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Prudhoe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Prudhoe is a small town in the southern part of the English county of Northumberland in the district of Tynedale, close to the border with Tyne and Wear and just south of the River Tyne. Prudhoe is the largest town in Tynedale with a population of over 11,500.
The town is sited on a steep, north-facing hill in the Tyne valley near Ovingham, Ovington, Wylam, Stocksfield, Crawcrook (in Tyne and Wear), Hedley on the Hill, and Mickley.
Prudhoe can be reached from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the closest city, by rail, and by road via the A695, or from the A69 Carlisle-Newcastle trunk road, via Wylam or Ovington, crossing the river Tyne.
The town is served by Prudhoe railway station, and has direct bus links to Newcastle, Hexham and the MetroCentre.
Prudhoe was once a coal mining town.
At present, Prudhoe has two large factories: SCA Hygiene (formerly Kimberly-Clark) which makes paper products such as tissues at their Prudhoe Mill factory and Hammerite Products (an ICI owned factory producing paints and thinning products for Cuprinol, Hammerite and other brands)
The site where SCA stands was first used by ICI for producing agricultural fertiliser (sulphate and sulphate of ammonia). In 1963 this plant closed leaving behind the "Spetchells" chalk hills - heaps of waste product which were subsequently turfed over. After ICI closed the site was owned by Cleveland Engineering which produced automobile parts. Following its closure in 1969 Kimberly-Clark opened.
Thomsons of Prudhoe, a large construction/demolition company, is based on the Prudhoe Industrial Estate.
Tyne Riverside Country Park in Low Prudhoe lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne.
The park includes the artificial chalk hills known as the "Spetchells" which have attracted some natural chalk-loving flora and fauna not normally found in the region. It has been proposed that they be made 'sites of scientific interest'.
A public bridleway runs to Hagg Bank, over the Points Bridge to Wylam where it runs on the bed of a disused railway line to Newburn, Tyne and Wear.
Prudhoe is twinned with Mitry Mory, near Paris, France.
Prudhoe Bay, an area of Alaska containing the largest oil field in the USA is named indirectly after Prudhoe. The explorer, John Franklin, who discovered the area, named it after his good friend, Baron Prudhoe of Prudhoe.
Prudhoe has a Norman castle which was for a long time involved in the border wars between England and Scotland. For much of its history the castle was owned by the Percy family, who in the person of the present Duke of Northumberland still own it.
The majority of the surviving building work dates from the 12th century, although the site of Prudhoe Castle has strong Norman origins. In the 14/15th century the tower was extended to provide an extra level with turrets. Only the south west turret survives to this day.
- Prudhoe Online Community Website
- Prudhoe Castle
- Prudhoe Dolphins Local Swimming Club
| Major settlements in Northumberland |  |
|---|---|
| Alnwick | Ashington | Bamburgh | Bedlington | Berwick-upon-Tweed | Blyth | Cramlington | Haltwhistle | Hexham | Morpeth | Newbiggin-by-the-Sea | Ponteland | Prudhoe | Rothbury | Seahouses | Wooler | |