THE future of a historic landmark which inspired one of the greatest poets of the 20th Century has been secured after vital restoration work was carried out.

The Bolt’s Law Incline Engine House, near Rookhope, in Weardale, was the setting for WH Auden’s poem New Year Letter, which he published in 1940.

Auden, who visited Weardale in the 1920s, is most famous for his poem, Funeral Blues, which was featured in the 1994 film Four Weddings and a Funeral.

The engine house, built in 1846 by the Weardale Iron Company, is a legacy of the area’s mining history and a survivor of the railway industry in County Durham. Located at the top of a long slope, the building once housed a steam-driven engine that hauled wagons full of iron ore, lead and limestone for more than a mile up and down the hillside.

Disused since the 1920s, the building has fallen into disrepair and, to prevent further damage, Natural England started consolidation work after an agreement was secured with the owner of the site.

The restoration project was recently finished and local groups, such as The Friends of the North Pennines, were invited to view the completed work.

Tom Gledhill, from Natural England, said: “Through this work an important example of the industrial heritage of the North Pennines, and one that also has important literary connections, has been saved from further dereliction.

“This work wouldn’t have been possible without the support and interest of the local community and the skills of all the partners involved.”

A recession in iron mining, and the closure of the Tow Law and Tudhoe ironworks, made the line uneconomic and it eventually closed in 1923.

The tracks stayed until 1943 when they were taken away for war salvage. Today, the site serves as a landmark for cyclists on the coast to coast route and will remain part of Weardale’s heritage for years to come.