Helmington Row is a small village in

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

, England. It is situated between

Crook Crook is slang for criminal. Crook or Crooks may also refer to: Places Canada * Crooks Inlet, former name of Kangiqturjuaq, Nunavut England * Crook, County Durham, a town * Crook, Cumbria, a village and civil parish * Crook Hill, Derby ...

and Willington, about 7 miles south-west of

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England **County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham *Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States Durham may also refer to: Places ...

and 3 miles north-north-west of

Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham, England, Durham. M ...

. It has its own park known locally as the Rec, and a petrol station. The village is on the main bus route from Crook to Durham
Crook Golf Club
lies to the North of the village. The village itself consists of several terraced streets with the almost totally abandoned Bowden Close within its boundaries. There are around 6 main streets in the main block of houses (3 of those are very popular, Church Street, East View and Russ Street), other streets are situated along the road (not counted). In the 2001 census Helmington Row had a population of 228. There are two sets of allotments where local people may grow their own fruit and vegetables and keep small amounts of livestock. The village once boasted several pubs, The Bowden Inn, the Shoulder of Mutton, The Helmington Inn and the Colliery Inn. The latter has recently been renamed th
Copper Mine
It is also home to the 'field of dreams' which refers to a small football pitch used by locals of all ages. In the summer it is often occupied everyday and is the main attraction of the town.

History

Helmington Row is believed to be of

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

origins with a possible deserted medieval village being somewhere in the vicinity. The exact origins of this village are unknown, however, Helm is derived from the Old English word meaning Helmet or a place in which to govern from. The word "ton" refers to a Farm or a Hamlet. In 1569 during the

Northern Rebellion The Rising of the North of 1569, also called the Revolt of the Northern Earls, Northern Rebellion or the Rebellion of the Earls, was an unsuccessful attempt by Catholic nobles from Northern England to depose Queen Elizabeth I of England and rep ...

nine persons joined from Elmyden Rawe and two were executed and their bodies displayed in the village to deter future rebels. Nearby is the remains of a Medieva
Holy Well
along Holywell Lane. In 1877 the village was catered for by
Board School
which closed sometime in the 1960s and was converted into residential dwellings.
Homelands Hospital
was built here in 1903 as a fever hospital to treat diseases such as tuberculosis, typhus and smallpox. It later provided general health care until its closure in December 2004.

Governance

Originally the boundaries of Helmington Row stretched down to the Crook Beck. Currently Helmington Row forms part of the Crook ward and its local government since 1 April 2009 is under the Durham County Council Unitary Authority replacing the former Wear Valley District Council. Helmington-Row was formerly a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

in the parish of Brancepeth, from 1866 Helmington Row was a civil parish in its own right, on 1 April 1937 the parish was abolished to form

Crook and Willington Crook is slang for criminal. Crook or Crooks may also refer to: Places Canada * Crooks Inlet, former name of Kangiqturjuaq, Nunavut England * Crook, County Durham, a town * Crook, Cumbria, a village and civil parish * Crook Hill, Derby ...

. In 1931 the parish had a population of 4425.

Transport

The village lies on the main bus route from Crook to Durham.

Education

Primary Education is catered for via schools in Crook, Willington and Sunnybrow while secondary education is via Willington and Bishop Auckland.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in County Durham Former civil parishes in County Durham Crook, County Durham