Cramlington
Cramlington is a new town and civil parish in Northumberland. It is north of Newcastle upon Tyne. The name suggests a probable founding by the Danes or Anglo-Saxons.
The population was 28,843 as of 2021 census data from Northumberland County Council. It sits on the border between Northumberland and North Tyneside with the traffic interchange at Moor Farm, Annitsford, linking the two areas.
The area of East Cramlington lies east of the A189, on the B1326 road that connects the town to Seaton Delaval.
History
The first record of the Manor of Cramlington is from a mention in 1135 when the land was granted to Nicholas de Grenville. A register of early chaplains begins with John the Clerk of Cramlington. The register continues to the present day.From the 12th century onwards, its history has been mostly rural, incorporating several farms and the parish church of St. Nicholas. During the early 19th century, coal mining with several mine shafts in the immediate vicinity began to change that. In 1813 Collingwood Main Colliery suffered an explosion of firedamp in which eight people were killed. Six miners were carrying timber through the "old workings" when their candles set fire to firedamp. The resulting afterdamp and chokedamp resulted in a wider loss of life to men and horses.
The town remained small, however, until 1964 when it was proclaimed a New Town and developers such as William Leech and J.T. Bell developed large housing estates. Those estates have since been named Beaconhill, Collingwood, Eastfield, Mayfield, Shankhouse, Southfield, and Whitelea and the town has effectively become a dormitory town of the much larger city to its south.
During World War I, the North East of England was protected by the No. 36 Home Defence Squadron. The squadron was formed at Cramlington on 1 February 1916 by Capt. R. O. Abercromby, with Cramlington subsequently becoming an important base for military planes and airships. The Airship Station was at Nelson Village. A reference to Cramlington airfield is made in W. E. Johns 1935 book The Black Peril from the extremely popular Biggles series.
Cramlington was the site of two rail accidents. In 1855, the chassis of train's first class carriage failed and in 1926, the Merry Hampton engine and five carriages of the Edinburgh to King's Cross Flying Scotsman express train were derailed by striking miners during the General Strike. The story of the derailment was recounted in the BBC Two programme Yesterday's Witness: The Cramlington Train Wreckers in 1970.
During the BBC Domesday Project in 1986 it was recorded that Cramlington's population was around 30,000.
New town development
The idea of a new town development in Cramlington was first envisaged in 1958.In June 1961, Northumberland County Council's Planning Committee approved the draft plans to establish what it hoped would be "Britain's first enterprise town." Sponsored by the council, the development was to be carried by a consortium led by William Leech, which had acquired the land. It was predicted to take 20 years, cost £50m and eventually house 40,000 inhabitants across a four square mile site that also included an industrial zone. A one-way road system was proposed, with the waggon ways of the former pits being repurposed as pedestrians paths.
The plan was finally approved by the Minister of Housing and Local Government in January 1963, by which time the estimated population had grown to 48,000 and the cost projected at £60m. It marked the first time a new town had been developed without the establishment of a government-backed development corporation. The planning officer predicted that it should look like a town in five years and be complete in 20 years. The first factory was to be completed by summer 1963.
In October 1964, an advert inviting investment in the development recorded an area of 2,200 acres, 530 of which were for industry.
In 2017, remnants of an Iron Age settlement was discovered on land destined for further housing development. Despite the interest of the town population and the potential to build upon the increasing town profile and interest created by Northumberlandia, Northumberland County Council decided to proceed with the housing development regardless.
Local government
Cramlington Local Government District was created in 1865. Later, the Local Government Act 1894 established the Cramlington Urban District. This was succeeded by the Seaton Valley Urban District in 1935. From 1 April 1974, Cramlington became a part of Blyth Valley. Responsibilities were transferred to Northumberland County Council from 1 April 2009 as a result of 2009 structural changes to local government in England.On 5 September 2019, to mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Cramlington Town Council, it was agreed to create the position of town mayor. The position was awarded to Cllr Loraine De Simone. Loraine has been a councillor in the Cramlington Village ward since 2017.
The most recent vote saw a Conservative majority in the 2021 Northumberland County Council election.
The election results for the parish and town council for Cramlington on 6 May 2021:
- Cramlington East - Phil and Faith Rudd & Elizabeth Mitcheson
- Cramlington North - Wayne Daley & Helen Morris
- Cramlington West - Barry Flux & Patricia Heard
- Cramlington Eastfield - Christine Dunbar & Norman Dunbar
- Cramlington South East - Paul Ezhilchelvan & Stephen Garrett
- Cramlington Village - Loraine De Simone & Mark Swinburn
Estates
With the establishment of the new town, the area was arranged into estates, primarily with a designator of the part of the town in which the estate was to be found.The estates are:
- Nelson Village, originally separate to Cramlington but later embedded in surrounding new town development
- High Pit
- Northburn
- Northburn Manor
- Eastfield
- Westwood
- Southfield Lea
- Southfield Gardens
- Mayfield
- Whitelea
- Barns Park
- Parkside
- Beacon Hill
- Beacon Lane
- Collingwood Grange
- Southfield Lea, Westerkirk Extension
- Bassington Manor
- St Nicholas Manor
- Collingwood Chase
- Southfield Green
Recently completed or currently under construction
- Arcot Manor
- The Fairways
- Beaconsfield Park
- West Meadows
- Foxton Mill
- Fairway View
Economy
Industry
There are several large industrial zones in Cramlington, most to the town's north-west near the sewage treatment plant, housing major pharmaceutical companies including Organon & Co.. Other growing chemical companies including Aesica Pharmaceuticals are also present. The Officers Club menswear firm, previously had its headquarters and supply warehouse in Cramlington, in part of the old Wilkinson Blade factory while other companies such as GE Oil & Gas also occupy large sites. Start Football is also headquartered in the town.Wilkinson Sword established the first factory in the town in 1964. American Air Filter Company later built premises. Brentford Nylons also opened a large site in the town in 1968.
Boots, the pharmaceuticals manufacturer, opened their plant in Cramlington in 1983.
Retail
The Manor Walks shopping centre was constructed in the centre of the town in the 1970s, and was subsequently expanded in the mid-1990s and in 2003/4. The centre now includes retailers such as Argos, Asda, Boots, Boyes, Next and Sainsbury's. In 2011, plans were put forward to revamp the main centre and build a new cinema. The scheme also includes improved retail facilities, restaurants and cafes and more car parking spaces.Healthcare
opened the first hospital in England purpose-built for emergency care in the town in June 2015. The Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital cost £75 million. It has emergency care consultants on duty at all times, and a range of specialists available seven days a week. In February 2021, the NHS trust began court action against contractor Lendlease over structural defects identified in the building. A trial is due to start in October 2022.New development
The only secondary school in the town, Cramlington Learning Village, is part of the Government’s School Rebuilding Programme which involves the demolition of the existing buildings and rebuilt into one ‘state-of-the-art’ teaching accommodation.Plans for this new school campus were first released in October 2024 by planning organisation DPP Planning. Construction of the new school will start in the summer of 2025 and is expected to be completed by September 2027.
Landmarks
lies just to the north of Cramlington, with the River Blyth flowing through the country park. Northumberlandia, a huge land sculpture in the shape of a reclining female figure is located on the outskirts of Cramlington. Within the town itself, Nelson Hill is a prominent landmark to the north of the town centre. Arcot Hall Grasslands and Ponds SSSI is situated to the south-east of the town.Transport
The town is served by Cramlington railway station which is on the East Coast Main Line, with services to the MetroCentre, Morpeth and Newcastle upon Tyne provided by Northern.It is also served by a number of bus operators including Arriva North East which provides express services to Newcastle upon Tyne, Morpeth and Blyth, as well as Go North East which runs services to and from North Shields.
The town is located approximately from Newcastle International Airport and from North Shields International Ferry Terminal.
Cramlington also has good road transport links, being situated between the A1, A19 and A189 roads.
In line with many of the UK's post-war New Towns, Cramlington has an extensive bicycle network. With a grid spacing of approximately, segregated cycle routes are provided free of motorised traffic.