Thornley, Durham facts for kids
- See also Thornley in Weardale.
Quick facts for kids Thornley |
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 Thornley village green |
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 Thornley
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| Population | 2,457 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | NZ363395 |
| Civil parish |
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| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Durham |
| Postcode district | DH6 |
| Police | Durham |
| Fire | County Durham and Darlington |
| Ambulance | North East |
| EU Parliament | North East England |
| UK Parliament |
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Thornley is a village in County Durham, England. It's about 5 miles (9 km) east of Durham and 5 miles (7 km) west of Peterlee. This community grew because of a coal mine that opened in 1835. The mine was a big part of the village until it closed in 1970.
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How Thornley is Governed
Thornley has its own local council called Thornley Parish Council. This council helps manage local issues. Most bigger decisions are made by Durham County Council. This is a larger council that handles many services for the whole area.
Thornley is part of the Trimdon and Thornley area. This area chooses three people to represent it on the county council. The village is also part of the Sedgefield parliamentary area. This area chooses one person to be a Member of Parliament (MP) in the UK government. For many years, Tony Blair was the MP for Sedgefield.
Thornley's Past: A Village Story
The Coal Mining Era
Like many villages in this part of England, Thornley grew very quickly. This happened because of the coal mines. The first mine shaft was dug in 1835. Soon after, coal from Thornley was sent by a new railway line to Hartlepool. This helped Hartlepool become an important port.
Miners from Thornley were very important in starting the Durham Miners' Association. This was a group that worked to improve miners' rights. Their first meeting happened in 1869 at the Half-Way House pub in the village. The coal mine closed in 1970. This meant over 900 people lost their jobs. Today, you can hardly see any signs of the big mining equipment that used to be there.
Changes and New Buildings
In the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, the local council had a plan. They wanted to encourage new buildings and jobs in the new town of Peterlee. This meant they didn't want much new building in older mining villages like Thornley.
One of the oldest buildings in Thornley was the Half-Way House. It was a pub that was made bigger and renamed The Crossways Hotel in the late 1970s. However, this building was knocked down in 2008. New houses are now being built there. Another old building, Gore Hall Farm, was also planned to be knocked down for housing.
Recently, new houses have been allowed in the "bottom end" of the village. Some older council housing estates, called Thornlaw North and Coopers Close, have been knocked down. This happened because fewer people live in the village since the mine closed. The Coopers Close estate was built in 1968. It took the place of a children's play area and many garden allotments.
The land from the Thornlaw North estate was sold to a house-building company, Persimmon plc. They are building new, bigger houses there. Some affordable homes will also be built. The council thinks that fewer people living in the village could affect local services.
St Bartholomew's Church was in the middle of the village and was built in 1843. It was knocked down in September 2007. Houses are planned for this site. The church's beautiful stained glass windows were saved. They are being kept safe for a possible future display. Thornley used to have two cinemas: The Hippodrome (built 1912) and The Ritz (built 1938). Both of these have also been knocked down.
A brave soldier named Lt John Scott Youll was from Thornley. He used to be an electrician at the coal mine. He won the Victoria Cross for his bravery during World War One in Italy. In 2005, a special monument was added to the village's war memorial to honor him.
Sports in Thornley
Thornley used to have a track for greyhound racing and whippet racing. It was called the Thornley Greyhound Stadium. It was also known as the Halfway House running grounds because it was next to the Halfway House Inn. This track was "independent," meaning it wasn't part of the main racing organization. These independent tracks were sometimes called "flapping tracks." The stadium was open in 1936 and was still there in 1967. However, it was knocked down by 1976.
Images for kids
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This memorial pit wheel was put in place in 1990. The tree-lined area to the rear covers the site of the actual colliery. The road is the former High Street. Photograph taken in May 2006
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The inscribed stone at the base of the Pit Wheel, photographed in May 2006
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The former High Street, Thornley, photographed in 2006. The War Memorial and Colliery Inn are visible in the distance. The colliery was off the picture to the right. Photograph taken in May 2006
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Hartlepool St Thornley, in 2005. This was once the main shopping street of the village
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Looking up towards St Bartholomew's Church and the remains of the Coopers Close Estate, Thornley, 2005. The housing at the right of the picture was demolished in 2007
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St Bartholomew's Church, Thornley. This photograph was taken in 2005 after the church's closure but prior to the removal of its stained glass windows. The church was demolished in September 2007
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The Thornley War Memorial in 2005, with the John Scott Youll VC Memorial in the foreground and St Bartholomew's Church to the rear
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The Thornley War Memorial in 2005, prior to the addition of the John Scott Youll VC monument. The colliery was directly opposite to the Memorial. Hartlepool Street ran down to the right and High Street up to the left.
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