Catchgate is a former mining village

Pit village

A pit village is a term used in the UK for the village serving a deep coal mine.Many of the workers lived in houses that were provided by the colliery. Many villages have experienced depopulation after colliery closures forced people to move to other towns and cities where there are jobs for them...

 in County Durham

County Durham

County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It has a population of approximately 3,000 people.

Its nearest town is Stanley

Stanley, County Durham

Stanley is a former colliery town and civil parish in County Durham, England. Centred on a hilltop between Chester-le-Street and Consett, the town lies south west of Gateshead....

, also a former coal mining community. The town of Consett

Consett

Consett is a town in the northwest of County Durham, England, about southwest of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is home to 27,394 .Consett sits high on the edge of the Pennines. In 1841, it was a village community of only 145, but it was about to become a boom town: below the ground was coking coal and...

, once famous for its steel works, is 5 miles (8 km) away.

It is bordered by the villages of Greencroft

Greencroft

Greencroft is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England. It is situated between Lanchester and Annfield Plain.-External links:...

 to the west, Annfield Plain

Annfield Plain

Annfield Plain is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated on a plateau between the towns of Stanley, to the north-east, and Consett, to the west. According to the 2001 census, Annfield Plain has a population of 3,569. Along with much of the surrounding area, Annfield Plain's...

 to the south, Harelaw

Harelaw

Harelaw is a village in County Durham, in England. It is situated to the north of Annfield Plain....

 to the north, and West Kyo

West Kyo

West Kyo is a small village in County Durham, England, United Kingdom. The name 'kyo' is derived from an old word for 'cow'. It is situated a very short distance to the north of Annfield Plain and to the east of Catchgate. Close by are East Kyo and to the north, Harperley. The nearest large town...

 (also known as Old Kyo) to the east. Also once to the west of Catchgate was Pontop village, now no more than a few bungalows, dominated by the enormous Pontop Pike

Pontop Pike Television Transmitter

The Pontop Pike transmitting station is a facility for telecommunications and broadcasting situated on a high hill of the same name, between Stanley and Consett, County Durham, near the village of Dipton, England. The mast is high, giving average antenna height of above sea level...

television and radio transmitter.