to work in the colliery. In exchange for the ancient chapel situated on the nearby Croxdale Estate, Gerard Salvin, Esq., gave the site of this church, the old chapel now being used as a mortuary chapel for the Salvin family. St Bartholomew's churchyard is the final resting place of James Finlay Weir Johnston the founder of Durham Johnston School in nearby Durham City. 1875 saw a return of coal mining as the Weardale Iron and Coal Company opened Croxdale Colliery just to the south of Sunderland Bridge. This mine producing coal, fireclay and coke and employing, at its peak, over 900 workers. Housing was built to accommodate mine workers and their families, a Methodist Chapel completed in 1877 and a school built in 1878-79 (now the Community Centre) as well as St Bartholomew's being extended in 1878. The main streets in the new mining village were named after the people who provided the finance to build the housing, Salvin Street and Rogerson, Johnson and Foster Terraces. So successful was the colliery that John Rogerson (one of the four directors of the Weardale Iron and Coal Company) rented Croxdale Hall from the Salvin family for a time. The colliery closed in 1934. Until 1938 Croxdale had a railway station served by the North Eastern Railway. During World War 2 the village was home to a munitions factory, after the war this became the NESS furniture factory. This closed in 2015. In early 2017 it was announced that the former factory would be converted into a business hub with offices, service yards and storage and distribution facilities alongside potentially housing such as a couple blocks of flats.. Community The village has a corner shop (formerly the village Post Office), two Public Houses: The Daleside, a traditional English style pub and The Croxdale Inn/Penash, an Indian restaurant and bar. There is a play park for the children of the village which was funded by a series of summer fun days. The Church built in 1845 and dedicated to St. Bartholomew was built in the Norman style. It consists of nave, chancel, and western tower and is situated at the western extremity of the village of Sunderland Bridge. The Community Centre is in the old school hall. It hosts various clubs and acts as the polling station on election days. References External links Villages in County Durham