Is a small Township situated in an area of fringe moor land, on the eastern approaches to the Pennine Hills in the west of County Durham, some 10 miles from Durham City and intersected by the main A68 road. Despite its unpromising location – the town being at more than 1,000 feet above sea level on an exposed site - its growth during the last century had been rapid. In 1841 only one building stood in the locality, called Tow Law House, but by 1851 the population of the town stood at almost 2,000. By the early 1870’s the population had reached 4,968 reaching a peak in 1881 of 5,005 inhabitants.

The founding architect of this growth was one Charles Attwood who in 1845 established an Iron Works near to this solitary house to take advantage of the Iron Ore to be found in upper Weardale and of the coal reserves in and around Tow Law.

Six blast furnaces were erected for the smelting of the ironstone and the firm became known as "Weardale Iron and Coal Company". A large Colliery was sunk a little to the north of the area to which the Company gave the name ‘Black Prince’. Other mines were quickly sunk and took the names of Royal George, Old Thornley, Hedley Hope and West Edward. A number of these Collieries had Coke-ovens and Brick works attached.

It’s of passing interest to note that the merchant-banking house of Baring Brothers financed the expansion of the Tow Law Iron Works.

By 1860 Inkerman and West Thornley Collieries had begun, both having coke works attached. With such a large amount of coal near the surface several drift mines were also in production.

One purpose of the industrial venture at Tow Law was to manufacture rails and chairs for the Railways, which were being constructed at that time, and particularly for those projected in America. Thomas Baring while visiting North America in 1852 commended the products of the Weardale Iron and Coal Company to ironmasters in New England, but with so much promise and so much sound finance behind the venture it is sad to relate that it did not prosper.

The demise of the Tow Law Iron Works was complete by the year 1882 with all of the Iron and Steel products now being produced by the Weardale Iron and Coal Company at their Tudhoe works at near Spennymoore. The company continued with their mining interests, Black Prince Colliery continued intermittently until the early 1920’s, and West Thornley until the 1932. At the peak of prosperity Black Prince employed over 600 men working four coal seams and over 1,000 men were employed at the Ironworks. The last deep mine in the town ‘Inkerman’ closed in 1969.

It is interesting to recall that during the Crimean War of 1853 cannon balls used in that conflict were made from Tow Law Iron, and the small hamlet to the east of the town called Inkerman takes its name from the battle of Inkerman.

While the Weardale Iron and Coal Company rose and fell, it fell to a Mr. Joseph Bond to carry on iron making in the town. He had the enterprise to establish his Castle Foundry and Patent Steel Work’s in 1868, and indeed Bond’s Foundry Company is still here today. So too are the steel works of George Blair and Company, founded in 1941 just to the north of Tow Law. Both are less pretentious that the undertakings of the Weardale Company but have continued to give work. The Banks Group of Land Mineral Estate Developers formed in 1976 have also been a source of employment in the town.

The railway, under the Stockton and Darlington Railway Company, was one of the first developments in Tow Law. The line lead from Crook and Bishop Auckland in one direction and Consett in the other. The railway-line to Consett carried its last passengers in 1957. In the early 1960’s passenger traffic to Crook and Bishop Auckland ceased. The railway finally closed in 1965, the line and buildings removed and Alpine Way Estate built on the site of the station and sidings.

The rapid growth in population from 1845, when prosperity rose steadily, was accompanied by the customary developments of Victorian Society. Housing spread up the hill from the Ironworks and along both sides of the A68 road, running north towards Scotland. This road had been used previously as an old Drovers Road.

Local Government began by the formation of a Local Board on the 27^th October 1863 with nine members, holding it’s first meeting in the Mechanics Hall. It dealt with such issues as sanitation, road making, street lighting and nuisance abatement, to mention but a few of its functions. It took over the gas works in 1887. With the passing of the Local Government Act of 1972 Tow Law became a part of Wear Valley District, but still retains its Town Council.

In 1911 six stone-built cottages were erected under the auspices of the Durham Aged Mineworkers Association, now called Dale View. In 1937 both Weardale Crescent and Coronation Avenue were completed, followed in the early 1950’s by Deerness Estate and Attlee Estate. By the end of the 1960’s the housing projects of Alpine Way, Pennine View and Baring Court (called after Baring Brothers) had been built by Tow Law Urban District Council.

Religious Groups became established in the town from the very early days, for in those days the denominations were separated by wider and deeper cleavages than is the case today. First in the town was the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, dating from 1845, this was continue until 1988 when through falling attendance’s it was closed. The Primitive Methodist Chapel opened in 1846 and continued until 1965, when due to old underground working became unsafe and had to be demolished.

The English Presbyterians constructed their Church and Manse in Bridge Street in 1863, but this was closed in 1985 and is now converted into dwellings.

The Rector of Thornley Parish ministered to the Anglicans until 1862 when the Rev. Michael Henry Simpson, Curate of Thornley, was appointed to minister to the people of Tow Law. Bishop Charles Baring consecrated the Church of St. Philip and James on 24th July 1869.

In 1875 St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church was built at the top of Castle Bank. This also had a school and Convent attached ran by the Sisters of Mercy until 1927. A new Roman Catholic school was built in 1988 at the end of Smith Street.

The Salvation Army began in Tow Law in 1883, holding it’s first meetings in a tent on the Tow Law Fell. It progressed from there to Campbell Street, then on to Inkerman. In 1884, the Corps moved into a hall at the bottom of Castle Bank now closed this hall forms part of Bond’s Foundry.

Schools appeared the Roman Catholic, mentioned already, was staffed by the nuns of the Convent. In addition a National School was built in 1849 in Wear Street this building was burnt down in 1953, and replaced by a new one. At the present time a new Junior School is under construction to replace this school. A Church of England school was built at Dan’s Castle in 1847. Unfortunately this too was burned down in 1959 and was not replaced.

Other accompaniments of community life came in a steady flow; in 1857 a Mechanics Institute was built, by 1900 46 Inns and Beer house existed in the town, two banks, two doctors, a solicitor and a chemist. There was also a Post Office, Co-operative stores and a flourishing Cattle Mart established in 1882. The Police Station some little distance from the township at Helm Park.

Tow Law’s Annual Horse Races were held on the last Monday in May in the Mart Field, now the site of Deerness Estate. The last race took place in 1947.

Tow Law Football Club had been started and they were winners of the Durham Senior Cup for 1906-7. In 1920 the club was elected to the Northern League and won the cup in 1923-4 and again 1924-5. They even appeared at Wembley in May 1998 in the finals of the of Carlsberg F.A Vase final, sadly loosing to Tiverton Town.

The Tow Law Lodge of Freemasons was consecrated in the Mechanics Institute, on 27^th March 1909 followed shortly afterwards by the first Regular Meetings in the new premises in Bridge Street. There are now two Lodge’s in the Town, Tow Law and Beacon.

By 1923 Tow Law Workmen’s Club and Institute had become well established, providing many social functions for its members as it still dose today. We still have an annual Leek Club held in the club each September. Up to the first War Tow Law had a Flower Show held on the first Saturday in August in the Mart Field. It was famous throughout the North of England with its slogan ‘Come Where the Heather Blooms’, special trains were put on to bring people to see the exhibits from all over the North.

One of Tow Law most famous inhabitants the Rev. Thomas Henry Espinal Compton Espin, not just because of his name, but for his expertise in the fields of astronomy and geology. He had an Observatory built in 1888 close to St. Philip and James Church where he specialised in the detection of double stars. He used a large 24" telescope, which is still in use to day at Close House Newcastle. The Rev. Espin died in 1934.

The twentieth century has not dealt kindly with Tow Law. The town did not immediately decline, but was never to exceed its population peak of 5,005 inhabitants. Its collieries started to close from the early 1920’s with closure of Black Prince. The following decade saw the closure of West Thornley. East Hedley Hope closed in 1958 and Inkerman was the last to close in 1969. The only coal mining activity in the area now is open casting and even that is now reaching its end in the immediate vicinity of Tow Law. The last reminders of Tow Law’s coal mining past are the few ruined beehive coke ovens at Inkerman.

The variety of shops has gone as have the majority of public house. In the period 1970-79 40% of the buildings of Tow Law were demolished and between 1871 and 1981, the population declined by 12.5%. In 1981, with only 2,300 inhabitants, Tow law was less than half the size it was in 1881. The last ten years has seen this decline halted with only a few buildings lost and some limited housing development. Tow Law will never again be the hive of activity it was in Attwood’s time but it remembers its past with pride and look forward to its future, whatever it mat be, with confidence.