Bishop Auckland

Bishop Auckland
Town
A square with three deciduous trees visible in the foreground. At the back of the square is the Town Hall, a neo-gothic style building. The town hall has two visible stories externally, together with a pitched roof with a number of dormers. In the centre of the roof area is a spire with a clock at its base. To the right of the Town hall is St Anne's church. The front of the church has a cylindrical cone spire.
Bishop Auckland is located in County Durham
Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland
Location within County Durham
Population
• Civil parish		(2011 census)
16,276[1]
• Town24,908[2]
• Built-up area26,050[3]
OS grid referenceNZ208294
• London227 mi (365 km) SbE
Civil parish
  • Bishop Auckland[4]
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBISHOP AUCKLAND
Postcode districtDL14
Dialling code01388
PoliceDurham
FireCounty Durham and Darlington
AmbulanceNorth East
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
County Durham
54°39′47″N 1°40′34″W / 54.663°N 1.676°W / 54.663; -1.676

Bishop Auckland (/ˈɔːk.lənd/ AWK-lənd) is a market town and civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, England. It is 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Darlington and 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Durham.

Much of the town's early history surrounds the Bishops of Durham and the establishment of Auckland Castle's predecessor, a hunting lodge, which became the main residence of Durham Bishops. This is reflected in the first part of the town's name.[5][6][7][8] During the Industrial Revolution, the town grew rapidly as coal mining became its largest industry.[9] Decline in the coal mining industry during the late twentieth century has changed the town's largest sector to manufacturing.[10][11]

Since 1 April 2009, the town's local authority has been Durham County Council. The unitary authority replaced the previous Wear Valley District and Durham County councils.[12] The parliamentary constituency of Bishop Auckland is named after the town. It is currently held by Dehenna Davison of the Conservative Party. The town is twinned with the French town of Ivry-sur-Seine.[13]

  1. ^ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Bishop Auckland Parish (E04010595)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  2. ^ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Bishop Auckland Built-up Area sub division (E35000528)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  3. ^ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Bishop Auckland Built-up Area (E34004911)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Bishop Auckland Town Council". Bishopauckland-tc.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  5. ^ Simpson 1991, p. 41
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference ACHist was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Fordyce545 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Placename meanings was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference F558 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference TNE200089 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rates sheet was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Make up of new unitary councils", BBC News, 1 April 2009, retrieved 6 June 2009
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference twin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).