ON August 18 and 19, the Gaunless Valley History Trust presents its annual exhibition of photographs from the area's industrial heyday. The exhibition is in Butterknowle village hall from 11am to 4pm, with a slide show of more pictures at 2.30pm, each day. The valley and fell was once alive with pits, mines, coke ovens and railways – of course, arguably the world's first branchline, the Haggerleases, ran from West Auckland along the path of the Gaunless around Cockfield Fell to The Slack, at the foot of Butterknowle. Nowadays, it is such a tranquil, rural place that it is amazing to think of this busy and smoky industrial past.
Admission to the exhibition is free, although donations are always welcome to allow the trust to continue to preserve the past of this extraordinary valley.
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