Page:History and characteristics of Bishop Auckland.djvu/76

mSTOBY 07 BISHOP AVCKIAND. 55 speculate upon its future destiny, has now been accomplished, and the few particulars we now purpose adding are intended rather as matters of information and curiosity for future generations than for the edification of the present Facts well known to us all may appear too commonplace to claim the attention of the historian, but we feel that should some lover of his native town seek to re-write its history, a century or two hence, no page in this book of ours will be more welcome to him than this. To paint Auckland, in words, as it is to-day is no easy task ; but yet we will endeavour to make posterity understand the present position of the town. Its main and finished streets have already been alluded to, but several new streets are now in course of fo^matio^ : Gibbon-street leads us to Edward, WaJdron, and Surtees-streets, which are about half built up. Fairless-street consists of some half-dozen houses on its northern side, with an imposing structure called " Clairmont," opposite. This, in due time, is expected to be a great thoroughfare ; but, as yet the signs of " Macadam " are few and far between. Several new streets have been erected on land in the rear of South-terrace ; whilst Mr. Thomas Vaughan's Ironworks, Messrs. Lingford, Gardiner, and Co.'s Works, &c., occupy the land on the east side of South-road. The above thoroughfare is connected with South Church-lane by Peel-street, as yet unfinished The old Tile Sheds and field are now advertised for sale for building sites, and they may ere long give place to new streets fronting the Railway Station and Albert-hill. The west side of South Church-lane is built up as far as the comer of Peel-street, and on the opposite side, the St. Ann's and the Grammar Schools are the only erections. Victoria-street has just made for itself " a local habitation and a name," and at its junction with Newgate-street, and opposite the residence of the late W. Hodgson, Esq., Mr Isaiah Cleminson is now building a large drapery establishment This new street we hope to see extended to the centre of Durham-chare, so as to form a better mode of access to the town from Spennymoor and Durham. In the adjoining fields, four villa residences have recently been erected, so that the east is becoming " the West-end " of the town. Clarence Gardens have been laid out as building sites, but as yet no sales of ground have been efiected, and the old cottage still stands in their centre. Before leaving the subject, we would just mention the recent erection of a new bank in the Market-place for Messrs. Backhouse and Co., at a cost of nearly £12,000, and an extension of the adjoining drapery establishment by its owners, Messrs. E. Hedley and Co., at a cost of nearly £10,000. It is not our intention to write of the town geographically or geologically, but we may say, in conclusion, tha-t its site — ^like all places where old religious or ecclesiastical establishments are to be found — ^has been weU chosen ; for the monks of old had good taste in those mattera No doubt the surrounding district would be thoroughly examined before any building of consequence was raised upon it. The town stands on a kind of peninsular or narrow tongue of land situate between the rivers Wear and Gaunless, which at that period of time would no doubt be weU wooded, supplying timber in abundance for fuel and other purposes. The banks of the rivers would also afibrd good pasturage and shelter for stock, and the streams would give a plentiful supply of water for household purposes. The hill upon which the town and castle stands, is a thick bed of drift, consisting of alternating beds of boulder clay, sand, gravel, and brick eartL The upper part of the town is 177 feet above the bed of the Wear, which on the north side has, for long periods of time, been gradually wearing its channel broader and deeper until it has reached the rocks belonging to the coal measures, which now form the river's bed, evidences of which are distinctly seen by the fine terraces in the fields to the north of the town, showing clearly the different levels at which the river has run in former timea What the Wear has done on the north, the Gaunless has accomplished on the south-east and east of the town, although not to the same extent, its volume of water being much smaller than the Wear, but still of sufficient power to form a deep valley round that part of the town and through the Park Digitized by Google