Chilton, County Durham
| Chilton | |
|---|---|
 Chilton
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| Chilton shown within County Durham | |
| Population | 3,744 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | NZ285295 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | FERRYHILL |
| Postcode district | DL17 |
| Dialling code | 01388 |
| Police | Durham |
| Fire | County Durham and Darlington |
| Ambulance | North East |
| EU Parliament | North East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Chilton is a town in County Durham, England. It is situated a few miles to the east of Bishop Auckland and a short distance to the south of Ferryhill, on the A167. The bypass on the A167 opened on 20 June 2005, cutting down the traffic through Chilton by up to 80%.
Chilton was originally a mining town and called Chilton Buildings. The mine was located on the site of the current primary school, with the miners living in Windlestone Colliery, a series of terraced houses named Albert Street, Arthur Street and Prospect Terrace, locally known as The Five Rows owing to their appearance from the front. Chilton in 1092 was recorded as "Ciltonia". Chilton is derivative of the Anglo-Saxon words "Cild" (Child) and "Tun" (small town, or estate). This does not mean "Children's town" as the word "Child" in Anglo-Saxon means either young monk or young nobleman. Hence Chilton once was "an estate belonging to a young nobleman". Chilton was in the medieval ages noted as two manors, Great Chilton and Little Chilton. Chilton Hall mansion, north-east of Chilton, was once owned by the Heron family in 1351. The Hall fell into disrepair several times, before being restored on numerous occasions. It is now an impressive building on the outskirts of the village. Agriculture and farming was a major source of employment until the Industrial Revolution in the mid-1800s', where then people living in the village either had to work in the collieries or at the Steel Works at Spennymoor. St. Aiden's Church, at the top of Chilton, at the roundabout, was built as an iron structure in 1877, however this original church was burned to the ground in 1928 with an estimate damage cost of £4000, and rebuilt with stone in 1930, thanks to the insistence of Vicar Lancelot Wilkinson.
Chilton is home to a primary school (Chilton Primary, known as Chilton Junior up until September 2002), for nursery children, to reception, Year 1; right up to Year 6. The school also participates in the Sure Start programme. After leaving Chilton Primary, many pupils go to Ferryhill Business and Enterprise College to begin with their secondary education, beginning with Year 7 through to Year 11. There are also three churches, a Catholic church (Sacred Heart), an Anglican church (St. Aidan's) and a Methodist chapel, a post office, a public house, a WMC, a Catholic club which serves as a WMC as well as a polling station for the Sedgefield constituency at election times, an NHS healthcare centre, dentist, public library, and two supermarkets serving the local community. There are three take-away restaurants. A fish and chip shop, a Chinese restaurant and a pizzeria. The pizzeria is next door to the Co-operative supermarket, near the school's playing field.
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