Newton Aycliffe – a brief history
In more recent times Aycliffe was a key element in World War II ammunitions manufacturing. The marshy land was ideal cover against the Luftwaffe as it was almost continually shrouded in fog and mist. Huge grass covered munitions factories were built and serviced by the nearby railway lines. The factories were largely staffed by women (in their thousands); these ladies were dubbed the “Aycliffe Angels”, who braved incredible dangers inside the factories.
Beveridge Report
The government asked William Beveridge to produce a report on what he wanted Britain to be like after the war. In 1942 he produced his report. Five giants, he said, oppressed mankind – Poverty, Disease, Homelessness, Ignorance and Unemployment.
To end this, once and for all, Beveridge proposed a state system of Social Security benefits, a National Health Service, council housing, free education and full employment. He called it the Welfare State. The Welfare State was brought in all over Britain in 1948, but Beveridge chose one place especially which he wanted to be the shining example of how his new world would work. The moors between Aycliffe and Middridge were perfect – there was a huge ordnance factory that was no longer needed for the war, and there was plenty of poor farmland to build on.
It is where Beveridge chose his flagship new town – Newton Aycliffe. This man – the shaper of modern Britain – even came to live here, and had a house at the top of Pease Way.
Industry
The factories were eventually replaced by manufacturing buildings that became the industrial district of Aycliffe. After the war many companies moved onto the industrial estate, including Great Lakes Chemicals, which retained the munitions factories until 2004 when it was closed and demolished, along with these original factories used by the Aycliffe Angels.
Also there were Eaton Axles, and B.I.P., who were to become two of the largest employers of the town until the early 1980s. One other company was Union Carbide. Eaton Axles closed down and shipped itself to Poland, B.I.P. is now Hydro Polymers, Union Carbide was taken over by STC (Standard Telephone and Cables) before being taken over by Sanyo for several years, but this has now closed. Businesses currently located in the town include Flymo, 3M and Ineos (who have taken over Hydro Polymers) with many more small factory units.
Housing
From its start Newton Aycliffe kept expanding in size, until 1980 when the council stopped building council homes. Since then private houses and housing associations have been building the town’s homes. From c. 1983 an area of private housing called Woodham Village was built.
Economy
The town has a large industrial estate to the south of the town, split into three.
On the Heighington Lane Business Park, Lidl have a main distribution centre on Millenium Way, and with RF Micro Devices, are to the south of the estate. The RFMD plant was formerly a DRAM factory for Fujitsu until 1999, when bought by Filtronic, who then sold their semiconductor business to RFMD in 2007.
The plant uses pHEMT technologies (High electron mobility transistor), using Gallium arsenide (GaAs) and Gallium nitride (GaN). The plant makes electronic wafers.
Aycliffe Industrial Park (nearest to the town)
The Ineos plant (former Hydro Polymers PVC plant) is west of the railway, south of the railway station.
Street names
There are no “streets” in Newton Aycliffe (no places of residence with the suffix ‘street’).
The main road which runs through the centre of the town is ‘Central Avenue’. There are many Roads, Closes, Crescents and even a Parade.
In the older parts of the town the streets are named after Bishops of Durham and Saints: Van Mildert (road); St. Aidan’s (walk); Biscop (Crescent). Some are named after prominent local families; Shafto (way), Eden (road), and Bowes (Road) for example. Even named after the movers and shakers of the New Town Movement such as Lord Lewis Silkin (Silkin Way) and Lord Beveridge (Beveridge Way).
Second phase of building saw the end of roads, ways and crescents, instead whole areas were named after trees; Beech Field; Oak Field; Ash Field and Elm Field. The third part of building took place in three phases, Agnew 1, 2, and 3. These were named after the architect.