OPINIONS NEEDED NOW FOR PROPOSALS FOR DRASTIC CHANGES IN STANHOPE CHURCH
THOSE readers who live in Stanhope Parish, particularly in Stanhope town need to register their
opinions regarding proposed changes to their ancient church before August 31 st .
A Formal Public Notice has appeared in the church, signed by churchwardens, Carol Richardson
and Elaine Watson to the effect that they are applying to the Consistory Court of the Diocese for
permission to carry out a number of changes to the interior of the church.
These include the removal of pews in the nave/tower area of the church to be replaced by
stackable wooden/wire-framed chairs. Other ‘re-ordering’ of the interior includes – ‘new heating to
the tower in the form of an infra-red chandelier; installation of storage cabinetry to the north and
south sides of the tower, similar south aisle cabinetry at ‘welcome hub; Re-location of Victorian font
in the north aisle (east end); setting of Saxon font on timber plinth with castors to enable flexibility
on use.
Possibly the most drastic change is the proposal to relocate the Crawleyside font in to the outside
of the church in the proposed ‘Garden of Remembrance’.
The notice states that copies of the relevant plans may be examined inside the church.
Anyone wishing to object to these plans are advised to write to the Diocesan Registrar – before
August 31 st – to: Durham Diocesan Registry, 53 Consicliffe Road, Darlington, DL3 7EH.
The ancient St Thomas church in Stanhope is a Norman church, built on the foundations of an
earlier Saxon place of worship. It has served the Parish for almost 1000 years and many former
Rectors have progressed to become Bishops of Durham. It was once the richest parish in the country
with prospective Rectors fighting to be appointed.
The recently departed Rev Alistair Prince outlined these plans to the large number of people who
attended a meeting there earlier in the year to protest about the apparent closure and sale of the
church hall located in the main street of the town. Since then, nothing has been published or spoken
about regarding these proposed changes – until now. The notices only appear to be inside the
church and not on the notice board or even in the weekly church newsletter.
Nowadays, the congregation is much smaller and the church has been in interregnum since 2023,
meaning there is no overall Rector although it is served well by Rev Heather Ross and Assistant
Curate Michael Baldwin. Nevertheless, Parishioners do value the building and its history as well as its
use for weddings, Baptisms, funerals and so much more.
It is a popular tourist attraction too, especially the revered interior, which many local craftsmen
have worked to create over many hundreds of years.
Act now if you want this much-loved building to remain as it is – if not, you may not recognise it
next time you DO attend.
