Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street is a town in County Durham, with a population of 23,500 in 2021. It's a commuter town for Newcastle 8 miles north; the main reason to visit is Durham CCC cricket ground, which stages county and international matches.
Understand
[edit]"Chester" indicates the Roman fort of Concangis, and "le-Street" was what they marched along sinister-dexter. But when the Romans left Britain in 410 AD the settlement lay deserted for almost 500 years until monks fleeing Lindisfarne arrived. They brought with them a long-dead saint, a real live bishop (making this tiny place a cathedral city) and a Latin gospel which they translated into Old English.
The monks moved on in 995 but the village was still astride the main road north, so it became a stop-over for those on foot or horseback. It was also next to the navigable River Wear, so goods could be shipped in and out. From the 17th century it grew into a town with the Durham mining industry, and in 1868 the railway arrived, vaulting over the valley to put Newcastle within 15 minutes. That turned Chester-le-Street into commuterland for the city, and so it remains.
Get in
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- No churns, no porter, no cat on a seat, at Chorlton-cum-Hardy or Chester-le-Street . . .
- - "Slow Train" by Flanders and Swann (1963) mourns railway stations axed by Beeching, but this one survived.
Chester-le-Street 1 railway station is on the London-Newcastle-Edinburgh main line, but most trains thunder through. An hourly Transpennine train calls on its way from Liverpool Lime Street via Manchester Victoria, Leeds, York, Darlington and Durham, heading for Newcastle. From Scotland or Northumberland change at Newcastle. From London Kings Cross or Birmingham you usually change at York, but Newcastle-Chester takes only 10 minutes so it's sometimes quicker to double back. The railway station is central in town but the private contractor who ran it has gone bust, so in 2024 there are only makeshift arrangements for tickets, and other facilities such as toilets are closed. There is step-free access to both platforms.
Long-distance buses don't call here, travel via Newcastle. Go North East Bus X21 runs from Newcastle Eldon Square every 30 min via Gateshead, taking 30 min to Chester-le-Street. It continues to Durham (another 25 min), Spennymoor, Bishop Auckland and West Auckland. Angel Bus 21 is a slower service every 30 min from Newcastle via Birtley (for "Angel of the North") to Chester and Durham. A night bus Angel N21 runs F-Sa between 00:00 and 05:00.
Bus 50 runs hourly from South Shields via Washington to Chester-le-Street and Durham.
Arriva North East Bus X12 runs hourly from Middlesbrough via Stockton-on-Tees and Durham, continuing to Gateshead and Newcastle.
Bus 78 runs from Sunderland every 30 min, taking 45 min and continuing west to Beamish (for open air museum), Stanley and Consett.
Bus 71 runs hourly from Seaham on the coast, taking an hour via Houghton-le-Spring.
Buses make several stops through town, there isn't a bus station.
Chester-le-Street is close to A1(M) exit 63.
Get around
[edit]- From hence we kept the common road to Chester in the Street, an old, dirty, thorowfare town, empty of all remains of the greatness which antiquaries say it once had, when it was a Roman colony.
- - Daniel Defoe, author of "Robinson Crusoe", toured northern England and published his account in the 1720s.
Most attractions are within walking distance, but you could take Bus 71 or 78 for the golf course and Lumley Castle. Take Bus 21 not X21 for Angel of the North.
Taxi firms in town are AB Taxis (☏ +44 191 388-6299), Blue Line (☏ +44 191 388-7766), Ron's (☏ +44 7721 420891) and Arima (☏ +44 7564 881729).
See
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- Town centre lies along Front Street, the historic line of the Great North Road, and is mostly non-descript low-rise. Queen's Head is an 18th century coaching inn, but closed and boarded up.
- 1 St Mary and St Cuthbert Church, Church Chare DH3 3QW, ☏ +44 191 388-3295. M-W, F 10AM-1PM. Parts of the church go back to 1056 AD, when it replaced a wooden shrine to St Cuthbert, whose body lay here for 112 years. The first English translation of the gospels was written here around 950 AD, as a gloss between the Vulgate Latin lines of the Lindisfarne Gospels of 715. (Old English, so few modern readers will understand it.) All these relics and treasures moved in the 990s to Ripon then Durham to be further from Viking raids. The church was extended in the 13th century and acquired a hermitage. After the Reformation it became an Anglican parish church, and remains active.
- Cade's Road fronting St Mary and St Cuthbert was the Roman road, now called Church Chare. 100 yards north was the fort of Concangis, then the road bridged Chester Burn and headed on to Pons Aelius, now Newcastle. At some point the Great North Road became re-aligned 100 yards west, perhaps because the crossing over the Burn was changed.
- Methodist Church is a striking building of 1902, on North Burns the street towards the viaduct. It was built by the "Primitive" faction, who sought to restore the revivalist spirit of John Wesley, which naturally got them expelled from the mainstream Methodist church.
- 2 Chester Burn viaduct
was completed in 1868 for the North Eastern Railway, and still carries the London-Newcastle main line. It's 230 m / 750 ft long with 11 arches, spanning a road and Tesco supermarket car-park. - 3 Lambton Castle is a mansion built in the 1820s and home to the Earl of Durham. No tours, but it hosts various events, and the paths through the grounds are usually open to stroll April-Oct.
- 4 Beamish Open Air Museum is a large museum of northern life and industry, 5 miles west on A693.
- Angel of the North is an iconic colossal sculpture 5 miles north at the junction of A1(M) and A194(M), see Gateshead.
Do
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- Cricket: 1 Riverside Ground (aka "Seat Unique") is home to Durham County Cricket Club, one of the 18 First Class Counties. They play in Division 1, the top tier, and County matches normally last 3-4 days. The stadium also hosts international or Test matches, lasting up to five days, and occasional concerts. It's east side of town off Ropery Lane.
- Riverside Park is east of town and A167 on the banks of the River Wear, and best accessed from Ropery Lane. Park and cricket ground may flood after heavy rain on the Durham moors, the river catchment.
- Football nowadays is not as exciting as in medieval times, when Upper Street played Down Street 200-a-side, with properties damaged and limbs torn off. The police after careful consideration banned the fixture in 1932. The two modern teams United and Town play down in the amateur leagues, for a top tier game head to Newcastle.
- Leisure Centre has a pool, gym and fitness classes. It's on Burns Green east side of town, open daily.
- Golf: Chester-le-Street GC is east of town on Lumley Park. White tees 6486, par 71, visitor round £25.
- Further out are Birtley to the north and Roseberry Grange west.
- Great North Big Band Jazz Festival is next held on 28 Feb - 2 March 2025.
Buy
[edit]- St Cuthbert's Walk is the shopping centre, with Morrison's (M-Sa 7AM-9PM, Su 10AM-4PM) and Iceland. Tesco and Aldi are north side of town.
- Markets are held on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday by South Burns Stand the main bus stop.
Eat
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- Front Street has a dozen inexpensive places for pizza, Chinese and so on.
- Fabio's is a lively Italian at 191 Front St, open Su-Th noon-9PM, F Sa noon-10PM.
- Carsons Cafe Bar, 91 Front St, ☏ +44 7715 992709. Tu-Th 9AM-4PM, F Sa 9AM-11PM. Good inexpensive food.
- Hollathans, 6 Ashfield Terrace DH3 3PD, ☏ +44 191 388-0090. W-Sa noon-11:30PM, Su noon-7PM. Friendly pub-restaurant for trad food.
- The Himalaya of Chester-le-Street, 11 South Burns DH3 3EZ, ☏ +44 191 388-8753. Daily 5-11PM. Reliable Indian restaurant.
- REfUSE Cafe, 143C Front Street DH3 3AU, ☏ +44 7419 749045. Tu-Sa 10AM-4PM. Waste not, want not: this community cafe takes surplus food from supermarkets and other retailers that would otherwise go to waste, and turns it into delicious meals.
Drink
[edit]- Most bars are along Front St.
- The High Crown and Chesters are north end of Front St.
- The Wicket Gate, 193 Front St DH3 3AX, ☏ +44 191 387-2960. Su-Th 8AM-midnight, F Sa 8AM-1AM. JD Wetherspoon with decent ale and food.
- The Butchers Arms, Middle Chare DH3 3QD (near St Mary's & St Cuthbert's), ☏ +44 191 388-3605. Tu-Th 11:30AM-11PM, F Sa 11:30AM-midnight, Su 12:30-4PM, 6:30-11PM. Good selection of drink and food.
Sleep
[edit]- 1 Lambton Worm, North Rd DH3 4AJ, ☏ +44 191 387-1162. Friendly inexpensive place a short walk north of town centre. B&B double £90.
- 2 Lumley Castle, Ropery Lane DH3 4NX, ☏ +44 191 389-1111. When Sir Ralph Lumley returned from the wars in Scotland in 1389, he feared vengeance and fortified his mansion into a castle. It was never assaulted, but much altered in later years, becoming a residence for the Bishop of Durham in the 19th century then student accommodation. In 1976 it was converted into a hotel and often hosts visiting cricket teams. Rooms are clean, comfy and mostly spacious, but those in the Courtyard are small with low beams. Double (room only) £120.
- 3 Travelodge, Great North Road, Chester Moor DH2 3RJ (on A167), ☏ +44 871 559 1819. Clean chain hotel a mile south of town centre, free parking. Double (room only) £70.
- Washington 5 miles north has a cluster of accommodation near A1(M).
Connect
[edit]As of June 2024, the town and its approach roads have 5G from all UK carriers.
Go next
[edit]- Beamish is best known for its open air museum, but it also has a heritage railway, and the mysterious village of No Place.
- Durham is a must-see for its medieval centre.
- Washington was the origin of George Washington's family.
- Newcastle upon Tyne is the place for big city amusements, with a surprisingly elegant 19th century centre.
- Gateshead south bank of the Tyne has the Baltic modern art gallery.