II*Church · listed 1967Church of St ThomasPhoto: Mike Quinn · CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Robert Graham · CC BY-SA 2.0A+History Grade
History of Stanhope · Historic England
Stanhope: 59% of homes built before 1919
Against 15% in the typical town, Stanhope has 4 times the share. Historic England lists 42 buildings inside Stanhope’s built-up area, 267 for every 10,000 residents. It also has 1 scheduled monument. We have photos of 5 of its listed buildings. Stanhope grades A+ for history.
Listed buildings
42
267 per 10,000 residents
Grade I
0
exceptional interest
Grade II*
5
more than special interest
Scheduled monuments
1
nationally important sites
Homes built before 1919
59%
typical UK town 15%
In pictures
Stanhope in 5 photos
Nearly every Grade I and II* building, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
7/8 Stone HousesGrade II* listed
Church of St ThomasGrade II* listed
Stanhope CastleGrade II* listed
Stanhope HallGrade II* listed
Unthank HallGrade II* listedPhotos from Wikimedia Commons and Geograph, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the building’s page or its official list entry.
The map
Where Stanhope’s history is
Every Grade I and II* building, monument and historic park.
Grade II*Scheduled monument
Hover a dot for its name; tap one with a photo to open it.
42 listed buildings by grade
0 Grade I5 Grade II*37 Grade II
Historic England lists buildings in three grades: Grade I for buildings of exceptional interest (about 2.5% of all listed buildings), Grade II* for particularly important buildings of more than special interest (about 5.8%), and Grade II for buildings of special interest (about 91.7%). Listing protects the whole building, inside and out.
Every entry on the National Heritage List for England whose point lies inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary. One list entry can cover a terrace or a group of buildings.
Grade II*
The 5 Grade II* listed buildings in Stanhope
Particularly important buildings of more than special interest. Every one is photographed. Each opens its own page, with the official list entry.
II*Public · listed 1987Stanhope CastlePhoto: Philip Barker · CC BY-SA 2.0
II*Public · listed 1967Stanhope HallPhoto: Andrew Curtis · CC BY-SA 2.0
II*Public · listed 1967Unthank HallPhoto: Victuallers · CC BY-SA 4.0
II*House · listed 19677/8 Stone HousesPhoto: Victuallers · CC BY-SA 4.0
What’s protected
The largest group of Stanhope’s listed buildings is homes
Every listed building sorted by what its list name says it is.
Houses, terraces & villas13
Walls, gates & bridges10
Public & civic buildings9
Churches, chapels & priories5
Inns, shops & warehouses4
Memorials, crosses & tombs1
13 entries (31%) are houses, terraces and villas. 5 are churches, chapels and priories.
Buildings are sorted by words in each entry’s name (church, gate, inn, memorial…): the list’s open data has no building type. An entry named only by its address counts as a house.
Grade II
37 Grade II listed buildings
Most listed buildings are in this grade, which covers buildings of special interest. Open any building to read its official list entry.
All 37 Grade II listed buildings, A to Z
Bishop Butler's HouseButts HouseCastle Wall Including Market Lodge, Gateway and Bus ShelterChurchyard Wall with Gates, Piers and War MemorialChurchyard Walls and Hearse House to North of Church of St ThomasCo-Operative StoresCoach House North of the RectoryCounty Library BranchEarle and Collingwoods Tombs About 3 Metres South of Church of St ThomasFootbridge over Railway LineFormer Rectory, Now Parish Hall, Flats and Private HouseHope Level Entrance Arch in Stanhope DeneIley Tomb Circa 28 Metres South of Church of St ThomasMarket CrossMemorial Fountain at Junction with Road to FordMethodist ChapelMilepost About 15 Metres East of Junction to Road to Bondisle WayNorth Lodge and Wall to Stanhope Castle (Castle Lodge)Number 1 and Houses Adjoining in Butts Head, The ButtsNumbers 1-4 Consecutive and Stables AttachedOld Market Cross in Churchyard About 3 Metres North of GateOutbuilding South of Stanhope Hall MillOutbuildings to North of Phoenix InnPhoenix InnPremises Formerly Occupied by J and G Archibald LimitedPremises Occupied by Wh Busby and Market CottageRetaining Wall South of Stone HouseStanhope Hall MillThe Curatage and House Adjoining on WestThe Pack Horse InnThe RectoryTrustees Savings BankWall of Former Rectory Garden and Retaining Wall to Stanhope Caravan SiteWall of Former Rectory Garden, Now Stanhope Caravan SiteWall on North East Side of Castle Garden, And Gazebo AttachedWalton Tomb About 10 Metres South of Church of St Thomas on East Side of Path11, The Butts and garden wall adjoining
Conservation areas
1 conservation area covers 43% of Stanhope
Areas the council protects as a whole: demolition and changes to how buildings look need consent, and trees are protected.
Stanhope 197228 ha
28 hain conservation areas, of 65 ha inside the built-up area.
39 of the 42 listed buildings stand in one.
Historic England’s conservation areas layer, supplied by councils (incomplete in places, so a page fact, never graded). Hectares are the part of each area inside the built-up area.
How the list grew
More than half of Stanhope’s listed buildings were added in one year, 1987
The year each building now on the list was first listed.
1987 · 331967 · 6
19501960197019801990200020102020
The first 6 entries were listed in 1967. 33 came in 1987, in the national resurvey of the 1970s and 80s. Only 0 have been added in the last 15 years.
Monuments & landscapes
Monuments, parks and gardens
Designations that overlap the town by a tenth of their area or half a hectare.
1 scheduled monument
Nationally important archaeological sites and monuments, protected by law; work on them needs consent from the Secretary of State, advised by Historic England.
History Grade
Stanhope grades A+ for history
Protected heritage and the age of the town’s homes, against all UK towns.
Protected heritage, for its size and in all (49 points, 311 per 10,000 residents)More than 83% of UK towns
Homes built before 1919 (59%)More than almost every UK town
Two measures, each ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more, with protected heritage counting twice as much as the age of homes. Protected heritage counts each listed building by its grade (Grade I three points, II* two, II one), each scheduled monument and battlefield two, and each registered park or garden by its grade; it is ranked both per 10,000 residents and as a total, so a village with one fine church doesn’t outrank a historic city. The second measure is the share of homes built before 1919, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records. History is a character grade: it describes the town and isn’t part of the overall grade.
Homes by age
59% of Stanhope’s homes were built before 1919
Every home by when it was built, from council tax records, against England & Wales (the dark tick).
53%
Before 1900
7.1%
1900–18
2.9%
1919–29
1.1%
1930s
13%
1945–54
1.7%
1955–64
6.1%
1965–72
3.4%
1973–82
1.2%
1983–92
4.1%
1993–99
4.1%
2000–08
1.1%
2009–15
1.7%
2016–25
StanhopeEngland & Wales
53% of homes are Victorian or older, against 16% across England and Wales. The busiest period since was 1945–54, which added 13% of today’s homes.
Valuation Office Agency, council tax stock of properties by build period, 31 March 2025, for the neighbourhoods (LSOAs) that make up the town, split by where their residents live. Homes with no recorded build period (9 here) are left out; 1939–44 is not a period in the data.
Neighbours
Listed buildings in the places around Stanhope
| Town | People | Listed | Grade I | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanhope | 1,575 | 42 | 0 | A+ |
| Wolsingham | 2,428 | 40 | 0 | A |
| Tow Law | 1,796 | 8 | 0 | B+ |
| Castleside | 1,532 | 1 | 0 | C |
| Consett | 29,874 | 42 | 0 | B− |
| Billy Row | 1,254 | 1 | 0 | C+ |
| Crook | 9,717 | 5 | 0 | C |
| Leadgate | 3,339 | 2 | 0 | C |
In brief
Stanhope in brief
More of Stanhope’s homes are old than in most places: 59% were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town. All told, the list holds 42 listed buildings. Per resident, it has more listed heritage than 83% of UK towns.
A conservation area has protected part of it since 1972. The big year was 1987, when 33 of the 42 went on the list. The rest is about typical: like most towns its size, it has no Grade I building; Henry H. Slater (1851) and Robert Alfred Humble (1864) were born here before 1900; and it also has a scheduled monument.
Questions about Stanhope’s history
How many listed buildings are there in Stanhope?
Historic England lists 42 buildings inside Stanhope’s built-up area: 0 Grade I, 5 Grade II* and 37 Grade II.
Are there scheduled monuments in Stanhope?
Yes, 1 scheduled monument, including Market cross, 35m and 50m south of St Thomas' Church.
How many conservation areas are there in Stanhope?
1, covering about 28 hectares of the town. The largest is Stanhope.
When were Stanhope’s buildings listed?
The first in 1967; the most, 33, in 1987.
How old are the homes in Stanhope?
59% of homes were built before 1919 and 63% before 1940, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records (March 2025).
© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The National Heritage List for England is the official, up-to-date register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England; check an entry on Historic England’s website before relying on it.
Sources: Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only · Historic England conservation areas (supplied by local planning authorities; October 2026). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.