Shotley Bridge is the place where steel-making started in this region. It became a spa town, and its prosperity has a legacy in many fine houses that survive. One of them, originally a swordmaking warehouse, is now the Crown & Crossed Swords, near the A68 and a short distance from Consett. Run by the same family for 50 years, the pub has a delightful traditional bar, an upstairs restaurant and 10 good-sized bedrooms for B&B guests.