Whitton | Village Notes | Rural Communities and Businesses in the North East of England

Whitton Village

Whitton is a village within the borough of Stockton-on-Tees and the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated to the north west of Stockton-on-Tees, near Stillington and Thorpe Thewles.

Whitton is home to an area that has been designated a site of special scientific interest by Natural England – the countryside agency. Whitton Bridge Pasture - also known as Honey Pot Farm - is nationally important for its species-rich grassland which is unimproved by fertilisers.

Whitton History

In 1801 Whitton was classified as a hamlet, with five farms and one public house which no longer exists. At one time there were only 38 inhabitants.

The hamlet was owned by the Vane Tempest branch of the Londonderry family.

Village Expansion

More houses were built in Whitton when Samuel Barstow opened the Carlton Iron Works in neighbouring Stillington.

The influx of families to Whitton was caused by employment at the Iron Works. These people mainly lived in a row of terraced cottages called Millbank Terrace and the men of these abodes had to walk three quarters of a mile each day over fields to get to Stillington to work. Their families would also have to make the trip whenever they wanted food or drink, as there were no shops in Whitton at that time.

Village Look and Feel

At one end of Whitton village was a pond where the local farmers watered their horses and cattle. When frozen in winter this pond was an ideal place to skate.

In the centre of the village was a gravel pit. This had white fencing around it for many years although it has since been in-filled to create a pleasant area of greenery in the village.

To the south of the village is a steep bank known as Cobblers bank. This is the location of the water pump that was used by villagers until the late Victorian age. Electricity wasn’t supplied to the village until the 1930’s – probably at about the same time as Carlton village in 1936.

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