Historic Settlement Patterns in Weardale
Frosterley
Frosterley is a ribbon settlement which has grown along the main road. The historic core of the village consists of Front Street with a small village green at the east end of the street. The earliest remains here are to be found at the west end of the village where, it is suggested, the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Bottlingham was to be found. At Chapel Close, the remains of St Botolph’s Chapel lie surrounded by modern development. The chapel may have been Anglo-Saxon in origin, but the building is most likely to be 13th  to 14th century in date. However the discovery of a 9th century strap end, during the construction of a new road at Kirk Rise, does suggest the tantalizing possibility of earlier buried remains in this part of Frosterley. The form of the present settlement probably had its origins some time after the Norman Conquest. At this time it may well have been laid out formally by the Bishops of Durham along the road with linear plots running northwards from the back plots. There is little evidence of any major change until quarrying in the 19th century transformed the village from a predominantly agricultural settlement to an industrial one. The village expanded to accommodate new workers and the settlement spread southwards towards the river and the new railway line, creating terrace housing and civic architecture.

The quarries are now disused and their grassed-over appearance creates a fascinating landscape. Some quarry sites have been redeveloped for housing, but many remain as relics of past industry and have been incorporated into the Conservation Area. New housing developments have taken place throughout the 20th century at the west and east ends of the village, introducing a different style of development consisting of cul-de-sacs and curving roads. Like many other Weardale villages, tourism now provides much-needed income and caravan sites have sprung up south and north of the village.