The Parish of Stanley Crook
The Church of St Thomas
Stanley Crook
The little grey church stands proud and still
Lord of the land at the top of the hill
Reflecting on christenings that have taken place here
Farewell to loved ones when we part with a tear
A beautiful Bride in her gown of white
A stained glass window letting in God's light
Words and hymns, the sound of a choir
The whisper of prayers to express our desire
Wealth isn't important our dreams to fulfil
In the Little Grey church that stands on the hill.
Ysabel Greenway
Introduction to Stanley Crook
The late Ian Nairn, the architectural critic, described the village of Stanley as being unique in a feature a number of years ago in the Sunday Times.It is a linear village situated on a high ridge almost 1000 feet above sea level, overlooking the market town of Crook. It commands magnificent views of the Pennine Hills, Weardale, Teesdale and the Cleveland Hills.
Situated in a commanding position between the villages of Stanley and Sunniside, stands the church of St Thomas, also known as the ‘Cathedral on the Hill’.
The building,with its unusual round tower,is Grade II listed. The tower has recently undergone some major restoration. Over the last ten years the church has undergone a series of refurbishment projects, including disabled access which saw the St Thomas being shortlisted for a Disability Access award, only to be beaten by Durham Cathedral!. The interior of the church has undergone major changes. Half of the wooden pews have been removed, to create flexible space which can be used for a variety of uses. Alsoa new kitchen, a disabled toilet, rewiring and heating system have been completed, which have made the church a much more user-friendly building.
Stanley Crook is a small former mining village which, until the 1960s, had two collieries. During the 1970s, the village suffered the ravages and indignity of being classified as category D, which meant the council planned to demolish it. However this did not happen, only 3 streets were demolished, the majority was leftintact thanks to the tenacity of the community, and its commitment to its cultural life, campaigning successfully against the programme, creating a community spirit still with the village to this day.
Until the 1850s, the area was open moorland. It was not until Viscount Boyne of Brancepeth Castle, leased the mineral rights to Joseph Pease and Company that mining operations began. The first colliery was Stanley Pit then Wooley Colliery.
The name of the village comes from Stanley Hall, a medieval farm on the hill top to the north of the village. The area now known as Stanley Crook was originally known as Mount Pleasant, which, along with Wooley, was originally a separate vilage. During the 1870s, the Church of England wished to build a church for the village. The village was part of the Parish of Brancepeth. When the village was separated from Brancepeth, the Church of England gave it the name of Stanley Crook, the Crook being added to differentiate it from Stanley in Derwentside.
The village has a population of 951, at the last count in 2001, of almost equal distribution of male and female with some 60 registered as under 15 years old.
It is situated some 1 ½ miles from the Market town of Crook, which houses the Civic Centre and administrative hub of Wear Valley District Council.
There is no dominant employer; it is now largely a commuter village. However the local authority, agriculture, a recycling plant and local race horse trainer, Howard Johnson, provide some local employment. Many residents commute to Durham, approx 10 miles distant and the other conurbations of the Tyne, Wear and Tees.
Most of the homes are owner-occupied, the rest are private rental, with a few council houses in Billy Row. The village is currently going thorough a period of growth with several new housing developments and a number of self-build homes. There are also plans in the pipeline for an enlargement of the Community Centre. So we hope that the village will be revitalised and will continue to flourish.
The local primary school in Stanley Crook serves the educational needs of the parish’s young. Its future now seems secure, after many years of fighting closure.
Stanley Crooksfacilities include a post office and general store, a community centre, a petrol station, a public house, a small garden centre, a Methodist church and the Church of St Thomas. The village of Sunniside has two public houses and a community centre.
The area is rural, surrounded by open farm land and woodland. There are several farms, small holdings and allotments.
Church
The Church of St Thomas' is the most prominent land mark of the village, and is Grade II Listed. It commands a truly magnificent view of hills, woodland and pasture, with a hint to the South West of the Durham Dales and North Pennines ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’; while to the North the secluded splendour of the DeernessValley, the Church stands some 1000ft. above sea level and overlooks the rapidly expanding town of Crook.
Its foundation stone was laid on August 17th 1875 by Mr. David Dale (later Sir David).The Rev Joseph Roscamp, was the first Vicar of Stanley Crook, and the patron was Lord Strathmoor (Bowes-Lyons). The Church was completed and opened by the Bishop of Durham the Right Reverend Charles Baring, on February 13th 1877.
The original church was built to hold around 500 parishioners, at a cost of £3,162. Of which £900 came from the Bishop of Durham, £150 from the Incorporated Church Building Society, £100 from Mrs Walling, £100 from Mr A Wilkinson, £100 from Mr F.L Barrington, £100 from Miss Pease and £100 from Lord Boyne, to name but a few. Much of the money for the construction came from the people of the parish which, when you consider what most of the population of Stanley were earning, makes the church a tribute to their faith.
The Church has not had a quiet history; in fact quite a turbulent one. November 1893 saw the near total destruction of the church by fire. The fire took place during a violent storm, which caused the heating system to explode. Accounts from the day talk of the fire being so intense that the church roof was completely destroyed within minutes, along with stained glass and the church furniture. Remarkably the rebuilding of the Church only took one year, during which time the church hall took on the role of the church. On November 17th 1894 the church was reopened, the event only being overshadowed by the church hall burning down as the church was reopened. Again, remarkably, the hall was reopened on Saturday 15th June 1895, less than one year on.
Today the church property consists only of the church building. The vicarage and hall were sold in the 1960s. The graveyard is now closed, and under the care of Wear Valley Council. Only burials in family plots and the interment of ashes are now permitted.
Our weekly Communion service is held at 8.30am, with a joint benefice service when the month has five Sundays. This service alternates between the three churches and is held at 10am, this service is something that the PCC and congregation are keen to continue.
The parish has no long-standing tradition in vesture or ceremony. Vesture is generally left to the choice of the Incumbent. All services are from the Book of Common Worship and the NRSV Bible. We produce a Pew Sheet every week, which contains the weekly readings for all to follow, and parish notices.
Attendances on Sunday morning fluctuate, but the average is nine, with a healthy proportion of young adults. There are 30 people on the electoral roll. Currently no prayer groups are meeting. However,members take part in the annual joint benefice Lent Courses. We also have one home communicant.
The number of baptisms, weddings and funerals has fluctuatedover the years. But, following the arrival Rev Geoff Lawes, bringing a more stable clergy presence, thesehave steadily increased.
In 2007 there were 4 Baptisms 3 Weddings and 4 Funerals. At the time of writing there has been 1 wedding and 1 funeral so far for 2008.
At the present time there are no Sunday Schools, however, Rev Lawes does have involvement with the local primary school and the school also visits the Church once a year for Harvest Festival. The school also pays a yearly visit to the Methodist Chapel. StanleySchool holds daily, Christian assemblies which at times are led by Rev Lawes, Rev Ann Shepherd, the Methodist Minister and Rev Ruth Crofton URC, who is also a co-opted member of the school governors.
The PCC has an outreach programme, under the umbrella of arts and culture, which has included an annual ‘Open Week’ with art exhibitions, history exhibitions, talks and concerts (followed by St Thomas acclaimed suppers!). Special services are held for International Workers Memorial Day and to celebrate the work of ‘Independence 4 Disability’, a charity to support children with disabilities in the Weardale area, in which members of the PCC are involved.
Every Thursday afternoon, during the summer months, members of the congregation run a small charity shop in the church. The shop sells books, bric-a-brac and clothes. Teas and coffees are also served. The shop has proved to be a useful social activity and a way to open the church to the community.It involves people in the church who otherwise may never step inside a church building. We also hold occasional coffee mornings.
St Thomas nolonger has its own branch of the Mothers Union. However, strong links exist between St Thomas and Crook Mothers Union, who visit St Thomas Open Week every year to listen to a guest speaker and have tea.
We have a small congregation and small PCC, therefore, the running of Church and PCC involves all members in decision making.
Scarce resources preclude regular charitable giving, but when possible the PCC tries to give small donations, money, surplus jumble etc. For the last few years we have received, large, anonymous donations of food on the run up to Christmas, which we try to distribute to those that need it.
Finance over the last three years has been stable. The influx of grant aid funding has enabled completion of much of the church renovations. We are a small congregation, but always try to meet or full obligations. We have not recently been able to meet our full quota payment, but every effort is made to pay as much as possible. We have been very lucky in receiving grants for building work. This, together withthe hard work of the congregation to keep on top of all the jobs, meansthat the church is generally in good condition.
Clergy expenses have been shared between the three parishes of the benefice for travelling, church telephone calls and other occasional payments with the agreement of all three PCCs.
The PCC has recently discussed resolutions A and B and unanimously rejected both, expressing support for the ordination of women as priests and as bishops.
We are very lucky to have Lay Reader, Mrs Catherine Lawes, to lead prayer services and to preach. We also have several members of the congregation who read the lessons and a churchwarden who takes Morning Prayer services in the absence of the Vicar or Lay Reader. We also have a verger and a chalice assistant.
Currently there is no lay participation in baptism preparation, though this is something that has been discussed over the past few years. The PCC does not take part in evangelistic work in the community, though some members do carry out occasional parish visits.
Ecumenical contacts with the local Methodist church take place on occasions and there are links with the United Reformed Church, with Rev Ruth Crofton regularly attending services at St Thomas.
The PCC plays and active part in the life of the Deanery of Stanhope, with our PCC supplying the Deanery Lay Chair and Deanery Treasurer, who also both serve on the Diocesan Synod.
Recent years have been stimulating and active, with the outreach programmes being particularly positive and exciting. Local issues over the years from Category D to the threatened closures of School and Post Office and the loss of recreational areas, amongst other local issues, have involved PCC members and members of the congregation in a positive and productive way. Along with our Open Week, Charity Shop and other events we hope to provide a positive and productive Church for the whole community.
St Thomas strengths and successes are the revitalisation of the building, its optimism for the future, interest in the local community and being a loving and open congregation always happy to receive new members and visitors alike.
Congregation limitations are of continuing concern; however additional developments in housing inspire some optimism. No urgent matters are evident; but extension of contacts with the children and an increased input from them would be refreshing.
To conclude, the PCC indicated that they have no strong preferences relating to any new incumbent. Having developedsome stability under the stewardship of Rev Lawes and his family,their continued involvement would be welcome. The job of being vicar to five churches is a big one and we will need a very special person to take on the task.
On country mornings sharp and clear
The penitent in faith draw near
And kneeling here below
Partake the heavenly banquet spread
Of sacramental Wine and Bread
And Jesus' presence know.
And must that plaintive bell in vain
Plead loud along the dripping lane?
And must the building fall?
Not while we love the church and live
And of our charity will give
Our much, our more, our all.
Sir John Betjeman
Verses Turned
Balance Sheet, Jan 07 to Dec 07
IncomeExpenditure
Collection£2191.76Parish Share£1000
FWO£217Insurance£1628.94
Fees£822Clergy Exp£1159.20
Donations£140Heat, Light
Water£510.56
Misc£242.20Misc£51.56
£3612.96£4349.85
Jan 07Dec 08
Current a/c£1544£807
Deposit 1£102.25£102.25
Deposit 2£978.07£978. 07
Seq£39.00£58.33
Interest£6.91
£2664.56£1953.18
Trust fund£2026.64£2548 (Interest Dividend £133.10)
1