seaham - national trailthe countryside code respect, protect, enjoy! respect other people l consider...

Seaham

A walk of history……shopping and seaside

Location...

56

64

58

59

60

61

63

A194(M)

62

Sunderland

Hartlepool

Middlesbrough

Durham

DarlingtonStockton-on-Tees

A19

A689

A68 A1A66

A179

A689A167

A1018

A1231A692

A181

A66

A174

A690

A19

Durham TeesValley Airport

NewcastleInternational Airport

Seaham is situated on the B1287coast road south of Sunderland.

Public TransportInformation

For information on getting to thecoast using public transport,please go to www.traveline.info, or telephone 0871 200 22 33.

Newcastle

Blackhall

Easington

Horden

Wingate

North

A179

B1281

B1283

B1287

A182

A181

A1086

A19

A1(M)

A19

Peterlee

A19

Crimdon

Seaham

Peterlee

A167

The Countryside Code

Respect, protect, enjoy!

Respect other peoplel Consider the local community and otherpeople enjoying the outdoors.

l Leave gates and property as you findthem and follow paths unless wideraccess is available.

Protect the natural environmentl Leave no trace of your visit and takeyour litter home.

l Keep dogs under effective control

Enjoy the outdoorsl Plan ahead and be prepared.l Follow advice and local signs.

Introduction

Seaham is a lively harbour town with strong links to itspast. The parish Church of St Mary the Virgin has itsroots in the 7th Century and is one of only 20 survivingpre-Viking churches in the country. Mining heritage isevident throughout Seaham with links to the thirdMarquess of Londonderry, who built the harbour for theshipping of coal from local collieries. Lord Byron alsomade Seaham his home for a short period after marryingAnna Isabella Millbanke in 1815. Her father Sir RalphMillbanke, MP for County Durham and a significantlandowner built Seaham Hall in 1791.

This walk provides opportunities to explore Seaham andthe Marina where there are a number of places to have acoffee or a meal or simply enjoy the view with an icecream. High street shops are found in Byron Place andmore traditional shops along Church Street.

George Elmy lifeboat can be seen in Seaham Marina

North Terrace Seaham Infirmary

Preparing for the walkPlease take care on this walk. It isadvisable to wear walking shoes/bootsas the routes could become muddy inplaces. Be prepared for changingweather conditions and wear or carryappropriate clothing and a map.

Our coastal village walk leaflets havebeen designed as a guide to help you inyour discovery and exploration of theDurham Coast with routes linked to theDurham Coastal Path.

Starting point

Start/finish: Seaham Hall Beach car park

Grid reference: NZ421507

Length: 3 miles / 5 kms

Time: Approximately 1½ - 2 hours

S

North

Crossing the road we go to the wheel, taken from a collierywinding engine. Beyond the wheel is the entrance to theHarbour Marina. There is a café here with good views ofthe sea and the Marina. The restored George Elmy lifeboat can be seen here. Looking inland you will see asculpture “The Brothers - waitin’ t’gan down” by BrianBrown. Heading north along North Terrace we stop besidea statue. This is the 6th Marquess of Londonderry andshows him wearing the Order of the Garter and carryingplans for the extensions to the harbour begun in 1905.Behind the statue is the Londonderry Building, built forLady Londonderry (wife of the 3rd Marquess ofLondonderry) around 1860.

Some of the buildings in North Terrace retain Victorianarchitectural detail, particularly around the doors andwindows. North Terrace has a variety of coffee shops andplaces to eat. Facing us as we walk along North Terrace isBath Terrace, being some of the oldest buildings in the

town. The grassy area at the end of North Terrace was thesite of the town’s infirmary, funded by Lady Londonderry.

The road leading inland is Tempest Road. It takes its name from Lady Londonderry whose maiden name wasVane-Tempest. Continue along North Road along thepromenade.

Walking along the promenade we can see mosaics in the pavement, anemone-like carved stones, metal workbanners and seats. The prominent building is the MasonicHall which dates from 1873. Further along, beside theroundabout, is another sculpture this time based on theformer Vane Tempest Colliery. Interpretive boards aroundthe plinth will tell you something of coal mining in the area.

Continue northwards. There are good views north towardsSunderland. Follow the footpath back to Seaham HallBeach car park to our starting point.

The walk starts and finishes in Seaham Hall Beach car park where there are toilets and a café. The sculpture in the car parkrepresents the plan of the parish church ofSt Mary the Virgin.

Leave the car park and head east towards thesea. There is a RNLI sign at the top of thesteps. Turn right here and follow the footpathtowards the main road. At the road turn left and follow the path for approximately 160 yards (150m) and look out for Church Lane on the opposite side of the road.

Cross the road and follow the track up ChurchLane towards St Mary the Virgin Anglo SaxonChurch. Go through a gate on the rightopposite the church and follow the path to the left.

Seaham Hall can be seen on the right.Continue along the track over the bridge. After approximately 30 yards (25m) there aresteps on the right. Going down the first 15steps we turn left, walk a few paces along this almost hidden little path. The brick egg-shaped structure in front of us was an IceHouse. Return back up the steps to the maintrack and continue right along the track.

At the fork take the left path. It is known as New Drive and was built for Lady Londonderryafter her husband died in 1854, to shorten herdrive to her offices beside the harbour.Continue along the path keeping the fence to

the left. Looking across the playing fields, wecan see New Seaham with Christ Church onthe skyline. New Seaham developed to servethe needs of Seaham Colliery which was sunkin the 1840’s and has a record of explosionsand loss of life, including the 1880 disaster, oneof the biggest in the history of coal mining withthe loss of 164 lives.

The track becomes metalled when we reachSeaham Harbour Cricket Club. Continuestraight ahead until we reach Seaham TrainStation on the right. There are interpretationpanels at the station. Continue on as the roadbears to the left . We come to the the town’sRoman Catholic Church of St Mary Magdaleneon your left. Opposite the church, a gap in thewall allows us access to a footpath leading tothe town centre. Walking through the gap turnleft and follow the route of another railway, builtat the same time as the harbour to transportcoal from the Londonderry pits in mid-Durham.

Continue along this path under 3 bridges until itreaches the end. On leaving the footpath takethe first right along Adelaide Row to today’smain shopping centre, Church Street. Lookingright we can see St John’s Church dating from1840 and characteristic of that period. Turn leftand continue down Church Street.

Reaching the end of Church Street we see anew shopping centre on the right. Turn left andpass a restaurant originally the site of theLondonderry Arms. This was the first building tobe completed and occupied. It also housed thetown’s first school and was adjacent to theTheatre Royal, on the site of the Co-operativeStore. We pass Barclays Bank before crossingthe road to view the clock, the interpretationpanels and the John Dobson sculpture.

The walkS

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Key:

Main route

England CoastPath National Trail

Parking

Start point

Reference point

0 ½ 1km

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10

7

6

5

34

12

14

16

13 Terrace Green

Train StationLondonderry Building

Seaham MarinaChurch Street

St Mary the Virgin Anglo Saxon Church

15

9

Lord Byrons Walk

2Seaham Hall Beach car park (café/toilet)

Byron Place