A Pony and Trap was used to transport people between the church at Dalton-le-dale and Dawdon Dene. The cost of this service was 2d return, however, if money was not available, bartering took place with anything from rabbits to jam jars.
As many as two dozen traps were engaged to transport passengers through the Dene, with a break for a drink of water for the horse just before Dalton Towers. The original church horse trough can still be seen today, below the Horse - Chestnut tree, it was discovered in 1997 when the church wall was undergoing repairs.
The driver of the trap is believed to be Mr. John Alexander Chapman, originally from the tin mines in Cornwall. Some of the original drivers included Albert Graham, Plumper Wilkinson, Jack Littlewood, Andrew Burdess and Willie Lamb from the village. People would travel from Murton and Dalton-le-dale to the Dene, now Seaham Park, and walk the remaining journey to Seaham Harbour.