Tanfield 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 near 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....

 and is the location of Tanfield Railway

Tanfield Railway

The Tanfield Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway in Gateshead and County Durham, England. Running on part of a former colliery wooden wagonway, later a steam railway, it operates preserved steam and diesel industrial tank locomotives. The railway operates a passenger service on Sundays all...

 and the Causey Arch

Causey Arch

The Causey Arch is a bridge near Stanley in County Durham. It is the world’s oldest surviving railway bridge.It was built in 1725-26 by stonemason Ralph Wood, funded by a conglomeration of coal-owners known as the "'Grand Allies'" at a cost of £12,000...

. It is also the location of Tanfield School

Tanfield School

Tanfield School is a comprehensive school in Stanley, County Durham, England, by the border to Tanfield Lea. Tanfield houses both male and female students from the age of 11 to 16. Tanfield have had constant good Ofsted reports, and support Anti Bully campaigns, and other causes including charity...

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History

The village was first recorded in 1179 as Tamefeld, believed to be Old English for "field by the river team". The village church is originally 10th century.

Collieries

• Tanfield Lea Colliery, Tanfield Lea. Closed 25 August 1962. Owners:- Lambton, Hetton & Joicey Collieries Ltd; (1947) NCB. Location:- (Sheet 88) NZ188544, 54° 53' 2" N, 1° 42' 25" W, 7 miles (11.3 km) SW of Newcastle.

• Tanfield Moor Colliery, Tantobie. Opened before 1828. Closed Oct 1948. Owners:- Lambton, Hetton & Joicey Collieries Ltd. Location:- (Sheet 88) NZ169545, 54° 53' 6" N, 1° 44' 12" W, 7.5 miles (12.1 km) SW of Newcastle.

• East Tanfield Colliery, Tantobie. Opened 1844. Closed January 1965. Owners: - James Joicey (from 1844), East Tanfield Colliery Co. Limited (from 1917), South Derwentside Coal Co. Limited (from 1929). National Coal Board (from 1947). Location: - (Sheet 88) NZ194552, 54° 53' 28" N, 1° 41' 51" W, 6.5 miles (10.5 km) SW of Newcastle

The village has the highest rate of people aged 16-74 who have never worked, the figure stands at 33.33 percent, in the whole of 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...

 and Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

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Religious sites

The village church of St. Margaret of Antioch dates back to 900 AD, but the present structure was built in the 18th century. It was the parish church of Beamish Hall

Beamish Hall

Beamish Hall is a mid 18th century country house, now converted to a hotel, which stands in of grounds near the town of Stanley, County Durham. It is a Grade II* listed building.-History:The history of Beamish Hall can be traced back to the Norman Conquest...

, former home to the Eden, Joicey and Shafto families. There is a Methodist church in Tanfield Lea

Tanfield Lea

Tanfield Lea is a village north of Stanley, County Durham, England, and south of Tantobie.-Industry:The Ever Ready battery company used to be a major employer in the local area, employing over a thousand workers at its peak. The Tanfield Lea factory was closed in 1996, following the take over of...

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Notable people

Tanfield was the home of Tommy Armstrong (1848–1919), the "pit-man poet", whose grave is in the village cemetery.