Stanhope, County Durham

Infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Stanhope
population = 1,633 (2001 Census) [ [http://www.durham.gov.uk/durhamcc/usp.nsf/Lookup/Wear%20Valley%20Settlement%20Summary%20Sheets%20Numbers/$file/Wear+Valley+Settlement+Summary+Sheets+Numbers.pdf Stanhope statistics] ]
shire_district= Wear Valley
region = North East England
shire_county = County Durham
constituency_westminster= North West Durham
post_town= BISHOP AUCKLAND
postcode_district = DL13
postcode_area= DL
dial_code= 01388
os_grid_reference= NY995395
latitude= 54.7471
longitude= -2.006

Stanhope (pronounced in the regional dialect "Stanup" or "Stan'ope") is a small market town in County Durham, in England. It is situated on the River Wear between Eastgate and Frosterley on the north side of Weardale. The A689 trans-Pennine road meets the B6278 road from Barnard Castle to Shotley Bridge here.

Some features of interest include a petrified tree stump in the churchyard, this was discovered in a pair, the twin resides in the Hancock Museum in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, the Durham Dales Centre which incorporates a tea room, tourist information and craft shops, and a ford with stepping stones for pedestrians. Stanhope is also the current terminus of the Weardale Railway. Heritage trains run regularly to Frosterley and Wolsingham. Stanhope is home to one of only two heated open air swimming pools in the North East.

The civil parish of Stanhope is quite large, with a population of 4,519, 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 was formerly much larger, with an area of 221 km² ( [http://website.lineone.net/~pjoiner/genuki/DUR/Stanhope/] ). It shares some land in common with the neighbouring Wolsingham civil parish.

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. [http://www.stanhopeshow.com/]

Notable Residents

Joseph Butler (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 Crozier - (1879-1944) Scholar and journalist. Editor of the Manchester Guardian 1932-1944.

References