As you know, my wife and I have recently moved to Morpeth, and, not knowing a great deal about the town's history, I am keen to find out as much as I can about the topic in double-quick time. I don't want to overload you with Morpeth stuff in the coming weeks and months, but I was particularly taken with the tale of the Morpeth Olympic Games.
Unbelievably, this was a professional sporting gathering that took place in the market town from the 1870s through to the 1950s, with big money prizes up for grabs. It wasn't always known as the 'Olympics', but the term was adopted by the event organisers in the 1880s to add a layer of lustre to proceedings. And this was before the modern-day Olympics were revived in 1896. Once again, then, the Great North-East was ahead of the game!
In my search for information on the athletic shenanigans upon the banks of the Wansbeck I came across an excellent article by Jack Brodie in the Inside Morpeth Magazine of Aug/Sept 2024. It's on pages 14-15 and can be found here. Further detail can also be found in Tony Henderson's piece on the ChronicleLive website; and there is even a YouTube video to enjoy.
It all sounds rather splendid. Isn't the history of the North-East just full of surprises?
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