Everything about Prudhoe totally explained
» For the settlement and oil field in the U.S. state of Alaska, see Prudhoe Bay.
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.
The town's name is pronounced "pruddah".
Transport
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.
Industry
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
Imperial Chemical Industries (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
ammonium sulfate). 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.
Thompsons of Prudhoe, a large construction/demolition company, is based on the Prudhoe Industrial Estate.
Recreation
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. Now forming a traffic-free part of
National Cycle Network Route 72, it runs on the bed of a disused railway line to Newburn, Tyne and Wear, and on to Newcastle.
Prudhoe Town Football Club play in the Second Division of the
Arngrove Northern League
.
Prudhoe Waterworld
provides swimming and other fitness activities and is the home of Prudhoe Millenium Tapestry.
Prudhoe Golf Club
is an 18-hole golf club to the east of the town.
International links
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 Castle
Prudhoe has a
Norman castle which was for a long time involved in the border
wars between
England and
Scotland. It was built by the de
Umfraville family - the Norman Sir Robert de Umfraville was granted the freedom of
Redesdale by
William the Conqueror. For much of its history the castle was owned by the
Percy family. It is now run by
English Heritage.
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.
For further details see the article
Prudhoe CastleFurther Information
Get more info on 'Prudhoe'.
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