Stanhope, County Durham
| Stanhope | |
|---|---|
 Stanhope Castle | |
  Stanhope Stanhope shown within County Durham | |
| Population | 4,581 (2011 Census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | NY995395 |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Bishop Auckland |
| Postcode district | DL13 |
| Dialling code | 01388 |
| Police | Durham |
| Fire | County Durham and Darlington |
| Ambulance | North East |
| EU Parliament | North East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Stanhope (pronounced in the regional dialect "Stanup") is a small market town in County Durham, England. It is situated on the River Wear between Eastgate and Frosterley on the north-east side of Weardale. The A689 road meets the B6278 road from Barnard Castle to Shotley Bridge in the town.
Description
The civil parish of Stanhope has a population of 4,519 in 2001, and 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. The parish council area is the largest in England with 221 km².[2] It shares 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 which was discovered with two others. One of the others can be seen in the Great North Museum in Newcastle upon Tyne.
- the Durham Dales Centre, which incorporates a tea room, tourist information and craft shops.
- a ford with a step-stone bridge for pedestrians.
- the eighteenth-century Stanhope Castle in the centre of the town stands on the possible site of a medieval castle. It was built in 1798 by Cuthbert Rippon, the MP for Gateshead.
- 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 was founded in 1834 and has been held annually since, with the exception of the war years, the foot and mouth crisis and times of bad weather.[3]
Weardale Railway
Stanhope is also the current terminus of the Weardale Railway, a heritage railway operating primarily on weekends from Bishop Auckland with stations at Frosterley, Wolsingham and Witton-le-Wear.
Notable residents
- Joseph Butler (1692–1752), theologian and cleric
- William Percival Crozier (1879–1944), Scholar and journalist. Editor of the Manchester Guardian 1932–1944.
- George Boateng, professional footballer
- Thomas Coulthard (1818–1866) and Elizabeth Fleming (1820–1873), parents of legendary Australian rules footballer and Cricketer, George Coulthard (1856–1883)
- Muriel Young, (19 June 1923 – 24 March 2001) was an English television continuity announcer, presenter and producer.
Stanhope gallery
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
- ↑ "Parish population 2011". Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2005-12-01. Retrieved 2005-11-23.
- ↑ http://www.stanhopeshow.com/
External links
