Bring the history of County Durham to life through our collections.
Here at The Story, our five historic collections are brought together and form the basis for our unique and inspiring workshops.
Designed and delivered by our experienced team, our workshops cover topics across the National Curriculum and aim to help your class explore local and world history through our collection’s treasures.
When you visit us:
- You can take part in a workshop in our new learning studio.
- Discover the history of County Durham in our exhibitions and artefacts.
- Delve deeper into your exploration using our state-of-the-art digital facilities.
When we visit you:
- You can take part in a workshop in the comfort of your classroom.
- Discover the history of County Durham with our handling collection.
Contact us
Our Learning and Engagement team is always happy to talk about our education offer and potential projects; this could be over the phone, in person, or at larger gatherings such as cluster meetings.
Interested in Assemblies?
Want to know more about what happens at The Story? Why not book our free Careers assembly! Aimed at all key stages and achieving the Gatsby Benchmarks 2,4,5 and 6; we have a job for everyone here at The Story from Conservation to Catering. Why not find out a little more about them
Interested in something Bespoke?
If we don’t currently offer what you’re looking for please contact us via learning@thestorydurham.org and we’ll see what we can do for you and your class.
Bringing together our collections for the first time
Local Studies
Our Local Studies collection covers:
- Histories of the places and people of County Durham.
- Photographs, maps and artwork.
- Trade directories.
- Books written about, for and by the people and cultures of County Durham.
Archaeology
Our Archaeology collection covers:
- Rare and important discoveries relating to County Durham.
- Pottery, artefacts, spear and arrow heads, jewellery, carvings.
- Information of ancient monuments, excavations and historic buildings.
Historic Registration
Our Historic Registration collection can be used to uncover:
- Records of all births, marriages and deaths in County Durham since 1837.
- Stories of communities, relationships and connections between people.
- Information on how people lived, worked and died, as well as local tragedies and disasters.
County Durham Archives
Our County Durham Archive collection covers:
- Six miles of records spanning over 900 years of County Durham history.
- Records such as letters, diaries, maps, plans, deeds and charters.
- Thousands of photographs recording everyday life and big events.
- Durham Light Infantry archives and photographs.
The Durham Light Infantry Collection
Our Durham Light Infantry collection covers:
- Stories of the DLI and its soldiers from 1758.
- Oral histories from the First and Second World Wars.
- Objects such as equipment, uniforms, battlefield art, weapons and instruments.
- A vast medal collection including six original Victoria Crosses.
