The Tow Law and Thornley Beck circular walk starts on High Street in Tow Law. This gives you a clear starting point if you would like to add a walk to your stay. The town’s buildings and memorial sites also offer several specific points of interest: they tell stories of livestock market history, architecture and remembrance of those who died in the First World War. The coke ovens near Inkerman Farm represent another chapter in the area’s industrial history.
Industrial history at Inkerman Farm
The coke ovens at Inkerman Farm are designated as a Scheduled Monument. The monument comprises two nearly complete beehive coke ovens, as well as ruins and hidden remains of part of the former Inkerman coke works. The ovens illustrate the beehive design; across the country, they are among the few examples to survive intact.
The site’s history can be placed in context: in 1853, the Weardale Iron and Coal Company opened Inkerman Colliery and began producing coke there immediately. To do so, it built 20 ovens at the time. The two nearly complete ovens and the other remains therefore belong to a larger former site. If you are interested in industrial history, you will find both a specific example of oven design and a connection to coal and coke production at the time.
Buildings, market history and remembrance
The Old Cattle Market Building is the only surviving part of what was once a larger livestock market in the centre of Tow Law. It is just east of High Street and beside the former railway station. The Cattle Market Auction Building was built in 1882. Its fully preserved interior includes a cattle ring, seating and the auctioneer’s desk. These details give the market’s history a tangible architectural form.
The war memorial on Wolsingham Road offers a different perspective on the town’s history. It was erected around 1919. The names of the men from Tow Law who died in the First World War are engraved on all four sides of its plinth. Thus, alongside industrial and market history, personal remembrance is another theme connected with the town’s historic buildings.
The Church of St Philip and St James and Attwood Place are also listed on the National Heritage List for England. The church is listed as a Grade II building. Attwood Place is a row of houses dating from the mid-19th century. Together with the Old Cattle Market Building and the war memorial, these examples show different aspects of the area’s built heritage: a church, a row of houses, a former market and a place of remembrance. These buildings therefore offer several distinct points of interest rather than representing just one period or function.
Plan your walk and journey
With the Tow Law and Thornley Beck circular walk starting on High Street, it is a practical way to include a walk in your plans for your stay. The starting point is confirmed, but no specific walking time for the circuit is provided. You can therefore treat the walk as a separate activity and plan the rest of your time around what is actually available, without automatically combining the historic sites into one route.
For travel by bus, Arriva North East’s route 1B is an option: it runs regularly between Crook and Tow Law. As timetables can change, it is advisable to check departure times before travelling. This gives you two specific details to help plan your trip: a named walking route starting on High Street and a bus connection between Crook and Tow Law.
Discover more destinations: Wolsingham, Shotley Bridge, Romaldkirk, Hamsterley, Hutton Magna, Witton-Le-Wear, Shincliffe, Shildon
For the wider travel overview: Durham.
