Why visit Thornley
Townapedia lists 14 museums and landmarks, 2 parks and trails, 15 places to eat and 2 places to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Ludworth Tower and Thornley War Memorial.
Weather in Thornley
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Thornley
Thornley is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England, about 5 miles (9 km) to the east of Durham and 5 miles (7 km) west of Peterlee. The community grew around a coal mine established in 1835, which remained open until 1970.
From the Wikipedia article Thornley, Durham (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks14
2 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds2
Restaurants and cafes15
Turkish Delight
Fast food · Kebab, Pizza, Burger · 0.8 mi
12 Front Street, Durham
Mo-Su 16:00-24:00
Wheatley Hill Indian & Shakes
Fast food · Indian · 0.8 mi
5 Granville Terrace, Durham
Mo-Su 17:30-23:00
Bitz 'N' Pizzas
Fast food · Pizza · 0.7 mi
30 Alexandra Terrace, Durham
The Candy Man Can
Fast food · Cake · 0.8 mi
3 Granville Terrace, Durham
3 more on the map.
Where to stay2
History
As with most villages in the area, it grew rapidly with the development of coal-mining in the region. The first shaft was sunk in 1835 and the first coals were delivered via a new mineral railway line to Hartlepool shortly thereafter. The village thus played a major role in the development of Hartlepool as a port. Thornley miners played a key role in the formation of the Durham Miners' Association, the first meeting of which was held in the grounds of the village's Half-Way House public house in 1869. The colliery closed in 1970 with the loss of over 900 jobs and there is now little evidence to be seen of its once extensive plant and machinery.
Easington Rural District Council's policy in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s was to actively discourage development and employment in the ex-colliery villages of East Durham in favour of the new town of Peterlee. One of the oldest surviving buildings in the village, the Half-Way House was extensively refurbished and extended in the late 1970s and renamed The Crossways Hotel. The building was demolished in early 2008 and planning permission has been given for the building of housing on the site. Permission has also been given for the demolition of another old building, Gore Hall Farm, for the same purpose.
Read more of the history
Only recently has new house building been sanctioned by the council in the so-called 'bottom end' of the village. In the meantime, two estates of 20th century council housing have recently been demolished due to the decline in the village's population since the closure of the colliery, Thornlaw North and Coopers Close. The latter was built as recently as 1968 at the expense of a children's recreation ground, several mature trees and many local garden allotments which were also not replaced. The demolition of the Thornlaw North estate has allowed the council to sell the land to a large housebuilding company, Persimmon plc, to build 'executive' housing. A small amount of affordable housing will be built. This project is now (December 2007) well advanced. The council believes that one consequence of the reduction in population is that existing services will be threatened. Plans for the Cooper's Close site have yet to be revealed.
St Bartholomew's Church in the heart of the village, which dates from 1843, was demolished in September 2007. Houses are to be built on the site and many gravestones in the churchyard have already been moved. However, its stained glass windows have been preserved and are currently held in storage for possible future display. The village once had two cinemas, The Hippodrome, built in 1912 and The Ritz, built in 1938: both have been demolished.
Lt John Scott Youll, a former electrician at Thornley Colliery, was awarded the Victoria Cross during his service with the Northumberland Fusiliers in Italy in World War One. The village's war memorial had a special monument added to it in his honour in 2005.
From the History section of Thornley, Durham on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Thornley
Jack YoullBritish recipient of the Victoria CrossPhoto: Tom Tunney, CC BY 2.5- Charles McGuiganEnglish footballer (1901-1949)
Born in Thornley, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Churches and places of worship3
Shopping1
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries5
Healthcare1
Map of Thornley
44 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Teesside International Airport (MME) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 17 miles away.
- Sherburn Hill 2 mi northwest, about 4 min by car
- Peterlee 4 mi east, about 6 min by car
- Hetton-Le-Hole 5 mi north, about 7 min by car
- West Rainton 5 mi northwest, about 9 min by car
- Bishop Middleham 5 mi southwest, about 9 min by car
- Durham 6 mi west, about 10 min by car
- Houghton-Le-Spring 6 mi north, about 10 min by car
- East Rainton 6 mi north, about 9 min by car
- Seaham 7 mi northeast, about 11 min by car
- Spennymoor 8 mi southwest, about 12 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Thornley
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- HighStThornley, Tom Tunney, Public domain
- Ludworth Tower, Hodgsonge, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Thornley War Memorial, Tom Tunney, Public domain
- Street-level photo, livingwithdragons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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