Butterknowle is a village in
Teesdale,
County Durham
County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...
, England.
Butterknowle is situated between the market towns of
Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland () is a market town and civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, northern England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham.
Much of the town's early history surro ...
(9 miles to the east) and
Barnard Castle (6 miles to the south-west). It has an attractive rural setting within the
Gaunless Valley, overlooked by the gorse-covered
Cockfield Fell. The fell itself is a scheduled
ancient monument, containing evidence of Roman settlements and a medieval coal mine (
Vavasours), thought to be the earliest inland colliery recorded.
A colliery at Butterknowle, formerly in the ownership of
Sir Henry Vane, and leased to Thomas and Mary Lambert, is mentioned in the court papers of King Charles II in 1660.
The village of Butterknowle has a Primary School, Medical Practice, Village Hall, Royal Oak and Diamond Inn public houses, Post Office (closed in 1999, but reopened at the rear of the Diamond Inn premises in 2001) and Agricultural Supplies Merchant. The Church of St John the Evangelist is to be found in the neighbouring hamlet of Lynesack, about half a mile away, which is also home to a contemporary
landscape photography
Landscape photography shows the spaces within the world, sometimes vast and unending, but other times microscopic. Landscape photographs typically capture the presence of nature but can also focus on man-made features or disturbances of landscapes ...
studio and art gallery.
The war memorial, on Pinfold Lane near the village hall, is a Grade II listed building.
There are many public footpaths, both in the immediate area and surrounding countryside of
Teesdale and nearby
Weardale, making this a popular destination for walkers. Butterknowle is also home to the Gaunless Valley Visitor Centre, where can be found a wealth of information regarding the area's 600-year-old mining and agricultural heritage, along with details of local walks and places of interest.
Raby Castle, 14th-century family seat of the Nevills and now home to the 11th
Lord Barnard
Baron Barnard, of Barnard Castle in the Bishopric of Durham, is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1698 for Christopher Vane, who had previously served as a member of parliament for County Durham and Boroughbridge. Vane w ...
sits approximately 4 miles to the south, whilst travelling 4 miles to the north brings you to
Hamsterley Forest, offering woodland and riverside walking, mountain-biking and horse-riding.
High Force, one of England's highest and most spectacular single-drop waterfalls, is located a short drive away in
Upper Teesdale.
References
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Villages in County Durham