Sunderland author's book has a tale from every Metro station

The Metro system provides the backdrop for a new book about the region called Metroland.

Subtitled "The people, places and history encountered via the Tyne & Wear Metro", the book is a piece of North East travel writing, specifically the parts reached by the Metro.

Using the 60 stations on the system as the basis for each chapter, Sunderland author Keith Watson mixes his observations with recent and more traditional history, sport and humour.

He also draws upon personal experiences and memories. He was born in Sunderland, brought up in Washington, taught in Newcastle and had one set of grandparents on Wearside and the other on Tyneside.

During his trip around the Metro network, Keith delves into the past with the Venerable Bede and William the Conqueror, discovers Monkseaton's "intriguing" lamps and remembers when Look North's Dawn Thewlis threw a bucket of cold water over him.

The author and journalist also recalls hitting his brother on the head with "a well-struck pitch and putt shot", and looks back at the careers of world class athletes Steve Cram and Brendan Foster.

Keith said: "I visited each Metro station and walked around the surrounding areas. In addition to what I saw, I also researched the history of each area, mediaeval and more modern.

"Some chapters have more obvious points of discussion, such as the city centre stations of Newcastle and Sunderland or the other large built-up areas.

“But even the quieter stations have some interesting social history to uncover and, because I am writing about the area I grew up in, there are also plenty of personal memories to embellish the narrative.

"First and foremost, the book is framed around the Metro stations, but it is also about the people, places and history of the area.

"I’m not a historian or a sociologist, a political aficionado or an architectural expert, I’m a newspaper sports sub-editor by trade, so this book is not intended to be an in-depth dive into particular topics and is simply a snapshot in time, not an exhaustive study.

"I'd like to think I'm reasonably well-placed to write about the whole region."

Metroland: The People, Places and History Encountered Via the Tyne & Wear Metro is available to order from A Love Supreme, priced £10.