Catalogue of sites, nos 52-65

52. Spennymoor - The United Methodist Free church, in Duke Street was built between 1873 and 1879, and was certainly standing in 1894 (74).

53. Tudhoe - St David's church was built in 1880 on leasehold land from M.C.Salvin (75). The cost was £610, with a yearly rent of £1. The building, designed to seat 200, was opened by Bishop Lightfoot on 8.11.1880. It was enlarged in 1882 and 1885, at a total cost of £731, to accommodate 313 (76). It was licensed for the performance of divine services in 1880 (77) and missioned from Holy Innocents, Tudhoe (built 1866). The building has a long, broad nave, and a chancel on stone footings, extensively levelled at the E. end. At the W. is a small porch. On the N. side of the chancel is an extension to accommodate an organ, while on the S. side is a vestry. Both additions are on brick footings. Internal lining comprises vertical and herringbone wainscotting. The chancel screen was erected in 1906.

54 Ushaw Moor - Catholic school established by Father P.C. Fortin of Newhouse, Esh Winning, in 1874, to the W. of Ushaw Moor colliery. It was occupied by evicted wives and children of miners during the strike of 1881-3 (78). It was later removed, around 1898, to Esh Winning (see no.27).

55. Ushaw Moor - Primitive Methodist chapel was built near the colliery in 1912, apparently on the site of an early iron building.

56. Ushaw Moor - St Luke's, a chapel of ease served by a curate from Esh, was set up between 1878 and 1894. It accommodated around 180. Replaced by a brick-built church in 1913, although it continued to be used as a church hall until it was burnt down in 1961 (79).

57. Ushaw Moor - A Catholic mission and school was established in 1909, served from Newhouse church, Esh Winning (80). St Joseph's was on a basilican plan, with a broad nave, and side aisles, the former higher than the latter, and lit by a clerestory with square windows. The aisles were lit by square windows, and separated from the nave by an arcade of stout posts and an upper screen. The chancel seems to have had a pointed arch. In 1930 a more substantial church was built.

58. Waterhouses - A mission room and Sunday school associated with St Paul's church was opened in 1891 (81). A long rectangular building with a small porch on the S. gable wall, and a mono-pitch roofed extension on the W. side added around the turn of the century, and a small chamber with outer door added onto the E. side of the kitchen. Internally divided into a main hall, back kitchen, and side porch with toilets. The hall floor was replaced by J. Parkinson. Three tension bars stretch across the hall, with king rods. The principal rafters are largely concealed by a lowered ceiling inserted by R. Watkin.

59. West Pelton - Temporary iron church opened 17.6.1877 on land with a free lease from John Eden of Beamish. The cost was met by James Joicey & Co., and the building was erected by Francis Morton & Co. of Liverpool. Replaced by a stone church, but used as a school from 1884 to 1963. Demolished 1965/6 (82).

60. West Rainton - Plymouth Brethren meeting house standing at Freehold (now on the S. side of Station Road, opposite Leamside School) in the 1890s. Re-sited - see no.61.

61. West Rainton - Former Plymouth Brethren meeting house re-sited in West Rainton c.1920 to what is now School Avenue ('The Iron Room'). Uncertain whether it was retained by the Brethren, or used as a Methodist place of worship. The building comprises the main body of the chapel, and a porch on the N. end of the W. wall. The roof structure comprises 11 collar beam trusses. V-jointed wainscotting internally. The pews were still in situ c.1987, when it was taken over as a furniture warehouse.

62. Whitburn Colliery - Iron mission chapel served from Whitburn, recorded in 1894 (83).

63. Windleston - A site for St Luke's mission church, in Ferryhill parish, was conveyed to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 1900 (84), and plans were produced by Oliver Leeson Wood of Newcastle in March 1904 (85). The building was 84' by 25' with two porches on the N. side, and divided into six bays. The collar roof had a king rod and tension bars, with additional angled struts. The walls were also supported by Buttresses.

64. Witton Gilbert - A temporary iron school, erected around 1915, to replace a stone-built school damaged by mining subsidence.

65. Woodland - The church of St Mary the Virgin was built in 1906 for 150 worshippers and missioned from Lynesack (86). A small W. porch leads into a simple nave with four lancets (with upper fanlights) in the S. wall and three in the N. Tiny N. vestry with gabled roof. Triangular chancel arch. Table altar against the E. wall, and brass communion rail with decorated twisted wrought iron supports. Fittings include a small octagonal font, and a memorial to a Great War victim, John Hepple, on the N. Wall. A small organ once stood at the E. end of the S. line of pews. An organ curtain is still in situ. The nave roof structure comprises three principal rafter trusses with scissor braces. Simple open, iron framed bell cote with steeple.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the staff at Durham County Record Office, Durham City Reference Library, Durham University Library (Palace Green), the Department of Palaeography (Durham University), the Business and Technical Department of Newcastle City Library, and Leeds Patent Office. The following individuals kindly assisted with information or access to buildings - Rev. R. Bianchi (West Pelton), Rev. Paul Kennedy (Waterhouses), Rev. Leaming (Hamsterley), Rev. P. Welby (Tudhoe), Mr Don Wilcox, Mrs Alice Thompson, Mr Eric Cambridge, Dr Douglas Pocock, Mr J. Carter (Bearpark), Mr Arthur Walton (East Hedleyhope), Mr Jackson (Cookson's Green Farm), Messrs B. & E. Baker (West Rainton), Mr H. Henderson (for permission to reproduce the photograph of Binchester chapel of ease), and Dr M. Woods. Special thanks go to Mr A.J. Emery for help with the surveying.

The Corrugated Iron Club would like to thank Norman Emery for his generous acceptance of our request to put his paper on this web-site. We also thank Durham University Department of Archaeology and the Durham Archaeological Journal.

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