Historic Settlement Patterns in Weardale

Wearhead Village Continued...

Two farms at Spark’s Farm and 14 Riverside Cottage (with South View) may date to the 18th century and either may be the site of the original 13th-century farm. No. 33 Riverview may also be the site of an early small holding dating to the late 18th century. By then, the size of Wearhead merited a school and, by the 19th century, the growth in the town required that the spiritual well-being of its inhabitants be cared for. This resulted in the building of two chapels in Wearhead, one now demolished. A programme of civic building took place including the village Institute and a replacement school in the late 19th century.

Today, Wearhead is a traditional dales village with a number of historic features scattered throughout the village and a predominance of 19th-century vernacular architecture. Piecemeal growth is reflected in the layout with clusters of buildings interspersed with green lanes and cobbled alleys tightly packed between the river and the rising land to the north east. The majority of 18th to 19th century buildings are north of the river, with 20th century development mainly to the south.

 

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