Faking it in Shildon - how the fur flew in a railway town thenorthernecho.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thenorthernecho.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
SHILDON is not renowned for its glamour or for its exotic luxury. If it has fame, it is for being the cradle of the railways, the crib of heavy industry, so if it were to be associated with an item of clothing, it would surely be the miner s overall or the railwayman s donkey jacket, made dirty through the sweat of years of honest labouring. Yet until 30 years ago, Shildon was famed throughout the Eastern Bloc for producing the finest, most luxurious, fur coats. Whenever a Communist was cold, he reached for his Shildon fake fur coat, made from bri-nylon furleen , and promoted by Lionel Blair, the king of camp.