Stanhope is a small market town 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 situated on the River Wear

River Wear

The River Wear is located in North East England, rising in the Pennines and flowing eastwards, mostly through County Durham, to the North Sea at Sunderland.-Geology and history:...

 between Eastgate

Eastgate, County Durham

Eastgate is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated in Weardale, a few miles west of Stanhope.Eastgate originally marked the eastern border of the private hunting park of the Prince Bishops of Durham. This was second in extent only to the royal hunting park of the New Forest in Hampshire...

 and Frosterley

Frosterley

Frosterley is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated in Weardale, on the River Wear close to its confluence with Bollihope Burn; between Wolsingham and Stanhope; 18 miles west of Durham City and 26 miles southwest of Newcastle-upon-Tyne....

 on the north side of Weardale

Weardale

Weardale is a dale, or valley, of the east side of the Pennines in County Durham, in England. Large parts of Weardale fall within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - the second largest AONB in England and Wales. The upper valley is surrounded by high fells and heather grouse...

. The A689

A689 road

The A689 is a road in northern England, that runs east from Junction 44 of the M6 motorway, north of the centre of Carlisle in Cumbria, to Hartlepool, in the North East....

 trans-Pennine road meets the B6278 road from Barnard Castle

Barnard Castle

Barnard Castle is an historical town in Teesdale, County Durham, England. It is named after the castle around which it grew up. It sits on the north side of the River Tees, opposite Startforth, south southwest of Newcastle upon Tyne, south southwest of Sunderland, west of Middlesbrough and ...

 to Shotley Bridge

Shotley Bridge

Shotley Bridge is a village in the Derwent Valley, adjoining the town of Consett in County Durham, England. Shotley Bridge was once the heart of Britain's swordmaking industry.The origins of swordmaking here dated from 1691...

 here.

Features of interest include

• a petrified
  Petrifaction
  In geology, petrifaction, petrification or silicification is the process by which organic material is converted into stone by impregnation with silica. It is a rare form of fossilization...
  
   tree stump in the churchyard which was discovered with two others. One of the others resides in the Hancock Museum in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
• the Durham Dales Centre which incorporates a tea room, tourist information and craft shops
• a ford with stepping stones
  Step-stone bridge
  A Step-stone bridge is a simple bridging allowing a pedestrian to cross a natural watercourse or pond, or a garden's water feature where water is allowed to course between stone steps. Unlike other bridges it has no spans. Step-stone bridges, along with log bridges are likely to be the oldest...
  
   for pedestrians
• the eighteenth century Stanhope Castle in the centre of the town stands on the possible site of a medieval castle.
• one of only two heated open air swimming pools in the North East.

Stanhope is also the current terminus of the Weardale Railway

Weardale Railway

The Weardale Railway is a British single-track branch line railway providing regular daily passenger service between Bishop Auckland , Wolsingham, Frosterley and Stanhope. Services began on 23 May 2010 after a lapse of almost sixty years. The railway originally ran from Bishop Auckland to...

. Trains run regularly to Frosterley

Frosterley

Frosterley is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated in Weardale, on the River Wear close to its confluence with Bollihope Burn; between Wolsingham and Stanhope; 18 miles west of Durham City and 26 miles southwest of Newcastle-upon-Tyne....

 and Wolsingham

Wolsingham

Wolsingham is a small market town in Weardale, County Durham, England. It is situated by the River Wear, between Crook and Stanhope in North West Durham.-History:Wolsingham sits at the confluence of the River Wear and Waskerley Beck...

 and since May 2010 to Bishop Auckland

Bishop Auckland

Bishop Auckland is a market town and civil parish in County Durham in north east England. It is located about northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham at the confluence of the River Wear with its tributary the River Gaunless...

.

Stanhope is surrounded by moorland in the North Pennines

North Pennines

The North Pennines is the northernmost section of the Pennine range of hills which runs north-south through northern England. It lies between Carlisle to the west and Darlington to the east...

 Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) - the second largest of the 40 AONBs in England and Wales.

The civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 of Stanhope has a population of 4,519 in 2001, and also includes Rookhope

Rookhope

Rookhope is village in County Durham, in England. A former lead and fluorspar mining community, it first existed as a group of cattle farms in the 13th Century. It is situated in the Pennines to the north of Weardale. W. H...

, Westgate

Westgate, County Durham

Westgate is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated in Weardale between St John's Chapel and Eastgate.Westgate is also the entrance to Slitt wood and an old abandoned lead mine. Other features of the village include a caravan site and a football and basketball court.-External links:...

, St John's Chapel

St John's Chapel, County Durham

St John's Chapel is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated in Weardale, on the south side of the River Wear on the A689 road between Daddry Shield and Ireshopeburn. The 2001 census reports a population of 307, of which only 43 are children under 16...

, Ireshopeburn

Ireshopeburn

Ireshopeburn is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated on the south side of Weardale, between St John's Chapel and Wearhead, and on the other side of the Wear from West Blackdene and New Ho...

, Wearhead

Wearhead

Wearhead is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated at the top of Weardale between Cowshill and Ireshopeburn. It is named after the nearby source of the River Wear which runs eastwards for approx 40 miles to Sunderland....

, Cowshill

Cowshill

Cowshill is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated at the top of Weardale, between Lanehead and Wearhead....

, Cornriggs

Cornriggs

Cornriggs is a hamlet in County Durham, in England. It is situated on the north side of Weardale, between Lanehead and Cowshill.-External links:...

, Eastgate

Eastgate, County Durham

Eastgate is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated in Weardale, a few miles west of Stanhope.Eastgate originally marked the eastern border of the private hunting park of the Prince Bishops of Durham. This was second in extent only to the royal hunting park of the New Forest in Hampshire...

, Frosterley

Frosterley

Frosterley is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated in Weardale, on the River Wear close to its confluence with Bollihope Burn; between Wolsingham and Stanhope; 18 miles west of Durham City and 26 miles southwest of Newcastle-upon-Tyne....

 all on the A689 road, along with Crawleyside

Crawleyside

Crawleyside is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated to the north of Stanhope, in Weardale.Crawleyside holds many entrances to Stanhope Dene.Crawleyside is home to Ashes Quarry, an old mining facility now used as farmland....

, Hill End

Hill End, County Durham

Hill End is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated on the south side of Weardale, near Frosterley.-External links:...

 and White Kirkley

White Kirkley

White Kirkley is a small village in County Durham, in England. It is situated on the south side of Weardale, opposite Frosterley and close to Hill End....

. The parish was formerly much larger, with an area of 221 km². It shares some land in common with the neighbouring Wolsingham

Wolsingham

Wolsingham is a small market town in Weardale, County Durham, England. It is situated by the River Wear, between Crook and Stanhope in North West Durham.-History:Wolsingham sits at the confluence of the River Wear and Waskerley Beck...

 civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

.

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.

Businesses in Stanhope

This is an incomplete list. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Shop/Business/Company Name
! Sells/Specialises in
! Opening date
! Formerly called
|-
| Joan Woodhalls
| Fruit & Vegetables, Flowers, Drinks, and other every day items.
| 1965??
| n/a
|-
| The Weardale Bakery & Tearooms
| Bakery has items like Breads, Pies, Sandwiches, Cakes, Hot Beef Sandwiches, Drinks, Jams. Cafe has Meals as well as Drinks etc
| ??
| The Bakers Loaf, The Old Weardale Tearooms. (Same Business)
|-
| Truly Scrumptious
| Old Fashioned Sweets and goods
| 2010?
| n/a
|-
| paper shop
|
|

Notable residents

• Joseph Butler
  Joseph Butler
  Joseph Butler was an English bishop, theologian, apologist, and philosopher. He was born in Wantage in the English county of Berkshire . He is known, among other things, for his critique of Thomas Hobbes's egoism and John Locke's theory of personal identity...
  
   (1692-1752) in 1726, the year in which he published his important Fifteen Sermons, Butler was appointed to the rich rectory at Stanhope. Little is known of Butler's life at Stanhope, beyond his great charity and his habit of riding a black pony very fast. Nevertheless, his three years there were to produce, in 1736, his Analogy of Religion, the greatest theological work of his time. Butler became Bishop of Durham in 1750.
• William Percival Crozier
  William Percival Crozier
  William Percival Crozier was a British journalist and editor of the Manchester Guardian from 1932, when he succeeded Ted Scott, who had died in a sailing accident, until his death in 1944....
  
   - (1879-1944) Scholar and journalist. Editor of the Manchester Guardian 1932-1944.
• George Boateng
  George Boateng
  George Boateng is a Dutch footballer who plays as a midfielder for Nottingham Forest in The Championship.-Club career:...
  
   lived in Stanhope in the golden days of his Middlesbrough
  Middlesbrough
  Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
  
  playing career.

External links