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Crook is a market town in County Durham, in the North East of England. It is situated about 10 miles (16 km) south-west of Durham.

Crook lies a couple of miles north of the River Wear, on the A690 from Durham. This turns into the A689 leading up into the scenic upper reaches of Weardale, through Wolsingham and Stanhope.

Crook first appeared as an agricultural village around 1795. 40 years later; Crook became a mining village, and thrived as the coal was very close to the surface and soon there were over 20 mines around the Crook area, and by the end of the nineteenth century the town had developed rapidly in population and economy. However a lot of the population in the area had declined in the following century as the coal mines and industries closed with over 34% of the population being unemployed.

Crook has a famous amateur football team, Crook Town FC. Crook Town have won the FA Amateur Cup five times, most recently beating Enfield F.C. in 1964, before the cup was abolished in 1974. This record is second only to Crook's near neighbours, Bishop Auckland FC. The club have also reached the third round of the FA Cup and formed a key role in the development of FC Barcelona, playing a number of friendly matches in the 1910s and 1920s.