A CHRONICLE of the life and times of a once thriving Durham pit village has gone on sale.

Dipton Remembered recounts the history of the community through its pubs and shops, churches, sports teams and youth groups.

It is the result of a collaboration between Derwentside historians Jack Hair and Hylton Marrs.

Mr Hair said: "It happened by chance, really. I was researching a book on Annfield Plain and district and all these pictures of Dipton kept coming in. When Hylton offered me 50 pictures of Dipton, I asked if he would like to come in as co-author.

"I didn't know how well it would go down, coming out so soon after the book on Annfield Plain, but it is going down very well."

The name Dipton comes literally from "Deep Dene" and the village was also known as Collierley, due to the rich seams of coal discovered there. This name is still attached to the parish and the local school.

The village owes its existence to coal mining.

It was one of the first areas in the district to transport coal to the Tyne and Wear, done in the early days along primitive wagonways that crossed the countryside.

The book is the latest in a series of half a dozen histories of Derwentside by Mr Hair.

The Stanley historian said it could be his last, adding: "That is pretty much the whole area covered now - this book has rounded it all off."

Mr Hair has been putting the emphasis on more recent times.

He said: "The last couple of books have come a bit more up to date.

"You cannot keep writing about the 18 and 1900 because nobody remembers those times any more.

"There is a lot more of the 1940s, 50s and 60s in this one, so the generation of people in their fifties and sixties will identify with it."