FOUR former pit villages have come under the spotlight in a new book recording the days when coal played a crucial part in everyday life.

Wheatley Hill, Wingate, Thornley and Ludworth all came to prominence during the Victorian coal mining boom of the early 1800s.

And it is the days when the pit became the major employer which are depicted in a pictorial history called Around Wheatley Hill.

The book, which contains more than 200 photographs, has been compiled by Wheatley Hill History Club under the guidance of the group's chairwoman, Margaret Hedley.

The evocative snapshots capture the hardship and the happiness of the times when hastily-built houses were constructed in never-ending rows near the pithead.

The book, which will spark many memories in the communities, tells a story of often difficult times, but also shows the camaraderie which existed in the tough and bleak conditions.

Old school photographs, snaps of village cricket and football teams, pictures of the shops which blossomed as the pits provided work for the men, all tell the story of those distant days.

For those who imagine women's soccer is a new phenomenon, there is even a picture of Rosy Rapids Ladies Football team, from Wheatley Hill, photographed in 1909.

Many of the images have been donated by history groups based in the communities, run by people who feel a strong need to preserve for future generations something of the life and conditions they and their forbears experienced.

The book, costing £12.99, has been produced by Tempus Publishing and is available from local bookshops or can be ordered directly from www.tempus-publishing.com