Cleadon

Coordinates: 54°57′19″N 1°24′03″W / 54.9554°N 1.4008°W / 54.9554; -1.4008

Cleadon is a suburban village in South Tyneside, North East England in the county of Tyne and Wear, and the historic County Durham. In 2001 the population of Cleadon was 4,795, increasing for the South Tyneside ward of Cleadon and Boldon at the 2011 Census to 8,457. Nearby villages or population centres include East Boldon, Whitburn, and Jarrow. The village is around 5 miles (8.0 km) from the city of Sunderland and 10 miles (16 km) from the city of Newcastle.

The village is also known for the representation of a small horse some 10 feet by 4 feet which has been painted on a small cliff overlooking South Shields, it is close to the White Horse pub.

History

There has been a village on the site of Cleadon for over a thousand years. Cleadon has a traditional village pond which is the remnants of an ice age lake and dates to Roman times, and an early history of South Shields suggests that there may have once been a Roman watchtower or turret on Cleadon Hills. The name of the village is derived from 'Cliffa-dun' meaning a hill with a cliff, which over years became Clevendona, Clyvedon (recorded in 1280), Clevedon, and in the 17th century Cleydon. The village was first mentioned in print in the Boldon Book, a survey of the local area completed in 1183.