No Place is a small village that lies between the towns of Stanley and Beamish, in County Durham, England. It lies near to the Beamish Mary coal pit, just to the south of the A693 road. The local church is known as the "Tin Chapel".
Etymology
The origins of the village's unusual name are uncertain; however, theories include a shortening of "North Place", "Near Place" or "Nigh Place", or that the original houses of the village stood on a boundary between two parishes, neither of which would accept the village. It could also be a literary play on the word "Utopia", which comes from the Greek, οὐ ("not") and τόπος ("place") and translates as "no-place".
History
Road sign for Co-operative Villas and No Place
The village originally consisted of four terraced houses, known as No Place. In 1937, residents of the terrace of houses to the north, known as Co-operative Villas, demolished these houses, but took on the name for their own village.
Derwentside Council tried to change the name of the village to Co-operative Villas in 1983; however, they met with strong protests from local residents at the removal of all signs pointing to No Place. At the request of some residents, the signs say both No Place and Co-operative Villas.
