The phrase "a long time held" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that has been maintained or kept for an extended period.
Example: "The tradition of storytelling is a long time held practice in many cultures."
Alternatives: "long-standing" or "deeply rooted".
The child was housed inside me for a long time, held still in water, his limbs floating on a screen, fingerprints intricate as aerial maps.
The shoot takes a long time, held up for a while as Campbell has business calls to make, and then because she is less than happy with the aesthetic of the pictures, and has to call in some of her personal team.
Juan Carlos has for a long time held a special place in the affections of the Spanish public, having played a key role in helping the country make its transition to democracy after the death of the former dictator, General Francisco Franco, in 1975.
Stevenson: I had, for a long time, held a personal goal that I would like to join a board.
I loved both of them, and for a long time held a rather naive view that Apple couldn't do much wrong.
Leading Dutch social network, Hyves, which for a long time held out against the encroachment of Facebook, is selling the entire company to Dutch media group TMG Telegraaf Media Groepp) for an undisclosed sum.
[cartoon id= a17525_RD"] They walked through the streets for a long time, holding hands, or with their arms around each other's waist.
At the opening, which I did not attend, the artist stood silent, eyes closed, for a long time, holding a large, clenched fist cast from white plaster in her hands.
Joypads have been ungainly multi-pad multi-button affairs for a long time, holding on to legacy features like D-pads long past their sell-by date.
But it has developed substitutes: "quantitative easing" (the purchase of bonds with newly created money) and "forward guidance" (promises to keep rates at zero for a long time) have held down long-term rates.
For a long time, I held this thought.
