Heritage Open Day 2026: Two Families, One Village, A Lasting Legacy

for 4 hours
St Mary's, West Rainton
South Street West Rainton Houghton le Spring Durham, DH4 6NR, United Kingdom

Following the success of this event last year, we are opening the church again this year on Saturday 19th September. This year the heritage focus will be on two local families following them from their arrival in the Parish.

The Walt family, from Yorkshire and Durham, lived in Cocken Terrace, Leamside. The Gibbney family, from Ireland and Scotland, lived at Church View, West Rainton.

We will be examining the War Memorial which was unveiled in 1921 and the life and problems of the mining industry around that time.

The church will be open for tours with special attention to the features paid for by the congregation who were, of course, the mining families in the village.

These include two windows, the reredos behind the altar, the wood panelling, the clock, the eagle lectern and the children's altar.

St Mary's, West Rainton

St Mary’s sits in the heart of West Rainton village and provides many functions such as Eucharist services, Weddings, funerals, Baptisms and community events

We are a friendly and inclusive church with a wide range of worshippers all enjoying the traditional form of Anglican worship. 

As we are currently in Vacancy and do not have a Priest in Charge our clergy team consists of  Julian Ward who is our Licenced Lay Minister and Mike Whitehouse as our Lay Minister.  We do have several local Priests and ministers who are giving their time to assist us in worship.

All the decisions about the Church are taken by the Churchwarden and Parochial Church Council within the guidance of the Church of England. We develop our own services such as Café Church, our Remembrance Day service, and our Village Carol Service. We would be delighted to see you at our regular Sunday service at 11am.

Our Churchwarden is Kevon Edis and you can contact him for wedding, baptism and funeral enquiries using the number at the left,  or see 'Our People During Vacancy' at the left for contact details of other people.

St Mary's Church, a grade II* listed building, has stood beautifully in the village for 160 years. Our spire can be seen for miles away over countryside and from the A1! The church plays an important role in the community life of the Parish of West Rainton and Leamside. Over the past two years we have raised enough funds and grants to repair both our stonework and knave roof. This have taken much prayer, hard work and dedication.  We have further roof repairs to attend to when funds allow.

We are committed to the safeguarding of children, young people and adults. You will find a tab on the <left which will give you the details of our Safeguarding Officer and how to contact the Diocese Safeguarding team.

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Get in touch

Mr Kevon Edis

Churchwarden
07526 230502
What's on

Heritage Open Day 2026: Two Families, One Village, A Lasting Legacy

for 4 hours
St Mary's, West Rainton
South Street West Rainton Houghton le Spring Durham, DH4 6NR, United Kingdom

Following the success of this event last year, we are opening the church again this year on Saturday 19th September. This year the heritage focus will be on two local families following them from their arrival in the Parish.

The Walt family, from Yorkshire and Durham, lived in Cocken Terrace, Leamside. The Gibbney family, from Ireland and Scotland, lived at Church View, West Rainton.

We will be examining the War Memorial which was unveiled in 1921 and the life and problems of the mining industry around that time.

The church will be open for tours with special attention to the features paid for by the congregation who were, of course, the mining families in the village.

These include two windows, the reredos behind the altar, the wood panelling, the clock, the eagle lectern and the children's altar.

Safeguarding

"Our parish of West Rainton is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults from harm. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies and have our own Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO). Our Diocese of Durham’s safeguarding pages contain vital links and information including contacts for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor who advises our PSO. If you are concerned that a child or adult has been harmed or may be at risk of harm please contact the Parish Safeguarding Officer Lynne Willis on 0191 528 1331 / 07983 291805 or the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor Beth Miller on 07968 034075 or [email protected] . If you have immediate concerns about the safety of someone, please contact the police and your local authority’s children or adult social care services."