Houghton le Spring: County Durham Mining Town Between Sunderland and Durham City
Houghton-le-Spring sits roughly halfway between Sunderland and Durham, in the City of Sunderland metropolitan district. The population is around 36,000. Coal mining ran the town for the best part of two centuries. The Houghton Colliery and the Philadelphia complex employed thousands. The last pits closed in the 1980s. Bernard Gilpin, the 16th-century clergyman known as the "Apostle of the North," was rector of Houghton-le-Spring and his annual ox roast became a local tradition that was revived as the Houghton Feast, a week-long festival still held every October. The parish church of St Michael and All Angels, where Gilpin served, dates partly to the 12th century.
The town centre on Newbottle Street has a pedestrianised section. The Houghton-le-Spring Heritage Centre covers the mining and community history. Herrington Country Park, a few miles to the north, was created from the former Herrington Colliery site and hosted the Sunderland leg of the 2018 Tall Ships Race events. The A690 runs through the area, connecting to the A1(M) at junction 62 and to Sunderland city centre. Durham is about eight miles to the southwest. For those exploring adult companionship in the Sunderland area, Houghton-le-Spring's A690 access puts both Sunderland and Durham within a 15-minute drive.
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Houghton-le-Spring sits roughly halfway between Sunderland and Durham, in the City of Sunderland metropolitan district. The population is around 36,000. Coal mining ran the town for the best part of two centuries. The Houghton Colliery and the Philadelphia complex employed thousands. The last pits closed in the 1980s. Bernard Gilpin, the 16th-century clergyman known as the "Apostle of the North," was rector of Houghton-le-Spring and his annual ox roast became a local tradition that was revived as the Houghton Feast, a week-long festival still held every October. The parish church of St Michael and All Angels, where Gilpin served, dates partly to the 12th century.
The town centre on Newbottle Street has a pedestrianised section. The Houghton-le-Spring Heritage Centre covers the mining and community history. Herrington Country Park, a few miles to the north, was created from the former Herrington Colliery site and hosted the Sunderland leg of the 2018 Tall Ships Race events. The A690 runs through the area, connecting to the A1(M) at junction 62 and to Sunderland city centre. Durham is about eight miles to the southwest. For those exploring adult companionship in the Sunderland area, Houghton-le-Spring's A690 access puts both Sunderland and Durham within a 15-minute drive.
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