Q: BBC2 programme on the Victorians made mention of the first steel-framed buildings in the world being erected at West Hartlepool in 1896. Which building was this? - Peter Elliott, Eaglescliffe.

A: The building you mention was built in 1896 by Basil Scott of Redpath Brown. I know that the architect believed it to be the first completely steel-framed building in Britain, but I cannot confirm that it was the first in the world. My understanding is that skeletal steel frameworks had been developed in the US around 1890 for the construction of very tall buildings, so it may be that buildings of this kind had been constructed before 1896.

The building in question was a furniture warehouse called Robinsons and was situated in Lynn Street, not far from where the Middleton Grange shopping centre stands today. I am afraid I have been unable to find out when this building was demolished.

It is not altogether surprising that a building of this kind should have been built in the North-East. Steel-making was an important industry in the Teesside area and firms like Dorman Long and Redpath Brown were among the first to build steel beams for use in the construction of buildings. Thanks to Maureen Dickinson of Hartlepool Borough Library for her help with this question.

Q: What is the origin of the name Arsenal? - A.Jones, Bridlington.

A: AN arsenal is a store of weapons, often established by the government. The word arsenal derives from an obsolete French word arsenal and an Italian word arzanale.

Arsenal Football Club takes its name from a famous gun depot at Woolwich in east London, where many of the original players were employed. This famous gun depot had a long history dating back to the reign of Elizabeth I and, in 1716, became the headquarters of the Royal Artillery.

Arsenal Football Club can trace its origins back to 1886. The team was originally known as Dial Square after one of the Royal Arsenal workshops.

On Christmas Day 1886, the club was renamed Royal Arsenal and, from 1886 to 1913, played at four different locations - all of which were in the Plumstead area of East London.

In 1891 the team turned professional and was renamed Woolwich Arsenal, but strangely, it never actually played in Woolwich. In 1913 the club moved to Highbury, in North London, where it is based to this day.

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Published: November 26, 2001