Glimpse history through old images of Stanley, County Durham, in the North East of England.
The name Stanley comes from the old English for ‘Stoney Field’. The original village of West Stanley absorbed the colliery villages of East Stanley and South Stanley as it grew. Development now stretches west across to Annfield Plain and east across to Beamish and Pelton. It’s a hilltop town close to Chester-Le-Street and Consett.
The long-closed collieries remain part of the town’s identity. The ex-colliery village of Craghead is also very close by.
The rural village of Stanley Crook is an entirely separate community more than 12 miles away.
World War 1 (The Great War)
A War Hero Returns, 1917
Private Michael Heaviside VC of Craghead was filmed arriving at Shield Row station, Stanley, County Durham in 1917.
Under service with 15 Durham Light Infantry he won his Victoria Cross for bravery at Fontaine le Croisilles in France on 6 May 1917.
He took water to a wounded soldier in no-man’s land, despite the heavy fire they were under. That night he went back with others to carry the same man to safety.
Uploaded to YouTube by Beamish Museum on 3 Nov 2014
The 1980s
Punks of Stanley, 1982
Punk scene, circa 1982.
Uploaded to YouTube by norahs1967 on 19 Sep 2010
The 1990s
Stanley Buses, 1997
Uploaded to YouTube by DaveSpencer32 on 14 Dec 2013
Stanley Buses, 1999
Uploaded to YouTube by DaveSpencer32 on 14 Dec 2013
Into The 21st Century
Co-Op Buildings Fire, 2008
Video of the fire which destroyed the old co-op buildings at 3 am on the 16th June 2008. It is believed that gangs petrol bombed these historic buildings. Three masked men were seen throwing objects into the snooker club, and their white transit-style van was burnt out nearby. Several businesses were unable to reopen because of smoke and water damage, and unfortunately this was not the end of criminal destruction of Stanley’s Victorian heritage.
Uploaded to YouTube by zrxal on 16 Jun 2008
The Post Office Directory of Durham and Northumberland
by Kelly and Company
Published in 1879
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