Stanley, County Durham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stanley |
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|---|---|
| Town and civil parish | |
 St. Andrew's Church, Stanley |
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 Stanley
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| Population | 31,300 (2019) |
| OS grid reference | NZ197525 |
| Civil parish |
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| Unitary authority |
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| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | STANLEY |
| Postcode district | DH9 |
| Dialling code | 01207 |
| Police | Durham |
| Fire | County Durham and Darlington |
| Ambulance | North East |
| EU Parliament | North East England |
| UK Parliament |
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| Website | http://www.stanley-tc.gov.uk |
Stanley is a town and civil parish in the ceremonial county and district of County Durham, England. Centred on a hilltop between Chester-le-Street and Consett, Stanley lies south-west of Gateshead.
The local economy was once based on coal mining and other heavy industries. The core of the town began to grow in the nineteenth century through the expansion and merger of the mining villages of East Stanley and West Stanley. The civil parish, created in 2007, incorporates the town of Stanley and the villages of Annfield Plain, Bloemfontein, Catchgate, Clough Dene, Craghead, Greencroft, Harelaw, Kip Hill, New Kyo, No Place, Oxhill, Quaking Houses, Shield Row, South Moor, Tanfield, Tanfield Lea, Tantobie, The Middles, West Kyo and White-le-Head.
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History
Stanley was first mentioned in 1211; however, some neolithic and Roman remains have been found in the area. The town's name is derived from the Old English for 'Stoney Field'.
In John Speed's map of Co.Durham Stanley appears called Standley.
The West Stanley Pit Disaster, one of the worst coal mining disasters in British history took place in Stanley at West Stanley Colliery on 16 February 1909 when over 160 people were killed in the Burns Pit disaster.
Over recent decades, Stanley has suffered hard times economically, with the closure of the coal pits followed by the loss of major employers at Ever Ready in nearby Tanfield, as well as the closure of both the British Steel plant and Shotley Bridge General Hospital in the neighbouring town of Consett. Local businesses in Stanley town centre were also significantly affected by the development of the giant MetroCentre shopping complex in nearby Gateshead, with local trade decreasing as a result.
In 2000, Stanley briefly garnered attention in various national tabloid newspapers as well as BBC Radio 1's Chris Moyles Show when local curry house impresario Harresh Ramadan turned his Indian takeaway restaurant on Front Street into a fish-and-chip shop and renamed it Harry Ramadan's, a spoof on the more famous and well-known Harry Ramsden's chain, with signage in an identical font and colours. The Harry Ramsden's chain sued, citing breach of copyright, with Ramadan backing down shortly after the national publicity had subsided. Soon thereafter, the shop took on new ownership and adopted the new name Jump 4 Joy's before closing down entirely in 2001.
In 2005, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister granted permission to plans to form a Stanley Town Council. This followed a campaign by local people, including a petition of over 2000 names, although this petition only represented 10% of the population that would be covered by the new Town council. Campaigners promised that the new Town Council would increase the pace of regeneration within the town.
In 2008, an arson attack left an historic building on Stanley Front Street in ruins along with a billiards club and several shops below. November 2008 saw the demolition of the burnt buildings.
Economy
The three largest employment sectors for residents in the local area are retail, manufacturing, and health and social work, while the three largest industry groups for local businesses are construction; professional, scientific, and technical services; and retail.
In recent decades, with the decline of traditional industries and the arrival of large supermarkets and chain stores, 'Old Stanley' has declined, with many locally owned shops and pubs closing.
The town's main shopping area, Front Street, is pedestrianised, housing independent shops alongside large chains such as Boots. A market is held on Front Street on Thursdays and Saturdays, although this has become smaller in recent years. There are also supermarkets such as Asda, Aldi and Iceland located within the town. Tesco planned to construct a new supermarket on the Clifford Road Retail Complex site, which had previously housed Kwik Save, Presto, a furniture shop, and an indoor market. Tesco sold the land to TJ Morris, and the former Kwik Save site was then redeveloped into a large Home Bargains store, opening in July 2018. The store created 60 new jobs.
Stanley has also added a Domino's, a larger Greggs outlet (both opening December 2022) and a drive-thru Starbucks (opened in March 2023) in a newly developed site off of Agnes Street. The Front Street area, however, continues to be defined by its derelict buildings, including the old school building in the centre of Front Street, which has remained unoccupied for decades.
Over the past 20 years, the refurbishment of Stanley town centre has seen the opening of a new bus interchange and an extension to the Louisa Centre leisure facility, including a new swimming pool. A new health centre, Stanley Primary Care Centre, was opened in February 2010 along with a Sure Start children's centre.
Transport links
Stanley is 4 miles (6.4 km) from Junction 63 of the A1(M) motorway. Stanley Bus Station is an interchange for bus services which is served by several operators. The nearest railway stations to the town are Chester-le-Street, Durham and Dunston. The town is also close to Newcastle International Airport.
Education
As well as a number of primary schools, Stanley has two secondary schools. These are:
- North Durham Academy (in South Stanley – connected to South Stanley Infants and Juniors)
- Tanfield School, (in Tanfield next to Stanley)
The town is also served by St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, based in the nearby village of Lanchester.
Leisure
The C2C Cycle Route skirts Stanley to the north. This 140-mile (230 km) route links Whitehaven (Cumberland) on England's north-west coast with Roker Beach (Sunderland) on the north-east coast.
The Louisa Centre, a sports and leisure complex, contains a gym, a 25-metre swimming pool (with a 300-seat spectators' gallery), a small pool, a sports hall, a shooting range, a soft play area, a nursery, meeting rooms, a café, and Stanley Library.
The Stanley Indoor Bowls Centre, with a large arena and grandstand, offers play for people of all ages and abilities. Inaugurated in 1977, it has hosted several top-level international events. The Centre also provides meeting facilities for a range of community groups and clubs, and can be hired for private functions.
Youth clubs and activities for children
Under the umbrella of SAYC, the Stanley Area Youth Consortium, trips and activities for children and young people in the wider Stanley area are offered by an array of youth clubs and voluntary associations.
These include Stanley Young People’s Club, focused on the South Stanley and South Moor areas; Oxhill Youth Club, founded in 1962, which runs the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme locally; the Activity Den, based in Tanfield Lea, active for nearly 20 years; Beamish Community Football Club; PACT House, a community hub; and several community halls, schools, and churches.
Notable people
- John Curr (c. 1756–1823), born in West Kyo, managed the Duke of Norfolk's collieries in Sheffield from 1781 to 1801. Several of his technological innovations contributed to the development of the coal-mining industry.
- John Buddle (1773–1843), born in West Kyo, was a prominent mining engineer and entrepreneur who helped improve the safety of coal-mining. His innovations included the use of the Davy Lamp.
- Jonathan Rodham (1843–1917), who lived in Oxhill before emigrating to the USA, was Hillary Clinton's great-grandfather.
- Thomas "Tommy" Armstrong (1848–1920), famed as a song-writer and music-hall performer, lived for most of his life in Tanfield Lea. He was known as "The Pitman Poet" and "The Bard of the Northern Coalfield".
- David Horsley (1873–1933), born in Stanley, was a founder of the Hollywood-based US film industry.
- Frank Keegan (?–1916), from West Stanley, was one of the heroes of the 1909 West Stanley Pit disaster and Kevin Keegan's grandfather.
- Michael Heaviside VC (1880–1939), a miner who lived in Craghead, served in the Durham Light Infantry during the First World War, and in 1917 was awarded the Victoria Cross for his heroism during the Battle of Arras.
- Joseph Crawford OBE (1910–1997), born in New Kyo, was a coal miner and trade unionist who became general secretary of NACODS, the National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers (1960–1973), and was president of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in 1973.
- Tom Lamb (1928–2016) was a miner at Craghead Colliery and an artist who sketched and painted the underground life of miners as well as County Durham landscapes.
- Alun Armstrong (born 1946) is an actor from Annfield Plain.
- Micky Horswill (born 1953), from Annfield Plain, is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Sunderland, Manchester City, Plymouth Argyle, Hull City, Happy Valley (Hong Kong) and Carlisle United.
- Kim Darroch (born 1954), from South Stanley, was Britain's ambassador to the United States from 2016 to 2019.
- Mak Wilson (born 1957), from Shield Row, was a puppeteer for Jim Henson's Creature Shop and the BBC, working on films including Labyrinth, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Babe, and Muppets Most Wanted.
- Yvonne Ridley (born 1958), from Stanley, a journalist, author, and politician, was held captive by the Taliban in Afghanistan for 11 days in 2001.
- Glenn McCrory (born 1964), from Annfield Plain, was the IBF cruiserweight champion from 1989 to 1990.
- Brian Tinnion (born 1968) is a former Newcastle United and Bristol City footballer from Burnopfield.
- Carly Telford (born 1987), from Tanfield, is a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Notts County Ladies F.C., Chelsea, and the England women's national football team.
- Lewis Miley (born 2006), from Stanley, is a professional footballer who plays mainly for Newcastle United and the England under-20 national team.
Memorials and commemorations
Memorials
Pit disasters
There are two memorials to the 1909 West Stanley Pit Disaster: one unveiled in 1913, four years after the event, and another unveiled in 1995, 86 years after. In addition, a memorial headstone to mark the mass graves of those who died was dedicated in 2005. A memorial to the 1947 Louisa Morrison Pit Disaster was unveiled in 1997 on the fiftieth anniversary of the event, and re-dedicated in 2018 after it was moved to another site.
Wars
South Moor Memorial Park was opened in 1920 and dedicated to the memory of employees of the South Moor Colliery Company who died in WWI. It was rededicated in 1950 to also commemorate those who died in WWII.
The Masonic Hall in Stanley has a plaque commemorating members of the Coronation Lodge who served or were killed in WWI.
Commemorations
Armed Forces Day, an official UK event, is observed on the last Saturday in June.
Miners' Sunday, a celebration of Stanley's heritage, takes place in late August.
