Stamfordham

Stamfordham is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2001 Census was 1,047, rising to 1,185 at the 2011 Census. The place-name Stamfordham is first attested in the Pipe Rolls for 1188, where it appears as Stanfordhamn, which roughly translates as 'village at the stony ford'. The Church of England parish church of St Mary the Virgin was built in the 13th century and overrestored under the direction of Benjamin Ferrey in 1848. In addition to St Mary's, there is a joint Methodist/United Reformed Church, the Church on the Green. The large village green contains a market cross (the Butter Cross, dating from 1735) and a village lock-up which is Grade II listed and dates from the early 19th century, pre-dating the formation of police forces. The village has a primary school, a historic Village Hall (originally the school), and a public house There is an annual fête and car show on the August bank holiday Monday (Stamfordham Village Fayre), and a number of local social and sports clubs, notably Stamfordham Cricket Club (playing at Grange Park on the southern edge of the village), the first team of which competes in the West Tyne League. The Grade II-listed Bay Horse Inn closed in November 2014. The village is also host to a number of cycling events, including the Cyclone Festival of Cycling and the HSBC UK National Road Race Championships.