BROADCASTER and author John Grundy gave a keynote speech on the history of a town on Saturday.

Tees Archaeology’s annual day school, held at the Arc centre, in Stockton, explored the history of the town from medieval times to the 19th Century, including the impact of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

There were six talks, with historic buildings expert Mr Grundy, who has worked for Tyne Tees and the BBC, leading the speakers.

Robin Daniels, archaeology officer for the Tees Archaeology group, said: “Stockton was a medieval port and town with its very own castle.

“At the beginning of the 18th Century it was transformed into one of the finest towns of the period in the North of England, and in the 19th Century it was transformed again with the arrival of the railways.”