Discover Some of the North East's Most-Loved Hidden Gems
In celebration of the North East's best loved places, a new book brings the hidden gems of the North to life with personal anecdotes from members of The Northumberland and Newcastle Society. The book's editor Suzanne Stanley tells us more
‘Rather than go down the route of all of the obvious famous buildings, which we all know and appear everywhere in calendars, magazines and guide books, we wanted to ask our members to submit ideas for their personal favourite or most significant buildings and landscapes,’ book editor and society member Suzanne Stanley explains. ‘We wanted it to be as personal as possible, because it’s the stories behind [it] which are interesting.’
Allowing members to submit what was important to them was a way to see the North in a new light. ‘We decided that we really didn’t know which buildings were important to others. Depending on what their work experience has been and family experience, people have associations with buildings that the rest of us would probably never notice – and we were really quite surprised at what came up.’
From stories of industry to childhood recollections, the book is filled with touching accounts that breathe life into buildings which are otherwise overlooked – just like the old Bedlington Police Station, submitted by a member who spent time living there as a child. ‘She spent a part of her childhood in what was then Bedlington Police Station (which was also the magistrates court) because her father was the local policeman,’ Suzanne explains. ‘She said it was just the spookiest building. Going to bed at night she and her brother used to go tearing upstairs trying not to look at certain parts of the building and because the lock-up for local drunks was across the courtyard, they could hear the odd drunk snoring as they fell asleep.’
Reading directly from the book, Suzanne tells us more: ‘“I have very personal memories when we as a family lived in the inspector’s quarters in the early 1950s. The three-story accommodation formed one side of a gloomy inner courtyard with a kitchen and living room on the ground floor and two flights of stairs to the upper story where my brother and I slept. It was spooky – I would hide my eyes and rush past the box room on the upper mezzanine landing to get to bed. Mod cons were non-existent, the bath was under a hinged work surface in the kitchen and I have no memory of an indoor privy.” She does remember the barred window of the lock-up across the courtyard, and the occasional scent of an occupant sleeping off the effects of excessive drinking in the town’s many pubs!’
In Northumberland, the Kielder Water scheme was worked on by another member, Christine. ‘She’s an engineer by trade and multilingual,’ explains Suzanne. ‘She worked on the Kielder Water scheme for the German-English consortium and one of her tasks was to translate the German manual for the tunnelling machine into English. A female engineer in those times was extraordinary.’ Kielder Viaduct (which spans Kielder Burn leading into Kielder Water) also has a history with the society. ‘We as a society own Kielder Viaduct. In 1969 it was in a bad state and people were looking at demolishing it because of expensive upkeep. But it became Grade I-listed in 1969, we took it on that year and it’s been our responsibility ever since.’
No celebration of the North East would be complete without mentioning the treasures dotted along its coastline. ‘One of our members is a retired surgeon and he was one of the founding members of the group that brought LV50 back to life at Blyth Harbour, one of the UK’s oldest floating lightships that came up from the south of England and is now the Northumberland Yacht Club’s clubhouse.’ In Whitley Bay, St Mary’s Lighthouse also gets a touching mention. ‘One of our member’s sons won £50 on a premium bond when he was young and he wanted to send that to the St Mary’s Lighthouse fund to save the building,’ Suzanne explains. ‘I don’t think he appreciated the value of £50 back then, but he now lives in Japan and he’s always taken a keen interest in St Mary’s Lighthouse.’
The book contains plenty of fascinating tales besides. Who knew that the Kremlin’s master spy, Rudolf Abel, grew up in Benwell in the early 20th century, or that the 1904 Wimbledon Ladies Singles Champion was born in Jesmond and is buried in Jesmond Old Cemetery? ‘What we found from our submissions was that some people were far too modest! It was absolutely lovely because they were writing about things that they really care about and that stimulated their enthusiasm.’
As one of the region’s oldest charities, The Northumberland and Newcastle Society hosts regular talks and visits for its members, and takes its role in the preservation of local history seriously. ‘In some ways we’re a local history society, but we’re more than that in that we keep an eye on future developments too. Our planning team review planning applications, look at the repurposing of historic buildings that could be threatened with demolition, and consider proposals.’
In compiling the book, one pattern which Suzanne did notice was a constant outpouring of help for buildings under threat – something which points to the heart of Northern communities. ‘What I did notice is how many buildings have been saved or restored with the help of volunteers. There are always huge numbers of volunteers who form a group and help save buildings and make them functional again,’ she explains. ‘I think Newcastle and North Easterners are regarded as very friendly, warm and welcoming. I moved away for a long time, nearly 30 years, but I think it was always in my mind that I would come back. This was still home and I know so many people for whom that’s happened – one contributor said “I know, as I cross the Tyne Bridge, that I’m back home”.’
