ARTWORK depicting icons of a North-East town has gone on permanent display in its library.

Working with a professional artist, Birtley Heritage Group members came together to create the piece, which records their personal feelings about the history and landscape of the area.

The artwork is made up of porcelain tiles, all forming a map of Birtley district, which is in Gateshead Council’s area but is just over the border from County Durham, near Chester-le-Street.

Fired into the tiles are depictions of aspects of the area that the group members thought were important to them, such as its coal mining industry, the Royal Ordnance Factory and historic houses such as Birtley Hall built by John Dobson in 1815.

Group chairperson Yvonne Armstrong said: “We are absolutely delighted that the Birtley Landscape artwork is at last on display in our own local library.

“Thank you to our councillors, whose community fund helped us to get it installed.

“This map was our first-ever project; we were so new, we were so naïve, but we learned so much.”

The group worked with Helena Seget, the award-winning Newcastle ceramic artist, whose works can be seen in galleries across the world.

She said: “It was an honour for me to work with Birtley Heritage Group and to learn about the town about which they’re so passionate and to share with them my passion for art.

“I hope that the map not only inspires more memories, but might encourage an interest in ceramics too and also exploring creativity in other ways.”