 | This article'slead sectionmay be too short to adequatelysummarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead toprovide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article.(October 2023) |
| Corbridge | |
|---|---|
 Market Place, Corbridge town centre | |
  Corbridge Location withinNorthumberland | |
| Population | 3,672 (2011)[1] |
| OS grid reference | NY990646 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CORBRIDGE |
| Postcode district | NE45 |
| Dialling code | 01434 |
| Police | Northumbria |
| Fire | Northumberland |
| Ambulance | North East |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | www.visitcorbridge.co.uk |
| |
Corbridge is a village inNorthumberland, England, 16 miles (26 km) west ofNewcastle and 4 miles (6 km) east ofHexham. Villages nearby includeHalton,Acomb,Aydon andSandhoe.
Corbridge was known to theRomans as something likeCorstopitum orCoriosopitum, and wooden writing tablets found at the Roman fort ofVindolanda nearby suggest it was probably locally calledCoria (meaning a tribal centre). According to Bethany Fox, the early attestations of the English nameCorbridge "show variation betweenCor- andCol-, as in the earliest two forms,Corebricg andColebruge, and there has been extensive debate about what its etymology may be. Some relationship with the Roman nameCorstopitum seems clear, however".[2]
Coria was the most northerly town in theRoman Empire, lying at the junction of theStanegate andDere Street, the two most important localRoman roads.
The firstfort was establishedc. AD 85, although there was a slightly earlier base nearby at Beaufront Red House. By the middle of the 2nd century AD, the fort was replaced by a town with two walled military compounds, which were garrisoned until the end of the Roman occupation of the site. The best-known finds from the site include the stoneCorbridge Lion and theCorbridge Hoard of Roman armour and sundry other items. InRudyard Kipling'sPuck of Pook's Hill, the town of Hunno on the Wall is probably based on Corstopitum.
The Roman Town is now managed by English Heritage on behalf of HM Government. The site has been largely excavated and features a large museum and shop. The fort is the top-rated attraction in Corbridge and is open daily between 10 and 6 in the summer and at weekends between 10 and 4 in the winter.
TheChurch of England parish church ofSaint Andrew is thought to have been consecrated in 676. SaintWilfrid is supposed to have had the church built at the same time asHexham Abbey. It has been altered several times since, with aNorman doorway, and alychgate built as aFirst World War memorial. The Church is built largely from stone taken fromHadrian's Wall to the north, and the entrance to the Church is through glass doors given byRowan Atkinson (known forBlackadder andMr. Bean) and etched in memory of his mother, a parishioner.
There are only three fortified vicarages in the county, and one of these is in Corbridge. Built in the 14th century, theVicar's Pele is to be found in the south-east corner of the churchyard, and has walls 1.3 metres (4 ft) in thickness. The register for St Andrew's dates from 1657. Later on in the town's history, Wesleyan, Primitive and FreeMethodist chapels were all built too.
.jpg)
Even older than the Vicar's Pele is Corbridge Low Hall, dating from the late 13th or early 14th century, with one end converted to apele tower in the 15th century. The main block was remodelled in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the building restoredc. 1890.[3]Corbridge Town Hall was designed byFrank Emley and completed in 1887.[4]
A number of fine Victorian mansions were developed on Prospect Hill to house successful industrialists and local businessmen in the late 19th century, after the arrival of the railway facilitated commuting to Newcastle.
Corbridge suffered, as did many other settlements in the county, from the border warfare which was particularly prevalent between 1300 and 1700. Raids were commonplace, and it was not unusual for the livestock to be brought into the town at night and a watch placed to guard either end of the street for marauders. A bridge over the Tyne was built in the 13th century, but this original has not survived. Thepresent bridge, an impressive stone structure with seven arches, was erected in 1674.
Corbridge is in theparliamentary constituency ofHexham,Joe Morris of theLabour Party is theMember of Parliament.
Prior toBrexit, for theEuropean Parliament its residents voted to electMEP's for theNorth East England constituency.
ForLocal Government purposes it belongs toNorthumberland County Council aunitary authority. Anelectoral ward of the same name exists. This ward includes Corbridge andSandhoe. It had a total population taken at the 2011 census of 4,191.[5] The Parish itself is run by Corbridge Parish Council which elects 10Councillors on 4 year terms; one of them is selected by members of the council to beChairman and Vice Chairman respectively on 1 year terms. They meet on the fourth Wednesday of every month. The Meetings take place at Corbridge Parish Hall.[6]
Corbridge isbypassed to the north by theA69 road, linking it toNewcastle andCarlisle. It is also linked toNewcastle and theA1 by theA695 which passes about 1 mile (1.6 km) away on the south side of theRiver Tyne.
The 684, 685 and Tyne Valley 10 bus routes link the town to Newcastle and Hexham. Service 685 also provides a link to Carlisle
The town is served byCorbridge railway station on theNewcastle & Carlisle Railway, also known as theTyne Valley line. The line was opened in 1838, and links the city ofNewcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear withCarlisle inCumbria. The line follows the course of theRiver Tyne throughNorthumberland.
Passenger services on the Tyne Valley Line are operated byNorthern. The line is also used forfreight.
The railway station is about 1 mile (1.6 km) away on the south side of theRiver Tyne.
Stagshaw Bank Fair, traditionally held on 4 July, was one of the most famous of the country fairs. It included a huge sale of stock, and was proclaimed each year by thebailiff to theDuke of Northumberland. TheNorthumberland County Show, an agricultural event, was held in the fields outside Corbridge each year before moving toBywell in 2013.
The Corbridge Steam Fair and Vintage Rally is held every year in June to celebrate steam engines. There are also classic cars, trucks and tractors.
Corbridge Festival has taken place since 2011 and is usually held on the last weekend of June or the first in July.[7] Headliners have includedThe Coral andFun Lovin' Criminals. The festival now includes three stages and up to 50 bands.[8]
A Midsummer’s Evening in Corbridge marks thesummer solstice each year with performers, stalls and late night shopping in the village from 4pm to 9pm.[9]
Each year on the first Monday in December, the village hostsChristmas in Corbridge with carol singing, food stalls and late night shopping.[10]
 | This articlecontains images without alternative text.Alternative text helps readers who use screen readers to access Wikipedia due to visual impairment. Please help improve Wikipedia by adding descriptive text to images. See theManual of Style for guidelines. (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
