As you travel around the area you find some places named after exotic places abroad, what is that all about?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Examples and background if known.

Toronto, Durham,  Originally called Newton Cap in the county of Durham, built for workers at the nearby colliery, owner Henry Stobart re-named the village Toronto after visiting Canada.

Philadelphia, Northumberland & Durham. The towns were named by local colliery owners after the British captured the city during the American war of independence. Phiidelphia Pit was beside New York, long gone and only crop marks etc remain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York – The original reason for the name of New York is not known, but it is thought that it may be connected to the once dominant coal mining industry in the area and the American Revolution.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Moscow (Chopwell Co Durham)

A century ago, the coal mining village of Chopwell, near Gateshead, was a hotbed of revolutionary socialism and earned the nickname Little Moscow for its strong support of the Communist Party.

The Northumberland Moscow is located near Spadeadom near the Northumberland Cumbria border.