Chilton Moor

Chilton Moor is located between Houghton le Spring and Fencehouses on the Tyne and Wear/County Durham county boundary. The name of the village differs depending on whom you speak to (some calling it Colliery Row), but both are acceptable.

The village follows on from Fencehouses (the single street with houses either side) and then splits in two - towards Houghton le Spring, which contains a mix of council and terraced housing - and a new private estate which is built off Black Boy Road. An old council estate is currently being replaced by modern housing and a private builder has submitted plans to construct further new housing - again just off Black Boy Road.

There is a range of local facilities centred on the front street area: takeaways, churches, a library, pubs, convenience stores, a butcher, bakery, hairdresser, a Royal Mail postoffice and a cafe. The village also contains a petrol station and joiner. The most famous pub in Chilton Moor was The Londonderry Arms also known as The Top House. Here played the undisputed king of darts Jackie Bell.

Traffic through both Fencehouses and Chilton Moor can be busy. Possibly the building (identified by Tyne and Wear as the "Central Route") of a new link road between A690 at Houghton le Spring and the A182, will alleviate some of the problems.

To the south of the village lies land (reclaimed for use after years of mining) that contains a nature reserve and industrial units. The nature reserve is called Rainton Meadows and is home to Joe's Pond.

Go North East use the village as a bus thoroughfare between Houghton le Spring and outlying towns and villages. In recent years, there has been a reduction in the number of services using the village. This may be due to locals preferring a 10-15 minute walk into Houghton le Spring, than paying £1.10 for a journey that takes a few minutes and in total passes 2 other bus stops.