AN exhibition called Teesdale Chronicles is being put together by volunteers at the Fitzhugh Library, in Middleton-in-Teesdale, for Heritage Open Days next month.
The exhibition will feature donated scrap books, diaries and photograph albums created by people who lived and worked in Teesdale.
Volunteer Kath Maddison said: “We have so much to choose from to go on display and they are all fascinating because they are from people of the dale.
“One of my favourites is a work journal kept by William Smurthwaite, who started it when he was an apprentice mason at 16 in 1941. He carried on his journal through his entire working life.
“The journal lists every job he undertook, the wages, location and pithy comments about people he worked for and other important dates in his life, such as his time in the fleet air arm in 1943-1946. It seems to be constrained to work though as he doesn’t mention the birth of his son.”
One observation made while working for an engineering company reads: “Plenty of variety of work and very well paid, but it would have been a better job if everyone had been judged on their merits instead of how low they could crawl and how much beer they bought for the boss. It was just one big fiddle.” Ms Maddison added: “We have so many photo albums here as well, including one from Tommy Birkett which is filled with photographs of his shorthorn cattle through the years.”
There is also a photograph album of Dales Ponies with images from the early horse sales in Middleton-in-Teesdale and one of the most spectacular of the breed, Teesdale Comet, who was bred by F Gibson in 1898.
Scrapbooks detailing farming life through the years will also be on display as well as ones created by pupils at Forest of Teesdale School and by the former Field Study Centre.
Notebooks kept by Dorothy Redfearn, who recorded the weather for decades for the military, will also be on show, along with photographs of her with some of the equipment she used.
The Fitzhugh Library will be open from 10am until 3pm from September 9 until September 13 when the exhibition will be on display and will return to normal opening hours following the Heritage Open Days event, though Teesdale Chronicles will remain on show.
Other Teesdale venues yaking part in this year’s Heritage Open Days include St Mary’s Parish Church, in Barnard Castle. The church’s bell tower is giving access to the ringing chamber and clock chamber on Sunday, September 11, between 2pm and 4pm.
Thorpe Light Railway, near Whorlton, will also be open the same day between 12.30pm and 3.30pm when there be demonstrations of freight trains and the opportunity to ride on a train.
The Bowes Museum will provide free entry for the day on Saturday, September 17, between 10am and 5pm.
