At this point, The Glebe is a small isolated settlement a short distance from Washington Colliery and further to the village itself. There is two main buildings and what seems to be a large pond to the right hand side.
Nearly 40 years later and not much has changed. The farm is still as rural as it can get. Even more so with the B pit disused to the north.
In previous editions to this the scene is much the same, but in the latter half of the 20th century we can see the development of Washington as a major settlement. The designation as a new town was exactly at this point, and allowed the amalgamation of villages like Concord and Fatfield. At this point the centre of Washington was at the station to the south east, but it wasn't long after this image that the Galleries and the Washington Highway was built over Glebe Farm and transformed Washington
At this point, The Glebe is a small isolated settlement a short distance from Washington Colliery and further to the village itself. There is two main buildings and what seems to be a large pond to the right hand side.
Name: Glebe Farm
Region: Washington, Tyne & Wear
Date of Origin: 19th Century
Site Type: Farmstead
Condition: Demolished
Status: Land occupied by the Washington Galleries development.
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Last Updated: 26/05/2020
Address: 54.901163, -1.530477, in the Galleries car park close to Frankie & Bennys
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The Glebe was a farmstead located on the edge of Washington, between the collieries of Oxclose and Washington and just beyond the old Washington village. It is not entirely sure when it was built, but it is reputed in the 19th century. The farm had a fairly sizeable acreage, managing the area between Oxclose Burn and the fields to the right of the Waggonway. Because of its size, this may be a contributing factor in why the name is still known by the people of Washington to the day.
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The farm grew predominantly crops, but some of the fields were reserved for pastures and animals. The small field below the pond was reserved for pasture as well as larger fields beyond the railway.
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The farm lasted well into the 20th century until the Galleries was quite literally built on top of it. The site is unrecognisable now with modern developments, but the farmstead occupied the car park to the right of the main complex. The biggest legacy of the site is the area in which it resided. The land eastwards that was once pastures is now popularly known as Glebe, with the local park and various clubs all sporting the name.
Photograph of Glebe Farm with Penshaw Monument in the background. The area looks perfectly serene and idyllic, which would have been most of what is now Washington back then. The cattle shed is to the right as we know from records a field reserved for pasture is behind the main dwelling.
Photograph from Raggyspelk.co.uk
