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Consett

Steel-making first started in this area of County Durham at Shotley Bridge, when craftsmen from Germany set up their furnaces in the 17th century and began making swords and cutlery. When the railway came here to serve the local iron works and surrounding collieries in the 19th century, Shotley Bridge began to develop something of a reputation as a spa town, and its popularity as such is evident from the many fine houses to be seen here, such as Dial House.

Steel-making on a grand scale began in Consett in 1840, when the Derwent Iron Company built two blast furnaces. By 1890 over 7,500 people were employed in the industry, and over 1 million tonnes of steel were being produced. In the late 1960s, 6,000 people were still employed in the steelworks, though this wasn’t to last. The demand for steel dropped, and in 1980 the works closed forever.

Terris Novalis by Tony Cragg is two mammoth engineering tools, a theodolite and an engineer’s level which are 20 times the scale of the original instruments. Made of stainless steel, the instruments sit on giant animal feet supports. The sculptures are located on what was once the site of the largest steelworks in Europe and they are widely viewed locally as a fitting monument and landmark to the steel industry which was once synonymous with Consett.

Land reclamation schemes have smartened up the area where the steelworks once stood, and its attendant spoil heaps have made way for green hillocks dotted with young trees. The countryside outside the town has some interesting places to visit.

A redundant railway line north of the town is linked to The Derwent Walk Country Park. The park covers 425 acres of woodland and riverside meadow, and the Derwent Walk itself is the track bed of the old Derwent Valley Railway between Consett and Swalwell. The main walk is 11 miles long, and suitable also for cycles, horses and wheelchairs. It gives access to a number of paths which include nature trails, the South Tyne Cycleway and the Heritage Way. Swalwell Visitor Centre, situated at the northern end of the Derwent Walk, is the starting point for a history trail and has a large pond and butterfly garden. There is another visitor’s centre at Thornley Woodlands.

To the south of the town is Hownsgill Viaduct, constructed in 1857 to take the track of the Stanhope and Tyne Railway. Visitors can now walk across it, and there are some spectacular views.