County Durham Strange but True

County Durham Strange but True gathers together a collection of unusual, curious and downright extraordinary events, people and phenomena from around the county. Included in these pages are the amazing achievements of Gertrude Bell, explorer, academic and diplomat, and the story of Durham’s musical dwarf, Count Joseph Boruwlaski, along with the history behind the imposing Greek-style Penshaw Monument, which dominates the landscape around Washington, Wainhope’s fossilised tree and the concrete ship on the River Wear.

The county is home to some obscure customs, such as the loving cup at Whitburn and Ushaw College’s traditional ball game, ‘cat’. Add to these the amazing tales of the mighty beasts reared by local stock breeders in the Darlington area, reports of fairies at Bishopston and legendary stories of monsters at large in the countryside, and you have all the ingredients for an off-beat view of County Durham’s peculiar past.