield
Unitary authority	Northumberland
Ceremonial county	Northumberland
Region	North East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	STOCKSFIELD
Postcode district	NE43
Dialling code	01661
Police	Northumbria
Fire	Northumberland
Ambulance	North East
EU Parliament	North East England
UK Parliament	Hexham
List of places UK England Northumberland

Coordinates: 54°56′53″N 1°54′50″W / 54.948°N 1.914°W / 54.948; -1.914

Stocksfield is a small, yet sprawling commuter village situated close to the River Tyne, about 14 miles (23 km) west of Newcastle upon Tyne and 10 miles (16 km) east of Hexham in the southern part of Northumberland, England. There are several smaller villages and hamlets surrounding Stocksfield, including New Ridley, Old Ridley, Broomley, Hindley, Bywell, Mickley, and Hedley on the Hill.

Governance

Stocksfield is in the parliamentary constituency of Hexham. At a local level it is governed by the parish of Broomley and Stocksfield.^[1]

Transport

Road

Stocksfield is linked to Newcastle upon Tyne and the A1 by the A695 which passes through the village. It is also linked to Leadgate and Stamfordham by the B6309. The A695 and B6309 meet near the railway station.

Railway

Stocksfield railway station

The village is served by Stocksfield railway station on the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, also known as the Tyne Valley Line. The line was opened in 1838, and links the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear with Carlisle in Cumbria. The line follows the course of the River Tyne through Northumberland.

Passenger services on the Tyne Valley Line are operated by Northern Rail and First ScotRail. The line is also heavily used for freight.

Bus

The village is served by the 10 bus service operated by Go North East running from Hexham (20 minutes away) to Newcastle (1 hour).

Education

Stocksfield has a first school, which is Broomley First School.^[2] Stocksfield lies in the catchment area for Ovingham Middle School and Prudhoe High School. .^[3]

Religious sites

There are four Christian places of worship in Stocksfield: a Church of England Church, Quaker Meeting House, Baptist Church and Methodist Church.

Nearby are the twin churches of St Peter’s and St Andrew's in Bywell.

Public services

Amenities in Stocksfield include two post offices, an Esso petrol station, Spar store, garage, newsagent, two hairdressers, butcher, bridal wear shop, chemist, day nursery, first school, convenience store, pottery and studio, textile supplier, doctor's surgery and veterinary surgery.

Sports and Recreation

Stocksfield boasts many sporting facilities including a cricket club, tennis club,^[4] golf club.^[5] and a running club known as Stocksfield Striders. There are also two play areas and a well-utilised Community Centre. In 2012, Stocksfield was one of the official stop off points for the Olympic torch before it made its way to the Olympic Games opening ceremony.

Awards

The parish of Broomley and Stocksfield was officially crowned Calor Northumberland Village of the Year in November 2008. The competition is organised annually by Community Action Northumberland (CAN) with sponsorship provided by LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) supplier Calor.^[6]

Notable people

Born in Stocksfield

• Mabel Atkinson (1876-1958), feminist and socialist
• Dame Veronica Wedgwood (1910-1997), historian

Lives [or lived] in Stocksfield

• Peter Armstrong, poet and psychotherapist
• Rowan Atkinson, comedian
• Alan Milburn, politician
• Alan Clark, ex Dire Straits Keyboard Player
• Brendan Foster, ex athletics 10,000 m record holder
• Frances Hardcastle (1866-1941), mathematician and women's activist
• Ernest John Hunter (1912-1983), shipbuilder

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stocksfield.