Stanley is a town and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

in England. Centred on a hilltop between

Chester-le-Street Chester-le-Street () is a market town in County Durham, England. It is located around north of Durham and is close to Newcastle. The town holds markets on Saturdays. In 2021, the town had a population of 23,555. The town's history is ancient; ...

and

Consett Consett is a town in the County Durham (district), County Durham district, in the ceremonial county of County Durham, Durham, England, about south-west of Newcastle upon Tyne. It had a population of 27,394 in 2001 and an estimate of 25,812 in ...

, Stanley lies south-west of

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

. The town's name is derived from the

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

''stān'' and ''lēah'', meaning "stony woodland clearing". The local economy was once based on coal-mining and other heavy industries; with their disappearance or substantial decline, Stanley is now primarily a

commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

. Its core 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 following villages and settlements: to the north of the town centre, Shield Row, Kip Hill, and Causey; to the east, No Place; to the south-east, Bloemfontein, The Middles, and Craghead; to the south, South Moor and Quaking Houses; to the south-west, Oxhill, Catchgate, New Kyo, Greencroft, and Annfield Plain; to the west, West Kyo and Harelaw; and to the north-west, Tanfield Lea, Harperley, White-le-Head, Tantobie, Coppy, Tanfield, and Clough Dene.

History

Some archaeological evidence of possible

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

and

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

activity has been found in the Stanley area. Stanley is referred to in an early thirteenth century episcopal a documented decisionof Richard Poore,

Bishop of Durham The bishop of Durham is head of the diocese of Durham in the province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler (bishop), Paul Butler was the most recent bishop of Durham u ...

from 1228 to 1237. Dated between 1228 and 1234, it confirms the granting of the

vill Vill is a term used in English, Welsh and Irish history to describe a basic rural land unit, roughly comparable to that of a parish, manor, village or tithing. Medieval developments The vill was the smallest territorial and administrative unit� ...

of Stanley and some land in Durham to William de Kilkenny. The first printed map of the

Bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

of Durham was created in 1576. Published in 1579 as part of the cartographer

Christopher Saxton Christopher Saxton (c. 1540 – c. 1610) was an English cartographer who produced the first county maps of England and Wales. Life and family Saxton was probably born in Sowood, Ossett in the parish of Dewsbury, in the West Riding of Yorkshire ...

's county atlas, it shows Stanley as "Standley". In 1611,

John Speed John Speed (1551 or 1552 – 28 July 1629) was an English cartographer, chronologer and historian of Cheshire origins.; superseding . The son of a citizen and Merchant Taylor in London,"Life of John Speed", ''The Hibernian Magazine, Or, Compe ...

, a famous English mapmaker who built on Saxton's work, created a map of the

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

that also shows Stanley as "Standley". The 1909 West Stanley Pit Disaster, one of the worst in the history of British coal mining, occurred at West Stanley Colliery on 16 February of that year. 168 men and boys were killed. An explosion at the same colliery in 1882 had killed 13 men. On 22 August 1947, an explosion at the Louisa Morrison Colliery killed 22 men. Stanley was served by the Stanhope and Tyne Railway, which had two stations in the town: West Stanley, and Annfield Plain. Both closed in 1955. Tanfield Lea was the site of the Ever Ready company's largest British battery factory, a major local employer. The factory opened, to much fanfare, in 1968, had around 950 employeesmainly former miners at its peak in the 1970s, and closed in 1996. The British Steel plant in the neighbouring town of

(some from Stanley) also had many ex-miners among the several thousand employed when it closed in 1980, part of a wave of redundancies affecting workers in the traditional

heavy industries Heavy industry is an industry that involves one or more characteristics such as large and heavy products; large and heavy equipment and facilities (such as heavy equipment, large machine tools, huge buildings and large-scale infrastructure); o ...

of the region. The Stanley Blues Festival took place on the first weekend in August between 1993 and 2007, with appearances by local, national, and international

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

artists and other musical acts. Nearly 15,000 people attended in 2002, the event's tenth anniversary. With support from the then- Derwentside District Council,

Durham County Council Durham County Council is the Local government in England, local authority for the non-metropolitan county of County Durham (district), County Durham in North East England. The council is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority, bein ...

, and the regional arm of

Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council o ...

, admission was free. In mid-2023, Stanley Town Council handed back Stanley Civic Hall, the town’s long-standing arts venue and community hub, to Durham County Council. Amidst political controversy, it closed shortly afterwards, and was put up for sale in early 2024. The Civic Hall was formerly known as the Lamplight Arts Centre, which opened in 1961. The Council had taken over its running in mid-2013. The Civic Hall hosted concerts, recitals, plays and shows in the Alun Armstrong Theatre, had an independent cinema, put on exhibitions, held classes and seminars, and was a weddings and corporate events venue. In late 2023, the owners of the Beamish

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

Centre training ground announced that government funding had been secured for a major refurbishment and upgrade, with work starting in 2024.

Local government

Stanley, whose boundaries have changed over the years, has successively been part of the Lanchester

Poor Law Union A poor law union was a geographical territory, and early local government unit, in Great Britain and Ireland. Poor law unions existed in England and Wales from 1834 to 1930 for the administration of poor relief. Prior to the Poor Law Amendment ...

(from 1837 onwards); Stanley

Local Board A local board of health (or simply a ''local board'') was a local authority in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulat ...

(1892); Stanley Urban District (1894); Derwentside District (1974); and

(2009). Stanley is in the UK parliamentary

constituency An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

of North Durham. Since July 2024, this has been represented in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

by Luke Akehurst of the Labour Party.

Town Council

Since 2007, Stanley Town Council has provided the first tier of local government. The council has the statutory right to do whatever it considers will improve the economic, social or environmental well-being of the area. It has a duty to provide allotments and to take into account the potential impact of every policy and action on reducing crime. The council's powers include the provision and maintenance of bus shelters, community centres, play areas and play equipment, and the awarding of grants to local community organisations. It can also issue fixed penalty fines for offences such as littering, graffiti, fly-posting, and contraventions of dog control orders. The town council has 20 councillors, elected every four years by electors in the seven parish wards. The last election was in 2021 for the 20212025 term. Each year the councillors elect, from amongst themselves, a town mayor and deputy, and a council leader and deputy.

County Council

provides the second tier of local government. Eight Stanley town councillors serve on the county council. Its responsibilities include education, housing, social services, highways, planning, and refuse collection. In May 2024, the county council became part of a new upper tier of local government, the

North East Combined Authority The North East Combined Authority (NECA) is a combined authority in North East England. It has a directly-elected Mayor and seven member councils: two are unitary authorities ( Durham and Northumberland) and five are metropolitan borough counc ...

, led by Mayor

Kim McGuinness Kim McGuinness (born 29 May 1985) is a British Labour and Co-operative Party, Labour Co-op politician who was elected as the Mayor of the North East in 2024 North East mayoral election, May 2024. Previously, she served as the Northumbria Police ...

of the Labour Party.

Area Action Partnership (AAP)

The Stanley AAP, one of 14 in

, is a non-political organisation and funding body engaged with tackling local issues. It involves members of the public and representatives of Durham County Council and Stanley Town Council, the police, the fire brigade, health, housing, and education providers, business, and voluntary organisations. Stanley AAP publishes a directory of local activities and advice and support services.

Economy

The three largest employment sectors for residents in the local area are retail, manufacturing, and health and social work,OCSI
for the

Coalfields Regeneration Trust The Coalfields Regeneration Trust is a registered charity that works across the former Coalfield communities of England, Wales and Scotland. The Charity was founded in 1999. The Coalfields Regeneration Trust receives funding from the Department o ...

(16 January 2019)
"Community Insight profile for 'Stanley Co Durham' area"
(Report). Retrieved 27 July 2024via Internet Archive. while the three largest industry groups for local businesses are construction; professional, scientific, and technical services; and retail. Retailers in the town centre have faced significant competition from larger retail and leisure destinations elsewhere, including Clifford Road Retail Park, the MetroCentre, and Newcastle and Durham city centres.

Online shopping Online shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser or a mobile app. Consumers find a product of interest by visiting the website of th ...

, encouraged by the

Covid-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, has also changed shopping patterns and contributed to a weakening of footfall. Stanley's main shopping area, Front Street, is pedestrianised, housing independent shops and

chain store A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate many retail markets, dining markets, and service categories in many p ...

s such as

Boots A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...

. A market is held on Thursdays and Saturdays: it has declined over the years. The supermarkets

Asda Asda Stores Limited (), trading as Asda and often styled as ASDA, is a British supermarket and petrol station chain. Its headquarters is in Leeds, England. The company was incorporated as Associated Dairies and Farm Stores in 1949. It expanded ...

Aldi Aldi (German pronunciation: ), stylised as ALDI, is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 12,000 stores in 18 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and ...

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

, and

Morrisons Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited, trading as Morrisons, is the List of supermarket chains in the United Kingdom, fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Sco ...

have stores or outlets in the town. Fast-food and

restaurant chain A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate many retail markets, dining markets, and service categories in many pa ...

s include

Domino's Pizza Domino's Pizza, Inc., commonly referred to as Domino's, is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain founded in 1960 and led by CEO Russell Weiner. The corporation is Delaware General Corporation Law, Delaware-domiciled and headquartered ...

, Greggs, and

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

. Stanley also has a

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational List of coffeehouse chains, chain of coffeehouses and Starbucks Reserve, roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gor ...

. There are several prominent buildings in the centre of Stanley that are vulnerable or vacant.

Transport links

Via the A693, Stanley is about from Junction 63 of the

A1(M) motorway A1(M) is the designation given to a series of four separate controlled-access highway, motorway sections in the UK. Each section is an upgrade to a section of the A1 road (Great Britain), A1, a major north–south road which connects Greater ...

. Stanley Bus Station is an interchange for routes served by several operators. The nearest Tyne & Wear Metro stations are Felling,

Stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...

, and

, each around away; all three serve both lines of the Metro's network. The closest railway station, at

, is on the

East Coast Main Line The East Coast Main Line (ECML) is a electrified railway between its northern terminus at and southern terminus at . The key towns and cities of , , , , and are on the line. The line is a key transport artery on the eastern side of Grea ...

and about from Stanley.

Newcastle International Airport Newcastle International Airport is an international airport serving Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Located approximately from Newcastle City Centre, it is the primary and busiest airport in North East England, and the second busiest in Northe ...

and the Newcastle International Ferry Terminal are each about away.

Schools and libraries

As well as several primary schools, Stanley has two secondary schools: North Durham Academy, and Tanfield School, a specialist

science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

and engineering college. St Bede's Catholic School & Sixth Form College, an

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, is in the nearby village of Lanchester. There are public libraries in Annfield Plain, South Moor, and at the Louisa Centre in Stanley, with many others in the surrounding area.

Leisure and community activities

The C2C Cycle Route skirts Stanley to the north. This 140-mile (230 km) route links

Whitehaven Whitehaven is a town and civil parish in the Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. It is a port on the north-west coast, and lies outside the Lake District National parks of England and Wales, National Park. ...

(

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

) on England's north-west coast with

Roker Roker ( ) is a seaside resort in Sunderland, city of Sunderland district, Tyne and Wear. England. It is located north of the River Wear and Monkwearmouth, east of the southern part of Fulwell with the coastal resort of Seaburn to its nort ...

Beach (

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

) 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. South Moor Golf Course - geograph

South Moor Golf Course, lying south of the town and to the west of The Middles, was founded in 1923 and first operated by the

National Coal Board The National Coal Board (NCB) was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the United Kingdom's collieries on "ve ...

. Redesigned in 1925 by Alister MacKenzie, a famous golf course architect, the course has 18 holes. It has a practice area, a short-game area, a pro shop, and a clubhouse that can host functions. 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. The Venue, a

community centre A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...

and events space, has facilities for dance and martial arts classes, sports, theatrical productions, concerts, weddings and parties, meetings, and cooking classes. It also has a small gym. Organisations based in or accessible via The Venue include Citizens Advice, Age UK, Foodbank, Community Money Advice, Welfare Rights, and Durham Action on Single Housing (DASH).

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 The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE) is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, which has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and ...

scheme locally; the Activity Den, based in Tanfield Lea, active for nearly 20 years; Clavering Youth Club; Beamish Community Football Club; North Road Gym, a boxing club for young amateurs; 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 Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The premier non-royal peer, the Duke of Norfolk is additionally the premier duke and earl in the English peerage. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the t ...

's collieries in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

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 The Davy lamp is a safety lamp used in flammable atmospheres, invented in 1815 by Sir Humphry Davy.Oxhill before emigrating to the USA, was

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

's great-grandfather. * Thomas "Tommy" Armstrong (1848–1920), famed as a song-writer and

music-hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

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 Joseph Kevin Keegan (born 14 February 1951) is an English former footballer and manager. Nicknamed "King Kev" or "Mighty Mouse", Keegan was recognised for his dribbling ability, as well as his finishing and presence in the air, and is regard ...

's grandfather. * Michael Heaviside (1880–1939), a miner who lived in Craghead, served in the Durham Light Infantry during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and in 1917 was awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

for his heroism during the Battle of Arras. * Joseph Crawford (1910–1997), born in New Kyo, was a coal miner and

trade unionist A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

who became

general secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...

of NACODS, the

National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers The National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers (NACODS) is an organisation representing former colliery deputies and under-officials in the coal industry. History NACODS was established as a national trade union in 1910. ...

(1960–1973), and was

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union center, national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions that collectively represent most unionised workers in England and Wales. There are 48 affiliated unions with a total of ...

(TUC) in 1973. He was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in 1971. * 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

landscapes. * Alun Armstrong (born 1946) is an actor from Annfield Plain. * Micky Horswill (born 1953), from Annfield Plain, is a former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

, 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 A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object called a puppet to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The puppet is often shaped like a human, animal, or legendary creature. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the ...

for

Jim Henson's Creature Shop Jim Henson's Creature Shop is an American animation and special/visual effects company founded in 1979 by Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. The company is based in Hollywood, California, United States. History Jim Henson's Creature Shop was ...

and the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, working on films including ''

Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth () is an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the h ...

'', ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') is an American media franchise created by comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), D ...

'', ''Babe'', and '' Muppets Most Wanted''. * Yvonne Ridley (born 1958), from Stanley, a journalist, author, and politician, was held captive by the

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

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 Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...

and Bristol City footballer from

Burnopfield Burnopfield is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated north of Stanley, County Durham, Stanley and Annfield Plain, close to the River Derwent, North East England, River Derwent and is above sea level. There are around 4,553 inhab ...

. * Carly Telford (born 1987), from Tanfield, is a former professional

who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

for

Notts County Ladies F.C. Notts County Ladies Football Club was a women's football club based in Nottingham, England. They played their home games at Meadow Lane. Notts County Ladies were created in 2014 when Lincoln Ladies were relocated from Lincoln to Nottingham ...

, Chelsea, and the

England women's national football team The England women's national football team, nicknamed the Lionesses, has been governed by the Football Association (FA) since 1993, having been previously administered by the Women's Football Association (WFA). England played its first interna ...

. * Lewis Miley (born 2006), from Stanley, is a professional

who plays mainly for

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. A service to mark the seventy-fifth anniversary took place in Annfield Plain Park in 2022.

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 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The war memorial in Annfield Plain Park is inscribed with the names of the 263 men of Annfield Plain who died in WWI and the 66 who died in

. The memorial in Craghead, located off Edward Street, lists the names of the 109 local men who died in WWI and the 53 who died in

. The

Masonic Hall A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting. Development and history I ...

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.

Notes

References

External links

Stanley Town Council website
{{authority control Towns in County Durham Civil parishes in County Durham