Stretching almost 40 miles between the rivers Derwent, Tyne and Tees, and contained roughly by the Pennines to the west and the North Sea on the east, County Durham has retained a unique sense of identity and independence. For many centuries it was indeed a place apart, a territorial buffer against invading Scots. A sense of belonging and collective pride was born there and continued afterwards in the close-knit communities of the region’s more recent industrial past. Encompassing three great rivers, the Tyne, Wear and Tees, it has a landscape of great contrast and variety, a dramatic coastline, rugged moorland, dales and fells and the historic city of Durham. As well as age-old churches and castles, industrial monuments and museums, historic towns and villages, the region boasts world-class art and architecture and has a lively cultural scene.

50 Gems of County Durham explores the many places and their history that make this part of the country so special, including natural features, towns and villages, buildings and places of historical interest. Alongside justly famous attractions, others will be relatively unknown, but all have an interesting story to tell.