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River Wear facts for kids

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Wear
Durham castle.jpg
The Wear flows past Durham Castle and Cathedral, beneath Framwellgate Bridge and over a weir.
River Wear.png
Map of the Wear
Country England
Counties County Durham
Metropolitan County Tyne and Wear
Towns/Cities Stanhope, Wolsingham, Bishop Auckland, Willington, Durham, Chester-le-Street, Sunderland
Physical characteristics
Main source Wearhead, County Durham, UK
340 m (1,120 ft)
54°45′00″N 2°13′21″W / 54.750°N 2.2225°W / 54.750; -2.2225
River mouth North Sea, UK
0 m (0 ft)
54°54′58″N 1°21′28″W / 54.916°N 1.3577°W / 54.916; -1.3577
Length 96 km (60 mi)

The Wear is a river in northeast England. It starts in Wearhead, County Durham and opens up into the North Sea at Sunderland.

Industrial past

Much of the River Wear shows the history of the Industrial Revolution. Its upper end runs through lead mining country, until this gives way to coal seams of the Durham coalfield for the rest of its length. As a result of limestone quarrying, lead mining and coal mining, the Wear valley was amongst the first places to see the development of railways. The Weardale Railway continues to run occasional services between Stanhope and Wolsingham.

Geology

The upland area of Upper Weardale has a flora which survives from the end of the last Ice Age. After the Ice Age, the Wear valley became thickly forested. During the Neolithic period and increasingly in the Bronze Age, the forests were progressively cleared for agriculture.

Images for kids

  • River Wear Weardale 20070617

    The wooded riverbanks of the Wear as it flows from Stanhope to Frosterley

  • River wear at durham

    The wooded riverbanks of the Wear as it flows through Durham.

  • Fichale

    Finchale Priory on the banks of the River Wear between Durham and Chester-le-Street.

  • St peters campus

    As the river approaches its outfall into the North Sea, it flows past St. Peter's Campus, University of Sunderland. Shadows in Another Light, a sculpture in which the shadow cast by a tree represents a hammerhead crane, unique to the Sunderland shipyards, can be seen at the left of this image.

  • River Wear Sunderland Bridge railway viaduct 20070630

    Croxdale Viaduct carrying the East Coast Main Line

  • River Wear Sunderland Bridge 20070630

    Sunderland Bridge

  • River Wear Sunderland Bridge (2) 20070630

    Sunderland Bridge

  • River Wear Shincliffe Bridge 20070630

    The 1826 stone bridge at Shincliffe

  • River Wear Maiden Castle Bridge 20070630

    Maiden Castle footbridge

  • River Wear Baths Bridge 20070630

    Baths Bridge

  • River Wear New Elvet Bridge 20070630

    New Elvet Bridge

  • River Wear Elvet Bridge (1) 20070630

    Elvet Bridge

  • River Wear Durham Kingsgate Bridge 20070630

    looking towards Kingsgate Bridge

  • Dunelm-view

    Kingsgate Bridge

  • River Wear Durham Prebends Bridge (1) 20011229

    Prebends Bridge

  • Durham City 30c 20031207 Prebends Bridge 02a

    Prebends Bridge

  • Durham City 35c 20030907 River Wear 01 upstream

    Milburngate Bridge (foreground) and Framwellgate Bridge (background)

  • Durham City 20030907 Pennyfeather Bridge 03 (originals)

    Pennyferry Bridge

  • River Wear 20070701 Cocken Bridge 01

    Cocken Bridge

  • River Wear 20070702 Washington Fatfield Bridge 01

    Fatfield Bridge

  • River Wear 20070702 Washington Victoria Viaduct 01

    Victoria Viaduct

  • River Wear 20070702 Hylton Viaduct 01

    Hylton Viaduct

  • Wearmouth bridge

    Wearmouth Bridge

  • Roker Lighthouse - geograph.org.uk - 1095762

    Roker Pier lighthouse, where the river meets the sea

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Río Wear para niños

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