AN eight-week course exploring the region’s 17th Century history starts next week.

The adults education course Newcastle In The Seventeenth Century will look at the influence which the city had on the North East.

While Newcastle and its merchants profited from the coal trade, the miners of County Durham saw little of this prosperity.

The course will use them to find out about the different parts of Newcastle within the ancient walls, and to discover what mattered to people living there.

The course starts on Monday in the historic Alington House Community Centre, in Durham City and is led by Dr Dorothy Hamilton, who has been teaching local history in and around Durham since 1992.

Classes take place from 1.30pm to 3.45pm each Monday. For a brochure with prices, booking information and details of other local history courses, please telephone 0191-373 9252.