A former chapel of rest in a County Durham cemetery is preserving the remarkable stories of a mining community, including a pioneering miners’ leader, a Victoria Cross recipient and an Olympic diver.
Tucked inside the grounds of Wheatley Hill Cemetery is a small building containing more than a century of East Durham history.
Wheatley Hill Heritage Centre began life as the village’s Chapel of Rest, opening in 1907. After serving the community for decades, the building was renovated by Wheatley Hill Parish Council and local residents and converted into a heritage centre in 2002.
Today, its collection tells the story of a village whose identity was shaped by coal mining, community life and some remarkable local people.
Remembering a mining community
At the heart of the centre is Wheatley Hill’s mining heritage.
Wheatley Hill Colliery was established in the 19th century and remained part of village life until its closure in 1968. The heritage centre preserves photographs, mining artefacts and everyday objects donated by local people, helping visitors understand not only working life underground but what life was like for families at home.
One permanent display recreates an East Durham colliery home as it would have appeared around 1919.
Outside the centre, that history continues with The Last Shift, a sculpture by North East artist Ray Lonsdale. Unveiled in 2018 and funded through public subscription, it commemorates Wheatley Hill Colliery and the generations whose livelihoods depended upon it.
The legacy of Peter Lee
One of the most significant figures represented at the centre is miners’ leader and local politician Peter Lee.
Lee worked at Wheatley Hill Colliery and became closely involved in village life, including campaigning for improvements to sanitation, clean water, roads and the cemetery itself. He later became a Durham County Councillor and was elected chairman of Durham County Council in 1919. The new town of Peterlee would eventually be named in his honour.
He died in 1935 and, at his request, was buried in Wheatley Hill Cemetery.
His grey granite headstone is now Grade II listed. Historic England describes it as being of historical and sociological significance because it marks the grave of the renowned miners’ leader and local politician.
A permanent exhibition inside the Heritage Centre explores his life and his connections with Wheatley Hill.
Remembering Thomas Kenny VC
The centre also commemorates Thomas Kenny VC, who lived and worked in Wheatley Hill and is buried in the cemetery.
Kenny served with the Durham Light Infantry during the First World War and was awarded the Victoria Cross for extraordinary bravery in France in November 1915.
After an officer was badly wounded during a patrol in thick mist, Kenny attempted for more than an hour to carry him back towards the British lines while under enemy fire. He eventually found help and guided a rescue party back to the wounded officer.
His life and military service are remembered in another of the centre’s permanent exhibitions.
From a County Durham pit pond to international diving
A very different chapter of local history is represented by the collection of diver Charmian Welsh, whose father was manager of nearby Thornley Colliery.
Welsh developed her diving skills at Dawdon Pit Pond near Seaham, an outdoor pool filled with warm water used by Dawdon Colliery. She was just 15 when she competed for Great Britain at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, finishing fifth, and she returned to Olympic competition in Melbourne in 1956.
Her greatest international success came at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, where she won both of the women’s diving titles for England.
Clothing, medals and other items from her competitive career now form part of a permanent exhibition at Wheatley Hill Heritage Centre.
Together, the exhibitions tell a much broader story of Wheatley Hill, from the hardship and solidarity of the coalfield to public service, wartime courage and international sporting achievement.
Wheatley Hill Heritage Centre is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am until 3pm during 2026, with free admission. The centre is located within Wheatley Hill Cemetery and has disabled access, a hearing loop and refreshments available.
Group visits can also be arranged outside normal opening hours by prior arrangement.
