Westgate, County Durham

Westgate
Westgate
	The preserved mine (wheel pit) north of Westgate on the Slitt vein
	Westgate Location within County Durham
Population	298 (2011 census)
Civil parish	Stanhope;
Unitary authority	County Durham;
Shire county	Durham;
Region	North East;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom

Westgate is a village in the civil parish of Stanhope, in County Durham, England. It is situated in Weardale between St John's Chapel and Eastgate. In the 2001 census Westgate had a population of 298.[1] Westgate is also the entrance to Slitt wood and an old abandoned lead mine. Other features of the village include a caravan site and a football and basketball court.

Westgate Castle was a peel tower-cum-hunting lodge, probably built in the 14th century, and forming the western gatehouse (hence the name) of Stanhope Deer Park owned by the Bishop of Durham.[2] In 1442 the building was granted to Lord Lumley and used for forest courts and administration, but later served as a residence. By 1647 the 'castle' had become ruinous and was 'now demolished' although the 'crumbling walls of an old castle at Westgate' are mentioned in 1791.[3][4][5]

There is a Primitive Methodist chapel built 1871 and incorporating an earlier chapel built in 1824.[6]

The Anglican parish church of St Andrew was built in 1864 by Robert Jewell Withers (1824-1894).[7]

Weardale Railway

The village was once served by a railway station on the Weardale Railway that ran up the valley to Wearhead. The line has been preserved and runs between Bishop Auckland and nearby Eastgate-In-Weardale; the former Westgate station is closed and under different use.

References

"Wear Valley Settlement Summary Sheets" (PDF). Durham County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2007. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
"Westgate". Stanhope Parish Council. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
Drury, J. L. (1977). Transactions of the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland. 4 (new series): 31–33. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
"Heritage Gateway - Results". www.heritagegateway.org.uk. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
Egglestone, William Morley (1883). Stanhope and its neighbourhood: All around Stanhope. pp. 226–229.
Historic England. "WESTGATE PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHAPEL, Stanhope (1232510)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
"Church of St. Andrew, Westgate-in-Weardale, County Durham - Building | Architects of Greater Manchester". manchestervictorianarchitects.org.uk. Retrieved 26 July 2021.

External links

Media related to Westgate, County Durham at Wikimedia Commons

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[1] "Wear Valley Settlement Summary Sheets" (PDF). Durham County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2007. Retrieved 14 October 2016.

[2] "Westgate". Stanhope Parish Council. Retrieved 29 July 2021.

[3] Drury, J. L. (1977). Transactions of the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland. 4 (new series): 31–33. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

[4] "Heritage Gateway - Results". www.heritagegateway.org.uk. Retrieved 26 July 2021.

[5] Egglestone, William Morley (1883). Stanhope and its neighbourhood: All around Stanhope. pp. 226–229.

[6] Historic England. "WESTGATE PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHAPEL, Stanhope (1232510)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 July 2021.

[7] "Church of St. Andrew, Westgate-in-Weardale, County Durham - Building | Architects of Greater Manchester". manchestervictorianarchitects.org.uk. Retrieved 26 July 2021.