Haughton-le-Skerne
Haughton-le-Skerne is a village in the Darlington borough of County Durham, England. It lies in the northeast part of Darlington, just west of the River Skerne. The village green sits near the main road that leads into Darlington town centre, south of St Andrew’s Church.
There used to be a linen mill beside the river on the east side of the village; part of the mill leat (a water channel) can still be seen today. St Andrew’s Church, on the west end of the village green, is the oldest church in Darlington, dating from around 1125. Some stones may come from an even earlier building, and parts of the rectory show monastic ruins.
In the past, a turnpike road crossed the river here to ports on the Tees estuary, carrying traffic including salt from nearby salt mines. Today, Haughton-le-Skerne is part of a large Darlington suburb that includes areas like Springfield and Whinfield.
The village is mentioned in Downton Abbey as the place where Mrs. Patmore would find a boarding house for retirement. John Wrightson, founder of Downton Agricultural College and great-grandfather of Downton writer Julian Fellowes, was born in Haughton-le-Skerne.
In 1921 the parish had 664 residents. On 1 October 1930, the parish was merged with Darlington and Barmpton, and today it’s part of the unparished area of Darlington.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:24 (CET).