| Country: | England |
| Official Name: | Bearpark |
| Static Image Name: | Bearpark village centre.jpg |
| Static Image Caption: | The centre of Bearpark village |
| Coordinates: | 54.7822°N -1.63°W |
| Population: | 2,283 |
| Population Ref: | (2011 Census)[1] |
| Unitary England: | County Durham |
| Lieutenancy England: | Durham |
| Region: | North East England |
| Constituency Westminster: | City of Durham |
| Post Town: | DURHAM |
| Postcode District: | DH7 |
| Postcode Area: | DH |
| Dial Code: | 0191 |
| Os Grid Reference: | NZ238431 |
Bearpark is a village and civil parish in County Durham in England. It is situated two and a half miles west of Durham, and a short distance to the north of Ushaw Moor.The name may be a corruption of the French term Beau Repaire – meaning "beautiful retreat". Half a mile to the north of the present village lies the ruins of Beaurepaire Priory, built in 1258 by the Prior of Durham, Bertram de Middleton, as a retirement residence. The building was extended in the subsequent three centuries, becoming a retreat for the Durham monks in a similar way to the nearby Finchale Priory. The manor was largely destroyed by the Scots in 1640 and 1644 during the British Civil War.[2] [3] In 1872, Theodore Fry was involved in founding the Bearpark Coal and Coke Company, which established a coal mine in Bearpark until 1984, when the mine was closed.
Bearpark Community Centre is at the hub of the local village, a red brick building originally built in 1921 as a miners' welfare hall. An old pit wheel stands in front of the building, a memorial to the village's mining history.
Bearpark featured on the BBC radio and television series Uncanny, citing the case of a Victorian boy haunting a house in the village.
Bearpark is the subject of a song by Durham-based band Prefab Sprout.[4]
4. ^ "A Mining World: The Story of Bearpark County Durham".