River walk plaque found on city litter pick

A plaque marking the 1883 creation of a city riverwalk has been found beneath overgrown ivy.

Volunteers from Durham City Riverscape Community made the discovery on a wall near Elvet Bridge during a litter pick last weekend.

Group co-founder Adam Shanley said unearthing the plaque had been "incredible" and the name of the walk, which is on it, was news to the volunteers.

"When we realised that beneath the overgrown vegetation there was a story from 1883 waiting to be retold, it was just astonishing," he said.

The plaque marks the creation of the walk between Elvet Bridge and Bow Lane, which was made with the help of the Reverend William Andrewes Fearon.

Fearon was Durham School's headmaster from 1882 to 1884 and the walk bears his name - Fearon Walk.

He is credited with introducing the three-term system at the school and building an open-air swimming school.

Originally from Suffolk, he left Durham to serve as headmaster of Winchester College.

"To think that he established that walk and carried out all of that campaigning to get that riverside path alongside the school grounds, board houses and what are now exceptional river views, is just astonishing.

"I think the message that we want to get across is don't take these walks for granted, somebody back in yesteryear had to fight for this."

The age of the plaque has not been confirmed.

Shanley, who is also clerk of City of Durham Parish Council, said the name of the walk was news even to members of the parish council.

"When we unveiled this and understood that actually what we were standing on had a specific name, its history, it was just incredible," he said.

He said there were hopes to trace any relatives of Fearon in Durham to find out more about the plaque and urged people to join the litter picking group.

"You never know what else is hiding out there," Shanley said.

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