IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Grange Villa, CHESTER LE STREET, DH2 3LA

This farm stands north of Pelton Lane, at the east side of Grange Villa. The farm gave its name to the ex mining village of Grange Villa, which was founded in the late C19 to house miners working at Handen Hold Colliery. The farm is shown on the 1861 First Series Ordnance Survey map. The layout on the map suggests an early Victorian planned courtyard farmstead, but I don't know its exact history. The farmhouse shown here seems to show quite a lot of modernisation.

Looking west towards Grange Villa. On the right is Pelton Grange Farm, which gave its name to the C19 mining village.

Two disused pit head winding wheels have been 'planted' to form a feature among the shrubs in a small public garden in the one-time mining village of Grange Villa.

A disused mine truck stands on a short section of rail and is now a feature in a small garden area of the ex-mining village of Grange Villa. The main road in the picture is Pelton Lane. On the right is East Street.

A colourful scene: green grass, yellow straw with dung, brown earth and... white stuff! The small village of Grange Villa lies to the right, out of view.

This is the way into the village from the east, along Pelton lane. The bus from Chester le Street comes in this way also, hence the bus stops.

This stands on the bankside beside Pelton Lane, the main entrance to the village from the east. It commemorates the history of this little ex-mining village. The local pit was West Pelton Colliery, which stood just to the south of the village. The memorial consists of a couple of old winding wheels and a tub, as the little mining cars were called. Many of the local villages have similar installations.

This is the route into Grange Villa from the east, coming from Pelton Lane Ends.

I am guessing that satellite is the only way of receiving digital TV in this small rural village. This is East Street, one of several similar terraces in Grange Villa.

This street must be named for the coronation of either Edward VII in 1902, or George V in 1911. I suspect it's the latter. The first houses in this old pit village were built in the 4th quarter of the C19, but most of the present village dates from the period between 1900 and the First World War. This view is along the main village street.