Friday 23rd October 2026 – Christine Ruskin, author of “The Disappearing Farms of Weardale” showed a video presentation, discussions afterwards on why the farms are now left and there was the opportunity to purchase her books as well as signed copies.
Sixteen years ago, Christine stood in the garden of her cottage, looking out across the Weardale landscape. Scattered across the dale were the ruins of old farms, quiet reminders of the families, communities and way of life that once shaped this remote corner of the Durham Dales. That moment sparked what became an almost obsessive journey to find, research and document these disappearing buildings and, most importantly, the stories of the people who once called them home, before they were lost forever.
What began with curiosity grew into nearly two decades of dedication and research. Christine has now documented more than 170 farms, uncovering the lives, families and histories hidden within the landscape. That remarkable journey became “The Disappearing Farms of Weardale” a record of places that might otherwise have slipped quietly from memory.
The third edition has now been released and brings together the stories of these forgotten and vanishing farms, offering a fascinating glimpse into a way of life that once defined the dale and whose echoes can still be found in the landscape today. It is more than a book about old buildings. It is a story about people, place, memory and the changing face of Weardale and an extraordinary testament to one woman’s determination to make sure these stories are not forgotten.
Attachment – October2026.jpg
Friday 18th September 2026 – Lyn Alderson, who grew up in the village between the 1960s and 1980s and lived on Hamilton Row. Lyn shared her personal family memories of village life and talked about the dissertation she carried out for her Geography degree. See attached presentation and a digital copy of her Dissertation.
Attachments – Waterhouses History Society – Waterhouses Decline of a Mining Village.pptx
Digital copy of Lyn’s dissertation WATERHOUSESDISSERTATION1988.pdf
Friday 21st August 2026 – John Kotre – John gave a presentation and showed a video on the decline of the Durham pit villages: Geography and the view from the South. The Youtube video showed Witton Park in County Durham and Planning Department at the local Council.
Friday 24th July 2026 – At the first meeting of our new Local History Group we asked people to bring along old photographs, documents, maps, or memories that they wanted to share. John Kotre spoke about the new Group and what to expect in future meetings. Andy Smith showed a presentation of photographs found on the Internet and from his personal collection. Everyone discussed their memories of the buildings shown in the presentation.
These images were shown on the attached PowerPoint.