Belmont, County Durham

infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Belmont
latitude= 54.783
longitude= -1.517
shire_district= City of Durham
shire_county = Durham
region= North East England
constituency_westminster= City of Durham
post_town= DURHAM
postcode_district = DH1
postcode_area= DH
dial_code= 0191
os_grid_reference= NZ305435

Belmont is a formerly separate village in County Durham, England that is now incorporated into, and a suburb of, Durham City. It was initially a coal mining village and is situated to the north-east of the city centre, just east of the A1(M) motorway. The village forms the nucleus of the Belmont parish.

The Church was bombed in the Second World War because the German pilots mistook it for Durham Cathedral (in the fog)Fact|date=November 2007.

Facilities

The village is on the bus route from Sunderland to Durham.

There are three pubs, two school sites and a church, St. Mary Magdelene.

A new shopping centre was recently completed, hosting major chain retailers, including B&Q, Argos and Pizza Hut

Since 1994 Belmont has been the site of New Ferens Park, home of Unibond League (and former Football League) club Durham City AFC.

In 2004 'Soccarena' was opened in the nearby Belmont Industrial Estate, providing eight 6-a-side soccer pitches for aspiring footballers of all ages. The facility operates a number of different league formats, using the top divisions (Premiership) and lower divisions (Championship) for each night of the week.

In the news

In 2007 there was an attempt to ram-raid the cash machine by driving a stolen van into it. Unfortunately for the criminals involved their van burst into flames and they did not manage to get any cash before they had to leave because of the police. The police stated that the criminals were last seen running into Gilesgate through the park at Belmont Community Centre. [cite web
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wear/7096496.stm
title=Ram-raiders escape empty-handed
publisher=BBC
date=2007-11-15
accessdate=2008-07-07]

In popular culture

* "Get Carter" - the house "Beechcroft" was used as a location in the 1971 film. [cite web
url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/topstories/display.var.1116059.0.the_fight_for_get_carter_house.php%3Cbr%20/%3E
title=The fight for Get Carter house
accessdate=2008-07-07]

References