WORK on an £800,000 project to recreate a park's pre-war heyday has begun.

The cash boost for Hackworth Park in Shildon should give the Victorian grounds a new lease of life.

As part of the project, the fountain, Timothy Hackworth memorial and bandstand will be restored, and trees planted.

Later, nearby parks and greens may be joined to the park. By the time the work has finished in 2003, it could be four times its present size.

Shildon Town Council clerk Tom Toward said one of the first jobs contractors were working on was replacing the park railings that were removed in 1941.

Then, they were smelted down to provide metal for the war effort.

Mr Toward said: "All the walls and iron railings and gates are being renewed, because everyone was asking for the railings to go back up. Everything is going to go back as it was pre-war.

He said that paths would be resurfaced and trees planted.

"There's a whole range of things going on."

Another major part of the redevelopment, which is due to start next year, will be restoring the miners' rest house.

The house will be dismantled brick by brick and restored, with a £47,000 extension, new toilets and disabled access.

Kathy Austen, of Groundwork East Durham, the group managing the park redevelopment, said: "The rest house was originally built as a reading room but, unfortunately, it is in quite a state of disrepair.

"Community groups will be able to use the facility in return for being involved in the management of Hackworth Park."

There are also plans to create a skateboard park on the site. Money for the restoration for the rest of the park has come from the Heritage Lottery, Single Regeneration Budget funds and other bodies.