About Us
The villages of Bishop Middleham & Mainsforth lie in a valley 9 miles South East of Durham and have a rich history dating back millennia. The area is dominated by beautiful open countryside and rich biodiversity with areas of outstanding beauty and historic sites of national importance.
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Bishop Middleham & Mainsforth
We all care passionately about our community and each do what we can to help maintain and develop such a wonderful place to live, work and raise families.
Village Life
The village has an active community and hold events throughout the year. Please see our Facebook events page for more information and the latest news from the village.
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Village Hall
A very important asset to the Parish, the Hall is used by a range of community groups, and is regularly hired for parties, meetings, presentations, and a variety of classes.
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Village Store/Post Office
In the centre of the village is the Village Shop which is a Newsagent, Off Licence, Traditional Sweet Shop, General groceries and Post Office.
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St. Michaels Church
The Church, dedicated to St. Michael, stands upon the hill south of the village, and is said to have been erected by Bishop Beck, but it is more probably the work of Bishop Poor, and of the date about 1230.
It was in 1146 presented to the prior and convent of Durham by Osbert, nephew of Bishop Flambard, but it was soon afterwards annexed to the Priory of Finchale, by Bishop Robert de Insula, and so continued till the dissolution.
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The Cross Keys
The Cross Keys Bar and Restaurant is family run by Bryan, Karin, Zoe and Mark
our head chef.
The standard of food is well above Pub & Restaurant average, and was sampled on more than one occasion by ex Prime Minister Tony Blair. There is a large Beer Garden to the rear and a pool table in the bar which has a large wide screen TV for Live Sports from Sky and BT Sport
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Castle Lake
Known locally as Castle Lake, this water body covers an area of 13 ha (33acres) and is a highly significant inland wetland supporting a wide range of flora and fauna, not only regionally, but also in the case of select species, nationally important numbers of birds.
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Quarry Nature Reserve
Abandoned in the 1930s, this former magnesian limestone quarry is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, nationally recognised for the plant life it supports.
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Parish Council
Your Parish Council team is made up of nine volunteers from the community. We all care passionately about our community and each do what we can to help maintain and develop such a wonderful place to live, work and raise families.
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