Cramlington
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St_nicholas_cramlington.jpg
The small town of Cramlington in the county of Northumberland is situated nine miles north of the provincial city of Newcastle Upon Tyne in the north east of England. Its population is about 43,000. Its name suggests a probable founding by the Danes or Anglo-Saxon origin, the word ‘Ton’ meaning town.
The first record of the Manor of Cramlington is from a mention in 1135 when the land was granted to Nicholas de Grenville. A register of early chaplains begins with John the Clerk of Cramlington (c.1163-1180). The register continues to the present day.
From the 12th Century onwards, its history has been mostly rural incorporating several farms and the parish church of St. Nicholas (built at a cost of £3,000 during 1865-1868 in the Gothic style) but during the early 19th Century, coal mining with several mine shafts in the immediate vicinity (the first was sunk in 1824) began to change that. It remained small, however, until 1964 when it was proclaimed a New Town and developers (such as William Leech and J.T.Bell) developed large housing estates. It has effectively become a suburb of the much larger city to its south.
During World War One, the North East of England was protected by the No. 36 Home Defence squadron. The squadron was formed at Cramlington on February 1st, 1916 by Capt. R. O. Abercromby, with Cramlington subsequently becoming an important base for military planes and airships.
There are several large industrial zones in Cramlington, most to the town's north-west, housing many major pharmaceutical companies such as Merck Sharpe and Dohme, Boots the Chemist and Procter and Gamble. Cramlington also has a National Rail station with direct services to Morpeth, Chathill, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Europe's largest shopping mall - The Metrocentre.
The acclaimed comedian Ross Noble comes from Cramlington. Footballer Alan Shearer also started his career playing for Cramlington Juniors Football Club.
The latitude and longitude of the town are 55.07N & 01.59W NZ2676.
Twin Towns
- Solingen, Germany
- Ratingen, Germany
- Gelendzhik, Russia
External link
History of the No. 36 Home Defence squadron (http://www.rafweb.org/Sqn036-40.htm)