Elvet Bridge was built in 1160 linking Elvet Barony with the Durham peninsula. Previously, the two areas were connected by a ford from New Elvet.

The bridge stimulated trade and in 1180, the bishop allowed a borough to be created from the northern half of Elvet Barony known as Elvet Haugh.

Here, the bishop granted permission for establishing 40 merchants' houses in what became the street of Old Elvet.

Looking back: Old Elvet towards Elvet Bridge about 1960 Old Elvet is Durham's widest street and with the possible exception of the North and South Bailey, it is regarded as its most attractive. From the late 19th Century to the 1950s, it was the home of the annual horse fair.

Most buildings in Old Elvet are of Georgian origin, but the most obvious exceptions are the Masonic Hall of 1869, the Methodist chapel of 1903 and the Old Shire Hall of 1898.

The bright red brick Shire Hall, with its green copper dome, is the most imposing and has been criticised for destroying Old Elvet's Georgian elegance.

However, the hall has mellowed with age and it is now an impressive focal point for the street. It was built to house Durham County Council, a few years after the council was created in 1888. In those days the council covered a much bigger area than it does today, encompassing places such as Stockton, Hartlepool, Gateshead, Sunderland and South Shields.

It soon became apparent that the Shire Hall was not big enough to house all the departments of the expanding council. So an extension was built in 1905 for the education department.

But it was still not enough and the council departments gradually acquired other buildings across the street. Old Elvet became the focal point for the entire county's administration. Prior to this time the street was largely residential.

The council vacated Shire Hall and its Old Elvet offices in 1963, after relocating to the purpose-built county hall at Aykley Heads.

Durham University, established in the 1830s, immediately acquired the Old Shire Hall as its administrative headquarters.

It thus gained a red brick building that was more typical of a late 19th or early 20th century university. Within two or three years the university took over most of the council offices in Old Elvet.

Since the university was already a major presence in the North and South Bailey, it meant that the city's best streets were more or less under university control. These acquisitions have probably helped to discourage commercial and tourist developments in these aesthetically sensitive streets.

The Royal County Hotel is arguably Old Elvet's most historic building. It developed from houses of the 1600s and 1700s that were once home to wealthy northern families such as the Radcliffes and Bowes.

Old Elvet comes to a sudden end at the Royal County, but it was not always the case. Until 1971, there were two prominent buildings along from the hotel near Elvet Bridge.

Old Elvet in 1914. The horse trough and lamppost were removed in the 1920s One was the 1871 County Court and the other was the Waterloo Hotel, next door to the Royal County. Both were demolished so that the neighbouring street of New Elvet could be extended across the river via New Elvet Bridge.

Confusingly, in the 19th Century, the Royal County was called the Waterloo Hotel, or more specifically Ward's Waterloo Hotel to distinguish it from one next door.

That Waterloo Hotel, called Thwaite's Waterloo Hotel, was the one knocked down in 1971.

Thwaites and Ward were the respective owners, but in 1864, Ward's hotel became the County Hotel.

It only became the "Royal" County in about 1900, following a visit from Albert, Prince of Wales.

A former temperance inn called the Dunelm Hotel stood on the Royal County's opposite flank. The influential Pattinson family ran this hotel during the 20th Century and for a time the building included a caf, toyshop and hardware store.

It closed in the early 1960s and was used for a time by students for social events until the construction of the student union building in New Elvet. The old Dunelm Hotel was eventually incorporated into the Royal County Hotel after much alteration.

Published: 12/04/2003

If you have any memories of Durham, including old photos or stories of people and places you would like to share with readers of The Northern Echo, write to David Simpson, Durham Memories, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF or email David.Simpson@nne.co.uk. All photos will be returned.