A FORGOTTEN mining hamlet which was ultimately destroyed by the force of floods half a century ago has been remembered by its surviving spiritual community.

Page Bank, near Spennymoor, County Durham, bustled with life for seven decades from its inception in the 1850s before gradually declining after its pit closure 1931 - eventually succumbing to the rising River Wear.

Although not well known among the modern generation, the small settlement’s history is held dear to those who were born there or have remaining ties.

One of those, Graham Sheldon, 60, felt so passionate about his family’s spiritual home that he commissioned local historian Tom Hutchinson to document the place and its people.

“My family are all from Page Bank - my parents were born there and my two remaining uncles are here today,” said Mr Sheldon. “We are making sure the village isn’t forgotten. My mum died in January and I felt I wanted to do something.”

Page Bank Remembered is Bishop Auckland-based Mr Hutchinson’s fourteenth book and was compiled with the help of the hamlet’s survivors and relatives.

“The support we’ve had and number of people who have come forward has been fantastic,” added Mr Sheldon.

It is estimated 100 people attended the book’s launch at Spennymoor Leisure Centre on Thursday.

Among them was Mr Sheldon’s uncle Ed Sheldon, 75, who has only fond memories of his time there. “It was the best place in the world, “ he said. “There were no better people.”

Former World Cup referee George Courtney, 75, was born in Page Bank but left at the age of 12.

He said: “I have never ever lost connection with the village. I often walk through it to evoke memories of all those years ago. The nice thing about today is revisiting. There are people I’ve seen who I haven’t seen for 50 years. People should always remember where they came from.”

At one time Page Bank, located between Spennymoor and Brancepeth, consisted of half-a-dozen rows of terraced houses.

In 1951 the then county council inflicted Category D status on the village, which put an end to any investment or development.

The final nail in the coffin came on November 5, 1967, when the river rose by 20ft and flooded the village. Residents were evacuated and most never returned.

“This book is for everybody to understand the village was there and how thriving it was, how important the mines were to the villages and as mines disappeared so did the villages,” added Mr Sheldon.

The book is available from Mr Sheldon’s newsagents Etherington’s in Bishop Auckland and Sheldon’s in Willington.