Chester-le-Street is the business, residential and shopping
centre of one of the smallest English districts. Situated in the northern part
of County Durham, between Durham City and Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, the
district has a population of 57,000. Chester le Street is built on the site of a
Roman Fort on the road to Hadrian's Wall, and was known then as Congangium.
The Romans called the town Concangis. The Anglo-Saxons called it Cuneceaster
meaning the camp on the Cune Burn. The Normans shortened the name to Ceastre and
later, simply Chester. In the Middle Ages it became Cestrie in Strata 1372 and
then Chester in the Strett 1523. By the seventeenth century the modern name of
Chester-le-Street had been adopted, to distinguish it from the ancient city of
Chester standing on the River Dee near the Welsh border. The Street is the paved
way, the ancient Roman road running north and south on which the town grew, and
which is now known as Front Street.
Chester-le-Street has many attractions ranging from beautiful countryside to a
rich heritage. With some outstanding scenery with lowland fells to the east and
west of Chester-le-Street. Waldridge fell has retained its character as the only
uncultivated lowland common in county Durham and as such is a local nature
reserve. The town has served many functions an encampment of the ancient British
Epican tribe, site of Conganium and a Roman fort.
In 875 AD the few remaining monks at Lindisfarne had been forced to flee from
yet another Viking attack. In 883 AD the Lindisfarne monks arrived in Chester le
Street and built a cathedral in which to house their treasures, the most revered
of which was the incorrupt body of St. Cuthbert. He was the Bishop of
Lindisfarne, healer and missionary and died in 687 AD. For over 150 years, this
was the resting place of St Cuthbert's body before its transfer to Durham, a
place of greater safety from Viking invaders. His body became the object of
reverence.
During the middle-ages, Chester-le-Street was the administrative and
ecclesiastical centre for the northern part of County Durham. The14th century
Parish Church of St Mary and St Cuthbert one of the town's major landmarks is a
reminder of this period. Adjoining the church is the Ankers House, one of the
smallest museums in the country.
Another major landmark is Lumley Castle, now a luxury hotel, once the ancestral
home of the Lumley family. The Lumley's prospered as mine-owners for three
centuries, during the 18th and 19th centuries, the coal industry dominated
Chester-le-Street. On the banks of the River Wear, under the gaze of Lumley
Castle lies the Riverside development. This is home to the first class, Durham
County Cricket Ground, completed in 1995 and with a test match standard ground
which has already hosted international matches.
Chester-le-Street was the centre of a mining area with pits in many of the
surrounding villages. The Civic Centre houses banners from some of these
collieries, which would have been carried in the annual Durham Miners' gala,
held in Durham City for over a century. In more modern times Chester le Street
celebrated 1100 years in 1983 with many Civic and Local Community events to mark
this milestone in the Cestrians heritage. It is currently the fastest growing
town in County Durham.
