"Cornwall" - A Durham Mining Village

[at0m]

My dad lived the first 14 years of his life, 1912-1926, at a place officially called Annfield Place I think, but which the locals called 'Cornwall', a miners village purpose-built around the 1860s.    The name reflected the origins of the first occupants, long gone by the time my dad's family moved in.  Annfield Plain covered a rather bigger area than Annfield Place, and when we visited Beamish Museum dad said the Coop shop relocated there had been the Annfield Plain Coop where his mam shopped.

Dad left Durham in 1926, and returned on his bike about 3 years later to find the old village cleared.  In retirement he wrote and illustrated with drawings and location maps an account of 'Cornwall'.  It's on the internet at:

http://cornwall-in-durham.blogspot.com/

Tom Swailes

[JenB]

This is brilliant.

My grandmother lived in Annfield Plain for most of her long life. She remembered 'Cornwall' very well.
Here's one of her memories from around 1900 I think:

Mr Trevelyan used to come around with a horse and cart selling fruit and vegetables. He was one of the Cornish tin-miners who came here after the tin mines closed. They got work at the Billy Pit and the houses they lived in, which were where Annfield Plain is now, were nicknamed ‘Cornwall’. Mr Trevelyan used to call  "’Taters, apples, onions and them long things”. These were bananas which we’d never seen and mother never bought them.

Jennifer

[trish1120]

Hi Tom,
What an amazing insight to a time now almost forgotten
I really enjoyed reading it and had tears in my eyes at the end and was so happy for your Father to achieve his dream.

Trish

[stanmapstone]

You can see Annfield Place on the 1894-1899 map at http://gis.durham.gov.uk/website/interMAP/viewer.htm Put the post code DH98NP into search. It is still called Annfield Place.

Stan

[JenB]

a place officially called Annfield Place I think, but which the locals called 'Cornwall'

The area was actually called 'Cornwall or Annfield Place' in the 1881 census. RG 11 / 4943 / folio 67 / page 13.

Jennifer

[at0m]

Very interesting to know that it was at least semi-officially Cornwall in the 1881 census; and to see Annfield Place on the old map too.

Tom

[geniewhoami]

This was a joy to read, thank you! Genie

[Ruskie]

Welcome to rootschat Tom. Thank you for the link - I have put it into my favourites. Thank you for posting it.

[JenB]

I have a (privately published) book called 'The Story of Annfield Plain and District' by F.J. Wade - possibly one of the most comprehensive histories of Annfield Plain and its people in existence!

In this he says that 'Cornwall' was originally known as 'The Cement Rows' which were built in about 1870 by the owners of the South Derwent Coal Company.

Jennifer