Tyne & Wear Archives Tour

I have been using Tyne & Wear Archives Service for ages. Since the late 1980s, I think. But never have I had the opportunity to look 'behind the scenes', as it were. So the other day I decided to put my name down for just such a 'tour', and I'm so glad I did - it was fascinating.

These days, of course, you can't just wander into the searchroom of TWAS. You have to ring at least a week ahead to book your place, and notify them well in advance about what it is you want to examine. Then you have to wait at the door to be let in. It's all as a result of increased security, of course, as well as the legacy of the days of Covid. 

So gone are the hordes of casual family historians manning the banks of microfilm/fiche readers day after day - these days the searchroom is eerily serene. I mean, there is so much available online these days that you needn't leave your home for 99% of your genealogical research. You may wonder if there is much of a future in having a public searchroom at all, in fact. Its almost like we've gone back to the days of the pre-1980s when the public were not especially welcome, and archives were deemed untouchable. I don't think it's anyone's fault - just the way of things, I suppose.

The two-hour session attended by myself and a dozen or so other local history enthusiasts gave me a bit of a lift, though. You really have no idea how important - and vast - these repositories are until you get close up to them. It's a shame, really, that they can't be more open about access, etc., but, hey-ho, that's another argument for another day.

The TWAS itself forms part of a quiet, (almost) unseen corner of the greater whole that is Newcastle's Discovery Museum. The internal door to the Archives is at the far end of the mighty Turbinia display, and you have to wait for someone to come and fetch you. And so we all followed the leader down through the corridors of the massive Blandford House to the searchroom itself, and thereafter listened to a half-hour intro by Lizzie (I think that was her name - I'm recalling everything from memory, here, so give me some slack). I think we were all startled to learn that a good deal of the seldom-used material of this, and many other archives services, are stored in an underground salt mine in Cheshire! Offering perfect environmental conditions for archive preservation, this complex of tunnels and caverns stretches for miles in every direction - extending out under the Irish Sea, apparently. Wow!

We were then separated into two groups and took it in turns to, firstly (for my group), have a little tour behind the scenes in the upstairs storage rooms, and then to afterwards have a look at some choice bits and pieces that had been laid out in the searchroom itself.

The enthusiastic Ruth took us on our upstairs tour, first, then. Up several flights of stairs and onto a floor dedicated in its entirety to the storage of seldom-seen archival stuff. We only saw a fraction of it, of course, but it really was an eye-opener. Among the many, many items of interest, Ruth showed us a beautifully decorated town charter from 1685 - the collection's star item - complete with an image of the soon-to-be-deceased monarch King Charles II in it's top left-hand corner. Then there was their oldest item: a minor charter from the 1180s, for goodness sake - blimey!

Next it was back to the searchroom and into the hands of Rachel (and Lizzie again) for a presentation of some of the more notable (and famous) items of their holdings. Swan, Parsons, Bewick and Armstrong all featured prominently; together with bits and pieces re. the Team Valley, Doxford Shipyard (Wearside) - as well as the extraordinary story of how a huge icebreaker vessel was built, then dismantled for transportation purposes, then re-assembled in Russia for use on a landlocked lake! These old industrialists were mental, man! An interesting 'fact' here, too, about the comparison between the shipyards of the Tyne and the Wear: if you wanted a good, strong, reliable vessel made quickly and efficiently, then you went to the Wear; and if you wanted something a bit 'special' or unusual, you went to the Tyne. Interesting, eh?

There was actually a great deal more to the two-hour session than I have been able to recall here. Please, please, keep a look out for future such tours - I guarantee you'll not regret it. My thanks, then, to Lizzie, Ruth and Rachel for their time and effort (I hope those names are right) - and a mention, too, for Alison, a fourth archivist who was quietly working away on some research in the background. She didn't partake in the 'presentation', but I exchanged a few words with her before I left as we've known each other for years - her as an archivist for 28 years and me as a regular searchroom user for at least as long. It was nice to see her again.  

Websites Worth a Look!

Just a quickie this time around.

Two website recommendations for you, both run by the same good folk:

Fabulous North - places to visit and walks to, er, walk, as well as a blog. Some great pictures, too. I shall not spoil it for you, so just go and have a browse - very interesting.

Discover Rothbury - ditto the above, but focussing in on, well, Rothbury, actually. Also drifts into the Alnwick area, too.

All for now. The above should keep you busy for a bit.

'Newcastle upon Tyne - A City on the Move'

A couple of days ago I picked up the following 14-page booklet from a local charity shop. Entitled Newcastle upon Tyne - A City on the Move, it loosely outlines the plans of Newcastle's City Planning Officer, Kenneth A Galley. It is undated, and I should be pleased to receive any suggestions as to its publication date. For what they are worth, I will give some observations of my own towards the end of the post. Otherwise, I shall let the little publication speak for itself. Please click on the images to enlarge.

First of all, I thought "First Division Football", so it must be 1965-1978. Newcastle Polytechnic opened in 1969, so that narrows it down to 1969-78. The A1 still ran up Northumberland Street? Well, I think that was the case until 1970-ish. John Dobson Street being built? Mmm..., I know that opened in May 1970. Then there is mention of Eldon Square Shopping Centre construction "starting this year". Interesting to see that they were still very much considering building a 'Centre Motorway West', as well as an underground east-to-west road. So, I reckon that this has to have been published in late 1969 or early 1970. Then, having scanned the Newcastle City Library catalogue, I see they have it listed as a 1969 effort.

Can anyone categorically confirm this?

'Northumbrian Words' Website

Just when you think you've exhausted all those internet search results for 'Newcastle' and related words, up pops another website that you've never set eyes on before. And so it was with me the other day when I fell upon the 'Northumbrian Words' website.

Quite when this neat little effort was put together I can't tell - nor indeed do I know if it is still maintained (the entries in the 'Archive' range from 2019 to 2022) - but it is certainly worth a browse for us North-Easterners.

Two things out of the many items to look out for: firstly, an article that claims that 'keel' is England's oldest recorded word; and secondly, an entertaining film featuring those 1970s Geordie favourites, Scott Dobson and Dick Irwin (the link on the site is dead, but the film can be found here).

Happily, I've still got a few pages to get through yet...

Enjoy!

St.John's Church: Not What it Seems!

I'm no expert on religion. I know a few historical bits and bobs about the many churches and chapels scattered around Newcastle, but don't ask me anything about how these places operate - or have operated in the past - as I am worse than a layman when it comes to this sort of thing.

The church of St.John the Baptist at the foot of Grainger Street is one of the few that I thought I had a fairly good understanding of - you know, Anglican/Church of England/Protestant, and one of the four main parish churches of the city centre (OK, I know that All Saints is now an 'Evangelical Presbyterian' concern now, or some such thing). Some time ago, though, I picked up a leaflet from St.John's entitled What Kind of Church is This? ... then promptly stuffed it in a drawer, unread.

I came across it today and had a closer look. Confused, I read it again. I'm still a bit nonplussed, if I'm honest with you. I really need to educate myself more on this religion lark. Anyway, here it is in full (click on images to enlarge):

So. It's Anglican. It's Church of England. It's NOT Protestant, though. And it's a bit Catholic in many of its practices. Officially 'Anglo-Catholic', I think .... Oh, and the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Anthony the Great also worship here. 

I pleased that that's sorted, then.

Past, Present & Future

Just for a change I thought I'd have a look at some of the forthcoming changes (hopefully for the better) which are due to hit the streets of Newcastle ... especially the ones linked in some way to the city's heritage. Pretty much everything that follows is lifted from the latest issue of the council's 'Citylife' magazine (Spring 2024) - which, I'm sorry to say, doesn't seem to be available online. Never mind.

(1) Firstly, of course, there is the immense building that is going up on the corner of Pilgrim Street and New Bridge Street - set to house an astonishing 9,000 HMRC staff. You really can't miss it, and I must say it looks magnificent (so far). Then there are all the other bits and pieces lower down Pilgrim Street (new builds + renovations of the old fire and police stations, etc.), which are also gonna lift the grand old thoroughfare to something like its former glory (and probably way beyond!);

(2) The Grainger Market, built in 1835, is set to be 'enhanced' considerably soon (work starts in July). The open 'arcade' part of the market is to be largely cleared of its free-standing stalls (they will be re-located), and new pavilions will be built at each end of its cavernous interior. Events, etc., will be held there during both the day and evenings. The market's 14 entrances will also be upgraded; as will the aisled parts of the building - and new facilities in general will be created;

(3) The work on Grey Street is due to be completed soon. The creation of 'rain gardens', new loading bays and improvements to lighting are all planned to be installed this year. There'll still be a traffic through road, but it looks like a much more pedestrian-friendly affair if the CGI images are to be believed;

(4) The much-needed improvements to Northumberland Street are finally underway! New seats, trees/greenery and lighting are planned by the summer of 2025 - and new paving! Yes!! (boy it needs it). Bit chaotic down there at the minute, but let's hope it's worth the wait;

(5) Great to see that they've completed the renovation of the old Stephenson railway workshops behind the Central Station (the so-called 'Stephenson Quarter'). It's now a hub for small and medium-sized businesses. Its not quite in full use yet, but it's getting there;

(6) Homes England are set to build thousands of new homes on the huge 15-acre site next-door to the Arena down by the riverside (known as 'Forth Yards'). The site will eventually be much bigger, of course, once the Arena itself is demolished;

(7) The Tyne Bridge is finally being restored! It's going to take four years, mind, so don't hold your breath. At least it will be ready, hopefully, for its centenary celebrations in 2028.

(8) ... And could Newcastle United be getting a brand-new shiny super-stadium to play in soon? Rumours are rife, so keep your ear to the ground and your eyes peeled.

There's probably loads more, but that's the major stuff, I think. 

Exciting times ahead! 

'Newcastle Through the Ages'

(click images to enlarge)

'Newcastle Through the Ages' is the name of two-part relief panel on the northern side of the Primark store, on the corner of Northumberland Street and Northumberland Road in Newcastle. Officially it is a 'polychrome ciment fondu' creation, which effectively translates as a 'coloured cement cast'. They are more than seven feet in height and about nine feet and twenty-one feet, respectively, in length. Almost no-one seems to know they are there, never mind pay them any attention.

They are the work of sculptors Henry and Joyce Collins, and were installed in 1974, and offer, as you can see, a wealth of random historical information about the city. Remarkably, no one seems to have any information about its commissioning nor its subsequent history. Though C&A occupied the building at the time of the installation, it is a mystery as to who funded the work.

I am not going to insult your intelligence, nor your knowledge of 'The Toon's' history, by giving you a detailed description of the various images and inscriptions - anyway, it's kinda fun trying to decipher it all for yourself. I hope the images are big enough for you to have a close enough look - if not, there can be found some even nicer pics here.

The only bit I'm not sure about is the date '1865'. Now this was the year that the great John Dobson died, and his name is shown adjacent to the date, so could this explain it. And the '1865' is shown in what appears to be a representation of the Central Station, which was designed by Dobson.

If you've any queries or observations then do leave a comment below.