St John’s Chapel and Daddry Shield

St John’s Chapel has grown around the church of St John the Baptist which was built in the Weardale Forest in the 15th century to serve the Bishop of Durham and his friends during the times of their hunt. In 1750 the church was enlarged to serve the growing population of lead mining families who were settling in the area.

St John’s Chapel is the largest village in the upper dale with a population of about 300, a town hall with fortnightly cinema and a food store.

Being situated in the North Pennines National Landscape, St John’s Chapel is increasingly popular with cyclists doing the alternative C2C route, or trying their hand at the challenges. For walkers there is the long distance Weardale Way, quiet walks by the river and Harthope Burn or more strenuous walks to the higher ground overlooking the valley.

The village hosts the one day Weardale Agricultural Show on the last Saturday in August.

Daddry Shield is the small village a short distance from St John’s Chapel. South of the village was Greenlaws lead mine with a reservoir to provide power for the machinery. In the 1940s the mine was re-opened for fluorspar, but the venture was unsuccessful.