Hunwick is an attractive ancient village dating from Saxon times when it belonged to the Cathedral church of Durham. It stands amidst the decayed industrial landscape between Bishop Auckland and Crook. It was later given to earls of Northumberland, but it returned to the ownership of the church when Henry VIII re-endowed Durham cathedral. The village itself was probably destroyed during the Harrying of the North in the late 11th century, and was rebuilt with two rows of houses arranged around the village green.

The remains of the medieval manor house of Hunwick is now a farmhouse; its former chapel is now used as a barn, though the medieval east window can still be seen. Outside the farm gate is the remains of a gin gang, an engine designed to operate farm machinery and worked by horses. Helmington Hall to the north is also a farm, all that remains of a large house dating to about 1686.