Discover Teesdale

About Teesdale - History

Teesdale describes the area that surrounds the upper reaches of the River Tees, from its source in the hills to just west of the railway town of Darlington, County Durham where the river broadens out into the Tees Valley.

Teesdale is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is home to England’s highest waterfall, beautiful wooded valleys, open moorland, historic market towns, picturesque villages and traditional sandstone farmhouses. It is often described as the northernmost of the Yorkshire Dales. In fact the centre of the River Tees used to mark the border between Yorkshire and Durham and the ‘County bridge’ as it is still known over the River Tees in Barnard Castle had a wedding chapel (like Gretna Green in the Borders).

More than half of the land in Teesdale is privately owned. The Raby (Lord Barnard) and Strathmore estates (The Earl of Strathmore) are the largest – and the two families are linked to the dale’s main visitor attractions – The Bowes Museum and Raby Castle. Farms belonging to Lord Barnard are easy to spot – they are all whitewashed. Tradition has it that this is so that Lord Barnard may easily recognise those properties where he might expect hospitality. The Strathmores (Bowes-Lyon) are related to the Royal Family. John Bowes (son of the 10th Earl of Strathmore) founded The Bowes Museum.

Teesdale has two towns – Barnard Castle and Middleton-in-Teesdale.

Barnard Castle, known locally as ‘Barney’, takes its name from the Norman stronghold around which it was built. It is a maze of cobbled streets and winding lanes with elegant Georgian and Victorian architecture.

Middleton-in-Teesdale dates largely from the 1850s when it was created as a ‘company town’ to support the lead mining industry in upper Teesdale. It is the gateway to the stunning scenery of the upper dale.

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