44-496: Trimdon Labour Club was a bar and local branch of Sedgefield Labour Party in the village of Trimdon , County Durham in England. It opened in 1993, as a conversion of a former Working Men's Club . It was the local Labour Club of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair , who lived in nearby Trimdon Colliery . Trimdon Labour Club opened in its former state as a Working Men's Club in 1919, serving beer to mineworkers from
88-426: A barrel in a farmer's cottage. It fell into disrepair in the 1980s, before the local Constituency Labour Party took on the running of the club. It was opened in its repurposed state in 1993 by former Labour Leader Neil Kinnock , with the help of a £350 loan from Sedgefield Labour Party. A year later, in 1994, then- Shadow Home Secretary and MP for Sedgefield Tony Blair announced that he would stand to be Leader of
132-514: A community based station. The town is served by the local newspaper, The Northern Echo . Sedgefield railway station was opened by the Clarence Railway on 11 July 1835, and operated under several companies before the nationalisation of Britain's railways. It closed on 31 March 1952. Sedgefield continues to be served by public transport. Arriva North East route X22 operates hourly to Peterlee and Middlesbrough . There are
176-496: A creator of comic personalities, Surtees is still readable today. William Makepeace Thackeray envied him his powers of observation, while William Morris considered him "a master of life" and ranked him with Charles Dickens . The novels are engaging and vigorous, and abound with sharp social observation, with a keener eye than Dickens for the natural world. Perhaps Surtees most resembles the Dickens of The Pickwick Papers , which
220-564: A desk, like Victor Hugo . In 1835, Surtees abandoned his legal practice and, after inheriting Hamsterley Hall in 1838, devoted himself to hunting and shooting, meanwhile writing anonymously for his own pleasure. He was a friend and admirer of the great hunting man Ralph Lambton, who had his headquarters at Sedgefield , County Durham, the "Melton of the North". Surtees became Lord High Sheriff of Durham in 1856. He died in Brighton in 1864, and
264-611: A local mayor. An electoral ward of the same name exists. This ward includes surrounding areas and at the 2011 census had a population of 6,879. The Parish Hall was founded in 1849 as the Institute of Literature and Science, but later rebuilt as a Mechanics Institute. The hall was extensively refurbished in 2008, and continues to host a wide range of social events and entertainment. There are two primary schools in Sedgefield, Sedgefield Hardwick and Sedgefield County Primaries, and
308-468: A north–south trackway, creating a ladder-like layout, which could be securely dated by the many finds of Roman coins. During the 1800s, it was a hunting centre, dubbed 'the Melton of the North'. Hunter Ralph Lambton had his headquarters at Sedgefield: the humorous writer, Robert Smith Surtees , who lived at Hamsterley Hall , was a friend of his. On 23 February 1815, Lord Darlington wrote: 'Mr Ralph Lambton
352-412: A number of sporting venues and organisations in Sedgefield, the most famous of which is probably Sedgefield Racecourse , a regional thoroughbred horse-racing venue. There have been horse races since as early as 1732, and in 1846 officially recognised meetings began. Sedgefield Cricket Club is situated on the outskirts of the town on Station Road. The ground was donated to the people of Sedgefield around
396-526: A pint of beer in the bar, and in 1999 a phone call was received from US President Bill Clinton , to which the barmaid asked customers: "Is Tony Blair in?" Blair's agent, John Burton asked who it was, and the barmaid replied that it was "someone called Clinton". Five years later, Clinton's successor George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush called into the club on a visit to the UK with Blair and his wife Cherie . In June 2007, Blair announced his resignation from
440-523: A vulgar but good-natured sporting cockney grocer. Surtees attended a school at Ovingham and then Durham School , before being articled in 1822 to Robert Purvis, a solicitor in Newcastle upon Tyne . Surtees left for London in 1825, intending to practise law in the capital, but had difficulty making his way and began contributing to the Sporting Magazine . He launched out on his own with
484-505: Is held on the first Sunday of every month. There is a city friendship with Duisburg-Rheinhausen , a district of Duisburg . A Shrove Tuesday Ball Game still takes place in Sedgefield and is an example of Mob Football . A recent statue was erected to commemorate the yearly event; it features a man catching the famous Shrove Tuesday ball. A popular annual event is the Mediaeval Fair , which takes place in mid-May, and brings
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#1732773263699528-490: Is not easy to determine, his power as a creative artist was recognized, among professional writers, by Thackeray , Kipling , Arnold Bennett , and Siegfried Sassoon, and earned the tributes of laymen as distinguished and diverse as William Morris , Lord Rosebery , and Theodore Roosevelt . There is a statue of Jorrocks by John Mills outside 96 George Street, Croydon , London. A musical based on his works entitled Jorrocks with music and lyrics by David Heneker received
572-510: Is now a carpet shop. Sedgefield Sedgefield is a market town and civil parish in County Durham , England. It had a population of 5,211 as at the 2011 census. It has the only operating racecourse in County Durham . A Roman 'ladder settlement' was discovered by Channel Four's Time Team programme in 2003, in fields just to the west of Sedgefield. It consisted of rows of parallel crofts and workshops on either side of
616-519: The Dictionary of National Biography , said that it was the illustrations of Leech that gave Surtees' work any notability: The coarseness of the text was redeemed in 1854 by the brilliantly humorous illustrations of John Leech, who utilised a sketch of a coachman made in church as his model for the ex-grocer. Some of Leech's best work is to be found among his illustrations to Surtees's later novels, notably Ask Mamma and Mr. Romford's Hounds . Without
660-742: The New Sporting Magazine in 1831, contributing the comic papers which appeared as Jorrocks' Jaunts and Jollities in 1838. Jorrocks, the sporting cockney grocer, with his vulgarity and good-natured artfulness, was a great success with the public, and Surtees produced more Jorrocks novels in the same vein, notably Handley Cross and Hillingdon Hall , where the description of the house is very reminiscent of Hamsterley. Another hero, Soapey Sponge, appears in Mr Sponge's Sporting Tour , possibly Surtees's best work. All Surtees's novels were composed at Hamsterley Hall , where he wrote standing up at
704-523: The smoking ban and cheap supermarket alcohol, all of which reduced custom to the club. The decision was confirmed after the new Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced a hike in the rate of VAT in that year's budget, making staying open unrealistic. The £350 loan from Sedgefield Labour Party was repaid, and the club's secretary Paul Trippet announced that the club would close on 22 July 2010. The former club
748-485: The Labour Party. He succeeded , replacing John Smith , who had died suddenly of a heart attack. In 1997, Tony Blair became Prime Minister after a landslide election , ending 18 years of Conservative rule. His victory speech came from the stage inside the club, sweeping the Labour Party into power and Blair into Number 10 Downing Street . The next year, Blair accompanied French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin for
792-492: The North East of England where people can legally ride their quad bikes off-road. Occasionally, motocross tracks are available to the public for recreational use, and quads are available for hire suitable for all age groups from infants upwards. A "Bring your own" quad track, designed by a professional quad racer to include two large jumps, is also available. Sedgefield Squash Club has two courts behind Ceddesfield Hall in
836-726: The Serpentine Trail Race each September, Summer and Winter open handicaps in January and July and the Neptune Relays in April. In 2011, Sedgefield Harriers were recognised by England Athletics as National Development Club of the Year and by UK Athletics as Club of the Year. In 2012 the club was County Durham Sports Club of the Year. In December 2020 the club announced plans for an athletics track and associated facilities to
880-687: The Teesside junior football alliance. They are based at the local community college. Sedgefield Tennis Club play on three courts at the Community College. The club enters one Ladies team, one Mixed Team, and two Men's teams in the Cleveland Tennis League. Sedgefield ST Edmunds F.C play in the Swinburn Maddison Premier League. Knotty Hill Golf Centre is a 45-hole golf course, opened in
924-481: The aim of continuing to develop both playing, and the values of Rugby Union in the area. Reflecting this aim the club fielded a third XV, quaintly known as the "T'urds", together with a Veteran team, Sedgefield Spartans in the 2019/20 season. At the end of the 1970s a group of friends started gathering to ride their motocross bikes at a farm in Low Hardwick. Today Quad Sport Leisure is one of very few sites in
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#1732773263699968-518: The club are winning promotion to DN2 in the 2016/17 season and won the county plate in the 2017/18 Season. The team has had some notable successes and a tough reputation for taking scalps from many larger, more ‘established’ clubs in the area, Gosforth, Darlington and Redcar to name a few. The club's second XV “Sedgefield Saxons” play in the Tees Valley Friendly League, this team has an inclusive, and hard working reputation, with
1012-623: The local community and surrounding areas into the closed central streets of Sedgefield, to participate in fun fair rides, and medieval-themed activities. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC North East and Cumbria and ITV Tyne Tees . Television signals are received from either the Pontop Pike or Bilsdale TV transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Radio Tees , Capital North East , Heart North East , Smooth North East , Greatest Hits Radio North East , Nation Radio North East , Hits Radio Teesside and 'Darlo Radio',
1056-580: The mid-nineties. The Princes and the Bishops courses are both 18 holes and another nine holes is made up by the academy course. Sedgefield Harriers are a local running and athletics club based at Sedgefield Community College . They compete in road races, in fell races (mainly on the North York Moors), in cross country and on the track. There is a large junior section which competes in track and field competitions and cross country. The club hosts
1100-449: The north of Sedgefield under the project name of EDCAT (East Durham Community Athletics Track). Robert Smith Surtees Robert Smith Surtees (17 May 1805 – 16 March 1864) was an English editor, novelist and sporting writer, widely known as R. S. Surtees . He was the second son of Anthony Surtees of Hamsterley Hall , a member of an old County Durham family. He is remembered for his invented character of Jorrocks ,
1144-417: The offices of Sedgefield Rural District Council and 1974-1990 Sedgefield Magistrate's Court. The house has been carefully restored and is currently used as a venue for weddings and events as well as being a business hub. The 18th century saw the architect James Paine commissioned by John Burdon in 1754 to design and construct a Palladian estate at a historic coaching inn nearby Hardwick. The building work
1188-525: The original illustrations these works have very small interest. However, for the very reasons that the Victorians deprecated him, Surtees' work has continued to be read long after some of his more popular contemporaries have been forgotten. Gash notes that George Whyte-Melville 's hunting novels were far better selling in their day than Surtees's but are now no longer read and appear sanitised in comparison. Gash concludes by writing that: Surtees's range
1232-501: The rector. The grounds, now a public area, were laid out in the mid-18th century to a design by Joseph Spence . The Manor House occupies a prominent position at the head of the green. With three storeys it is a fine example of Queen Anne style architecture . Built in 1707 by Robert Wright Esq ., as the sundial on the house proclaims. The house was at one time part of the Hardwick Estate (1756-1792), and from 1907 to 1974,
1276-408: The same stage as his election victory speech 10 years earlier, to a crowd of local Labour supporters and anti-war protesters. He returned the next year to make a speech in support of Gordon Brown , who was elected Prime Minister after Blair's resignation. In 2010, three years after Blair gave up his Sedgefield seat , Trimdon Labour Club closed, citing reasons including the increase in satellite TV ,
1320-428: The secondary school, Sedgefield Community College . The town is twinned with Hamminkeln , Germany. The 700th anniversary of the Sedgefield's market charter granting took place in 2012. The market was held on Cross Hill from 1312 until 1918. The original market cross was removed during the 19th century, a new cross was placed during the anniversary year. The new cross was produced by a local designer. A farmers' market
1364-605: The speech of children in the books of Monica Marsden . Anthony Blanche , as he prepares Charles Ryder for their dinner outing to Thame in Brideshead Revisited (1945), says that they will "imagine ourselves…where? Not on a j-j-jaunt with J-J-Jorrocks anyway." "There were Jorrocks' Jaunts and Jollities ; there were Soapey Sponge and Mrs. Asquith's Memoirs and Big Game Shooting in Nigeria , all spread open." From Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf . Surtees
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1408-879: The turn of the nineteenth century and is home to a number of senior and junior teams. Reformed in 2007, Sedgefield District RUFC are a small club, based at the cricket club, and with their own pitch on grounds overlooking Hardwick East. It is associated with Durham County Rugby Football Union , it was awarded the Whistler Trophy by the Durham County referee society for the most welcoming club for officials and opponents alike. The first XV currently play in Durham/Northumberland 2 following several successful seasons in Durham/Northumberland Division 3. Notable achievements for
1452-453: The village with one being a glass wall. The club has 5 Men's and 2 Ladies teams in the Durham and Cleveland Leagues and a considerable amount of junior members with the club constantly growing. The club boasts around 12 internal leagues where players are constantly changing their rankings. It has had a refurbishment in 2020 - 2021. Sedgefield Youth Football Club (SYFC) run an Under-12 team in
1496-624: Was Field Marshal Lord Gort , commander of the BEF in France in 1940. The character " Stalky " (based on Lionel Dunsterville ) from Rudyard Kipling 's Stalky & Co. (1899) has Surtees's Handley Cross by heart and quotes from it repeatedly. The novels of Surtees are mentioned several times in Siegfried Sassoon 's 1928 autobiographical novel Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man . Mr. Jorrocks' phrase "my beloved 'earers" often appears in
1540-546: Was born in Sedgefield, and actions by his offspring indirectly led to the South African town of Sedgefield, Western Cape , being named in honour of his birthplace. Sedgefield constituency's Member of Parliament was Tony Blair ; he was the area's MP from 1983 to 2007, Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007 and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. During November 2003, Sedgefield
1584-616: Was buried in Ebchester church. Though Surtees did not set his novels in any readily identifiable locality, he uses North East place-names like Sheepwash, Howell (How) Burn, and Winford Rig. His memorable Geordie James Pigg, in Handley Cross , is based on Joe Kirk, a Slaley huntsman. The famous incident, illustrated by Leech, when Pigg jumps into the melon frame was inspired by a similar episode involving Kirk in Corbridge . As
1628-488: Was founded by Bishop Cutheard of Lindisfarne , around AD 900. The Normans replaced the original wooden church with the present stone building with rounded arches, and the present church was built between 1246 and 1256, to replace the original wooden church, with later additions. The tower was added in the 15th century by Robert Rodes. Elaborate 17th-century woodwork was installed by John Cosin , bishop of Durham . The church also contains monumental brasses . Ceddesfeld Hall
1672-693: Was limited, his style often clumsy and colloquial. Even in the better-constructed novels the plots are loose and discursive. Nevertheless, his sharp, authentic descriptions of the hunting field have retained their popularity among fox-hunters.... Among a wider public his mordant observations on men, women, and manners; his entertaining array of eccentrics, rakes, and rogues; his skill in the construction of lively dialogue (a matter over which he took great pains); his happy genius for unforgettable and quotable phrases; and above all, his supreme comic masterpiece, Jorrocks, have won him successive generations of devoted followers. Although his proper place among Victorian novelists
1716-545: Was never completed as Burdon went bankrupt, sufficient landscaping was done to form the basis of what came to be Hardwick Hall Country Park . The area is Grade II* listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens , and the hall, presently the Hardwick Arms Hotel, is Grade II Listed In the general election of December 2019 the constituency was won by Conservative MP, [1] Paul Howell, as well as having
1760-460: Was not among the most popular novelists in the nineteenth century. His work lacked the self-conscious idealism, sentimentality and moralism of the Victorian era; the historian Norman Gash asserted that "His leading male characters were coarse or shady; his leading ladies dashing and far from virtuous; his outlook on society satiric to the point of cynicism." Thomas Seccombe , writing in 1898 for
1804-627: Was originally intended as mere supporting matter for a series of sporting illustrations to rival Jorrocks. Most of Surtees's later novels, were illustrated by John Leech . They included Mr Sponge's Sporting Tour (1853), Ask Mamma (1858), Plain or Ringlets? (1860) and Mr Facey Romford's Hounds (1865). The last of these novels appeared posthumously. In 1841, Surtees married Elizabeth Jane Fenwick (1818–1879), daughter of Addison Fenwick of Bishopwearmouth , by whom he had one son Anthony (1847–1871) and two daughters. His younger daughter Eleanor married John Vereker, afterwards 5th Viscount Gort. Their son
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1848-611: Was originally the rectory to the church, built after the first rectory burnt down; it is now occupied by the Sedgefield Community Association. A Latin inscription above the door states, "By the generosity of Samuel and Shute Barrington , one an Admiral of the Fleet, the other Bishop of Durham, whose achievements are praised by everyone." The hall was rebuilt in 1793, by the Barringtons, for their nephew,
1892-625: Was out with some gentlemen from Sedgefield, and a most immense field.' The town was known in the area because of Winterton Hospital . This was an isolation hospital and an asylum. The site was like a village itself with its own fire station, bank and cricket team. Today, little trace is left of the hospital, apart from the church, which is now surrounded by the Winterton housing estate and the NETPark Science park. The 19th-century South African politician and industrialist Henry Barrington
1936-466: Was visited by the American president George W. Bush during a state visit . He visited a local pub , as well as the local secondary school ( Sedgefield Community College ). This event was preceded by high-intensity security, which included fastening down manhole covers and drains, and closing the centre of the town to all traffic. An anti-war protest coincided with his visit. The parish of St Edmund
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