The market town of Chester-le-Street was once a Roman settlement and is situated ten miles from Newcastle and eight miles from Durham.

Chester-le-Street market began in the late nineteenth century. Market day was, and still is, on a Friday and was built over the Cong Burn in 1955.

The River Wear meanders through the town and is a passage from Durham to Sunderland. The Riverside Park was opened in the thirties and has remained a popular recreational area ever since.

Mining is common in the history of Chester-le-Street and the surrounding areas, such as Sacriston, Lumley, Waldridge and Pelton Fell. The town has provided a centre for local mining communities.

Many local men in the 1850s were skilled craftsmen, working as blacksmiths, shoemakers and tailors. Murray Engineering Works provided jobs for nearly 200 men.

Locals may remember Horner’s sweet factory, which made the internationally famous Dainty Dinah toffee in 1911.