As I've already told you, I am in the process of moving house up to Morpeth. This represents quite a wrench for me, as I've always lived and worked within spitting distance of the Tyne and my beloved hometown of Newcastle. For a good couple of decades I lived in the city's west end, then moved over to Winlaton (my wife's native patch), where I spent the next 35 years. Morpeth will be new ground for me, and I'm looking forward to it. In the meantime, I'm stuck between houses in my son's pad in Hazlerigg.
Winlaton and neighbouring Blaydon, then, have had quite a hold on me these past few decades. Whenever I was asked where I lived I always had to reference The Blaydon Races, which usually did the trick. Winlaton, though, is the older of the two settlements, even if it does play second fiddle to its younger brother these days.
From time to time, of course, I would call in at Blaydon Library to see if anything new, history-wise, was lurking. Their stock item of interest in this regard was the head of the statue of Garibaldi, thus:
I'm not sure if you'll be able to read this, but click on the image to improve your chances:
Anyway, the last time I wandered in there I found the little side room open - the first time I'd seen it on open access. So I wandered in for a gander, and found the following strewn around the room, which I think are self-explanatory. Again, click on the images to enlarge them (though I apologise for the poor quality of the 'Garibaldi's legs' image):
I'm not sure why these little treasures are stashed away in a side room, out of normal sight. But I suppose if you want access to them you may simply have to ask at reception. The room in question is a 'community space', so you might find yourself surrounded by schoolchildren or a Pilates class, or whatever, but it's worth the effort for getting sight of a few rare fragments of Tyneside history.
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