THE region paid its quiet respects to the Queen Mother yesterday with many towns and cities coming to a standstill.

The battlements of Lumley Castle, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, echoed to a lone piper who played a lament to a great servant of the nation.

A crowd of 40 gathered as Les Givens, the Houghton Pipe Band player, struck up one of the Queen Mother's favourite tunes, Amazing Grace.

"It was such a nice moment," said marketing manager at the castle, Peter Darrent. "The sound of the pipes must have carried deep into Chester-le-Street. With the flag at half-mast it was quite something, a lovely sight during a sad moment."

Darlington town centre was deserted for a few hours after shops closed their doors.

Most of the high street stores, including Binns and Next, were shut until lunchtime and supermarkets such as Asda and Safeway also closed.

At Darlington railway station, passengers and train crews observed a two-minute silence following a tannoy announcement.

Trains due to leave at 11.30am were halted and drivers of trains passing through the station were also asked to take part.

A spokesman for train operator GNER said: "People appreciated the fact that they could pay their respects even though they were going about their daily business."

The borough council, The Cornmill shopping centre and The Northern Echo offices, in Priestgate, fell silent in remembrance. Staff at Darlington police station, the magistrates' court and Sedgefield Borough Council also paid their respects.

In the market place, usually a hive of activity, passers-by stopped in silent reflection under the clock tower.

Elsewhere, the bell of Spennymoor's Town Hall clock chimed out every minute from 9.49am in unison with the funeral toll.

Town clerk Terry Robson said: "We recognise the service that she gave over so many years and that the nation has lost part of itself."

Churches also led prayers for the Queen Mother during her funeral.

St James's Church, in Coundon, County Durham, interrupted a regular service to hold a two-minute silence allowing worshippers to mark the moment.

The Reverend Gary Nicholson, said: "It was quite poignant. When somebody 101-year-old dies it is a very sad time."

The market place of a dales town also fell quiet as the nation remembered its favourite Royal. Shoppers in Richmond, North Yorkshire, paused for a few minutes in the sunshine as a mark of respect, turning towards the union flag flying at half-mast from the castle keep.

Builders, taxi drivers, pensioners and young mothers with prams were among those who stood motionless or with their heads bowed, some office workers even leaving their desks to join a silent tribute.

Much of Durham came to a standstill as proceedings began to take shape in London.

Durham Cathedral followed its memorial evensong to the Queen Mother on Sunday with special prayers in a short service.

One visitor said: "It was very nice, nothing over the top but very appropriate and it was just the right setting. Everyone respected the silence and was happy to join in."

The city centre was quiet throughout the morning with many shops in the Prince Bishops and Milburngate shopping centres only opening after the funeral. People also stood in silence in the Market Place at 11.30am.

In Sunderland, flares fired from the roof of the Civic Centre signalled the start and end of a minute's silence.

And at Holy Trinity Church, in North Ormesby, Teesside, the bell rang 101 times to mark the funeral.

The Reverend Graham Usher said: "We have a tradition at the church that at funerals the bell is tolled for the age of the person and we thought it entirely appropriate that today at the start of Her Majesty's service in London, we did the same."

Middlesbrough's three main shopping centres, Cleveland Centre, Captain Cook Square and Hill Street, observed a two-minute silence.

Many schools re-arranged lesson schedules to allow youngsters to watch the funeral on television and included discussions about the event.

Applegarth Primary School, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, allowed its 260 pupils to watch the funeral.

Headteacher Al Proctor said: "We watched it on three different TV sets and talked in assembly first about what would be happening. We felt it was important for the children to watch."

In Newcastle, with most shops shut along Northumberland Street, one of Britain's busiest high streets, hundreds gathered outside Fenwick's department store. A portrait of the Queen Mother hung in the huge display window at the front as her funeral was shown on a television set beneath.

The coverage was broadcast on loudspeakers attracting scores of well-wishers. Some stood on benches at the back of the crowd to give them a view of the pictures from Westminster Abbey.

At 11.30am, the crowd fell completely silent for two minutes.

Among them was housewife Eileen Reay, 61, of Kenton, Newcastle, who said: "It was a lovely tribute to a wonderful woman. She touched all our lives in one way or another."

As the Queen Mother began her final journey from Westminster Hall the bells of the city's Roman Catholic and Church of England cathedrals tolled together.

The Central Station fell quiet as passengers and staff lined up on platforms with their heads bowed.

Workmen digging up the roads outside the Eldon Square shopping centre shut down their machines while newspaper vendors fell silent as a mark of respect.