Discover amazing history during village-wide treasure hunt trail

A treasure hunt has been launched to look at the ‘amazing’ history of an East Durham village.

And people still have time to enjoy the trail which takes themaroundthehomes,shops and community hubs of Blackhall.

If that’s not enough, an outdoor exhibition has also startedinthevillageanditwillbeon show until Sunday.

It is all part of a project which aims to get people involved in the arts.

AgroupcalledEastDurham CreatesjoinedforceswithDurham University in 2020, for a project called Street Gallery.

It first started in Dawdon and encouraged local people tocuratetheirownexhibitions and turn the windows of their homes into a gallery.

Now the project has returned but this time in Blackhall and with the name of Street Museum.

Street Museum is all about bringing objects which are normally seen in museums into people’s homes, businesses andcommunityspaces.Organisers have worked in Blackhall since last October and have come up with an outdoor exhibition where 3D printed history objects appear in the windows of homes, shops and community hubs.

The project also involves a

treasure hunt which weaves thousands of years of history into everyday places and spaces with the spirit of their community at its core.

Alison Paterson, Manager of Blackhall Community Centre said: “It has been a truly

amazing project and exceeded our expectations. So many people have learned so much about ancient history, both local and far afield.”

Jess Hunt, Director of East Durham Creates said, “This project has been communitydriven

and an opportunity for people in East Durham to connect with the fantastic collections of the University right on their doorsteps.”

Liz Waller, Director of Libraries and Collections at Durham University said this was the ‘first of many really innovative projects.”

For more information and the full map visit http://eastdurhamcreates.co.uk/streetmuseum/

Treasure hunt maps are available for collection from

Blackhall Community Centre. Participants can explore the village, uncover the story and find all of the objects to collect a prize. Taking part is free.

Find out more by ringing the Community Centre on (0191) 5867396.

Some of the people who have taken part in the Blackhall Street Museum project. Photo: Alan Sill Photography.

People taking part in the Blackhall Street Museum and treasure hunt. Photo: Alan Sill Photography.

Taking part in the village-wide Street Museum project. Photo: Alan Sill Photography.