CONTENTS:

Railways

Buses

For many years it was suspected that a Roman road existed, going from Binchester (Vinovium) to the old port at Hartlepool.

This passed through Westerton, Merrington and Ferryhill where from Wood Lane it came down the hillside to cross the morass in the valley below by means of a causeway it then climbed the hill through Thrislington Wood to Stob Cross, continuing along the present road to the Hare and Hounds public house from which it followed the present road through Trimdon Village to Hurworth Burn, ending at Old Hartlepool.  During the summers of 1984-85 Robin Walton travelled the length of this road, making several excavations, which proved the site of a road then unknown, and found Thrislington Hall had been built on top of this road.

During Excavations of the deserted village of Thrislington 1973-74 by the Archaeology Dept of Durham University a piece of Roman pottery was found.  In Medieval times this road was used by the Inhabitants of Thrislington making journeys to the Medieval villages at Ferryhill, Garmondsway and Trimdon.  A Medieval road from Bishop Middleham to Durham was used by the Bishops as they journeyed between their castles at Bishop Middleham and Durham.  This road came from Bishop Middleham to Stob Cross.  The south end of this road was severed by the motorway, and on 12th January, 1991 was finally closed as the area was to be removed by quarrying operations.  After leaving Stob Cross it passed through the old village of Cornforth, on to Brandon House and Brandon Hill farms, continuing to the old medieval village of Tursdale situated at Hett Mill, past where Shincliffe old racecourse stood to Shincliffe village.  From there it went to Old Durham, on towards Durham Market Place, and ended at Durham Castle, arriving there without having to cross the Wear.  Whenever Bishop Bury journeyed from Middleham to Durham he distributed 100 shillings among the poor villagers on the route.  The above road partly follows a Roman road.

It is interesting to note that two Bishops died at the castle at Bishop Middleham.  Bishop Robert-de-Insula on 9th June 1283, and Bishop Richard de Kelloe on 9th October 1316.  They were buried in the Chapter House at Durham Cathedral, their remains having been conveyed by a horse-drawn hearse.  With a little imagination the funeral processions can be pictured passing through the village at Cornforth on the way to Durham.  It was the custom for the Prior and Convent of the Cathedral to meet the funeral cortege at the door of the Cathedral.  The body of the departed prelate was buried in full episcopal robes, with mitre, crozier, chalice and ring, and his seals - ''for the Bishop of Durham in his palatinate and episcopal capacity had of necessity many'' - were either defaced or broken and thrown into the grave.  From an early period the hearse and horses by which it was drawn were the fee of the Sacrist together with other valuable presents of robes, books, etc.  From Cornforth Village a medieval road to Garmondsway and Trimdon passed by what was known as the "Hills and Holes".  It is recorded that in 1020 when King Canute performed his pilgrimage to the shrine of St.Cuthbert at Durham Cathedral, he walked barefooted from Trimdon to Garmondsway.  The modern road at Cornforth Lane follows the line of an ancient road which came from the old village of Coxhoe, then at Coxhoe Hall, and passed through the beck at a ford now spanned by a bridge.  From this ford the road climbed the hill to the old village a few yards past the present Carr's Hotel.  In later years a road was cut through the hill avoiding the village and joining the old road at the garage near the "Slake Terrace" Inn.

This was always referred to by the older people as the "back lane".  In 1969 a new motorway was opened passing through the old township of Cornforth, crossing Cornforth moor, passing close to the site of the old mill, and close by the "Hills and Hole's." This devastated the landscape for footpaths had to be diverted, and houses in Cornforth Lane demolished.  In 1983 a by-pass was built intended to remove heavy traffic from Cornforth Lane.  This branched off the old road at Cornforth Lane School and joined the Coxhoe road close to the now demolished "Black Horse" Inn.

In 1990 the road from the interchange at Bowburn to the roundabout near Metal Bridge was realigned.  A new bypass road was built close to the site of the late Thrislington Hall, and joining the present road a little below the site of the level crossing of the low line railway.

RAILWAYS

In 1856 the township of Cornforth was Intersected by three railways: The York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway (now the line from King's Cross to Edinburgh); The Clarence Railway (later known as the Low Line or the Lazyline); and the Great North of England, Clarence and Hartlepool Junction Railway (the Hartlepool to Ferryhill line on which Cornforth Station stood).

The Clarence Railway was the oldest line to pass close to the village.  As early as 1824 negotiations were taking place with coal owners in the area for the transformations of their produce.  In 1829 a company was formed known as the Clarence Railway, named in honour of the Duke of Clarence afterwards William IV.  This railway ran from Haverton Hill as far as Cornforth, and had a branch from there westwards to Byers Green, then carrying on eastward to Coxhoe.  In 1834 this line was opened to mineral traffic.  The wagons of coal were drawn by horses from Coxhoe to Norton Junction, a distance of 15 miles.  From there fresh relays of horses took them to Port Clarence, the first team returning with empty wagons.  On January 16th, 1834 the first loads of coal passed down the line from Crowtrees Colliery for shipment to London, as all coal for the south had to go by seas, no rail link then existing.  In 1835 the Clarence Coach Co.  was formed and passengers were conveyed by horse drawn wagons from Stockton to the Clarence Inn at Coxhoe, a service which ran twice a day.  In 1836 the company introduced steam engines.  A few yards north of Cornforth Station there was a level crossing, the gates being manipulated by hand.  On March 18th, 1837, a dreadful accident occurred on the Clarence Railway.  The coach train from Crowtrees to Stockton had reached the curve on Mainsforth Carrs when the engine was thrown off the line.  The train consisted of two coaches, the first being dragged down the embankment when the connecting bar broke.  The passengers escaped unhurt but three men connected with the train were killed, their bodies being so badly mutilated by the engine rolling over them that it was with difficulty their remains could be removed.

In 1838 the Clarence Coach Co.  let the line to Stephen Walton for 3 years at 1/4d per passenger per mile, the engines then being used were Victory and Norton.  In 1852 the line was extended from Billingham to West Hartlepool, and the name changed to the West Hartlepool and Harbour Railway Co.  In 1861 John Snowdon was a crossing keeper who occupied a small cabin at the railway crossing on the Thinford road between Cornforth Lane and Metal Bridge.  In 1865 a merger took place with the North Eastern Railway which in 1921 became known as the L.N E R.  In 1949 on Nationalisation it became British Rail.  Passenger trains ceased to run on the line in April 1902 and were then only two a day.  The line served Steetley Quarries at Coxhoe until the late 70's when the works closed the track was removed in 1984 after 150 years of service.

The Great North of England, Clarence and Hartlepool Junction Railway was Intended to steal coal trade from the Clarence Railway.  It was begun in 1837 from West Hartlepool and by the 18th March 1839 had reached Cornforth where it met opposition from the owners of the Clarence Railway In 1837 a colliery to be known as Cornforth Colliery (George Pit) had been sunk close to Coxhoe Bridge.  This opened in November 1838, and by July 1839 permission was sought to make a railroad, crossing the turnpike road, to join the line at Coxhoe Bridge.  On the 18th July 1839 a cargo of first rate coal was shipped at West Hartlepool the first cargo to do so.  When it was proposed that this line should cross the Clarence line by means of a level crossing near to where Cornforth Station was later to be built, such stiff opposition from the owners of the Clarence Railway was encountered that the directors of the G.N.E C.H.J.  went to Parliament seeking powers to cross the Clarence line by means of a bridge and this was granted.  On the 14th December 1843 work commenced on the bridge but this was interrupted by threats and violence from men instructed by the Clarence owners.  After several legal battles and more disruptions the bridge was finally completed in 1846.  After crossing the bridge the line joined the Byers Green Branch and was carried part of the way on a wooden viaduct.

The curve from Cornforth Station to Ferryhill was not in existence at this time, the trains having to reverse after crossing the bridge and viaduct to join the main line south wards to Ferryhill.  One of the abutments of this bridge still exists a few yards to the west of the site of the late Cornforth Station.  At last the line opened on a wet, windy Monday, 12th October, 1846.  George Hudson, the Mayor of York arrived at Ferryhill Station and the Mayor of West Hartlepool travelled down the line to Ferryhill.  The two Mayors returned together to Hartlepool for a banquet.

It was now possible to travel by rail from Hartlepool to York, no wonder at the Jubilation shown after a delay of seven years! The line was now both mineral and passenger and the 8 miles from Wingate to Ferryhill had cost £80,000.  A station had not yet been erected, and the 16 mile journey from Hartlepool to Ferryhill took 45 minutes.  There were four trains each way per day and two on Sundays.  In 1921 the company amalgamated with the L.N.E.R., and in 1925 a new type of engine was introduced called a Sentinel Car which was really a single carriage with a horizontal engine housed at one end.  These engines had individual names and were painted cream and apple green but being unreliable and uncomfortable were withdrawn in 1937.  A subway was constructed under the line from one platform to another; also another subway for the use of pedestrians and cyclists from the public highway on each side of the level crossing but in 1961 this was filled in.  The public highway crossed the line by means of a level crossing.

On the west side of the crossing were the station master's and porter's houses, a booking office; also a waiting room on both platforms.  On the east side of the crossing was a signal box with the hand operated wheel used to open and close the crossing gates.  All the above buildings were demolished in April 1972.  The station was originally called Thrislington because it was in the township of Thrislington, but to avoid confusion was renamed West Cornforth in October 1891.

From Coxhoe Bridge to Trimdon Station there is a steep gradient known as Kelloe Bank, where occasionally the brakes of the engine failed and the trains were unable to stop at Coxhoe Bridge and had to continue to Cornforth Station.

The line closed to passenger trains on 7th July 1952 after serving the public for 106 years.  After the track from Coxhoe Bridge to Hartlepool was lifted the line was used very rarely to transport limestone from Raisby Quarry to Ferryhill.

BUSES

The next great advance in transport came in the early part of this century with the invention of the motor car, but this mode of transport was beyond the means of the ordinary working men until buses arrived.  The first bus in Cornforth was a Wolsley Crossley bus painted red which was chain driven.

In 1924 a service called "The County" ran from Ferryhill Station to Durham.  About the same time Sydney Blenkinsop commenced a bus service named the "Scarlet Band" running from Ferryhlll Station to Durham.  He bought his first bus, a Fiat, for £410.  After a few years his license to Durham was withdrawn, and from then the route followed was from Bowburn to Ferryhill Station.  At this time the "United Bus Company" operated buses called "Chasers" which followed other companies buses, overtaking them, and picking up waiting passengers, there being no official bus stops.

A conductor on one of the "Chasers" was killed when he fell from the platform of his bus while making faces at the driver of a "Scarlet Band" bus which they were overtaking.  Soon there were several bus companies operating on the route through West Cornforth: Allan Johnson (A J S ), Gillet and Baker (G.B.); Aaron, Binks and Coulson (A B.C ), and Trimdon Motor Services (T.M.S).

The only private bus now operating is the "Scarlet Band" - Long may it continue.