Harperley

Harperley is a small village in County Durham, England. It is situated between Tantobie to the north east, Tanfield Lea to the east, Stanley to the south, East Kyo to the south east and Catchgate, West Kyo and Annfield Plain to the west. Harperley consists of two parts; the southern part (consisting of seven houses) is set around crossroads from which there is easy access to West Kyo, Catchgate, Annfield Plain and Stanley. The northern part (consisting of three houses and a farm) is grouped around the now derelict Harperley Hotel, a now closed public house formerly known locally for meals and hosting wedding functions. Due to local council ownership in the 1970s, it allegedly gained the nickname Ratepayer's Arms. The grounds surrounding the Harperley Hotel used to be the site of a zoo (in the 1960s) and a children's playground (as late as the 1980s). A local stream called the Kyo Burn flows through the grounds, which lower down its course is known as Beamish Burn and later the River Team before it flows into the River Tyne. Harperley Pond sits 100 m east of the former hotel. Mallard Ducks, Moorhens and the occasional Heron have been sited here.