The construction of Monkton Cokeworks on the outskirts of Hebburn in the mid 1930s was a well-intentioned project.
Built on former farmland, the sprawling complex provided work for hundreds of men at a time of mass unemployment as the Great Depression wreaked economic havoc around the world, and especially on Tyneside where it spawned the 1936 Jarrow Crusade. But over time, the plant became universally regarded as a giant blot on the landscape, pumping out continuous smoke and grime and becoming a major environmental and health issue for those who lived nearby.
A newly-published book, Clean Air , tells the story of the rise of everyday housewife Jennie Shearan to campaigning environmentalist. It was written by her grandson, Gianfranco Rosolia, who was born and raised on Tyneside, but currently lives in Los Angeles.
