Sedgefield is situated in the southern part of County Durham in the North East of England between Durham City and Darlington. With a resident population of 87,200 and covering some 21,700 hectares, the majority of the population live within the four towns of Newton Aycliffe (population 26,100), Spennymoor (19,400), Shildon (11,300) and Ferryhill (11,600) which provide the main focus for employment, shopping and leisure.
Newton Aycliffe is a former 'New Town' and the others have developed around iron, coal and railway industries. These centres contrast with a range of small historic villages (some dating back to Saxon heritage) and coalfield communities in the more rural eastern part of the Borough. The Borough's population has declined from around 93,000 in the early 1980s and is generally ageing but at a slower rate than other parts of County Durham due to the impact of Newton Aycliffe New Town.
Within each community there is a strong sense of local identity and spirit with people remaining proud and loyal to their local areas. This sense of pride is reinforced by the general environmental quality of the Borough's communities with a well maintained and cared for range of public open spaces and housing areas. There are some 37,500 dwellings in the Borough with approximately 30% in the social sector.
In parts of the Borough, reflecting the areas economic history there are areas comprising predominately pre 1919 housing. Considerable attention has been focused on such communities through area renewal programmes to help sustain these traditional residential areas and help provide balanced housing markets across the Borough.
Welcome to Sedgefield!
Sedgefield is an ancient village founded in Norman times but it can be traced back as far as the Roman era where there is belief that there used to be a settlement here. For the full story go to the 'Sedgefield Town Council' link and then go to 'history'. h