Stanhope, County Durham

Stanhope /ˈstænəp/ is a small market town in County Durham, England, situated on the River Wear between Eastgate and Frosterley, on the north-east side of Weardale. The main A689 road that bridges the Pennines is crossed at Stanhope by the B6278 road between Barnard Castle and Shotley Bridge.

Stanhope

Stanhope Castle
Stanhope
Location within County Durham
Population4,581 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceNY995395
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBishop Auckland
Postcode districtDL13
Dialling code01388
PoliceDurham
FireCounty Durham and Darlington
AmbulanceNorth East
UK Parliament

Description

Stanhope village had an estimated population of 1,627 in 2019 (1,602 in the 2011 census).[2] The civil parish also includes Rookhope, Westgate, St John's Chapel, Ireshopeburn, Wearhead, Cowshill, Cornriggs, Eastgate, Frosterley all on the A689 road, along with Crawleyside, Hill End and White Kirkley. This gives it the largest parish area in England, at 221 km².[3] It has some land in common with the neighbouring Wolsingham civil parish.

Stanhope is surrounded by moorland in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) – the second largest of the current 40 AONBs in England and Wales. Features of interest include:

  • A petrified tree stump in the churchyard. This was discovered with two others, one of which can be seen in the Great North Museum in Newcastle upon Tyne).[4]
  • The Durham Dales Centre incorporates a tea room, tourist information and craft shops.
  • Stanhope Bridge, a scheduled monument, was built in the 15th century and widened in 1792.[5]
  • A ford with a step-stone bridge for pedestrians
  • The 18th-century Stanhope Castle in the centre of the town stands on the possible site of a medieval castle and was built in 1798 by Cuthbert Rippon, MP for Gateshead.[6]
  • One of only two heated open-air swimming pools in the North East

Stanhope Agricultural Show is held on the second weekend of September each year. It has been held annually since 1834, with the exception of the war years, the foot and mouth crisis and times of bad weather.[7]

Weardale Railway

Stanhope is the current terminus of the Weardale Railway, a heritage railway operating primarily at weekends. It runs from Bishop Auckland, with stations at Frosterley, Wolsingham and Witton-le-Wear.[8]

Notable residents
  • Durham Dales Centre. Stanhope, Co. Durham (in Weardale). Arts and Crafts Centre
  • The preserved railway station and tearoom (summer)
  • Scurfield House near to Stanhope, County Durham (Winter)
  • St Thomas's Church, Stanhope
  • Stone Bridge. A single-arch bridge carrying the B6278 over the River Wear
  • Ford in Stanhope, County Durham

See also

References
  1. "Parish population 2011". Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  2. City Population. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 1 December 2005. Retrieved 23 November 2005.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Background, booklet. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  5. Bridge history. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  6. Illustrated site. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  8. Official site. Retrieved 20 October 2019.

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