Trifter

THE Weardale Museum and High House Chapel is in Ireshopeburn high up in the hills at the top end of Weardale in Co Durham.

High House Chapel is a beautiful building, which is the world’s oldest Methodist chapel, still in continuous uses for weekly Sunday services, having been founded in 1760.

It welcomes church parties, whether they wish to take part in the congregation’s 11am Sunday service or bring their own minister to hold a special service of their own.  Groups can even come just to visit the chapel.

The Weardale Museum is a small independent museum which was founded by a band of volunteers, who are still responsible for its management, staffing and maintenance.  Even though it is small, it has achieved the Carnegie Interpret Britain Award and is run to the stringent standards set by the Museums and Galleries Commission.

It contains a John Wesley Room dedicated to the founder of Methodism, his journeys around the region and the Methodist Movement in the Weardale area.

A superb collection of local crystalized minerals and fossils from the time, over 300 million years ago, when the North Pennines lay over the equator has been assembled by the museum.  The Dales are mostly Limestone which was laid down underwater and contains the remains of those vast, tropical seas with corals and sponges or giant ferns and mosses.  These rocks contain the veins of lead ore and other minerals which were so vital to and supported the local mining industry for centuries.  Many of these minerals are spectacularly beautiful and some are unique to the area.

The history of the railways which were critical in moving ores, livestock, wool and people through Weardale has not been neglected and there are frequent exhibition of local history, especially that of the lead mining industry during the lat 19th Century.

Many visitors come to the Weardale Museum to look through the complete census records from 1841 to 1891 for Stanhope Parish that are housed there.  People examine these records, which exist both as traditional paper files and on computer when they are researching their family trees.

The museum displays a Weardale kitchen, furnished as it would have been by the lead mining or farming family that would have lived there a century ago.

A large library of publications on Weardale is kept at the museum and the story of the Westgate Subscription Library which was established by the early Methodist Society is also on display.

The museum and chapel has disabled access to the chapel and to the two downstairs rooms of the museum, with assistance.  However there is no disabled access toilet.

Opening times are 14:00 to 17:00 from Wednesday to Sunday between May and September.  It is open every day during August and at Easter and bank holidays.  The museum and chapel can be opened for groups at any time, providing a prior appointment has been made.

More information can be obtained on 01388 537417 or 01388 517433 or by writing to the Hon Secretary at 7 Windyside, WESTGATE, Co Durham, DL13 1NR