ONE of Cotherstone’s longest living residents has teamed up with his son to produce a book about the village.
David Rabbitts arrived in the village at the age of four and became renowned for running a milk delivery business for more than two decades.
Now he has used his extensive knowledge of the village to co-author Cotherstone: A Village in Teesdale with his chartered landscape architect son, Paul, who has written more than 25 other books.
However, the latest book is a bit of departure for the son who usually writes about parks and architecture.
He said: “I have wanted to do it for a while and I wanted to do it with my dad as well because the village means so much to us. I was born there, I went to the county primary school there – I had a very lucky childhood, Cotherstone was my playground.
“It was a joy to do.”
The book delves as far back as the 10th and 11th centuries and reveals interesting details, including that much of it was owned by the Duke of Devonshire. Mr Rabbits said: “There is a boundary stone that marks where the Duke of Devonshire’s land was.”
The pair worked by the son calling his father and taking notes about what his father knew from his 76 years in the village and would then research the facts.
David said: “The research it takes to do a book like that is immense. Paul is absolutely superb at research. He dug out some stuff about a house in Cotherstone – it is one of the older houses – and he had a hell of a job finding out about it, but he did.”
Along with a wide variety of facts about the village, the book also boasts a number of historic and modern photographs and illustrations.
The father and son team will be launching their book at Cotherstone Village Hall on Saturday, September 24, from 7pm to 9pm and everyone is welcome.
