MORE and more people are becoming interested in local history and find collections of past papers, maps and records fascinating.

But too many realise too late that they have let their own family contributions to past history be thrown away.

An organisation seeking to prevent this is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.

The Fitzhugh library, situated at Bowlees visitor centre in upper Teesdale, was founded and registered as a charity in 1990 to maintain and expand on an existing collection of local studies material relating to the county of Durham as it existed before reorganisation in 1974.

Trustee Mr Denis Coggins said the library, which houses in excess of 8,000 items, including books, periodicals, maps, newspapers and cuttings, was started with a private collection which has kept being added to.

The original donor has always wished to remain anonymous, so the library was called after the Fitzhugh family, who were medieval landowners on the south side of the River Tees, opposite the visitor centre.

The collection is housed in an upstairs room at the centre by arrangement with Durham wildlife trust. But as more and more ephemera is added to the collection, Mr Coggins said it was outgrowing the space available, although they had always been grateful for the use of the premises.

"We are in the process of exploring the idea of larger premises in which we will be able to cater for disabled people," he added. "We would like to make it more accessible as a reference library and to open extra, regular hours rather than by request."

Although everything is card indexed for easy reference, the trustees are currently putting the index on to a computer.

The library is a fascinating place to while away an afternoon, as many who have popped their head up the stairs for a minute or two, only to be there hours later, will attest.

Mrs Doreen Collinson, who looks after the visitor centre as well as admitting people to the library, agrees. "I often pop up in a quiet moment and can get side-tracked by something fascinating and totally lose myself in it," she said.

The first book in the collection is A Guide to the Coasts of Durham and Northumberland, published in 1851. But there are many later publications which catch the eye of those fascinated with the written word.

The Zigzag Ramblings of a Naturalist, published in 1898, mentions many local places including the Low Coniscliffe gravel beds and Bolam and the Whin Dyke. The author, R T Manson, is pictured at Bulmer's Stone in Darlington in 1891. Also mentioned are ponds situated between Darlington and Croft, known for 700 years as Hell Kettles.

There is a copy of the Handy Guide Series to Teesdale, priced 7d, by C P Nicholson of Darlington and Teesdale naturalists' field club. It was printed and published at The Northern Echo printing works at Freeman's Place in Darlington and features most villages between Gainford and Middleton in Teesdale.

The collection also contains a 1934 guidebook to the Bowes museum, priced at 6d.

An abstract of accounts from the borough of Stockton, published in 1894, gives a flavour of what life was like in the town in those days. Monies paid to the fever hospital included £6 3s for the "removal" of patients, £50 for the half year salary of one Dr J H Clegg, £55 16s 2d for coal, coke and firewood and £14 17s 10d for spirits and mineral waters, though it is not clear whether they were for staff or patients.

Another fascinating book in the collection is that cataloguing the life of Lady Fry of Darlington - the former Sophia Pease, daughter of John Pease of Eastmount Road. She was born in 1837 and the book telling of her life was published in 1898.

In 1882 she set herself the task of collecting funds for the building of a large hospital in Darlington. She succeeded in raising £10,000, a fantastic sum in those days, and saw the hospital built two years later.

She helped establish a kitchen for starving families when some of the steel works in the town closed, creating a revolutionary agreement that women should cook there on weekdays but should rest on Sundays, letting their husbands cook for them.

In 1880 her husband became the town's Liberal MP and she was one of his staunchest supporters. On March 19, 1897, she addressed the members of Barnard Castle women's Liberal association, one of the last public meetings she would attend before her death the following month.

Other well-thumbed tomes include the Poems and Songs of Teesdale by Richard Watson. It is not a first edition but was published by Dressers in 1930. Mr Coggins believes an earlier edition was at one time in Mickleton subscription Sunday school library.

The Rise and Fall of the Quaker Pease Dynasty of North East England 1700-1943 by M W Kirby, features one of the best-known Darlington families.

One could go on all day about the fascinating material to be found among the items, but the collection is certainly one of the richest sources of County Durham material in the area. Mr Coggins' own favourite and the item which interests him most is the parish magazine of Laithkirk, 1869-70, which has the title The Lord Fitzhugh and his Neighbour the Lord Baliol.

As well as Mr Coggins, other trustees include the former Bishop of Durham, Dr David Jenkins, Mrs Jane Walker and Mr David Redfearn.

Mr Coggins said although the collection was forever increasing they did require people to give books they did not want. "We would much rather save them as have them destroyed," he added. "We will take any of County Durham on any subject."

He would ideally like to see the library gain a regular income, possibly through an endowment. "About £500 a year would do nicely," he said.

The library, which has the motto Saving our Yesterdays for Tomorrow, is open by appointment only at the moment, and anyone wishing to use the facilities can give Mrs Collinson a call at the visitor centre on Teesdale 622292