Oxhill is a small village in County Durham

County Durham

County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...

, in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is located to the west of Stanley

Stanley, County Durham

Stanley is a former colliery town and civil parish in County Durham, England. Centred on a hilltop between Chester-le-Street and Consett, the town lies south west of Gateshead....

, on the bottom of the hill which leads up to Annfield Plain

Annfield Plain

Annfield Plain is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated on a plateau between the towns of Stanley, to the north-east, and Consett, to the west. According to the 2001 census, Annfield Plain has a population of 3,569. Along with much of the surrounding area, Annfield Plain's...

. Down the hill to the north are East Kyo

East Kyo

East Kyo is a small hamlet in County Durham, in England. It is situated a short distance to the west of Stanley, close to Annfield Plain, West Kyo, Oxhill and Harperley. The hamlet of East Kyo consists of two farms and East Kyo House, a former public house....

 and Harperley

Harperley

Harperley is a small village in County Durham, England. It is situated between Tantobie to the north east, Tanfield Lea to the east, Stanley to the south, East Kyo to the south east and Catchgate, West Kyo and Annfield Plain to the west....

. Oxhill contains very little: a few households, a pub called The Ox and the main nursery school

Nursery school

A nursery school is a school for children between the ages of one and five years, staffed by suitably qualified and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than simply providing childcare...

 for the Stanley area.

Oxhill used to be the site of a major level crossing, allowing access from the former nearby Stanhope and Tyne Railway

Stanhope and Tyne Railway

The Stanhope and Tyne Railway was opened in 1834 from Stanhope, in County Durham, UK, to Tyne Dock in South Shields, via Consett. It originally provided a link between the limestone quarries at Stanhope and coal mines at Stanhope for the production of lime, with an outlet to the Tyne down river of...

 line to a shunting yard adjacent to nearby South Moor

South Moor

South Moor is a village in County Durham, in England. It is located to the south-west of Stanley on the northern slope of the Craghead valley. It is a well-developed village, yet still semi rural, containing a main street of around twelve shops which survive despite their proximity to the front...

, where coal was loaded for transport to the River Tyne

River Tyne

The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...

for export.