Crook, County Durham

Crook
Town
Hope Street
Crook Location within County Durham
Population	10,019  [1]
OS grid reference	NZ165356
Unitary authority	County Durham
Ceremonial county	County Durham
Region	North East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Crook
Postcode district	DL15
Dialling code	01388
Police	Durham
Fire	County Durham and Darlington
Ambulance	North East
UK Parliament	Bishop Auckland
List of places UK England County Durham 54°42′47″N1°44′56″W / 54.713°N 1.749°W / 54.713; -1.749

Crook is a market town in the Durham County Council unitary authority and ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is located on the edge of Weardale and sometimes referred to as the "Gateway to Weardale".^{[ citation needed ]}

Crook lies about 9 miles (14 km) south-west of the historic city of Durham, 5 miles (8.0 km) north-west of Bishop Auckland and 2 miles (3.2 km) from Willington. The A689 road from Durham leads up through Wolsingham and Stanhope into the upper reaches of Weardale. Until 1974, the town was in Crook and Willington Urban District and had a parish council.

History

Crook first appeared as an agricultural village around 1795 although its surrounding districts; Billy Row, Stanley, White Lea and Helmington Row, were established much earlier. ^[2] In these days Crook was predominantly farmland; however, it also had an Inn and a blacksmith shop, consequently the primary field of employment was within the agricultural industry. 40 years later; Crook became a mining village, and thrived as the coal was very close to the surface ^[2] and soon there were over 20 mines around the Crook area. By the end of the nineteenth century the town had developed rapidly, in population and economy. However, the local population declined in the following century, as the coal mines and industries closed. With at one point over 34% of the population being unemployed. ^[2]

Crook's football team, Crook Town F.C., have won the FA Amateur Cup five times, most recently beating Enfield F.C. in 1964, before the cup was abolished in 1974. This record is second only to Crook's near neighbours, Bishop Auckland F.C. The club have also reached the third round of the FA Cup and formed a key role in the development of FC Barcelona, playing a number of friendly matches in the 1910s and 1920s.

Landmarks

The Devil's Stone a.k.a. The Blue Stone

War Memorial

There is a World War I and World War II War Memorial in Crook's town centre. ^[3]

The Devil's Stone \ The Blue Stone

An erratic, originally part of the Borrowdale volcanic group and found at Dowfold Hill, is situated in Crook's market place. ^[3]

Plaque on The Devil's Stone

Amenities

The centre of Crook, a designated conservation area, features a variety of shops and businesses with the market held on Tuesday mornings and a few stalls on a Saturday. There are prominent churches, the centrally located St Catherine's CE and Our Lady Immaculate & St Cuthbert's RC on Church Hill. Grade 2 listed St Andrew's Church is an LEP between URC and Methodist Churches. On top of the hills to the east sits Crook Golf Club.^{[ citation needed ]}

Crook was home to the first purpose built cinema in the north of England, built as the Electric Palace and opened on 21 November 1910. Some of the building's original interior features remain. ^[4]

Education

Nursery

Crook Nursery School

Crook Nursery is an average-sized school that serves the immediate area. ^{[5] [6]}

Primary

Crook Primary School

Crook Primary School was opened formally in 1950. A larger than average community school that shares a site with Crook Nursery School ^[7] , it has a pupil capacity of 371. ^{[8] [9]}

Marilyn Tempest – a teacher – retired after thirty years of employment on 30 April 2014 and received a standing ovation from the then current pupils and teachers. During an interview with The Northern Echo, she said "I have had the most wonderful time here, teaching is the best job in the world.". ^[10]

Hartside Primary School

A smaller than average primary academy, it has a pupil capacity of 210. ^{[11] [12]}

St Cuthbert's RC Primary School

An average-sized primary academy, with a pupil capacity of 210. ^{[13] [14]}

Culture

Empire Electric Palace Theatre stage events including pantomimes. ^[15]

Crook Carnival is held in early July and features a parade, rides, stalls and live music.^{[ citation needed ]} Crook's annual Winter Light Parade is held at the end of November and culminates with switching on the town's Christmas lights. ^[16]

Crookfest is a one day music festival held on the Sunday of the early May Bank Holiday weekend, across three stages, within Crook AFC's ground. ^[17]

Crook has a relatively large number of public houses and eateries for a town of its size.  Is this verifiable from a source or just someone's opinion? Indeed, what exactly are 'eateries'?^{[ citation needed ]}

Notable people

• Brian Foster, particle physicist and Donald H Perkins Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Oxford.
• Jack Greenwell, FC Barcelona's first official coach who won two Spanish Cups and four Catalan titles. ^[18]
• Darren Holloway, former professional footballer with English Premier League side Sunderland AFC. Also played for Wimbledon, Bradford City, Darlington and Gateshead (loans Carlisle United, Bolton Wanderers and Scunthorpe United).
• Bill Rowe, two time BAFTA Award for Best Sound winning sound engineer who worked on over 160 films between 1955 and 1992. ^[19]
• Constantine Scollen, a missionary priest among the Blackfoot and Cree peoples of Canada in the late 19th century.^{[ citation needed ]}
• Nigel Wright, former three time English light welterweight professional boxing champion. Also two time challenger for British and Commonwealth titles.^{[ citation needed ]}
• Doug McCarthy, former professional darts player. Also four time BDO World Darts Championship in 1979 until 1982.^{[ citation needed ]}

Transport

Bus

To the north a once a day Crook to Consett service 765. A once an hour Arriva North East service 1 runs to Tow Law Monday to Saturday.

Towards Willington and Durham the Arriva North East X46 services runs every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday and every 30 minutes on Sundays.

Towards the south (Bishop Auckland and Darlington) Weardale Travel run every hour to Bishop Auckland with their service 101 and Arriva North East service 1 runs every 30 minutes during the day Monday to Saturday.

Landscape

Crook landscape

Crook has a backdrop of traditional and modern buildings. The hills surround the town on all sides apart from the south side of the town. The tallest hill stands at 300 metres above the town, about 980 ft. The highest point in the town is on West Road where the height is 210 metres (about 690 ft).

Approximately 2 miles to the west of Crook on the A689, back towards Wolsingham and Weardale is the surviving World War II Harperley POW Camp 93.

Gallery

• 
  Crook Market
• 
  Looking up Church Hill
• 
  Shopping in Hope Street
• 
  A view across Crook

References

1. Population figure is an accumulation of North and South
2. The development of Crook: some background history Archived 12 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine
3. Manuel, Michael. Nooks & Crannies, A Chronicle of Crook and District 1840–2012. Lintons Printers.
4. Whetstone, David (1 December 2015). "A glorious Edwardian cinema in Crook could be back in use if plans bear fruit". Chronicle Live. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
5. "EduBase - Crook Nursery School". Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
6. "Find an inspection report and registered childcare". Ofsted.gov.uk. 14 December 2017. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
7. "Crook Primary School | Inspection report". Archived from the original on 8 April 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
8. "EduBase - Crook Primary School". Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
9. "Find an inspection report and registered childcare". Ofsted.gov.uk. 5 July 2018. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
10. "Retiring Crook teacher gets standing ovation after 30 years service". The Northern Echo . Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
11. "EduBase - Hartside Primary School". Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
12. "Find an inspection report and registered childcare". Ofsted.gov.uk. 5 July 2018. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
13. "EduBase - St Cuthberts Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School". Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
14. "Find an inspection report and registered childcare". Ofsted.gov.uk. 14 December 2017. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
15. "What's on". Empire Electric Theatre. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
16. Fraser, Kayleigh (27 November 2023). "Pictures: Crook winter light parade brightens up the night". Northern Echo. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
17. "About Crookfest". Crookfest. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
18. Johnson, Lee; Leatherdale, Duncan (7 May 2016). "Jack Greenwell: From Durham miner to Barcelona FC coach". BBC News. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
19. Sloman, Tony (12 October 1992). "Obituary: Bill Rowe". The Independent. Archived from the original on 3 August 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2024.

External links

• Crook Past and Present