Haswell, County Durham

Haswell is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated 6 miles (9.7 km) east of the city of Durham, 9 miles (14 km) south of the city of Sunderland and 3.1 miles (5.0 km) north-west of the town of Peterlee.

Haswell
St Paul's Parish Church, Haswell
Haswell Location within County Durham
Population	1,831 (2011)[1]
OS grid reference	NZ375433
Unitary authority	County Durham
Ceremonial county	County Durham
Region	North East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	DURHAM
Postcode district	DH6
Dialling code	0191
Police	Durham
Fire	County Durham and Darlington
Ambulance	North East
UK Parliament	Easington
List of places UK England County Durham 54.7834°N 1.4177°W / 54.7834; -1.4177

History

The original settlement of Haswell was located where High Haswell is now on the hilltop before the village's centre moved downhill to its modern location on Salter's Lane. In the 14th century, Haswell's small population was nearly wiped out by the Black Death.^[2]

Resting on a limestone escarpment, coal was discovered in the early 19th century and a colliery was sunk by 1831.^[2] Haswell became home to the first coal mine in the world with a steel cable down its mine shaft. On 28 September 1844, a blackdamp explosion at killed 95 Haswell Coal Company workers, with just four survivors.^[3] The colliery closed in 1896, and Haswell's population collapsed by 1901 after the miners left, leaving behind a rural settlement.^[2]

Notable people

Haswell was the birthplace of world champion road racing cyclist Tom Simpson, born 30 November 1937, who died aged 29 on Mont Ventoux during the 1967 Tour de France.