Welcome to the 8th Edition of NNews – a (roughly!) quarterly newsletter from Northern Navigators.

The newsletter contains details of upcoming events and contributions from our members. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this edition.

Don’t forget entries to our Durham in November weekend close this Sunday (10th)! Details further down.

This newsletter was put together by Matthew Foskett and Thomas Puschmann.

Please let us know ([email protected]) if you have any comments or wish to contribute to any future editions. 

(Photo is from Horst Puschmann at the Malham Moor, Dales Weekend event 15/09/24)

---

---

Upcoming Events

Note: Some details are provisional, always look at the website of the organising club for final details.
(NN events are in red)

Sat 16th November—NE Night Championships; Aykley Heads, Durham (NN, Regional)
Sat 16th November—Autumn Short Race No2; Outwood Academy Acklam, Middlesbrough (CLOK, Local)
Sat 16th November—Autumn/Winter Local Series No 2; Silverlink Country Park, Shiremoor (NATO, Local)
Sun 17th November—Durham City and Mountjoy Campus Urban Event; Durham City and Mountjoy Campus, Durham (NN, Regional)
Sat 30th November—Autumn Short Race No3; Eastborne Sports Centre, Darlington (CLOK, Local)

Sat 7th December— Gelt Woods; Gelt Woods, Brampton (BL Local)
Sat 7th December—Autumn Short Race No4; Yarm School; Yarm (CLOK, Local)
Sat 14th December—Autumn/Winter Local Series No 3; Ashington Community Forest, Ashington (NATO, Local)
Sat 14th December—YHOA Night League; Cod Beck Woods, Osmotherley (CLOK, Regional)
Sun 15th December—Regional Long Distance; Cod Beck, Osmotherley (CLOK, Regional)
Sun 22nd December—Festive Frolics; Plessey Woods, Bedlington (NATO, Local)
Thurs 26th December—Boxing Day Charity Score; Durham University Estates (NN, Local)

Sun 5th January—New Year’s Relays; Summerhill Country Park, Hartlepool (CLOK, Local)
Sat 18th January—Saturday Series; Penrith Beacon, Penrith (BL, Local)
Sun 19th January—Wansbeck (N.Seaton) (NATO, Local)
Tue 21st January—Winter Series No 3; Cleveland Golf Club, Redcar (CLOK, Local)

EDINBURGH BIG WEEKEND
Fri 24th January—Fight with the Night #7; Kings buildings, Edinburgh (EUOC, Regional)
Sat 25th January—Edinburgh City Race (Urban); Edinburgh city centre, Edinburgh (EUOC, Regional)
Sun 26th January—Arthur’s Seat Classic; Holyrood Park, Edinburgh (EUOC, Regional)

Sun 9th February—Cumbrian Galoppen; Birkett Common, Kirkby Stephen (LOC, Regional)

We also have a weekly club night on Wednesdays at 6.30pm in the vicinity of Durham City. Contact [email protected] for further details.

---

Membership

It’s the time of year to renew your NN and British Orienteering membership for 2025.

NN membership fees are £10 per senior, £18 per family (at least 2 people at the same address) with juniors remaining free. Your fees help us to provide:

• Free entry to CompassSport Trophy heat (and final?)
• Subsidised relay entry fees at JK or BOC
• Subsidised O tops
• Free maps for club night which continues to run successfully each week
• Help us to continue our programme of events throughout the year

Membership can be renewed on the British Orienteering website.

British Orienteering fees are £16 per Senior, £10 per Young Adult, £5 per junior and £37 per family, see details here.

---

Durham in November – NN Night and Day weekend

Matthew Foskett

---

Volunteers and Event Officials

We are always looking for additional organisers, planners and controllers. We’re also keen to have new members on the committee – especially fixtures secretary. Volunteer at the AGM.

If you are interested in helping please speak to one of the committee. The local events, club nights and Street-O events are great opportunities to get involved – the team are always willing to assist or shadow.

---

AGM

---

Wednesday Clubnights

Our weekly club training continues to be well-attended and a popular way to concentrate on technique or fitness. The venue changes each week but usually within a 5 mile radius of Durham and is operated via a WhatsApp group. If you would like to join, get in touch with Debby and you can be added to the group. Alternatively, the details are put on the website each week (usually by Monday).

---

JIRCs

Thomas Puschmann

Ollie, Jacob and I recently joined the NEJS (North East Junior Squad). As part of this, between the 27 and the 29 of September, we went to the JIRCs (Junior Inter Regional Championships) which was held around Bristol this year. After school on Friday the 27th we all drove down to Birmingham, got to a Travelodge, ate picnic dinner on a towel on the floor and slept.

The next day, after a breakfast of noodles and a stale croissant, we set off for Mallards Pike in the Forest of Dean.

Team NEJS

Our base for the Mallards Pike event.

It was a very nice area to look at but not to run in. There were brambles everywhere and random pits that seemed to be designed to break your ankles. The run in was also shin deep moss and random pockets of deep mud. Despite this, it was a very nice orienteering course with lots of different route choices to choose from and mistakes to make.

Ollie did well on his course, coming in at just over an hour with Jacob two minutes behind him and me another 3 minutes later. After the event, we all went to where we would be staying for the night, a massive campsite in the Mendips with lots of permanent tents and bunkhouses.

That evening we had dinner, listened to the awards presentation (Scotland won almost everything) and went to the ceilidh. 

The next day, I had to wake up early because I was running the first leg on the relay.

I had a buffet style breakfast, helped set up the tent and then headed over to the mass start. NEJS had three teams of three; one female team and two male teams, so I started with another NEJS runner. Our maps were given to us very neatly folded and taped together so that we couldn’t cheat and look at them before the start. The relay went fairly well for me and I didn’t make any significant mistakes. My time was 28: 07. I handed over to Jacob who came back with a time of 49:01 and he handed over to Ben who did very well with a time of 35:33 (he did the longest course). Overall we were 23rd taking 112:41 between us. The other mens team’s first runner was Lawrie and he took 35:37. Ollie was after him and he took 53:45. After Ollie was Oscar who did it in 49:37 to get this team to 27th place 138:59 for all three of them. The women’s team did very well. Isla only took 22:37 and Rae took 29:05. Rebecca ran the last leg and took 42:03. They came 11th overall with an accumulative time of only 93:45. After the relay, we ate lunch and went to the rewards presentation where they told us which order all the clubs came in.

We came 10th out of 12 Squads.

Oliver Puschmann

On Friday the 27th of September, Jacob, his dad, my brother, my dad and I drove to Birmingham. That night we stopped at a travelodge in south Birmingham. At eight in the morning, we left for Mallards Pike just north of Bristol. This is where the first event of the JIRCs was. I did the M14 course even though I was M12. After that, we went to a campsite called Mendip Base Camp where there were both fixed tents and bunkhouses. This is where we stayed for the second night.

The campsite.

In the morning, I had breakfast and got ready for my turn in the relay. The relay was really hard but I managed to get round the course without too many issues (maybe I got back after the mass start for 18 year olds). After the relay we had lunch then got into the car and drove home.

Jacob Li

On Saturday the 28th of September, me, my dad, Oliver, Thomas and their dad arrived at Mallards Pike, Forest of Dean for the individuals in the Jircs. The night before, we were told our start times; Thomas had the earliest, then Oliver, then me. When we got to the arena, we helped to set up the flags and tent; it was quite early in the morning. Although it was a junior competition, there were adult courses quite early in the day so they just left. We were told to use attack points and to count ditches to help us. Then Thomas left for his course and then Oliver for his. Finally, I went for my course. I found it very fun and slightly difficult but I was embarrassed at the spectator control when I tripped over a ditch (Oliver found this very funny).On Sunday, we had a relay competition. Me and Thomas were on one team with a guy called Ben who was also NEJS. Oliver was on a team with two people called Oscar and Laurie. The start would be marked with a mass start; Thomas and Laurie were both in it. Thomas got to the spectator control first. By the time Laurie got to the spectator control, Thomas was nearly finished. Once I had been tagged by Thomas, I left. About ten minutes later, Oliver left. Unfortunately, I got lost on the 4th control but managed to relocate and run through the spectator control. Luckily, I finished just before the mass start for the M18s. Unfortunately for Oliver, he came back slightly later than the mass start. Overall, NEJS came third last, not bad for a team full of M12s. 

---

Summer Street-O series

Matthew Foskett

It’s another year over for the Summer Street-O series! Thanks to everyone who has planned, organised, volunteered and attended Special thanks to Julian/Allen for their assistance with maps, timing and general equipment.

The Series Results are now up – congratulations to Thomas Puschmann for winning the series with only one point dropped! 

(Summer Street-O Series 24 results – for full results see https://northern-navigators.org.uk/newton-hall-street-o-11-sept/)

The weather hasn’t always been with us this year, but people seem to have enjoyed or endured every event! 

We started off with the Sands Street-O from Meg and Tom in May. The rain had eased a little compared to earlier that day, but patches were still heavy – I think quite a few attendees may have only come for the bring and share food hosted by the Puschmann family afterwards… The hills and limited road crossing locations got people thinking about route choice. 

We then headed to Whinney Hill in June, planned by Thomas and Horst. This combined the steep, wooded slopes of Whinney Hill, the urban area of Elvet and the flat area around the Racecourse. 

August took us to Belmont and Stanhope. Belmont was planned by Elizabeth and particularly popular with those who are new to or don’t regularly orienteer, although quite a few club members were away. Stanhope was planned by Andrew Stimson and had the pick of the weather – nice and sunny. It took us around the village and also up onto the moor. Routes including the moorland definitely attracted most people’s initial attention. We followed it up with a summer picnic.

(Stanhope Street-O, view from the start/finish)

The final event was our annual visit to Newton Hall – planned by Dave Peel. This event was particularly well attended with all the maps going and everyone enjoying one of the last daylit evenings of the year. It was also a farewell to Elizabeth who has moved down South – we had a farewell curry after at Millennium (there may be a theme developing…we don’t have food after every event!

Newton Hall Street-O

Volunteers for organising/planning next year’s events would be much appreciated – I’ll assemble a programme in the Spring for ~5 events between May and September. They are great events if you’ve not planned/organised before (support will be provided) and can work almost anywhere. You also get 100 points in the series rankings for the first event you organise/plan in any year. New and repeat locations are always welcome – we’ve had various locations across Durham City plus Chester le Street and Stanhope in previous years.

---

An Intro to Mountain Marathons – Saunders & OMM

Tom Dutton

Club members who have completed Mountain Marathons describe them as orienteering plus camping, with a demeanour ranging from animated to haunted. This year I experienced it for myself, participating in the Saunders Lakeland in June and then the Original Mountain Marathon (OMM) in October. In this article I’ll share how I got on and what I learned.

There are a few differences to a typical green course. Both the Saunders and OMM consist of two days racing, pausing at an overnight campsite. The terrain is remote and challenging so for safety reasons it is mandatory to participate as a pair. I entered the Saunders with my friend, Mark-from-Elvet-Striders, another first timer and relative newcomer to orienteering. I entered the OMM with NN’s Andrew Stimson, who has completed 10+ mountain marathons and is often in the hills with work. I was in for two quite different experiences! 

You must carry everything you need for two days of running and camping. In the weeks leading up to the Saunders, we (and the rest of the club) discovered that a large component of the event is planning (and talking about) what to take. A heavy pack slows you down, but not having enough warmth or food is energy-sapping. Failing a kit check on the start/finish line can result in disqualification. An elite runner might get their bag below 4kg through skimping on luxuries like a camping matt and cake. Not wanting to be cold or hungry, my bag was full of cake and weighed about 7kg. 

Like regular orienteering, there are a range of courses. You can choose to run between 15km – 40km a day on a linear course or 5h to 7h a day on a score course, so despite the name, it is not necessarily a marathon. At the Saunders, courses are named after fells, which can be confusing because when someone says they are ‘doing Harter Fell’ they are referring to a course length rather than the location. The OMM has more self-evident naming, with courses called ‘Elite’, ‘A’ or ‘Medium Score’.

The overnight campsite is a key part of the experience. The clock stops upon crossing the day 1 finish line and then you must pitch your tent and eat the heavy food you’ve been carrying all day. The sun sets (dark cloud gets darker) over a field of tired runners huddled in tiny tents, boiling water to rehydrate meal pouches. For a touch of luxury the Saunders sells milk, allowing varied dessert options (Angel delight!). A great bit of advice is to take old bread bags to wear as slippers between dry socks and wet shoes. After dark at the OMM the stars were spectacular, as was the sight of hundreds of tents lit from inside by headtorch.

With Mark, as two newbies to mountain marathons, I entered the beginner linear course of the Saunders. A distance of 30km in the Lake District over two days sounded well within our comfort zone. Of course, any distance over pathless fell and bog is very different to trail or road and distances are given point-to-point. Much of our course was planned over pathless terrain but as with regular orienteering, runnable trods quickly developed. The navigation was easier than expected with controls on obvious features. We enjoyed the event and were pleased to finish in the top 5 on our course but felt keen to do a more challenging course in the future. Other results from NN included Maya 1^st Female Pair and Elizabeth 3^rd Mixed Pair on Carrock Fell and Andrew 4^th on Fairfield.

With Andrew, I entered the OMM’s middle score course with a 6 hour time limit on day 1 and 5 hours on day 2 to visit as many controls as possible in the shadow of Ben Vorlich. The freedom to choose our own route felt exciting compared to a linear course. Controls are worth different points making route choice feel highly tactical. Physically, the OMM was hard. The landscape consisted of peat bog, hills and hilly peat bogs. Perhaps because we were on the score course, fewer trods were evident compared to the Saunders. Andrew was more efficient over the terrain, not hesitating over severe gullies or even a river. He often had to wait for me but kindly refilled water bottles from streams while I caught up. I expected to be too focused to spot any wildlife, but once was nearly trampled by a herd of red deer coming around a spur. 

Thanks to Andew’s competitive drive and a good route choice we were first after day one with 422 points (-8 for lateness)! This meant we were first to start on day 2 and lined up among the first place finishers from the other courses – including Jasmin Paris! The second day we got 274 points (-16 for lateness) giving 696 in total. We held our breath during download, would it be enough? Unfortunately not, we lost out to first place by a mere 4 points. With our late penalties that translates to 3 minutes too slow over 50km. If only my shoe hadn’t come off in that peat bog, if only I hadn’t had to run back for that dropped compass etc… Sorry Andrew! Nevertheless, it was a great result and we were both pleased. Other NN results included Jed & Nigel 6^th on B Course, Clare 5^th Women’s Pair on Long Score and Chris 8^th on Long Score.

Despite not being able to use the stairs for about a week after each event, I would enter both again and would highly recommend them to anyone considering it. For next year the Saunders is usually in July in the Lake District and the OMM is on the 25th/26th October in the Lake District.

---

Croeso 2024

---

60 Seconds with…..Matthew Foskett

Matthew Foskett answering questions from the Warrens

Matthew at Shaftoe Crags 02/04/22, photo by Dougie.

What’s your role in the club? I’m on the committee (no specific role) and help with the Facebook page. I help to organise a few events and clubnights across the year and coordinate the Summer Street-O series.

How long have you been orienteering? Since Autumn 2015

How did you get into the sport? I grew up going hillwalking with family and doing “orienteering” and navigation through scouts. I had started running after a friend had persuaded me to do parkrun which it turned out I really liked and the same friend suggested I tried orienteering (their sister had enjoyed it at University). This was just before coming to Durham Uni and when I arrived I met a friend (Andrew Stemp) who already orienteered and encouraged a few of us to try the taster sessions. A combination of the above led to me joining DUOC and I’ve been orienteering ever since.

What’s your warm-up routine? A brisk walk to the start, if Dave is nearby this usually involves being asked if I remember his start time and course…

What’s your best result? According to the ranking points it was Duncombe Park & Windy Pits CompassSport Trophy qualifying in March 22. I remember enjoying it but my Strava claims I made an “annoying mistake for control 7” so there’s definitely still room to improve 😂

What do you eat before your run? I like the longer courses, however being pretty slow compared to the sharp end of the field I’ve found I can get hungry on the way round for the long forest and moorland events! This means I need to eat enough, but not too much. Half a sandwich, a piece of NN baked goods and a banana 45 minutes before with an own brand Mars bar in my back pocket for the run is normally perfect.

Thumb compass or base-plate? Thumb compass.

Do you take compass bearings? Yes. Far more than I used to. Might slow you down, but helps cut out mistakes.

What’s your favourite orienteering area? I love the combination of Edinburgh City Centre and Arthur’s Seat on the Edinburgh Big Weekend. Looking forward to this year with the Royal Mile etc. back after the World Championship embargo. Also Torver High Common, Simonside and obviously Houghall Woods which I visited seemingly every week when part of DUOC. Holme Fell this year was one I liked too.

Lycra or baggy? Lycra.

Moorland or forest? I love forests, and obviously we need more of them. But, I think I have to say Moorland for the views! I reckon the best areas have a bit of both tbh.

Urban or cross country? I’ll enjoy either, but I think cross-country. Indoor is always brilliant too.

Do you pace count? Not loads, I always mean to more but forget/lose count.

What’s your worst mistake? I once managed to mispunch despite running right next to (and seeing) the control – I’d already started navigating to the subsequent control and just assumed it was on a different course. Think this was before I had an SI Air, else I’d have been fine!

Are you a results nerd? Not loads, but you can’t beat a leg by leg review and split comparison over a piece of cake after an event.

What do you think of Routegadget? It’s great for seeing different options, needs a good number of people to upload routes to be worthwhile though.

---

Barney Warren NN, 28

Barney Warren
As published in CompassSport magazine

My parents were responsible for introducing me to orienteering as a toddler carried in a backpack. They had only started orienteering in their 30’s but have embraced the sport with a passion and made it a way of life for the whole family since joining NN. As a junior I was not an enthusiastic orienteer often being dragged along by my parents, so I was never particularly competitive. As a result of my parents coming in late to the sport, training camps and the selection procedure for them were an unknown, and we were unaware that Lagganlia etc. existed. However the NEJS squad at the time was a vibrant and dynamic force where I could get the training and camaraderie that they’d missed out on. The squad was run by Linda Thornton who set up regular training in the region and also included a couple of week long trips to Scotland with coaches like Duncan Archer and Cat Taylor. In my late teens I got interested in coaching and helped at NN’s club nights which had varying levels of attendance but were always good fun and helped to slowly grow the club. As a family we also went on some great orienteering holidays to events in France including WOC 2011 and a memorable 6 day event in Czechia which had no health and safety protocol! I also had a brief dalliance with the Saunders Mountain Marathon but decided it wasn’t for me. 

My orienteering journey stuttered to a halt at the beginning of my final year at Sheffield Hallam university where I was studying History. The catalyst for this was a freak orienteering accident which took place at the White Rose night event. I was running down a path when I tripped and fell; after failing to get up it soon became clear that something awful had happened. It turned out that I had broken my femur requiring the Mountain Rescue to be called out to the remote fastnesses of Dalby forest at 10 PM. I didn’t arrive at the hospital until 2 AM. This incident put me out of action for a few months, shattering my confidence while running through terrain and I soon fell out of love with orienteering. I didn’t get back to it for over a year by which time I had finished university and moved back home looking for a job; in this downtime I started to help plan events for NN which I realised was both fun and rewarding. Following this I began working at the YHA in the Lake District. This gave me very little time to compete in orienteering as it involved working at weekends. After moving to my current job as an archaeologist, I could compete more regularly and attend events. As a result, I also found myself enjoying running and finally kicked the fear that came from my injury, even plucking up the courage to take part in night events again!

Barney at last year’s October Odyssey Day 1 in Brandon

It felt quite natural coming back into orienteering and a few factors made it easier for me; a supportive local club which my parents are at the heart of makes it easy for me to get to events; NN’s club night also lends a social dynamic as well as giving me the impetus to train in the middle of the week. Also, with my partner currently at university abroad I often find myself at a loose end at weekends! But I think it is exceedingly tough to get into orienteering as a 21, the support isn’t there for those who didn’t grow up orienteering to pick up the navigational skills necessary to compete at the top level and so it  can be quite off putting. Furthermore, if you’re not able to travel to events or can’t attend them regularly there’s no chance of developing that navigational muscle memory which is so integral to the sport. I also think that the social aspect of orienteering is missing for newcomers if they haven’t grown up in it and gone through the camps; it can be hard to break into the orienteering clique. I’m not entirely sure what the solution would be to overcome these problems, but currently the onus appears to be on the clubs to solve it. 

As I was making my way back into the sport I was unsure of my form and I chose to play it safe and run 21L at the JK 2023 which I won comfortably. This surprised me as whilst I had been doing well in the North East, I didn’t think this would necessarily translate to a major event. Because of this I felt the pressure to move up to 21E – the only major event available to try out was the Scottish Championships held at Creag Mhic where I unfortunately struggled. Nevertheless, I persevered at the subsequent Scottish 6 days at Moray which acted as a breakthrough for me as I realised that I could be borderline competitive. My experience at the JK M21L led me to conclude that if we want to attract and retain new 21’s surely it would be a good idea to make 21L worth competing in instead of a wooden spoon race for those who don’t want to be crushed by the elites. It is worth at the very least having prizes for 21L and maybe even making the elite invitation only. Perhaps it is not practical but having a high-level coaching weekend, such as those put on for junior squads, but aimed specifically at new 21’s to the sport could be highly beneficial and help teach the practical skills necessary for competing, as well as making it more social for new comers.

Finally, something I’ve really enjoyed since coming back to the sport is the ranking point system (despite it being a mysterious dark magic), avidly waiting for the email in my inbox, watching myself rise through the ranks and having a visible metric to support my performance has pushed me on. Even though I’ve now hit a plateau I’m still chipping away at it, even managing recently to breach (if briefly) the top one hundred, so I feel motivated to continue racing.

---

History of an Area – Aykley Heads and Wharton Park

Matthew Foskett

This November we are hosting the North East Night Championships at Aykley Heads and Wharton Park. The two areas are to the north west of the centre of Durham City and separated by the A691 Framwellgate Peth. Wharton Park is an area that previously we have only used for club nights whilst Aykley Heads was mapped by Rob McKenna in 2018 and first used for the Boxing Day Score that year. We have subsequently also used it for a come and try it event in 2022.

(NN Clubnight at Wharton Park back in March 2022)

Wharton Park is located on Windy Hill, adjacent to Durham Station. It is named after William Lloyd Wharton who had Dryburn Hall built nearby and owned the park at its creation in 1857 (the same year that the Station opened). It is believed to have been Durham’s only public park at that time, although still owned by the Wharton family until around the time of the First World War. William Lloyd Wharton was a local businessman with widespread local interests – at various times he was a mine owner, Chairman of the North Eastern Railway Company, Curator of the Durham University Astronomy Observatory and High Sheriff of Durham. His father and nephew (the 1st Chair of Durham County Council) would both be Durham MPs – although his father’s initial term as MP was voided with “his payment of the travelling expenses of the non-resident freemen having been construed as bribery”… William Lloyd Wharton died in 1867, being buried in St Cuthbert’s Churchyard with stained glass windows in both St Cuthbert’s and St Margaret’s in his memory. Perhaps the oddest story associated with William Wharton is that in 1845 he set up a burner and glass chimney floating on the middle of the River Wear near Framwellgate Bridge which burned off gas which was bubbling out of the river (likely from coal seams below), much to the interest of the crowding public.

Whilst owned by the wealthy, the Park also had a key position in the workers history of Durham – it was where the first Miners Gala was held in 1871. At various times there have also been galas, annual sports, tennis courts, brass bands, balloon rides and a tea room which first appeared in the 1860s.

(View from the mock turret towards the Cathedral)

A notable feature of the park is the mock turret – this hosted a Crimean War Sebastopol gun which had been given to the city from 1858 until it was removed during World War II for scrap metal. World War II led to other changes – air raid shelters were constructed and allotments were created in the park. Between the 1940s and 1968 the park gained a statue of Albert the Good – photographed in 1968 with a head, the statue has since been decapitated and the identity is likely to remain a mystery. The park was extended all the way north to Framwellgate Peth – possibly when this road was upgraded in the 1960s or 70s, including a new entrance to the Park – useful in allowing us to utilise both areas together for orienteering. Let’s move across this road to Aykley Heads.

There are references in 1217 of a Gilbert de Aikes of Aykley Heads who owned Sydgate (Sidegate). Peter del Croke took ownership of the Manor of Sydgate in the 1300s and built Croke Hall (now Crook Hall). The land which is now Aykley Heads seems to have been closely linked to Crook Hall and in 1736 the Hoppers of Shincliffe became owners of Crook Hall – presumably this is who Hoppers Wood in the north east of our orienteering map is named after. 

Aykley Heads itself was split from Crook Hall in 1651 and in around 1700, a house was constructed and lived in by the Dixon, later Dixon-Johnson family – it can be found at the north west of our orienteering map. This building still exists (Grade II* listed) and has more recently been the registry office. The rear wing is ~1700 with mid 1700s additions and an early 1800 frontage. The rest of what is now our Aykley Heads map was farmland (Aykley Heads Farm existed to the north of the House and is still evident) until the 1880s when Aykley Heads Pit opened in the 1880s. It closed (likely 1890s) and then reopened in 1934 to be mined until September 1949. It was located in what is now the car park near the DLI museum. There were also clay pits and brick/tile works on the south eastern slopes of the beacon hill, adjacent to the railway. Contours from these pits are still evident on the current map.

(Extract of 1754 map by T. Forster, engraved by J. Mynde)

The 1960s saw more of the farmland built on by several expansive developments. In 1960 work started on the new County Hall on previously open land to the south of Aykely Heads House. This building is in a brutalist style and includes a mosaic mural depicting local scenes on the face of the building. The architect was Sir Basil Spence who is better known for designing the rebuild of Coventry Cathedral. It is planned to be demolished in the near future and replaced by parts of the ongoing Durham Innovation District scheme. To the south of County Hall are currently the temporary St Leonard’s School Buildings whilst the main site is rebuilt (it was condemned having been a victim of RAAC Concrete) and the DLI museum which closed in 2016 but is currently being rebuilt. 

In 1964 Durham Constabulary also moved onto the site with their new headquarters – centre north of our map where houses have now replaced this HQ. A replacement HQ has been built to the south, adjacent to the Sports Ground which also appeared in the 1960s – including swimming baths, tennis courts and bowling greens. The swimming baths are gone, but the bowling greens and remnants of the sports ground are still visible although slightly worse for wear. A later addition is the Rivergreen Centre – in plan, sort of cross shaped and nestled roughly in the centre of our map. This has been bought by the Council and is due to become their new civic centre, replacing many of the functions currently at County Hall with others moving to Stanley or recently opened “The Story” at Mount Oswald. It is notable that the old Police Headquarters featured the County Police Communications Tower designed by county architect J. L. Parnaby and structural engineers Ove Arup and Partners, referred to by some as the “Skylon of the North”. It received a commendation by the Concrete Society in 1969 and in 2003 a Grade II listing – the then Prince Charles was even presented with a silver model of the mast when he visited in 1978. This mast was dismantled in 2017 as part of the demolition of the old HQ and is (according to reports in 2023 when the council refused the Police permission to “demolish” the already dismantled structure) still due to be rebuilt as one of the planning conditions for the fully constructed and open new Police HQ. 

The remainder of the site changed from farmland to nature reserve – seemingly in the 70s and 80s as the Newton Hall estate was constructed, presumably as land was sold and farm access became more difficult, with the railway forming a hard south eastern boundary. Further trees were planted in 2005 and the area is home to wildlife including bats, owls, deer and hedgehogs. The combination of paths skirting the various built up areas, parkland and woods provides a nice mix for orienteering which is suitable for events like the Come and Try Its. Whilst there are areas with some technical difficulty there are also plenty of linear features to relocate off – helpful when orienteering at night!

---

Please send any contributions for the January newsletter to [email protected] by Wednesday 5th January.