In sharp contrast to the soft countryside scenes around Hartlepool, this painting shows the derelict remains of Middleton. An island in the middle of the dockyards, that at the height of the North-East’s industrialisation boasted three shipyards and two engineering works, it fell into decline after 1945.

This evening view, looking back through the darkness to the glow of the colliery in the background, is one which is surely emblazoned in the minds of generations of working class men in the North East. Coal was once the lifeblood of industry in the North East, and many families knew men who worked in the dangerous profession.

This lush, verdant painting shows a scene that can be witnessed all across Teesside, of miles of countryside nestled between rolling hills. Teesside may have the reputation of being a smoggy area, but it has always sat directly in the centre of four National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The Faverdale Wagon Works was opened in 1920 to build freight wagons for the North Eastern Railway. It was critical to Darlington, as it provided jobs and 200 homes for the workers and their families. Faverdale also hosted the celebrations for the centenary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the world’s first public railway to use steam locomotives.

One of the most impressive waterfalls in England, High Force lies within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The whole of the River Tees plunges seventy feet straight down into a gorge, creating a spectacular scene for those who choose to walk to the site. Although little is known about the artist, there are several works by him which depict the beautiful countryside around the North East, all painted at a time when the area was at the peak of industrialisation.

North Lodge Park, opened in 1903 and situated in the centre of Darlington, has always been used by the residents who live around it. This painting is from before it opened as a public park. The lake has its natural beauty, the boathouse is overgrown, and the bandstand has yet to be built. Hobson was a northern man who painted a few scenes of Darlington, though he appears to have died young at the age of 24.

This bridge, built in 1911, is an iconic Teesside symbol for the industrial history of Middlesbrough. Iron and steel dominated the industry of both Middlesbrough and the Teesside area from the 1840s, and Teesside became known as the iron-smelting centre of the world and was nicknamed ‘Ironopolis’. Teesside had also become one of the major steel centres in the country, and one of the largest worldwide. Like coal mining and the shipping industry, the iron and steelwork industries formed part of the lifeblood of the Tees Valley.

This painting, taken from the shipyard in the direction of the iron and steelworks in Middlesbrough, was painted by David Watson as a recollection of industry in Teesside. His works, which tend to mourn the loss of industry over the years, depict the lives of working class men from a time long gone. The smoke and fires visible in this painting are a familiar sight along the River Tees, even today.

Showing the Hinderwell Railway Sorting Office, this painting showcases another area of countryside near to Teesside, nestled in the North Yorkshire Moors just down the coast from Redcar and Cleveland.

A painting showing one of the early steam locomotives of the Stockton and Darlington Railway transporting coal down the railway line, with a horse-drawn carriage following behind it. Like Darlington, Stockton considers the railway an important development in its industrial history, with the original track-bed running through the town. However, also visible is the large swathes of countryside between Darlington and Stockton, which has changed little even nearly 200 years later.

Although not a countryside scene, this painting of the Clevo Flour Mill shows the River Tees in the 1960s. A far cry from the Industrial period, where its banks were filled with shipyards and launching docks, this painting shows the flour mill and what is likely some of their privately owned steamers for the transportation of goods. The Clevo Flour Mill was a familiar sight on the Tees until its demolition in 1970.