The Parish of Chilton Moor was formed out of Houghton Parish during the rapid expansion of the mining industry in the late 19th century. It lies within the deanery of Houghton le Spring in the Diocese of Durham. It is bounded by the parishes of Bournmoor to the north, Lumley to the west, East and West Rainton to the south and Houghton to the east. Over 60% of the parish is rural in nature. The parish includes several small communities; Chilton Moor,/Colliery Row Bankhead, Dubmire and Fence Houses that coalesce to form the urban area. It has a strong community identity going back to its mining days.
The population of the parish is approximately 4400 of which 46% are married or living as partners. Children under 16 years of age and adults over 60 years of age each make up 20% of the resident population.
Housing within the parish is a mixture of private and local authority. From a total housing stock of 2010 units 570 belong to Sunderland Housing Group ( now gentoo), the organisation that now has taken over management responsibility from the city council. Some areas of the parish look and feel rundown and are in fact classified as some of the most deprived areas in the country according to the Governments indices of social deprivation.
Sunderland Housing Group has rebuilt the housing estate opposite the church and planning approval is currently being sought for a new development of some 97 private dwellings on land to the west of this estate up to the disused railway line. There is a residential care home within the parish, the Pavilion residential Home in Colliery Row.
The parish has one school, Dubmire Academy Primary School central within the built-up area of the parish and has become an important focus within the community.
Chilton Moor is located between Houghton le Spring and Fencehouses on the Tyne and Wear/County Durham County boundary. The name of the village differs depending on whom you speak to (some calling it Colliery Row), but both are acceptable.
The village follows on from Fencehouses (the single street with houses either side) and then splits in two - towards Houghton le Spring, which contains a mix of council and terraced housing - a private estate which is built off Black Boy Road and a new estate currently under construction. An old council estate has been replaced by modern housing and a private builder has submitted plans to construct further new housing - again just off Black Boy Road.
There is a range of local facilities centred on the front street area: takeaways, churches, a library, pubs, convenience stores, a butcher, bakery, hairdresser, a Royal Mail postoffice and a cafe. The village also contains a petrol station and builder. The most famous pub in Chilton Moor was The Londonderry Arms also known as The Top House, here played the undisputed king of darts Jackie Bell, however this is now a bistro.
Traffic through both Fencehouses and Chilton Moor can be busy. Possibly the building (identified by Tyne and Wear as the "Central Route") of a new link road between A690 at Houghton le Spring and the A182, will alleviate some of the problems.
To the south of the village lies land (reclaimed for use after years of mining) that contains a nature reserve and industrial units. Many large and influential companies have now opened premisies here. The nature reserve is called Rainton Meadows and is home to Joe’s Pond.
Go North East use the village as a bus thoroughfare between Houghton le Spring and outlying towns and villages. In recent years, there has been a reduction in the number of services using the village. This may be due to locals preferring a 10-15 minute walk into Houghton le Spring.