Tourist's guide to visit Hetton-le-Hole

Visit Hetton-le-Hole – things to do & explore

Overview of Hetton-le-Hole history & facts by Walkfo

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Planning a visit to Hetton-le-Hole?

Hetton-le-Hole is a town situated in the City of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. It is in the historic county of Durham. A182 runs through the town, between Houghton-le-Spring and Easington Lane (the latter borders the County Durham District), off the A690 and close to the A1(M). The parish, which includes the villages of Easington Lane and Warden Law, had a population of 14,402 in 2001 . The parish also includes Hetton proper, along with East Rainton, Middle Rainton (West Rainton is a separate parish), Low Moorsley and High Moorsley. Great Eppleton Wind Farm, a wind farm originally of four dual-bladed alternators, provides electricity to the National Grid. The original wind turbines have been replaced by larger three-bladed versions. The turbines are far enough away from local houses not to cause any audible disturbance.

Hetton-le-Hole history

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The history of the Hetton area can be traced back for up to a thousand years. The name of Hetton-le-Hole derives from two Anglo-Saxon words which were spelt together “Heppedune”, meaning Bramble Hill. The name was adopted by a local landowning family, the le Hepdons, who owned part of the Manor. The ancient manor, which was bounded by that of Elemore, was divided into two parts known as Hetton-on-the-Hill and Hetton-in-the-Hole. The latter, a more sheltered vicinity, was where the village arose. Records exist of the many holders of the manor back to the 14th century. William de Hepdon held half the Manor by deed in 1363 and in 1380 William de Dalden held the other half. Even earlier charters go back to 1187 and mention the early village of Heppedune, its people, houses, crofts, oxgangs and strips of land for the villagers in the three great fields around the settlement. In 1187 Bertram de Heppedune held the manor for the King; other de Hepdons were his descendants.

Coal mining

By 1896, Hetton-le-Hole was a mining village in its own right; the district parish of Eppleton had been formed from Hetton-le-Hole which, by then, included that part of Hetton-le-Hole known as the “Downs”. The village “comprised an area of 512 acres, with a population of 5,000”. Coal has been mined in the surrounding area since Roman times. Coal was then obtained by drift mining, but by the 14th century shafts were used. In 1819 the Hetton Coal Company was formed and its first shaft was sunk a year later. It was a highly controversial undertaking, with geologists doubtful as to whether coal of any value existed there. The Hetton Coal Company’s owners also decided to build a wagonway from their new Hetton colliery to the River Wear at Sunderland. George Stephenson was hired to build the 8 miles (13 km) line. The trains were powered by gravity down the inclines and by locomotives for its level and upward stretches. It was the first railway to use no animal power at all. These methods were used until 1959, as was some of the original machinery. These activities led to a rapid increase in the size of Hetton and over 200 houses for the miners were built at once. These have all but gone now, but twelve of these former mining cottages from Francis Street in the Hetton Downs area of the town were re-erected stone by stone at Beamish Open Air Museum, Stanley, near Chester-le-Street. The UK miners’ strike (1984–1985) brought about hardship for many of the workers. Two local unsigned bands (The Pigeon Fanciers and Haswell Crisis) recorded and released a single to raise money for the families and to recognise the contribution made by miners over the years in their locality. Their adapted version of a Bob Dylan classic failed to chart, but the project made a slight profit as local support from other mining communities ensured that ‘Knocking on Hetton’s Floor’ sold more than 1000 copies. Hetton Colliery closed in 1950, Elemore Colliery closed in 1974 and Eppleton Colliery closed in 1986. Today, nothing exists of the mines in Hetton; the former mine complexes have disappeared and spoil tips have been removed, although some remain in nearby Haswell. The area surrounding Hetton Colliery has been landscaped and is now occupied by a lake and leisure facilities. Eppleton Colliery has been landscaped, and all that remains is the Hetton Centre (the former Colliery Welfare building) and the Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground which hosts the home games of Sunderland A.F.C. Ladies and Sunderland U23s. There is also a quarry where sand is mined. This is now undergoing a reformation; around 15% of it has been smoothed and grassed over. The decommissioned St Nicholas’ Church in Front Street was destroyed by fire in November 2006. It is unknown if arson was the cause. It had previously been listed due to its architectural significance.

You can visit Hetton-le-Hole, COUNTY/BOROUGH & use Walkfo to discover the best walking places with our free digital tour guide app created especially for Hetton-le-Hole. Walkfo Hetton-le-Hole has 300 locations with history, culture & travel facts, that you can explore the same way you can a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Hetton-le-Hole, being in the moment, without digital distraction and no limitations to a specific walking route – you choose where you want to go, when you want to go and Walkfo Hetton-le-Hole will keep up.

When you visit Hetton-le-Hole

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When you visit Hetton-le-Hole, Walkfo is your digital tour guide while exploring by foot, bike or bus. With numerous walks, hikes, tourist locations & travel destinations available in Hetton-le-Hole, our travel AI guide helps you get the best from your visit to Hetton-le-Hole & the surrounding areas. Our explore Hetton-le-Hole app for iPhone & Android, allows you to experience the hidden history, culture and amazing facts throughout Hetton-le-Hole whilst out walking. The digital tour guide creates interactive audio stories driven by where you walk, so you can exploration Hetton-le-Hole’s National Heritage sites, tourist attractions, historic locations or city streets freely, without the restrictions of a predefined walk & walk map.

“The Walkfo AI has curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 0 audio facts in Hetton-le-Hole alone that form an interactive Hetton-le-Hole walking map for you to explore.”

Best Hetton-le-Hole places to visit

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Hetton-le-Hole has hundreds of places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are five of Hetton-le-Hole’s best destinations to visit when exploring the area. We have condensed the information with much more detail available within Walkfo when you visit the destinations.

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Visit Hetton-le-Hole plaques

Experience Hetton-le-Hole audio walks & tours

Visiting Hetton-le-Hole with Walkfo’s things to do interactive map
The “Hetton-le-Hole things to do map” below is a preview of the places you can visit in Hetton-le-Hole and surrounding areas with our digital audio tour guide app. Each spot has content for a plaque, a building, a street or general area, providing history, culture or tourism information the you can explore.

Interactive ‘Explore Hetton-le-Hole Map’     This Hetton-le-Hole tourism map shows points of interest within a 4km radius of Hetton-le-Hole centre

Walkfo App     Walkfo

Walkfo is free to download & use (for a limited time period), so if you are looking to explore Hetton-le-Hole, go to your App Store to search for “Walkfo” or follow a links below and install on your mobile phone. Walkfo is designed for use with headphones or AirPods, so you can walk & explore whilst learning about the things around you without digital distraction.

  Apple App Store

  Google Play Store

Things to do & visit in Hetton-le-Hole and surrounding areas

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Getting to / around Hetton-le-Hole – transport links, stations, streets & traffic map

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Getting around in Hetton-le-Hole using public transportation may include roads, streets, trains, undergrounds, buses or trams. Walkfo has the following important Hetton-le-Hole public transport locations with historic / cultural / factual content when you visit:

Hetton-le-Hole Notable Public Transport Stations		Hetton-le-Hole Notable Streets & Roads

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Attention local Hetton-le-Hole historians, tour guides & Hetton-le-Hole tourism agents