Whitburn, South Tyneside

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Whitburn is a village on the coast of North East England, in South Tyneside between Seaburn and Marsden.

1 Etymology
2 A brief history
3 Features
4 People from Whitburn
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Etymology

This Whitburn has a different origin to the one in Lothian: it means "white barn or house " from Old English hwit "white" and bere-ærn "barn". A record of the name as Wituberne in 1182 proves this.

[edit] A brief history

Whitburn is listed in the "Boldon Buke" of 1183 as "Whitbern" and was probably a Saxon settlement. It was a fairly undisturbed settlement until 1718 when the Land Enclosure Act came into force and a number of farms were created . The settlement was isolated as no roads connected to it, but there was a path on Sea Lane (now East Street) connecting it to Whitburn Bents, a nearby hamlet. Not until 1866 was a road built over the sandunes to Fulwell, in North Sunderland. In 1874 Marsden Pit was sunk and the community increased dramatically as a result. Whitburn Colliery closed in 1968, and the land is now a coastal park and nature reserve^[1].

[edit] Features

Whitburn has retained its village character, with its main street, parish church, cricket ground and park with bowling greens and tennis courts.

It is generally accepted that Lewis Carroll wrote The Walrus and the Carpenter while holidaying at his cousins' house in Whitburn^[2]. A statue of Carroll is in the library^[3].

South Tyneside Council took ownership of Whitburn Mill in 1960 from the Church Commissioners. The building is listed (Grade 2) as it is considered to be of special architectural and historical importance and is protected therefore by the requirements of the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.

In 1991/1992 South Tyneside Council undertook a restoration project of the mill for which it was awarded the Civic Trust Award.

There are three schools in Whitburn - Whitburn Primary School, Marsden Primary School and The Church of England Secondary School. Work on a new "super-school" building has begun^{[citation needed]}. Whitburn also has a beach, and fantastic cliffs.