Industry:

The main industry was coal mining. Every village in the area had its pit. Had coal not been found the villages would not have existed. Railways played their part not only in transporting the coal but also providing passenger transport into Durham

The photograph was taken from Esh Winning, further up the valley. Esh Winning was another village built on coal. The car in the middle distance may give a clue as to the decade in which the photograph was taken.