Stanley, County Durham
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Stanley | |
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| Population | 16,306 (2001) [1] |
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| OS grid reference | |
| District | Derwentside |
| Shire county | County Durham |
| Region | North East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | STANLEY |
| Postcode district | DH9 |
| Dial code | 01207 |
| Police | Durham |
| Fire | County Durham and Darlington |
| Ambulance | North East |
| UK Parliament | North Durham |
| European Parliament | North East England |
| List of places: UK • England • County Durham | |
Stanley is a former mining town in County Durham, England. Centred on a hill top between Chester-le-Street and Consett it is the second largest town of Derwentside after Consett and lies south west of Gateshead.
Stanley used to be divided into three — the main town of Stanley and the mining villages of East Stanley and South Stanley. However, with the expansion of all three they have blended into one town and East and South Stanley are no longer officially used town names (although they are recoginsed colloquially). The village of South Moor was historically referred to as West Stanley.
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[edit] History
Stanley was first mentioned in 1211; however, some neolithic and Roman remains have been found in the area, its name is also Saxon for 'Stoney Field'.
One of the worst coal mining disasters in British history took place in Stanley at West Stanley Colliery on February 16, 1909 when over 160 people were killed in the Burns Pit Disaster.
Over recent decades, Stanley has undergone hard times economically, with the loss of major employers at EverReady in Tanfield and British Steel and Shotley Bridge General Hospital in the neighbouring town of Consett. The town centre was one of the hardest hit by the development of the giant Metro Centre shopping complex just 20 minutes away in Gateshead.
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 and a petition of over 2000 names. The petition only represented 10% of the population that would be covered by the Town council. The campaigners promise that the Town Council would increase the pace of the regeneration of the town and will be established in 2008.
[edit] Urban layout
The town has no definite end and stretches right into what were formerly neighbouring villages and towns, this caused a lot of confusion in the past over which part of the council was responsible for certain areas especially around the Durham-Gateshead border. In recent times 'old Stanley' has all but died with many local shops and pubs closing.
The main shopping area, Front Street, is pedestrianized, housing independent shops along with large chains Boots and Woolworths. A market is held on Front Street on Thursdays and Saturdays. There are also quaint little boutiques like ASDA, Netto and Kwiksave stores, and large car parks to encourage shoppers.
The town centre is currently being refurbished, with the opening of a new extended Louisa Centre which now incorporates the town's swimming pool, a new Sure Start Children's Centre and a new solar-powered Bus Interchange. There are plans to build a new Health centre.
[edit] Politics
Politically the town is dominated by Labour, with all the town's council seats on Durham County Council and Derwentside being held by the party. The town lies in the North Durham Parliamentary constituency which it shares with Chester-le-Street and is represented by Labour MP, Kevan Jones. Prior to 1983 the town formed part of the Consett constituency. (Now North West Durham).
[edit] Leisure and Education
The Coast to Coast (C2C) Cycle Route bypasses Stanley.
As well as many primary schools, Stanley contains two secondary schools. These are:
- Stanley School of Technology (in South Stanley - connected to South Stanley Infants and Juniors)
- Tanfield School, Specialist College of Science and Engineering (in Stanley next to Tanfield)
The town is also served by St. Bedes Catholic School and 6th Form College, based in the nearby village of Lanchester.
[edit] Famous people from Stanley
- Hillary Clinton's Grandfather Rodham Family Tree
Horsley Brothers (David and William). The founders of Hollywood as the centre of the US film industry were born in Stanley. Glenn McCrory, IBF World boxing champion 1989-1990
[edit] External link
- BBC News: Revamp plan 'new dawn' for town Article about the regeneration of the shopping area, particularly the new bus station - 31 January 2005
