New Book Article: The Eltringham Flint

The latest (and final) teaser for my latest book, The Great North-East: An English History Tour, vol.4, concerns a fascinating little fact I picked up on a recent visit to Newcastle's Great North Museum: Hancock. It's things like this that I just love, and I was totally ignorant of this priceless piece of information until I casually peered into the display case in question. It is the shortest article in the entire book, but is, perhaps, my favourite!

[Remember that all profits from this series of books go to charity (the Great North Children's Hospital), so do consider indulging yourself. Paperback and eBook versions are available]

This extraordinary relic is known as the Eltringham Flint, and was found on the south bank of the Tyne near Prudhoe as recently as 1994. This small ‘backed blade’ (meaning that one edge is blunted) is, believe it or not, the oldest man-made object so far discovered in the North-East of England – and confirms that humans were pottering about in these parts as long as 10,000-13,000 years ago.

New Book Article: The Tide Stone

My latest book, The Great North-East: An English History Tour, vol.4, was released recently, and I thought it a good idea to try to tempt you into buying it by releasing a few articles from the same. Here's instalment No.2, being a short piece on the River Tyne's 'Tide Stone' ....

On the northern bank of the River Tyne, midway between Newburn and Wylam, can be found the Tide Stone. It bears the fading remains of Newcastle’s ‘three castles’ emblem, as well as the date of its placement, 1783. It is not difficult to work out its purpose, being to simply mark the tidal limit of the river. It was also the boundary of the old Tyne Improvement Commission’s jurisdiction on the river. The spot is (or at least was) known as Hedwin Streams.

The river was, however, dredged in the 1870s, and the tidal limit shifted upriver to Wylam, rendering the stone redundant. It’s a wonder the little landmark has survived at all.

Formerly, on Ascension Day, the Lord Mayor and his cronies would sail the length of this tidal stretch from Tynemouth to the Tide Stone, whereupon the mayor would disembark amid great ceremony and kiss the prettiest girl in Heddon and present her with a sovereign. Hence the marker was also known as the Kissing Stone. Allegedly, the ritual was stopped when it was realised that the mayor was picking out his own relatives from the assembled ‘beauty parade’.

It is also said that the famous engraver, Thomas Bewick, appealed to Newcastle Corporation on behalf of the illiterate stonemason who had not been paid for the carving.

New Book Article: Market Keeper's House

In an unashamed attempt to persuade you all to purchase (for Xmas?) my latest book The Great North-East: An English History Tour, vol.4, I will, over the next two or three weeks, reproduce a handful of the articles contained therein. But, as this blog is primarily concerned with the history of Newcastle, I will keep the material Tyneside-based. The articles throughout the book are generally short, sweet and to-the-point, enabling me to squeeze over 130 separate pieces into the 200 page tome.

The first effort concerns a somewhat fortunate survival in a recently radically-redeveloped quarter of the city centre, thus:

The beautifully-proportioned Market Keeper’s House sits in splendid isolation in Newcastle’s Times Square, enveloped by the modern-day creation that is the Centre for Life. It once stood at the heart of – yes, you’ve guessed it – a thriving cattle, sheep and pig market that turned over around 10,000 animals a week until, well, pretty much within living memory.

The former ‘market’ area used to sprawl over a large portion of this corner of the city, before gradually falling into disuse during the twentieth century. Nearby, Marlborough Crescent Bus Station was built on part of the land in the 1920s (demolished 1990s); and around the turn of the millennium, the Centre for Life popped up on the site. But for all the dramatic changes, the old Market Keeper’s House remains intact.

Though the little heritage plaque tells us otherwise, the building is thought to date to around 1842, and was the handiwork of uber-famous architect, John Dobson. The ground floor originally comprised of two offices: one for the market keeper, and the other for the toll-collector; and upstairs could be found accommodation for their families. It fell out of use in the 1960s as the market itself fell into decline. Fortunately, it hung on, somewhat grimly, until the area’s redevelopment in the late 1990s, at which point it was itself spruced up.

It has since been used by a variety of small businesses.

Useful Websites/Blogs

A couple of useful and interesting websites have crossed my path of late, so I thought I'd pass them onto you.

Penbal.uk I have perhaps mentioned in passing before, and I have certainly flagged several of their posts and articles on Twitter/X. It is primarily a repository of bits and pieces relating to Tynemouth and North Shields, but increasingly of late has started branching out into more general North-East stuff. Many of the pieces featured on their website are speculative, which makes it particularly interesting and thought provoking, and unlike most other local history efforts. The chap behind Penbal is Luan Hanratty, who is often posting interesting videos and the like - follow him on X at https://x.com/LuanHanratty 

My second recommendation is a general local history website called Local History Videos - which features videos and photos from England, Scotland, Wales and the USA. Obviously, some areas are better covered than others, but it is definitely worth a look. And if the 'About Me' page is anything to go by, it is run by 'Debbie' who seems, I think, to be North-East based. So do give her your support.

If anyone has any similar websites to recommend then do get in touch with me at micksouthwick @ blueyonder.co.uk (without the gaps!).

Cafe 16, Newcastle Cathedral

In what is commonly known as the Refectory of Newcastle's St.Nicholas' Cathedral is situated the excellent Cafe 16. My wife and I visited for the very first time the other day, and I thought I'd let you know a bit about it.

I'm going to be incredibly lazy here, actually, because all you need to know is contained on one of their menu cards, thus saving me the time and effort of re-typing it all. Here we go, then:

(click on images to enlarge)

And here is that wonderful ceiling (wife at front/middle):

It's called 'Cafe 16' in honour of the 1916 Royal Flying Corps station, which once stood on the site now occupied by HMP Northumberland at Acklington. And very nice (and reasonably priced) it is, too. So get yourself along there!

More info here.

The Great North-East: An English History Tour, vol.4

Regular readers of my drivel will be pleased to learn that I have released another book!!

Volume 4 of The Great North-East: An English History Tour is now available for purchase at Amazon - see here, or click on the image above. It is available as both an eBook and an old-fashioned paperback. The profit margin on each sale is about £1.50 profit - which, of course, goes to the Great North Children's Hospital. 

Like volumes 1, 2 & 3, the 200-page book takes an affectionate look at various aspects of the history of the region, from the Scottish border in the north to the River Tees / Cleveland in the south. Chapters this time around cover the following topics: Coast, Fame, War, Curiosities, Stories, Tragedy, Buildings, Modern-ish stuff, Remote stuff, and matters of Antiquity.

By visiting Amazon you can read a sample of the book before you commit to buy (by choosing the eBook/Kindle option you can access a sizeable chunk of the text - give it a try). It's all very laid back and informal, and will hopefully bring a smile to your face whilst learning a few new facts about the history of the country's most interesting region.

If you decide to buy a copy then may I offer you a big thank you from both the GNCH and myself. Pass the word on!

Note: It's highly likely that this will be the final book in 'The Great North-East' series. But I've not done too badly, as the complete four-volume set amounts to 800 pages!

Newcastle University Library, Maybe?

Researchers of Newcastle's past may not at first be aware of the local history holdings (and various other general historical stuff) to be found at Newcastle University Library's 'Special Collections & Archives' department.

It's many years since I last visited the same, but was prompted to examine the matter when I saw the institution's 'Digital Showcase' pop up on Twitter/X. Do click on the link and have a gander - and it's sure to expand in the months and years ahead.

You can also access the page in question via the archive service's homepage - where you can also find links to other helpful bits and bobs, including the 'Explore Our Collections' guide. You will also see a that there is a blog to be accessed, too, which features a fair few interesting articles on the city's past.

There's probably a good deal more, too, that I've missed, so do put aside an hour or two to have a browse.

If you get the urge to actually visit the Library, then please check out the guidance on how to do so as a member of the general public. It is possible to visit to consult their holdings, but you'll need to get yourself a pass first.

Happy browsing!

P.S. Oh, and their YouTube Channel can be found here.