Butterknowle is a village in

Teesdale Teesdale is a dale, or valley, in Northern England. The dale is in the River Tees’s drainage basin, most water flows stem from or converge into said river, including the Skerne and Leven. Upper Teesdale, more commonly just Teesdale, falls b ...

, County Durham, England. Butterknowle is situated between the market towns of Bishop Auckland (9 miles to the east) and

Barnard Castle Barnard Castle (, ) is a market town on the north bank of the River Tees, in County Durham, Northern England. The town is named after and built around a medieval castle ruin. The town's Bowes Museum's has an 18th-century Silver Swan automato ...

(6 miles to the south-west). It has an attractive rural setting within the Gaunless Valley, overlooked by the gorse-covered Cockfield Fell. The fell itself is a scheduled

ancient monument In British law, an ancient monument is an early historical structure or monument (e.g. an archaeological site) worthy of preservation and study due to archaeological or heritage interest. The ''Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 ...

, containing evidence of Roman settlements and a medieval coal mine ( Vavasours), thought to be the earliest inland colliery recorded. A colliery at Butterknowle, formerly in the ownership of Sir Henry Vane, and leased to Thomas and Mary Lambert, is mentioned in the court papers of King Charles II in 1660. The village of Butterknowle has a Primary School, Medical Practice, Village Hall, Royal Oak and Diamond Inn public houses, Post Office (closed in 1999, but reopened at the rear of the Diamond Inn premises in 2001) and Agricultural Supplies Merchant. The Church of St John the Evangelist is to be found in the neighbouring hamlet of Lynesack, about half a mile away, which is also home to a contemporary landscape photography studio and art gallery. The war memorial, on Pinfold Lane near the village hall, is a Grade II listed building. There are many public footpaths, both in the immediate area and surrounding countryside of

and nearby

Weardale Weardale is a dale, or valley, on the east side of the Pennines in County Durham, England. Large parts of Weardale fall within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) – the second-largest AONB in England and Wales. Th ...

, making this a popular destination for walkers. Butterknowle is also home to the Gaunless Valley Visitor Centre, where can be found a wealth of information regarding the area's 600-year-old mining and agricultural heritage, along with details of local walks and places of interest.

Raby Castle Raby Castle () is a medieval castle located near Staindrop in County Durham, England, among of deer park. It was built by John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby, between approximately 1367 and 1390. Cecily Neville, the mother of the Kings Ed ...

, 14th-century family seat of the Nevills and now home to the 11th Lord Barnard sits approximately 4 miles to the south, whilst travelling 4 miles to the north brings you to

Hamsterley Forest Hamsterley Forest is a commercial forest in County Durham owned and managed by Forestry England. It is the largest forest in County Durham and covers more than . Recreational activities within the forest are focused at the eastern end, around th ...

, offering woodland and riverside walking, mountain-biking and horse-riding.

High Force High Force is a waterfall on the River Tees, near Middleton-in-Teesdale, Teesdale, England. The waterfall is within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and the European Geopark. The waterfall is part of the historic coun ...

, one of England's highest and most spectacular single-drop waterfalls, is located a short drive away in

Upper Teesdale Upper Teesdale is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the west County Durham, England. It encompasses an extensive upland area that includes the headwaters of the River Tees and the surrounding catchment area upstream of the village ...

References

{{authority control Villages in County Durham