West Cornforth Explained

West Cornforth is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated to the south of Cornforth, near the A1(M) motorway, Coxhoe, Ferryhill and Spennymoor.It is known locally as “Doggie” though the etymology of this name is uncertain. It may, however, relate to the fact that dog irons were made there at one time.In 2008, the village was awarded the 'Calor Village of the Year' in the young people's Northern category.^[1] As of 2011, the village had a population of 2,501.^[2]

The village dates back to 1857^[3] and grew in size in conjunction with the local coal mine, Thrislington Colliery (now Thrislington Quarry), up until its closure in 1967.^[4] It received rail service through West Cornforth railway station up until 1952.^[5]

Notable people

• Sir Moir Lockhead OBE, DHC (born 1945), businessman, was educated at West Cornforth Secondary Modern.^[6] NB West Cornforth school used to be an Infants School, Junior Mixed, then Senior School with pupils a School Leavers Certificate at age 15 years. All pupils would sit an 11 Plus exam and those who passed would qualify for Grammar School, normally Spennymoor. West Cornforth School was never of Secondary Modern status.

Gordon Cowans -footballer, most famous for his career at Aston Villa F.C.

References

54.7°N -32°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2008-01-02 . Positive thinking gets recognition . 2024-05-01 . The Northern Echo . en.
2. Web site: Custom report - Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics . 2023-04-23 . www.nomisweb.co.uk.
3. Web site: Cornforth, County Durham Co-Curate . 2023-04-23 . co-curate.ncl.ac.uk.
4. Web site: Durham Mining Museum - Thrislington Colliery . 2023-04-23 . www.dmm.org.uk.
5. Web site: Geograph:: West Cornforth railway station (site),... © Nigel Thompson cc-by-sa/2.0 . 2023-04-23 . www.geograph.org.uk.
6. News: Angry - but not off the rails . . Andrew . Clark . 26 April 2003 . 19 April 2016.