THE proud steel-making heritage of a County Durham community has been celebrated in a new book.

Douglas Vernon, 84, who was employed at British Steel's Consett Works for 25 years, has published Thread of Iron.

The book looks at the history of Shotley Bridge and the area around it, spanning nearly 2,000 years, from iron production after the Roman invasion, through the famous German sword-makers of the 1700s, to the closure of the works in 1980.

For the first time in general print, readers can see both Operation Conquest, the plan to save the Consett Works, along side British Steel's case for its closure.

"I thought the people of Consett and all the good men who worked here for 150 years deserved their story telling," said Mr Vernon.

Iron working in Shotley Bridge dates back almost 2,000 years. Slag from iron ore used in Roman times has been found in the village on the banks of the Derwent.

Archaeologists in the 19th Century also discovered a furnace at the nearby Roman fort of Longovicum, present day Lanchester.

But Shotley Bridge really came to prominence in the late 1600s, with the arrival of German sword-makers - sought after for their skills at producing hollow blades.

The Hollow Sword Blade Company was founded in 1690 and received a Royal Charter in 1691. All weapons made at the works were engraved with its symbol, a running fox.

Mr Vernon, who lives in the village, also dispels the myth that the craftsmen were early asylum seekers, who fled to the North-East from religious persecution in Germany.

"This theory of them fleeing religious persecution is wrong - there is no evidence to support it," he said.

"They came here for economic reasons and had several agents who facilitated the move, including one in Newcastle."

The last of the German sword-makers was Joseph Oley, who died in 1896 and was buried in Ebchester churchyard. His descendants still live in the Consett area.

The book is available by mail order. For further details, visit the website, www.threadofiron.co.uk