Yarm - Geography

Geography

Yarm has five estates and the peninsular area where the town centre is situated. The estates are Willey Flatts, Layfield Farm, The Kebbell (locally known as Spitalfields), Leven Park and Levendale (occasionally referred to as Ingleby Grange).

It is bordered by two rivers. The River Tees is to the north and the River Leven to the east. The Leven is a tributary of the Tees. Yarm was once the highest port on the Tees, with merchant vessels travelling up the tidal river from the North Sea to unload their cargoes..

Two road bridges cross the river. Yarm Bridge crossing from the High Street to Eaglescliffe, and Leven Bridge crossing the Leven between Yarm and Low Leven. On 26 February 2010 Leven Bridge was closed after cracks appeared in it. Engineers suggested the bridge would remain closed for at least two weeks. Later it was confirmed that the bridge would be closed for up to three months after major damage was found to the Grade II listed structure. Repairs took less time than expected and the bridge re-opened on 18 June 2010.

The town hall High Street was built in 1710 by Thomas Belasyse who was Lord of the Manor. In a poll taken for the BBC's Breakfast programme on 19 January 2007 Yarm's High Street was voted the "Best High Street". The many Georgian-style old buildings, with their red pantile roofs, fronting High Street and its cobbled parking areas add to the visual appeal of the town.

The A67, which runs through High Street was previously classified as the A19 until a dual carriageway was built in the 1970s about three miles south of the town near the village of Crathorne. When the A19 ran through High Street, it was heavily congested. The road is still used by heavy goods traffic as a shortcut to Durham Tees Valley Airport, formerly called Teesside Airport. The classification of the road as an 'A'-road means that it is not possible to place a ban on heavy goods vehicles; however the town council has made efforts to come up with voluntary agreements with many haulage firms.

Yarm has multiple areas of woodland, most of which are part of private estates.

The Rookery is a public area by the River Tees situated at the bottom of Goose Pasture. The ash, sycamore and lime woodland is about 200 years old and owned by Yarm Town Council. In 2002 a walkway was constructed around the wood to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Within the woodland, close to the river, BMX riders have created numerous dirt ramps which are regularly used during summer months.