A new guidebook exploring the landscapes, communities and history that shaped County Durham has been published.
Stephen Platten’s County Durham: A Guide takes readers from the Durham Dales to the coast, combining rural and industrial history with more than 165 photographs, themed chapters and an extensive gazetteer.
The hardback covers everything from Durham Cathedral and Castle to mining villages, industrial sites and country estates.
Richard Rutherford Hilton, operations director at Sacristy Press, said: "As a publisher based in Durham, we are especially proud to have produced such a beautiful book that looks so closely at the county we call home.
"County Durham is known for its celebrated landmarks such as the Cathedral, but its character is also found in former mining villages, market towns, railway heritage, remote dales, working farmland, river valleys and its remarkable coastline."
The guide follows the tradition of the Shell County Guides, launched in 1934 to combine architecture, history and photography with everyday life and famous landmarks.
Platten shows how County Durham’s past still shapes its communities and landscapes.
The book explores how geology and natural resources drove industry, and how industry changed the land and its people.
It covers Teesdale and Weardale, shaped by farming, lead mining and quarrying, along with the coalfields, railways, shipbuilding and regeneration of the Durham coast.
Mr Hilton said: "The original Shell County Guides encouraged readers to explore slowly, look carefully and appreciate the distinctive character of a place.
"We hope this new guide will do the same, helping visitors and locals discover both familiar landmarks and the many overlooked places that make County Durham such a rewarding place to visit and live."
Dame Margaret Barbour, a business leader and philanthropist with strong North East ties, wrote the foreword.
Platten lives in Northumberland, is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and has long admired the Shell County Guides.
He was previously Dean of Norwich and Bishop of Wakefield, and wrote Northumberland: A Guide, published by Sacristy Press in 2022.
County Durham: A Guide was published on September 15, 2026.
It offers a fresh look at the county’s landscape, history and people, from celebrated sites to quieter corners.
The book shows how natural resources shaped County Durham’s industries and how those industries transformed its communities.
It also explores the county’s castles, medieval churches, ancient villages and designed landscapes.
The guide explores well-known and overlooked places to reveal County Durham’s character.
County Durham: A Guide is published by Sacristy Press and costs £20 in hardback or £9.99 as an e-book.
Copies can be ordered from Sacristy Press at www.sacristy.co.uk/book/durham-guidebook.
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