24 December 2013Last updated at 11:20

Durham exhibition celebrates 'golden age' of football

Image from 1895 when Middlesbrough beat the Old Carthusians.

An exhibition celebrating the "golden age" of amateur football in South West Durham is to go on display. Amateur Football and the Railways looks at the journey through 100 years of North East heritage, from the birth of the Northern League in 1889 to the last ever FA Amateur Cup Final in 1974.

Photo of Bishop Auckland's first winning team in 1896.

The exhibition concentrates on how travelling to football games was made possible by the existence of train services. Without trains, few would have been able to see their teams play. This photo is of Bishop Auckland's first winning team in 1896.

Bishop Auckland and Willington teams walk out at Wembley in 1950 in front of packed crowd.

In 1950, thousands of fans travelled to see Bishop Auckland and Willington play at Wembley Stadium. About 88,000 spectators saw Willington beat their local rivals 4-0 that day.

This photo is of Bishop Auckland player Bob Hardisty with the FA Amateur Cup in 1955. Dick Longstaff, Durham Amateur Football Trust secretary, said: "This era was very important in the post-war period and football played a great part in the social life of people - local teams were in almost every town and village and rivalry was intense but friendly."

Crowds at Bishop Auckland Market Place in April 1955 to welcome home the cup winners.

This photos shows crowds at Bishop Auckland Market Place in April 1955 greeting Willington players after their Wembley victory. Football and the Railways is on display at the Locomotion, the National Railway Museum at Shildon from 6 January to 7 February.

Tees

Durham exhibition celebrates 'golden age' of football

Share this page

Related Internet links

Services

About BBC News