News Beat
Gainford near Darlington was once England’s coldest place
In fact, it involves a small County Durham village.
While Scotland dominates the Met Office’s list of record-breaking lows, there was a time when Gainford, on the north bank of the River Tees near Darlington, was officially recognised as the coldest place in England.
On Christmas Day 1878, temperatures in Gainford plunged to -18.3°C, a reading that at the time earned the village a place in weather folklore as England’s coldest location. Nestled between Barnard Castle and Darlington, Gainford’s rural setting made it far more susceptible to extreme cold than nearby towns and cities.
Thankfully for today’s residents, modern winters have been far kinder.
Forecasts suggest temperatures in the village are unlikely to dip below 2C in the coming days.
Although Gainford once topped England’s list, the coldest temperature ever recorded in the UK is considerably lower.
According to the Met Office, the national record stands at -27.2°C, a temperature reached twice:
- Braemar, Aberdeenshire, on January 10, 1982
- Altnaharra, Highland, on December 30, 1995
Other notable national records include:
- England: -26.1°C at Newport, Shropshire (1982)
- Wales: -23.3°C at Welshpool (1940)
- Northern Ireland: -18.7°C at Castlederg (2010)
These extreme lows are typically linked to Arctic air masses, particularly during severe cold spells in the early 1980s and late 1990s.
Gainford is not the only County Durham location associated with wintry extremes.
The village of Copley, in the North Pennines of the region, regularly features on Met Office lists of the UK’s snowiest places.
With a population of around 400, Copley experiences snow on average 53 days a year, making it the snowiest location in England according to the Met Office’s rankings.
Its proximity to the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and one of England’s few outdoor ski centres, helps explain its frosty reputation.
