Waldridge, County Durham

Waldridge Fell is a Site of Special Scientific Interest located immediately south-west of Chester-le-Street in the northern part of County Durham, England. It is one of the largest areas of lowland heath in County Durham and contains the only lowland valley-mire in the county. The fell is home to a number of plants and insects that are scarce to rare elsewhere in the county.

The Durham Coalfield is a coalfield in north-east England. It is continuous with the Northumberland Coalfield to its north. It extends from Bishop Auckland in the south to the boundary with the county of Northumberland along the River Tyne in the north, beyond which is the Northumberland Coalfield.The two contiguous coalfield areas were often referred to as the Durham and Northumberland Coalfield(s) or as the Great Northern Coalfield.

The South Burn is a small river in County Durham, England. One branch of the river has its source on Waldridge Fell, the other (and longer) branch, known as Black Burn, rises on the northern slope of Barras Hill, north-east of Sacriston village. The lower course of the burn occupies an incised valley, Southburn Dene, from which it emerges to cross the floodplain of the River Wear, into which it flows just south of Chester-le-Street. Part of the river's valley is included in the Waldridge Fell Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Pelton Fell is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated a short distance to the north-west of Chester-le-Street. It is the site of a former coal mine and a closed railway station primarily used to service both Pelton Fell and Pelton, a village at the opposite end of Station Lane, although very few traces of either remain today, except in some of the street names. Primarily residential, it does have a small village shop, a doctor's surgery and a newly open community centre called the Brockwell Centre. There is a Bar/Restaurant at the far end of the village, called The Moorings, with an attached hotel, which opened in April 2007. This is the area traditionally referred to as Hett Hills. The Pelton Fell Working men's club was closed and demolished in March 2008, several years after the Colliery Inn was closed and demolished only 100 yards from the same location. A small industrial estate called Stella Gill was established in the late 1980s and primarily provides start up premises for small businesses. A substantial proportion of the village is made up of pre- and post-Second World War council housing, many of which (particularly in the north of the village) have been bought under the right to buy scheme. The village is split into two sides by an area locally called 'The Battery'. On the Station Lane side is Pelton Fell memorial Park, housing a war memorial, tennis courts, children's play area and a bowling green, home to the local bowling club. Pelton Fell Football club play home games on the football pitches situated at the rear of Park View and Battle Green, just off Station Lane. Adjacent the park, on Station Lane, the Miner's Institute was built in 1889 and later expanded in 1909 to cope with the rise in population. The institute was used for many social activities and local clubs up until the 1990s when it fell derelict and was later destroyed by fire. There are now four newly built detached houses on the site. A Durham County Council-sponsored redevelopment of the village began in 2004, with a significant number of council houses, and a small number of private houses, demolished to make way for more modern accommodation, which is to a mix of social housing and private housing.

Hermitage Academy (formerly The Hermitage School and The Hermitage Academy) is a mixed secondary school and sixth form located in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. The current executive headteacher is Dr Janice Gorlach, appointed in September 2019 after the resignation of Miss Felicity Smith. Mr Darren Stewart has also been appointed as the School’s Headteacher. It is currently sponsored by North East Learning Trust (NELT), a multi-academy trust with partner & sponsor schools across North East England, including Academy at Shotton Hall and Teesdale School. Prior to 2019, the school was sponsored by The Hermitage Academy Trust, a single academy trust. Before the school was taken over by NELT, Miss Felicity Smith was appointed as principal, appointed in November 2015 after the resignation of Mr Jim Murray. Previously a foundation school administered by Durham County Council, The Hermitage School converted to academy status in April 2011 and was renamed The Hermitage Academy. However, the school continues to coordinate with Durham County Council for admissions. The Hermitage Academy offers GCSEs and BTECs as programmes of study for Key Stage 4 pupils, while students in the sixth form have the option to study from a range of A-levels, Cambridge Nationals and further BTECs.

Nettlesworth is a small village in County Durham, in England. It is situated to the south of Chester-le-Street, near Sacriston. Nettlesworth is adjoined with an old mining village called Kimblesworth. Nettlesworth has a school, Nettlesworth Primary School, and was home to a recently closed pub, the Black Bull.

Tan Hills is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated close to Sacriston, Kimblesworth and Nettlesworth, between Durham and Chester-le-Street.

Iveston is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated a short distance to the east of Consett. Housing in the area consists of a mixture of traditional cottages and large, newer residential properties. Historically, farming and mining formed the chief sources of employment in the village. First documented in the Boldon Book as Ivestan. The village is also listed in Bishops Hatfield’s survey (1381) as Ivestane.Little is known about the prehistory of the Iveston area. In fact no certain remains from this period have been found at all. It was once thought that 'Castle Hill' might be the sight of an Iron Age hillfort. However, the remains at this site are simply those of an early-19th-century quarry. The hill itself is a spoil tip from the quarry. The only object to have been found here is a 17th-century shoe buckle. More likely to be of prehistoric date is the enclosure shown by cropmarks, which was excavated in 1963. Although no dating evidence was found, this is not surprising as many prehistoric sites produce very few finds. The Romans arrived in County Durham in the 1st century and swiftly defended their newly captured territory by building a series of forts and connecting them with a network of roads. It is thought that the course of Dere Street ran through this area connecting the forts such as Binchester with Hadrian's Wall. A number of Roman coins have also been discovered- at least one was of mid-3rd century date. It is likely that there was other Roman activity in the area which remains to be discovered. Little is known about the area between the Roman period and the medieval period, although the name Iveston is of Old English origin suggesting that there was a village here during the Anglo-Saxon period. In fact little is known about the village until the 14th century when it is recorded that a chapel dedicated to St Margaret was built by the monks of the abbey of St Mary at Blanchland. However, after the dissolution it was used for agricultural purposes and finally demolished to use the stone for a farmhouse. All that can be seen today are the remains of a roughly rectangular earth platform. Coal mining probably became important in the area as early as the 15th century; coal mines are recorded in 1440. Further mines are recorded between 1611 and 1703, but like the rest of Durham it was really the 19th century that saw the massive expansion of coal mining in the area. Iveston Colliery itself was sunk in 1839 and closed in 1892. The colliery was served by the Iveston Railway. The Roman road of Dere Street, locally following the route of the A691 from Consett and Leadgate onward to Lanchester and Durham, passes through the south of the village. However, most of the village lies on an unclassified road called Iveston Lane heading north through the village from a junction with the A691 at The New Pavilion Chinese restaurant, formerly the Iveston Inn public house. Iveston Lane passes through the village green, before descending steeply down a bank locally well known with cyclists and joggers / runners with a gradient of 15% to the north of the village. This lane then terminates at a junction with Lund's Lane and Stoneyheap Lane. A further unclassified road heads north from the A691 at the south end of Iveston across a narrow gully and connecting with the north end of Delves Lane.

Chester-le-Street Town Football Club is a football club based in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. They are currently members of the Northern League Division Two and play at Moor Park.

Pelton railway station served the village of Pelton, County Durham, England, from 1860 to 1955 on the Stanhope and Tyne Railway.

Plawsworth is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated a short distance to the east of Sacriston, on the A167 between Durham and Chester-le-Street.

Chester Moor is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated a short distance to the south of Chester-le-Street.