HOUSE-BY-HOUSE GUIDES FOR HOUGHTON

Houghton Heritage Society's house-by-house and shop-by-shop directories came about as a way of helping us to date images in our vast collections; if we know when a person occupied a property, particularly the shops, it would help us date the views featuring shop frontages.

It then became obvious that the directories would be of great use to those tracing their family ancestry in Houghton-le-Spring - plus they are of interest to the curious local wanting to know more about their home or favourite shop.

If you can help with extra information, please do get in touch with the Society as the following guides are updated frequently.

House by house and shop by shop directory for Newbottle Street, aka Newbottle Lane, Houghton-le-Spring, Co Durham

NEWBOTTLE STREET

Originally known as Newbottle Lane, Houghton’s current main shopping thoroughfare only had one row of buildings until the west side of the street was added in 1907. How many shops do you remember?
[NEWBOTTLE ST DIRECTORY]

House by house and shop by shop directory for Sunderland Street, Houghton-le-Spring, Co Durham

SUNDERLAND STREET

Sunderland Street ran from the town centre, up towards Houghton Cut in a northerly direction. The lower half was mainly shops and businesses, with the upper half being residential, ending with the Hillside Cemetery lodge.
[SUNDERLAND ST DIRECTORY]

House by house and shop by shop directory for Church Street, aka Commons Lane, Houghton-le-Spring, Co Durham

CHURCH STREET

Some of the oldest properties in Houghton-le-Spring can be found on Church Street, which was originally known as Commons Lane and in the 1841 Census as Church Row owing to its proximity to the Church.
[CHURCH ST DIRECTORY]

House by house and shop by shop directory for Durham Road, Houghton-le-Spring, Co Durham

DURHAM ROAD

Durham Road starts at the corner of Church Street with the Imperial Buildings, and ran in a southerly direction passed the brewery, Grammar School, Catholic Church, municipal cemetery, and on to the Raintons.
[DURHAM RD DIRECTORY]

House by house and shop by shop directory for Nesham Place aka Quality Hill, Houghton-le-Spring, Co Durham

NESHAM PLACE

Nesham Place, known as Quality Hill owing to the affluence of the people who lived there, coupled with the grand old houses. The Nesham Place Conservation Area was designated in 1975 to recognise this.
[NESHAM PL DIRECTORY]

House by house and shop by shop directory for Pottery Yard, Houghton-le-Spring, Co Durham

POTTERY YARD

The majority of buildings in Pottery Yard, including a small row of houses called The Terrace, were demolished in the 1960s. Currently only one detached building remains, an old woollen mill (now Gilpin Press).
[POTTERY YD DIRECTORY]

House by house and shop by shop directory for Gillas Lane, originally known as Gillies Lane, Houghton-le-Spring, Co Durham

GILLAS LANE

Gillas Lane was originally known as Gillies Lane then High and Low Gillas Lane, but is now suffixed with East and West. Gillas Lane intersects Durham and Hetton Roads and leads up to Copt Hill.
[GILLAS LN DIRECTORY]

House by house and shop by shop directory for Hetton Road, Houghton-le-Spring, Co Durham

HETTON ROAD

Hetton Road is so called as it is the road from Houghton to neighbouring Hetton-le-Hole. There are many large and grand properties along this road, with a host of interesting and unusual house names.
[HETTON RD DIRECTORY]

How did the streets of Houghton-le-Spring get their names?

HOUGHTON'S STREET NAMES

Have you ever wondered where the streets of Houghton-le-Spring acquired their names from? This guide looks at the streets of our town and explains many of their origins. Can anybody help to fill the gaps?
[STREET NAMES]

House by house and shop by shop directory for Mautland Street, Houghton-le-Spring, Co Durham

MAUTLAND STREET

Mautland Street sloped from Newbottle Street towards George Street and Sunderland Street and was intersected by Bowlby Street. The Mautland Square shops were added in 1969 following demolition.
[MAUTLAND ST DIRECTORY]

House by house and shop by shop directory for Mautland Square, Houghton-le-Spring, Co Durham

MAUTLAND SQUARE

Mautland Square opened in 1969 as a modern shopping experience, with flats and walkways above the shops below. The development was a disaster and was demolished in 2001. A supermarket stands in its place.
[MAUTLAND SQ DIRECTORY]

Trade directories for Houghton-le-Spring, Co Durham

OTHER TRADE DIRECTORIES

Many of Houghton-le-Spring's more affluent residents would have their names and occupations (or "by own means") recorded in the trade directories alongside the businesses. These directories are handy resources.
[OTHER DIRECTORIES]

Join Fyass Byuk - Houghton Heritage Society's popular Facebook group

FACEBOOK GROUP

You can join Houghton Heritage Society by becoming a member on Facebook - or Fyass Byuk as we call it. We have over 3,300 members and the group is very popular with residents, descendants and ex-pats.
[FACEBOOK]

Videos and cine footage of Houghton-le-Spring

VIDEOS OF HOUGHTON

Houghton Heritage Society's YouTube Channel features exclusive videos of Houghton-le-Spring as well as footage from our heritage events throughout the year - and of course the ancient festival of Houghton Feast!
[YOUTUBE VIDEOS]

It’s a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your photos with friends and family. Snap a picture, choose a filter to transform its look and feel, then post to Instagram.

INSTAGRAM

It’s a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your Houghton photos with the Society. Snap a picture, choose a filter to transform its look and feel, then post to Instagram. Use our hash-tag: #HoughtonHeritage.
[INSTAGRAM] | [ARCHIVE CATALOGUE]