THE chance acquisition of aerial photographs from 1964 has inspired a fascinating Then and Now exhibition in Evenwood.
Members of the village’s history group have a busy year in store for 2025 with involvement in four different displays.
The first will be in March next year when they have been asked by trustees of Randolph Community Centre to help mark the venue’s 160th anniversary.
Building began in January 1864 and it was opened as a school in April that year.
Centre manager John Bogle, who is also a member of the history group, said the exhibition and celebration would be held on the weekend of March 15.
Then in the summer the group will host its Then and Now display.
Member Kevin Richardson said the idea came about when a history enthusiast from Yorkshire contacted the group via its website saying he had some photographs they might be interested in.
Mr Richardson said: “He has obviously bought a job lot. I went down there and there’s one of West Auckland and other areas, and I bought the ones from Evenwood more than 60 years ago.”
The group has teamed up with local drone operator Liam Dobinson to recreate the 1964 views with new photographs of how they appear today.
Mr Richardson said: “Liam has now joined our local history group and he will be taking a major part in this exhibition of Then and Now.
“But it is not just aerial photographs because we’ve got loads of other stuff.”
The display is planned for the weekend of June 21 and will be held at St Paul’s Parish Hall.
In August, the group will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War with a display commemorating Evenwood’s casualties. Venue and date are yet to be confirmed.
The final exhibition is another collaborative effort, this time with the Upper Gaunless Valley History Group, in September to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the Stockton Darlington Railway.
Mr Richardson said: “Stockton will be doing their thing, Darlington will be doing their thing, Locomotion in Shildon will be doing their thing and we will be doing our thing on the Haggerleases Branch Railway. We know it was opened in 1830, so it’s not the 200th anniversary, but some people might want see what we have got.”
The plan is to hold the exhibition over two weekends in September, with one in Evenwood’s Parish Hall and the other in Butterknowle Village Hall.
