Why is there a sword in a stone in County Durham?

The puzzle of how a sword in a stone emerged on a nature trail has been solved after its creator spoke out.

The attraction has sat on the corner of a footpath in Dawdon, near Seaham, County Durham, for about three years.

The stone's existence was not common knowledge but a photo of it sparked curiosity on social media as people tried to guess its location.

However, it turned out the object's appearance was not shrouded in mystery - it was made by former miner Desmond Consitt using steel, wood and.... a golf ball.

"I wanted to try and create this fantasy world up there," said Consitt. "It's quite a memory when they're coming away."

Gerald Hirst, 69, who shared a photograph of the stone on Facebook, said he was "quite surprised" when he saw it.

"Nobody knew where it was. It made a lot of people think," the Crook resident said.

"I grew up with stories and fables of King Arthur and the round table. It takes you back."

Consitt said the idea was prompted by childhood recollections of playing outside with friends and pretending to be knights.

"It's mainly born out of wanting kids to get back to try and use their imagination instead of somebody just feeding them stuff all the time," he said.

"It's quite fun watching the kids climbing on the stone trying to pull it out."

The conservationist, who is trained as a dry stone waller, said he ground a piece of steel and attached wood to it to make the sword.

A golf ball was used to add shape to the handle.

The stone was dragged some 200m (655ft) to the site and the sword was fixed to it with hot lead.

"It's a funny focal point," Consitt said.

"I've noticed that there's more people talking about it and wanting to come and see it just out of curiosity.

"And that's what I like about it. That's what it's there for. It's there as a public facility."

Consitt chairs Greenscape Community Garden Association, which created the nature walk and said he hoped the trail could become a permanent community asset.

"I would like to think if I die, my ashes will get scattered up there and I'll still be able to watch them come around," the 65-year-old said.

He said he was also planning to make a castle to tie in with the stone.

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