Whitburn, South Tyneside

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Whitburn is a village on the east coast of Northern England, in South Tyneside between Seaburn and Marsden.

[edit] Etymology

This Whitburn has a different origin to the one in Lothian: it means "white barn or house " from Old English hwit "white" and bere-ærn "barn". A record of the name as Wituberne in 1182 proves this.

Whitburn also has a beach, and fantastic cliffs. It has two newsagents in the centre of the village, as well as a butchers, an off-license, a hairdressers, a cafe, a chip shop, two pubs and a park. Whitburn has retained its village character, with its main street, parish church and cricket ground. Whitburn also has a Secondary School ; Whitburn Church of England School. Work on the new "super-school" building will begin soon.

It is generally accepted that Lewis Carroll wrote The Walrus and the Carpenter while holidaying at his cousins' house in Whitburn. A statue of Carroll is in the library.

South Tyneside Council took ownership of Whitburn mill in 1960 from the Church Commissioners. The buildings is listed (Grade 2) as it is considered to be of special architectural and historically importance and is protected therefore by the requirements of the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.

In 1991/1992 South Tyneside Council undertook a restoration project of the mill for which it was awarded the Civic Trust Award.

There are two schools in Whitburn, the Primary School and The Church of England Secondary School. The school is highly recognised throughout the region for its excellent exam results. As a result, the school brings in children from miles around.