The Boldons

The Boldons
Parts of Boldon Parish Church date from AD 920
The Boldons Location within Tyne and Wear
Population	13,271 (2001)
OS grid reference	NZ361615
Metropolitan borough	South Tyneside
Metropolitan county	Tyne and Wear
Region	North East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BOLDON COLLIERY
Postcode district	NE35
Post town	EAST BOLDON
Postcode district	NE36
Dialling code	0191
Police	Northumbria
Fire	Tyne and Wear
Ambulance	North East
UK Parliament	Jarrow
List of places UK England Tyne and Wear 54°56′42″N 1°26′28″W / 54.945°N 1.441°W / 54.945; -1.441

The Boldons is an area made up of the three villages of East Boldon, West Boldon and Boldon Colliery in South Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. In 2001 they had a population of 13,271.^[1]

Lying within the historic boundaries of County Durham, the villages are first recorded in print in 1170. Their names evolved from the words "Bold" or "Botl", meaning a building, and "dun", meaning a type of hillfort.^{[citation needed]}

In 1866, work began sinking a pit that began producing coal in 1869, and was then known as Boldon New Winning. The village that developed nearby in the 1870s became known as Boldon Colliery. When the mine was deepened and extended in the 1910s, further housing to accommodate the workforce was built to the south of the pit in an area known as Boldon New Town.

Until 1974 the area was administered as an urban district of County Durham, but since then has been part of the borough of South Tyneside.

In 1976, the Boldon Colliery Band appeared in episode 13 of the television series When the Boat Comes In. The mine closed in 1982 but more jobs became available when an Asda supermarket opened in 1987. Recent developments include Boldon Business Park. Boldon Colliery also has its own multi-screen cinema operated by Cineworld. The main secondary school in the area is Boldon School, a specialist sports college.