Ushaw Moor Church Boys Brigade

[caption id="attachment_2230" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Boys Brigade"][/caption]

Posted on behalf of Peter Clarke

Ushaw Moor Church Boy's Brigade with Ronnie Allinson wearing collar and tie. Apparently Mr Allinson ran the brigade for many years.

Can anyone identify any members of the brigade ?

This photograph came to me by way of a distant relative Ray Wilkinson who I am sure will be on the photographs somewhere.

Cheers Peter Clarke

Ushaw Moor school football team 1946/7

Posted on behalf of Peter Clarke

Can anyone identify any teachers or members of the football team.

This photograph came to me by way of a distant relative Ray Wilkinson who I am sure will be on the photographs somewhere.

Cheers Peter Clarke

Where Is It ? - Ushaw Moor Colliery Banner

[caption id="attachment_2223" align="alignleft" width="212" caption="Ushaw Moor Colliery Banner"][/caption]

Had some requests about the Ushaw Moor Coliery Banner.

Wondered if anyone knew of it's location ?

Is there any plans of trying to restore it ?

Wonder what sort of state it's in.

Your Favourite Christmas Memories

[caption id="attachment_2218" align="alignleft" width="144" caption="Christmas Candle"][/caption]

What was your favourite Christmas memory of your life growing up in Ushaw Moor and Deerness Valley ?

Share your Christmas Memories with us here.

How has your Christmas changed ?

 

 

Some Christmas Quotes :

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.  ~Charles Dickens

Some people find Christmas cards a chore but I don’t. They are an opportunity to say hello and best wishes, or some similar sincere message. Colourful cards can brighten up many a living room during the dark days before Christmas. ~Wilf Bell http://is.gd/YOjY72

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.  ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Oh, for the good old days when people would stop Christmas shopping when they ran out of money.  ~Author Unknown

Merry Christmas  and A Happy New Year ~ Paul Clough

Children at play - Broadgate Bridge

[caption id="attachment_2212" align="alignleft" width="391" caption="Broadgate Bridge over the River Deerness nr Ushaw Moor"][/caption]

Children playing beneath the footbridge at Broadgate.

kindly submitted by Carole Clarke

Other details unknown.

(NOTE) Original Photo was badly damaged with creases and tears, photo has been photo/enhanced to the best of my ability.

Secondary Modern Culture 1959

If you went to such a school back then I recommend you google the following - Absolute beginnings Stuart Hall - up comes a paper at the very top of the page that discusses secondary modern education in the 50s, the spending patterns of the teenagers back then and much more.

Even grammar school pupils will get something from it.

Interesting reading.

WB

Ushaw Moor Historical Website - Religious History (Catholic)

Catholic Church

The first St.Joseph's Roman Catholic Church (Click to VIEW) was established in Ushaw Moor and opened on December 19th 1909. It was a corrugated iron structure and cost £474. Father Beech and his curate, Michael Shelley, were the priests responsible, travelling from Newhouse on horseback or by train, for the first two years. The first baptism took place on January 16th 1910, the infant being named Thomas Nugent, and the first marriage took place on April 15th 1911 between Matthew Rutter and Edith Webster of New Brancepeth.

Attendances at Mass were averaging 320 with 203 at Benediction. In December 1911 Father Shelley came to live in Durham Road where a house was built which accommodated the priest until 1931 when a new presbytery was erected with the new church. On May 23rd 1925 Ushaw Moor became an independent parish consisting of Ushaw Moor, Broompark and New Brancepeth. Bearpark came into the parish in 1935. On June 19th 193O Bishop Thorman laid the foundation stone for a new, church. Most of the ground clearing and digging of foundations was carried out by parishioners. The bell for the new building was given by the people of Ballingarry, County Tipperary. Almost a year later on April 21st 1931, the new St. Joseph's Church was opened by Bishop Joseph Thorman, with the first marriage ceremony taking place four days later between William Regan and Imelda Cairns and the first baptism being performed on Eileen Veronica Illand on April 26th.

After seven years the church was free of debt and on 17th May 1938 Bishop McCormack performed the ceremony of consecration.

The following year, as a result of war being declared, children from high risk areas were evacuated and St. Joseph's welcomed children from St. Wilfred's, Gateshead and St. Philip's, Dunston. At the evacuation of the troops from Dunkirk the school and hall were taken over to accommodate the soldiers.

On April 22nd 1946 Michael Shelley, the well-loved parish priest, died. A short while previously he had been created a canon of the diocese. His thirty-seven years of dedication having seen many changes in the mining community who were greatly influenced by his presence.

Father Whitaker succeeded Canon Shelley and under his guidance the Sanctuary was altered in 1955. Shortly after it's completion he died on April 7th, 1956. The third parish priest to be appointed was Father L.V. Thompson.

A new hall was built on the foundations of the old church and was opened on 21st July 1979.

Paul Clough o^o

via Ushaw Moor Historical Website - Religious History.

Ushaw Moor Historical Website - Religious History (Baptist)

Baptist Church

The Baptist Church at Ushaw Moor Colliery was formed in 1881. It's first meetings were held in a hut which was loaned by the colliery company. This building which was poorly lit and badly ventilated, was probably one of the structures erected to house the first workmen.

It is recorded that at that time preaching became dangerous and, if one remembers that this was the year the strike took place at Ushaw Moor, it can be realised that many of the community were in no mood to accept teachings of compassion and non-aggression. The little group held together however, and particularly remembered was a little Welshman, David Price, and his wife who stuck to their convictions even though they were contrary to the spirit of the striking miners. In 1894 Pease & Partners, the new colliery owners, were approached for help.

They granted land some distance from the mine, in the expanding village of Ushaw Moor, and in addition gave building materials.  This church was completed by 1897 at a cost of £700 (Click TO VIEW).  The Sunday School room was added in 1925 and dedicated to the Esh Winning pioneer, Mr. John Raw. Robert Dixon, who was employed as a winderman at Ushaw Colliery, is remembered as a Sunday School superintendent of many years standing, along with Mrs. Henderson who was it's secretary.

Paul Clough o^o

via Ushaw Moor Historical Website - Religious History.

I Like To Please But I'm Not A Hotel

So we have a new rating system for our postings on Ushaw Moor Facebook. [Stop press: see comment 1] The challenge is a little daunting: will spelling errors be crucified or the absence of semi-colons be treated with unbelievable scorn? Will 'Grumpy Man' be persecuted for the crime of irrelevance? I can feel myself working up a lather; my tonsils are twitching and my heart is banging like it was 1981.

Of course the answer to all of the above questions is no. Well, hopefully. We live in a perpetual state of hope. So chill and deliver. Never mind the punctuation, just sing like a sweetly tuned nightingale; let the heart rule the head and bring back those balmy days of bluebell woods, potato picking for cash and dancing at the hop in bright orange or yellow socks.

Is the bacon to your liking sir?

WB

Ushaw Moor Historical Website - Religious History (Methodist)

Methodist

The Wesleyan Methodists at Ushaw Colliery are first recorded as holding their meetings in 1894. Two leaders of the movement from New Brancepeth, Robert Bottoms and Isaac Wood are remembered as helping with the first services which were held in the colliery house of Mrs Metcalfe. Later the mine owners, Pease & Partners, allowed them to use 'the huts' , a row of 12 wooden houses which had been used to accommodate the first workmen.

The last two of these miserable dwellings (they had earth floors and were dark and cold) had been united to form a single large room which later became the first miners institute. Two years later the Wesleyans were allowed the use of the colliery office which was situated in the centre of South Street. A request was made to the colliery owners for a site on which to build a permanent church. Pease & Partners presented them with land and bricks , a gift valued at £125.

The new church was erected, and opened on the 1st September 1900 by Mrs Philipson, the total cost being £360, a debt which was cleared by 1912. As further consolidation it was included in the Crook Wesleyan Methodist Circuit. A harmonium was loaned by one of the members until 1903 when a larger American organ was purchased. In 1920 a small pipe organ was installed and dedicated to the memory of the men who died in the first world war. Ralph Wilson held the position of organist for 37 years The Chapel On The Hill as it became known locally or Esh Road Methodist Church which was its official name, held its last service on the 28th July 1954, after which the membership transferred to the Durham Road chapel in Ushaw moor.

Paul Clough o^o

via Ushaw Moor Historical Website - Religious History.

Ushaw Moor Historical Website - Jack Joyce

Probably the most outstanding person working at Ushaw moor colliery was Jack Joyce. He was born at Spennymoor in 1892 and began work at the age of 13 in 1905 spending his whole working life at the same mine. In 1946 he was elected financial secretary of the Durham Miners Association. Being a forceful union official he represented the miners as checkweighman and compensation secretary.

From 1924 until 1945 he was a member of Lanchester and Durham Rural District Councils. Before his death in 1967 he had the pleasure of seeing his portrait painted on the last Ushaw Moor colliery banner in honour of his work for the Ushaw Moor community.

via Ushaw Moor Historical Website - Jack Joyce.

Ushaw Moor Historical Website - Ushaw Moor Carnival

This photograph was taken between the years 1928- 1933, when carnivals were held at Ushaw Moor. At these carnivals local people were in fancy dress and later in the day a King, Queen and Mayor were picked.



The people on the photo are as follows:

Top from left Town Cryer T. Conner; The King Jimmy Winn; The Queen Nick Tennick; The Mayor Jack Joyce. Bottom from left The Joker T. Foster; Little Girl Daughter of Jack Joyce.

For MORE Info on Ushaw Moor Carnival go to Ushaw Moor Juniors School History Page

via Ushaw Moor Historical Website - Ushaw Moor Carnival.

Ushaw Moor Jazzband 2 - YouTube

Ushaw Moor Jazzband.mp4 - YouTube.

Details unknown

The Day I Became Old

Was the day I read an advert that was selling the old currency coins; bags of threepenny bits, pennies, shillings and sixpence pieces. If I remember correctly the advert tried to attract me to the coins of the reign of George the Sixth - in a feel the coins and feel the people sort of way; it was all offered to me for a bit short of thirty quid.

Do I want to surrender anything near thirty quid for old coins that do not smile or wink at me? Coins from an era  I lived through?  No not really and I resent being reminded that people of  1990s vintage called Darren, Chelsea, Jack and Charlotte might take a different view.

WB

Ralph Cowell And Family

Back in the 1890s Ralph and Annie Cowell lived in Deerness Junction Railway Cottages. Ralph was a signalman on the North Eastern Railway. Living with them were the children - John, Charles, Ralph, Mary, Emily and Florence.

Does the above mean anything to anyone?

WB

Pretty Flashers

Back in the 1950s, probably during the period eight to twelve days before  Christmas Day, tree erections were taking place all over Ushaw Moor; the accompanying tree lights were often very pretty and sometimes impressionable children were mesmerized by them.

Newquay is clearly a competitive Johnny come lately:  this year, in one of its finest hotels, on the 31st of October, there was to be seen a fully lit and decorated tree; nearby Christmas lights were, in my view, flashing intermittently like a frantic light house.

Flashing is a matter of taste and there is a time and place for it, but perhaps not if the flash is at the rate of three times a second as opposed to a more normal once a second. I am sure that the Newquay flash rate was safe but it stimulated me to look further into this subject. The Epilepsy Society has addressed the issue of Christmas Tree flashing and it can be read at www.epilepsysociety.org. uk

WB

The Racecourse, Durham University Grounds, Durham 29/06/1893

Ushaw Moor Cricket Club did battle against Durham Club and Ground in a one day single innings match. They lost both the toss and the match and this is recorded faithfully by the Cricket/ Archive Oracles. Just google -   Ushaw Moor 1893 -   or such like, and you will find the details; or click HERE ed PC

Ushaw Moor's batting order:

R Hope

W Harding

G Browning

C Smith

J Harding

J H Gallagher

J Hewitson

W Tennick

A Hindson

R McClay

W Hill

Only W Harding made an impression with the bat, scoring 65 of which seven were  boundary shots for 4.

Ushaw Moor were all out for 121 and Durham surpassed that total with the loss of only three wickets. In the event Durham batted on and  reached 166 for 7 at the close.

I'm pretty certain that R Hope was my great great grandfather Richard [1856 - 1921] and if I am right my grandfather  Dickie Hope [1902 -1983] was his grandson.

WB

http://cricketarchive.com/Durham/Scorecards/209/209495.html

I Got Your Letter Brian M

The contents are much appreciated and I look forward to meeting you sometime in 2012.

It is true that I could have posted this on Facebook but I think it more appropriate to do so here on what is after all Brian's beloved site!

WB

The Mother Of All Memories

Recently there has been much controversy regarding the question of poppy wearing. Some argue that poppies should not be worn on days other than remembrance Sunday. Newsreaders have been wailed at for wearing a poppy 'far too early'. Others feel that the poppy is a symbol of war and should not be worn at all. For me it is a symbol of remembrance, not war, and if wearing it for about two weeks up to and including remembrance Sunday reminds some people to buy one - all to the well and good. Significant sums are collected and used to fund the injured, purchase medical equipment and assist widows and so on. Long may the poppy be worn.

Let me highlight just a few of our cherished Ushaw Moor war dead:

Edward Atkinson, Joseph Bone, Mark Turner DCM, Thomas N Ferguson, Thomas Metcalf and Robert Mosley.

One stanza from a Laurence Binyon poem is very famous:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

WB

Dale Street, Maple Park, Aldridge Ct

I was quite struck by the comments about Ladysmith Terrace and who lived there in the 1970′s.

It seems like so long ago that I grew up in Ushaw Moor. My parents seemed to love moving house. In fact I lived in four separate houses there. I started in Dale Street. From what I can remember the following kids lived in our street. David and Andrew Richardson, Colin Hird, Dawn and Paul Smirthwaite, Stephen and David Hagar, Paul and Karen Macalevey.

By the time I was seven I had moved to Maple Park, which probably was the most community spirited place I have ever lived. Once again loads of nice families and lots of kids. There was Michael Melia who lived near the Hutchinsons, who had a couple of kids. Across the gap was Dennis Hunter and his sister Tracy. Next Door to them was the Moralee family, James, Paul, Susan and Stephen. The next Family across the gap was The Cross family, who had Kevin, Alan, Carol and Alison. Next door to them as the Willis family who had a few kids although I can only remember Stephen. Next door to them was the Tones family who had Christine and Barry. Further up the street was the Graysons who had twins Neville and Tom and their sister Sandra. Two doors along from them were the George family who had two daughters one called Susan and I cant remember the other one. Myself and our kid lived in 22 facing the green. Just down from us were the Morgans Alan and Bernadette and next door to them were the Thompsons Robert, Stephen, Gary and their sister who’s name escapes me. Finally there was the Elwick’s on the end house who had two daughters one called Anita.

I moved from there to Aldridge Court, which was far more spaced out, but at least the houses had central heating and finally Hall avenue, which is where I lived until I left the village in 1988.

I loved living there and wouldn’t have swapped my childhood for the world.

 

Posted on behalf of Michael

Firefighter tells of North heroes' blaze of glory - Sunday Sun

THESE pictures show how the hard work and bravery of firefighters often goes unnoticed.

But retired fireman Arthur Lockyear, who battled blazes across the North for 30 years, has penned a book celebrating his heroic colleagues.

The 59-year-old from Ushaw Moor, Durham, said he felt it was something which needed to be done for the “good of the service”.

And so he has written Warriors in Fireboots to tell the incredible stories of the firefighter’s calling.

“The book is my tribute to the many extraordinarily courageous people whom I have had the great fortune to have met,” said Arthur, who worked in Sunderland, Gateshead and South Tyneside during his three-decade career with Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service.

Arthur, who has been awarded an MBE for his work organising the Sunderland Remembrance Day Parade, has spent two years gathering together stories for the book.

The tales span the length and breadth of the country, and go back in time to take in the very first men who risked their lives in the fire brigade, as well as the heroic firefighters of the Blitz in the Second World War.

“There were so many stories to chose from,” said Arthur. “They start back in 1861 in London and come right up to date in 2005, with two firefighters from Stevenage who lost their lives.”

via Firefighter tells of North heroes' blaze of glory - Sunday Sun.

Ladysmith Terrace 1970

My neighbours in Ladysmith Terrace early 70's

Ladysmith Terrace				1970's

No		Adults				Children

Vicarage	Terry & Brenda Towers		Amanda and Anthony
32		Tommy Bewick
31		Anne & Jack Hopper
30		Jill & George Rose		Mellisa, Wendy
29		Ken & Margaret Clough		Paul & Lisa
28		Barry & Val Thomas		Julie
27		Miss Morley
26		Mrs Stoddart
25		Tommy & Ruby Stoddart
24		Ann & Billy Close
23		Lorna & Ralph Pattinson
22		Johhny & Brenda Mcquillan	Tommy,Katherine, Pat & Shaun
21		Billy Lowery

1-20 Was Demolished, I think sometime after the war.

Does anyone remember exactly when the lower part of the street was demolished and why ? I always thought it was due to subsidence.

PaulC

James Ward - White House Lane

Posted on behalf of Kaye Rogers

I am looking for any information about my Uncle James Ward maybe Shanks born 1928 at 25 White House Lane Ushaw Moor. Does any one know who lived at that address in 1928.?

I have enjoyed reading the memories of the hard but happy life.

I live in Canada and am trying to trace my family from afar. Any help would be appreciated.

Ushaw Moor Jazzband - YouTube

A video clip of Ushaw Moor Jazzband....

Details Unknown



Ushaw Moor Jazzband - YouTube.

Right up your street

A couple of articles have been posted on the memories blog giving details of of a particular street and who occupied the houses in that street. It occurred to me that this may be of use to people doing their family research etc.

So please have a think back to your past and jot down who you remember in your street in Ushaw Moor.

You can add it to the facebook page, but even better would be to add it here on the BLOG. If you are not registered simply email me at memories@ushawmoor.org.uk requesting to join.

Thanks and I look forward to reading your submissions.

Paul :)

Writing About Your Life Can Debilitate

Do not get me wrong: this post is not aimed at the casual contributor that occasionally wishes to write a few words about their beloved Deerness Valley; it refers to the likes of me, the one-time persistent contributor that spent far more time that is healthy on pontificating, or illuminating, for the doubtful benefit of Ushaw Moor readers. All this dwelling on the past does threaten personal enterprise and ambition. Yes really!  I have written words on this site that amount to the size of an average book; just think what I could have done with the time I spent doing that.

Although I have enjoyed contributing to the site and hope that some people have found my efforts interesting, it has come with problems. Recounting those tears that spilled outside a dance hall on a wet Workington night can bring sadness. Recounting my mother's life was, on reflection,  a little upsetting. Such incidents can result in too much dwelling on what has gone and it might even lead to a harsh self assessment of one's past.

Turning to the present, I recently read a very interesting article by the Independent newspaper journalist Christina Patterson entitled ''Lessons in living from a man on the bring of death'. She writes about  Philip Gould who is suffering from terminal cancer and informs us that he told Andrew Marr that he considers himself to be ''in a death zone''. As I understand it he views the zone as being an intense, powerful and positive experience.

I  have mentioned the 'thrill of mortality' before; it results from the acute awareness that our time is rationed and life is to be lived to the utmost. I can understand that such a feeling, when in time of mortal danger, would intensify if the mind and body allows it.

The conclusion I come to is that snippets, photographs and the occasional long article are fine. Please try and ensure that Paul's site is enriched by them; however I feel that you should not dwell too much on the past if the cost is too high in terms of lost joys and opportunities in the present.

WB

Words don't come easy !

Gone very quiet on the Memories BLOG recently. I know it can be hard to put your memories to words, but no matter how small let us know about them, it is surprising to what they can develop into.

So come and tell us about your life in Ushaw and Deerness Valley,, what was your childhood like, what was your job, do you have any strange or weird stories of your life growing up in Ushaw Moor.

You can post them on Facebook wall www.facebook.com/ushawmemories

or you email them to memories@ushawmoor.org.uk.

To add them to the BLOG you need to register simply follow this link asking to join

Thanks and I look forward to seeing your memories.

Paul

Local Cricket 1888

This short extract is from The Centenary of Durham Senior Cricket by Ray Pallister. Published 2002. Just google his article; you will read some interesting notes about past times as well as cricket.

This year marked the start of competitive cricket in the North East. The County Cricket Club convened a meeting on November 28^th 1887 to launch the Durham County Challenge Cup Competition. This began in season 1888, initially with two divisions (North and South): clubs involved were Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland, Consett, Coundon, Crook, Darlington, Durham City, Hendon, Hetton Lyons, Jarrow, Medomsley, Norton, North Durham, Philadelphia, Ryhope, Sedgefield, Shildon, Stockton, Sunderland, Ushaw Moor, West Hartlepool and Whitburn.

The competition was aimed at encouraging cricket in the county, but it led to endless disputes and protests. The differences in the strength of the club sides led to some farcical games, and meetings of the committee organising the competition were held every week  and sometimes twice a week in order to resolve the many disputes. Travel itself was a large problem, despite the network of railways. To get to Coundon or Consett from Norton or South Shields could, in those times, require a day’s journey.

WB

Soldiers, Cricketers And A Poet

Searching for ancestors is a very popular past time these days and there are well known sites that can greatly assist the searcher; an example is the Durham Light Infantry records. Now having said that why not do a free five minute search? By googling - Ushaw Moor Durham Light Infantry -  up comes lots of material on the world wide web. We quickly find that WW2 corporal Fred Cann of the Royal Engineers,  a son of Henry and Violet, is buried in Ushaw Moor cemetery; guardsman George Holliday, son of John and Margaret, is also mentioned, as well as private William Morgan, John Hardman and lots more.

I knew that Ushaw Moor had impressive success in the Durham County Cricket League during much of the period 1965 to 1973 but the extent of it surprised me. According to Wiki they were champions of that league in 1965, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71 and 73! Great stuff. But it makes you think: was it the case that there was a clutch of local born talented players, several professionals or a mixture of both? Someone told me that a very long time ago the club had eleven professionals, but that is just gossip and therefore not reliable information.

What I do know is that there is nothing extra special about Manchester [maybe a very good orchestra] but there are two football clubs there that attract world class players; it is reasonable to assume that money brings them to Manchester, as well as trophy seeking, but is it reasonable to link paragraph two with this one? After all football is not cricket.

I sometimes sing in bed but I am told by a very reliable source that I do not know the words to any song, carol or hymn. I tried 'In the Bleak Midwinter' a couple of days ago [at about 6.40 am] and again went adrift in snowy fashion. For the record the first verse is:

In the bleak midwinter, frost made moan,

earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;

snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,

in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Christina Rossetti.

Did I get it right this time?

Poet Dora Greenwell was a friend of Christina Rossetti and for a time lived at Greenwell Ford, Lanchester. Some of my family served the Greenwell family at that address.

Anyway we are told by several weather forecasters that we can expect a harsh winter - so get that poem off pat and stay in bed. With your wife or husband or partner. If you have one.

WB

Railroad to Wembley starts at Waterhouses From The Northern Echo

BRADSHAW’S 1922 railway timetable, which no home should be without, records that there were nine trains a day in each direction on the five-and-half-mile line between Durham and Waterhouses, calling at Ushaw Moor only.

On Saturdays, in an attempt to ensure that the lads got home all right, an additional train left Durham at 10.25pm. Whatever the gradient as the old Think-ICan laboured up the Deerness Valley, thereafter it was downhill all the way.

Just one daily service steamed soporifically in each direction when finally the line closed to passengers – save for an annual outing to the Big Meeting – in October 1951. The goods service, pitmatic mostly, continued until 1964.

The relevance of all this, of course, is that Saturday marked the first qualifying round of the FA Vase, the traditional starting station for the Backtrack column’s ever-optimistic Railroad to Wembley.

READ MORE Railroad to Wembley starts at Waterhouses From The Northern Echo.

Artist Steven Fox's love of steam trains is not hot air - Arts - Culture - JournalLive

A CHILDHOOD love of steam engines has inspired artist Steven Fox’s railway art. His mixed-media work includes portraits of volunteers who work to keep the heritage railway lines open and intricate portrayals of steam engines and trains.

“Railways were part of my childhood,” explains Steven, from Esh Winning, near Durham City. “My dad was also interested in steam engines and he took me to Newcastle station to mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Newcastle to Hexham line with the engine The Evening Star in March 1985.

“I was 14. I’m inspired by the work of Guild of Railway artist and wildlife painters David Shepherd and Terence Cunue. One of my favourite artists has always been John Constable for his landscapes and trees.”

From today, Steven, who studied arboriculture at Houghall College in Durham, will be displaying his original Heritage Railway art titled Hot Coals & Ash for the first time in his hometown.

The exhibition, which opens to the public tomorrow, will be in the Durham Room at Durham County Hall and opened by the chairman of Durham County Council Dennis Morgan.

Among the special guests at the preview evening will be Richie McCardle, from Consett, who is an engine driver on both the Weardale Railway and the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. He is one of the subjects in Steven’s work.

The 41-year-old lives close to Ragpath Wood, in Durham, a Woodland Trust site of ancient woods left over from the last ice age mixed with relics of the mining industry. He is inspired by its natural history landscape – the walkway there follows the old branch line from Waterhouses to Durham City Railway Station. This was a major transport link for the mining communities living and working in Deerness Valley and an oil painting of this walkway is shown in the exhibition.


Read MORE

Artist Steven Fox's love of steam trains is not hot air - Arts - Culture - JournalLive.

Back To The Future

Someone commented recently that the Harwood collection of photographs was not particularly exciting, or words to that effect. I can understand that point of view but cannot agree with it. Some of the London and Durham photographs were very good and there is something to be got from the Deerness Valley pictures as well. My favourite is one that looks over the valley. It's 1935 and one just knows that a fifteen minute walk to the east will bring me to an eleven year old mum and a set of grandparents in their early thirties pomp. Hitler is scheming and plotting at this time and the Battle Of Britain is five years away. The explosion at Ushaw Moor pit in 1932 was still fresh in the local memory as were  Arthur Gill and William Timmons, the lads that perished in that tragic accident. But there were other pit fatalities around this time and that applies to New Brancepeth colliery as well.

The picture looks very familiar; it is as if little has changed since the time it was taken apart from alterations brought about by pit closures. People worried about the cost of living and whether so and so was having an affair. I have noticed that in some villages the place looks the same for decades and then... massive, or at least significant, change takes place and that has happened recently in Ushaw Moor.

South Moor of the 60s looked totally familiar in 2010. And by the way the sun shone then and the sky was frequently blue. No one walked at a funny fast pace in black clothes whether it be 1900, 1935, 1968 or 2011!

A Trip To Gateshead And Stubbing Out Fags Saved Me Forty Thousand Pounds

Back in the 1955/56 football season my stepfather took me to see Derby County take on Gateshead. All I recall is that Derby played good football and the Gateshead players were enthusiastic triers. Tommy Powell the Derby right winger made a fool of the opposition's full back and even the Gateshead fans saw the amusing side of it and laughed. Those were the days of the maximum wage and consequently players with First Division [Premier] ability did not always see any financial advantage in moving; consequently some of them tended to be 'loyal' to their lower league club. That applied to Tommy Powell one of the best wingers never to play for England. For the record - Gateshead 2 Derby County 4, weather fine with a slight breeze. A breeze for Tommy that is for sure.

I was hooked in 1955 and have been a brain dead besotted Rams fan ever since. It is true that I have seen them play at Newcastle, Spurs, Derby, Tottenham, QPR, Middlesborough, Darlington, Crook and a few other grounds but think of the money saved overall.

I saved 20,000 smackers by not getting regularly involved with the likes of Sunderland and Newcastle; season tickets, hamburgers, coffee, pies, beer and bus tickets were seldom required as Derby was far too far away from Ushaw Moor for me to contemplate regular trips and the expenditure involved.  Thank you step-father. Money well saved.

I smoked from the age of 21 to 27 and stopped. Just contemplate the amount of  cash saved by making that decision. Not that the obnoxious cigarette manufacturers worry about my spending patterns. No. They are in China trying to tell a Chinese person how silly I was to stop. I guess.

So forty grand. Maybe more. All spent. Children are expensive are they not?

WB

A Dangerous Time With The Cluff Police [Subtitled Come On In Brian]

The last post on this memories site, by someone other than myself, was quite some time ago and that makes me want to 'help'. Sometimes a  problem then arises: my 'helpful scribble' has little or nothing to do with your desired memories. Take  the radial washing drier on our patio; I am convinced that it is a female radial because only flattery [or is it love?]  gets it  fully erected. I have to tell it that it has beautiful blue lines for holding the washing and furthermore that I will never ever replace her with something big and brassy.

Whatever happened to Eric Clegg? He played a few games at inside left for our Ushaw Moor County side  and I can remember sliding a pass through for him to run onto in 1958. He did not have long to wait because it was 1958 at the time. He duly smashed the ball past the hapless Sherburn goalkeeper. Or did you place it Eric? Come in Eric and describe your glory goal.

I have decided that if Madonna can continually reinvent herself then so can I. Consequently I have far too much to do down here, what with getting a move on with cooking, getting physically fit, and being a joy to live with. That's enough for most men and certainly I will have to spend much less time with my radial clothes line. It all means that I cannot get up north this year and that leaves a few loose ends.

I need to post Brian's glittering prizes to him but I am without his address or phone number. It is not always wise to release such information onto the net;  perhaps I can get his prizes to him at the  working Men's club where I believe he works.

Brian's prizes will hopefully bring him some pleasurable reading. There are almost fifty photographs of the Durham City area in the book by Ian Nelson; one of my favourites is the one of North Road taken in 1914, although there are several much earlier photographs. The other book , written by Norman Emery, is also a very good read and runs to two hundred and ten pages.

Over to you Brian.

A Lipstick Mystery

My original birth certificate has a one inch smear of lipstick on it and it has a 40s look about it. A big question for me is: how did it get  to be on there? I appreciate that this issue cannot be remotely interesting to you but please stay with me. I need your support.

Was the certificate on a 1940s dressing table in Unthank Terrace Sleetburn and then became a victim of a rolling and uncaring lipstick? No. Angles are all wrong for that.

Perhaps the certificate fell from a table onto the floor and I, in nappies, mistook the lipstick for a red ink pen? No. I might have been capable of burning down a child's toy house a few years later but wilful  lipstick smearing was not on my agenda. I didn't have an agenda then.

I think the most likely solution is that the certificate was in my mother's handbag together with the lipstick and they mingled unashamedly.

What do you think? Am I right or am I right.

WB

A Two Way Climb

Did any retired Sleetburn miners, without transport and suffering from advanced emphysema, ever walk to the Flass to have a pint with  friends and then walk all the way home? Educated money says maybe not.

For that matter how many obese Sleetburn women [without transport] patronized Broughs for weekly shopping when accompanied by their baby triplets in a specially designed pram?   Educated money likes a punt and might have dabbled with that set of circumstances.

Although emphysema was prevalent in mining villages female obesity was not. Women had too much to do in too short a time whether they had triplets or not. Pit wives did a host of things including scrubbing, dusting, shopping and baking; on top of that they were often prisoners of the pit shift system, which meant staying awake to provide for  husband and sons on differently timed shifts. Much energy was used up which probably helped to keep weight down.

So plenty of lung infections for the older men but little fat on most women. That is how I remember it.

WB

Having to go to ushaw moor in 60′s « newbrancepethmemories

Went to Broughs grocery store at bottom of station road. Would walk there from Jubilee St. Through the field came out at road to go down bank to the beck. alright going it was the coming back when we had bags to carry. Sometimes we came up the clay bank, don’t think when we were carrying bags.

From New Brancepeth Memories BLOG click below for MORE

MORE via Having to go to ushaw moor in 60′s « newbrancepethmemories.

Salvation Army 1960

This photograph was taken from my grandmothers house in Whitehouse court in the late 1960′s. It shows the Salvation Army band playing next to the green which is a memory I will always have of that time. Another sign of the times was kids palying in the street and hardly a car in sight.

thanks Michael Dickinson

From Original Ushaw Moor Memories BLOG

Railway Mania?

If you are in to railway pictures of yesterday why not navigate around David Hey's collection? Roy Lambeth is also well featured. There are a few photos to be found that relate to Ushaw Moor.

www.davidheyscollectionextra.com will get you to it.

WB

Council Houses

This brief post is prompted by a Brian M comment and recent developments regarding the subject of  evictions from social housing owing to riot activity. I agree with Brian that stigma should never be attached to social housing tenants just because they are in such housing; after all, council houses cum social housing resulted from a need for such dwellings and many [but of course not all] tenants of such properties were and are hard working upstanding people; such a mix reflects society as a whole.

We have been celebrating our memories of Victoria Court and Whitehouse Court and rightly so. In those days such property was council housing  and  full of hardworking, loyal and decent families.

Local authorities that evict  whole  family members because of criminal behaviour by one member of that family are idiotic, vindictive and short sighted. What about the situation where a six foot seventeen year old refuses to obey his mother? That [single] mother may be unable to assert herself and might be unaware of where to find help to resolve such conflict.

Some people really are victims of  'non riot' exploitation;  many  private landlords rip off their tenants;  many MPs were found guilty of stealing; Banks are not always 'friendly' and it will take more than clever 'reassuring' advertising to change that perception.

Yes adopt a new and very tough approach to professional gangs that use violence but refrain from kicking the financially poor and the powerless. The elite do get it. They get too much. And that is not  the  politics of envy.

WB

Bearpark In 2001 via Willington Town Hall!

If you go into Google [world not just UK] and search  -  Willington Town Hall - up comes Willington Town Hall at about five items down the page.

Now click on it and scroll down a few pages. There you will see lots of census 2001 facts about the people of Bearpark. Good stuff. After all we occasionally do bits about other than the Moor and this is one more!

WB

From The Original Archives - An Alf Rothwell Production

Following on from the popularity of Brian's Victoria Court epic I have fished out Alf's Whitehouse Court post from Wednesday October 31st 2007.

### Re-edited with TXT version of list,, so now searchable within BLOG## Paul

Whitehosue Court 1947 -- by Alf Rothwell

No	Adults				Children

1	Mr & Mrs Harrison		Billy and Betty
2	Mr & Mrs Ware			Ernie
3	Mr & Mrs Bowery		        John, Jimmy, Doris & Ronnie
4	Mr & Mrs Payne			Jack & Billy
5	Applebys
6	Emery or Harrison
7	Mr & Mrs O'Connor		Jack & Kathleen
8	?				?
9	Mr & Mrs Hume
10	?				?
11	Grandma Lillingworth
12	Mr & Mrs Dickinson		Dennis, Tom & older brother
14	Mr & Mrs Comerford
15	Mr & Mrs Howard		        Peter
16	Mr & Mrs Wilson		        Alan
17	Winter				John Kidd
18	?
19	Mr & Mrs Stafford		Kathleen & Joyce
20	Mr & Mrs P Rothwell		Sarah & Alan
21	Mr & Mrs Oyston
22	Mr & Mrs Lumley		        Chris
23	Mr & Mrs Welsh
24	Mr & Mrs Gibb			Tom & Barry
25	Mr & Mrs J Rothwell		Alfie
26	Mrs Wren			Arthur
27	Bevington ?
28	Mr & Mrs Thompson
29	Mr & Mrs Marriott		Margaret & Billy
30	Mr & Mrs Myers
31	Mr & Mrs Rhodes
32	Mr & Mrs Robinson 		Albert & Dorothy
33	Mr & Mrs Flatley		Barnie
34	Mr & Mrs Gargett		(Later)
35	Mrs Mills
36	Blackett ?
37	Mr & Mrs Hudson
38	Mr & Mrs Coulhard		Derek
39	Kirtley ?
40	Mr & Mrs Lumb			Brian
41	Pinkney ?
42	?
43	Pinkney ?
44	Mr & Mrs Clark			Gloria & Frank
45	Mr & Mrs Nattrass		Sylvia
46	Mr & Mrs Henderson		Harry the postman
47	Mr & Mrs McQuillan 		Tom, John & Loretta
48	Later				Jack & Sheila Pickard
49	?
50	Hird ?
51	Gray ?
52
53					Gillon ?
54
55	Quigley ?
56	Mr & Mrs Strong
57	Mr & Mrs Hope
58	Mr & Mrs Greenwell		Joan & Billy
59	Mrs & Mrs Clark

The 'click to make larger' [x2] works. WB

 Whitehouse Court 1947 onwards

Who Was That Fellow?

My mother was born Lilian Hope and married twice; firstly to Matt Bell and then to Don Albone. That said I  understand that her very first love was a chap called Tyson Sinden and it is possible that she was engaged to him. Does that name mean anything to anyone?

WB

A Self Defeating Wall Of Silence

The old village mining community helped its own in times of real trouble; heartfelt words of consolation were frequently accompanied by offers of constructive help. No one was short of  sugared tea and victuals for very long, even if sometimes the giver had reservations about the receiver.

But very occasionally empathy and generosity disappeared; a breakdown might have occurred between neighbours, or even more sadly, between family members.

A life long rift between a mother and daughter, over some perceived slight, was and is tragic and it does happen from time to time. I can recall my grandmother observing and commenting about  such breakdowns.

Some of these breakdowns in communication last for decades but [always supposing there is a relationship worth saving] such lifelong walls of silence are tragic and unnecessary. Bearing in mind that every human being, at least in the western world, is so lucky to have been born in the first place one feels like saying to those concerned:

'Get over it. Patch it up. Grow up. Start communicating. Start loving. Help each other. Let the healing begin'.

WB

Ushaw College Swimming Bath

Photo of Swimming Baths Ushaw College.

Anyone remember this ? Was it available for anyone to use or just the Students of the College ?

 

Ushaw Moor Memorial Hall.

This building is now unfortunately demolished along with a lot of the places of entertainment in the village. I spent many happy hours there and it was a focal point as we became teenagers, especially during the winter nights. I have to finish now as something has come up so I will return the subject of this building as soon as I get time.

Brian Mc.

Examples Of Rough Ushaw Moor Weather 1947 - 1985

There was a  lot of snow in Ushaw Moor during the period January to March 1947 and Brian M [Noodles] made reference to it in an earlier article. The Moor also suffered a severe gale in early February 1948 with 95 miles per hour winds recorded in Durham city. No doubt Sleetburn got it as well!

There was heavy snow for much of early March 1958. Seven years and a bit later there was again tons of it [November 65].

March 79 brought a snowstorm and 1985 brought lots of snow during the Christmas festive period.

Were you born during any of those periods? Or married? Or on holiday elsewhere?

Most of the information was derived from family records with a bit from the Ferryhill weather records.

WB

Sounds that stick in your mind

It is very rare today especially living in a conurbation as I do to hear the natural sounds of nature as there is always a background noise of some description.

One sound comes instantly to my mind in that category. There is a small pine wood at the Broadgate crossroads and that is where the sound originated. I love to hear the sound of wind in trees at any time. The sound of the wind blowing through the pine trees produced a unique sound which I think is described as the wind soughing through the trees. When you walked through the wood you made very little noise because of the thick covering of pine needles which had accumalated over the years.

On the opposite side of the road there was a seat and when out for a walk we would spend a few minutes having a bit crack about life in general.. When there was a lull in the conversation there would be the sound of the wind soughing gently through the pine branches.

There is a few pine trees on the banks of the Tyne in Hebburn
but the soughing never sounds the same from that small wood. Perhaps again there are too many background noises in that are what with industry on the North bank of the river and the Metro rattling along about a hundred yards away.

It was not out of the ordinary on a Sunday afternoon to walk past Ushaw Moor Colliery, turn left down to Broadgate and up the road to Ragpath. Follow the track to Esh Winning then turn left and walk up to Stand Alone Wood. On the way up to Stand Alone you followed the old Roman road Deare Steet for a short distance. Turn left and walk to Pit House Colliery and cut through the Pit Yard and follow the track down the Church Fields to Eshwood Street at the bottom of New Brancepeth. Cut through the Pit Yard at New Brancepeth and join the road to Ushaw Moor and so home for Sunday tea. I always enjoyed my Sunday tea ( home baked pies and tarts etc). I hope the spelling is OK as the text seems to have gone awry in the Text box.

Brian Mc.

Victoria Court around 1950

I am going to attempt to enter the families I can remember living in Victoria Court about the year 1950. I would like to people to read the article and put my mistakes right and update it if possible where I have falled down.

No. 1. Mr & Mrs Ellis and their family Billy, Ernie and Elsie. They moved from Ushaw Moor Colliery.

No. 2. Mr & Mrs Illingworth and their son Gordon and I also think a girl lived at home. They moved from Ushaw Moor Colliery.

No. 3. Mr & Mrs Hodgson and their two daughters Sheila and Mary. Their grandma lived with them but I never knew her name. They moved from Ushaw Moor Colliery.

No. 4. Mr & Mrs John Harrison and their family Mary, Winnie Tommy and Helen. They moved from New Brancepeth.

No 5. Mr & Mrs John William Alderton and their family Peter, John, Colin, Fred and Barbara. They moved from Alum Waters.

No.6 Mr & Mrs Carse and their family twins John and Derek and their sister Dorothy. Mr Carse was the Clerk of the Works for the Estate on which we lived. They moved from the Mill down at Alum Waters.

No. 7. Mr & Mrs Amos Mortlock and their two daughters Dorothy and I cannot remember the name of the other daughter. They moved from Ushaw Moor Colliery.

No. 8. Mr & Mrs Tose and their grown up family. I cannot remember their names. I believe they moved from Eshawwod Street at New Brancepeth.

No. 9. Mr & Mrs Morgan, and their family John and his sister whose name was I think Doreen. I remember John like all young men in those days was consripted into the Army for two years with the Durham Light Infantry and served in the Korean War. They moved from one of the two long demolished houses adjacent to Osbornes farm at Broadgate.

No. 10. Mr & Mrs Fred Stewart and their family Fred, Doreen and Eddie. They moved from Ushaw Moor Colliery.

No. 11. Mr & Mrs Temple and their son Arthur. They moved from Ushaw Moor Colliery.

No 12. Mr & Mrs Gillon and their family Gordon, Dennis, Owen and Malcolm. They moved from Pringle Place at New Brancepeth.

No. 14. Mr & Mrs Snaith and the twins Arthur and Albert, and Ken. They moved from Ushaw Moor Colliery.

No. 15. Mr & Mrs Rowan and their family Maureen, Dennis and Patricia. They moved from Broompark.

No. 16. Mr & Mrs Stout and their sons George and Robert and an older sister Jane. They moved from Broompark.

No. 17. Mr & Mrs Scott and family. They moved from New Brancepeth. I think they lived down the Lowside.

No. 18. Mr & Mrs French and their son Jimmy and daughter Marlene. Jimmy was a great footballer. They moved from Broompark.

No. 19. Mr & Mrs Grey and their son Morris. They moved from Broompark.

No. 20. Mr & Mrs Hope. They moved from Ushaw Moor Colliery.

No. 21. Mr & Mrs Gott and their daughter Maureen and son Joe. They moved from New Brancepeth.

No. 22. Mr & Mrs Maddocks (not quite sure of the spelling) and their daughter Shirley and sons John and I think David. They moved from Ushaw Moor Colliery.

No. 23. Mr & Mrs Pearson and their son Robert (Dumper) . They moved from Ushaw Moor Colliery.

Mr & Mrs Pearson and their lads Tucker, Raymond Albert and I am sure there was another younger son whose name slips my memory. I am not sure where they moved from but Temperance Terrace rings a bell.

Mr & Mrs Smith and their daughter Mary. I think there was also older sons at home. They moved drom Pringle Place at New Brancepeth.

No. 27. I cannot remember this families name or details.

No. 28. Mr & Mrs Ackley and their son Dennis and daughter Maureen. I am sure they moved from Jubilee Street at New Brancepeth.

No. 28. Mr & Mrs Morland and their daughter Doris. They moved from New Brancepeth.

No 29. I cannot remember the details of this family.

No. 30. Mr & Mrs Wright and their son Lawrence. I think they moved from Ushaw Moor Colliery.

No. 31. Mrs Gibbs and I can only remember Sarah but I think there were other family members lived. They moved from Eshwood or Church Street at New Brancepeth.

No. 32. Mr & Mrs Howarth and their son Mickey and daughter Monica. I think there other family members living there but I cannot remember their names. They moved from Ushaw Moor Colliery.

No. 33. Mr & Mrs Dickie Tolson and their son Robert. I know there were other family members but I cannot remember their names. They moved from New Brancepeth.

Mr & Mrs Mawson and their son Harold. There were other family members but I cannor remember their details. They moved from Ushaw Moor Colliery.

Mr & Mrs Griffiths. I cannot remember their family details. They moved from New Brancepeth.

Mr & Mrs Halpin and their family Edgar, Philomenia, Mary and Joseph. They moved from Church Steet in New Brancepeth.

No. 37. Mr & Mrs Peter Turnbull and their family Harry, Percy and Greta. I am sure they were other family members living at home. They moved from Ushaw Moor Colliery.

No. 38. My Mother Mary and Dad Jimmy and my sister Mary and brothers Jim, Mick and Kevin. We moved from 29 Harvey Street in New Brancepeth.

No. 39. Mr & Mrs Morland and their daughter Ann and son Malcolm and I am sure there was another brother. They moved from Pringle Place in New Brancepth.

That concludes the datails I can remember about Victoria Court. Please comment on any persons I have missed out or where my memory is a bit hazy about the area of Victoria Court at the T junction with Whitehouse?Bracken Court. I hope this article brings back memories of people who lived there about sixty years ago

Brian Mc.

Ushaw Moor Memories

Came across this photo, wondered if anyone had any more info on it, date etc.

Ushaw Moor Memories.

 

Hard Copy of Memories BLOG

You can now purchase a "hard copy" of the Ushaw Moor Memories BLOG.

It is available as a soft back A5 book compiled into 300 pages with contents of TOPICS with comments.

The cost is £18.00 +p/p.

Let me know if you are interested.

Paul

Glittering Prize For Noodles 29

Noodles, also known as Brian Mcloughlin, is a fine writer and has come up trumps. Perhaps no one else fancied competing against his vivid and entertaining accounts of times gone by. His choice of books will need to be conveyed to me so that I can make arrangements to present him with his prizes in the autumn.

Congratulation Brian.

 

WB

Ushaw Moor Cricket Players 1947 Vintage - Adrian To Place This In The Club House?

The following details were supplied to me by my uncle Norman Hope and published on site back on 26/06/2006.
Christopher Brewis - At one time he had a general dealer’s shop opposite the post office in Temperance Terrace.

Fred Hume - He was an all rounder and good fielder [often at mid on].He was a right hand batsmen and capable of keeping an end up. He was a medium paced right hand bowler.He married Ada Bainbridge [from New Brancepeth].His son, Fred, was a good player for Durham Wasps [ice hockey] and enjoyed a long career with them.

Sid Mawson -Regular first team player.

George Graham - Usually fielded in the slips and had hands like shovels.In one particular match he hit a Durham City bowler [who had been a pro for York] all over the field.He was also a good amateur footballer.The lad on his immediate right as we look at the well known photograph published on site was named as Michael. He lived in Deerness View. He was an all rounder and was also a good singer in Working Men’s Clubs.

Jimmy Abberley - Six feet tall batsman.He was a fitter at Esh Winning Colliery.He lived about 4 or 5 doors from Ushaw Moor post office.

Alfie Gillespie - A cobbler by trade and a very accomplished right hand batsman. He scored lots of 50s and therefore benefited from numerous collections.He kept his shots on the ground[Bradman style!]. When running between the wickets Dickie Hope was sometimes 22 yards behind.

Gilbert Ayre - He was Raymond Ayre’s uncle. All the cricketers from this family were good batsmen.

Jack Graham - He sometimes umpired [but not matches involving Ushaw Moor]. His wife did the teas with Ethel Hope.

George Gillespie - Harry’s father. Dickie Hope thought that he was not at all a bad player.He was a foreman joiner at Waterhouses Collery.

Billy Quinn - Ex Army Captain and a very fast bowler.At one time he was a school teacher at Ushaw Moor Roman Catholic School.When he went to live in Esh Winning he decided to play for them because he felt he should play for the village in which he lived.He had many offers to play for more fashionable teams.He more than once broke the bails and stumps because of his sheer pace. Dickie Hope broke his own finger when playing wicket keeper to a Billy Quinn delivery.As well as pace he had movement [therefore very difficult to play against].He bowled to the height of the stumps and did not deliver high pitched balls.He never bowled full pace if opposed by a young number 11 batsman.He was not a bad batsman although a bit inconsistent.

Serdi Last -  Spin bowler who had come from Mainsforth Cricket Club.Could bowl leg break and off break.

Harry Gillespie - Transport Manager at a laundry.A batsman who scored quite a few 50s.

Alfie Smith - Came to the club with Serdi Last.He was a good batsman and was also a slow left hand spin bowler.He played at Ushaw Moor for three or four years.

Teddy Sinclair - Winding Engineman at Ushaw Moor Colliery.He was a bowler.He wore a red hanky in his pocket and a red tie for a belt when he played.

Richard Wallace Hope - Wicket keeper and opening batsman. Very much a sheet anchor.Sometimes captain. He himself sometimes wondered whether he would be able to hit the ball off the square. He did make several useful scores each season and therefore it can be said that he under estimated himself.Sometime secretary of the club.

‘Bell from Broompark’ - Sometimes deputised as wicket keeper.

Tommy Buxton - A teacher at Brandon.

The two youngsters flanking the bottom row in the well known photograph are left hand side Harry Gillespie’s son and right hand side- last person- Billy Quinn’s son.

WB

Then And Now

There has been some recent comment that life was better in times gone by but is that really the case? Take corruption -  it has been around for thousands of years and I fear that it will continue. The only realistic hope is that more serious efforts will be made to reduce the level of it. It is alleged  that some miners were a wee bit creative  regarding their coal production output but nonetheless they were very courageous to work at a pit in the first place.

Certainly there was a core of considerate, kindly Deerness Valley people in generations gone by but on looking at Victorian newspapers I find that plenty of violence occurred in mining communities as well as elsewhere. Likewise there are some considerate and kindly people in the valley today, as well as a few bad apples.

Do you agree that one of the problems is the ever increasing emphasis on having possessions rather than quality relationships? It has been said that many people are ambitious but only to the extent that they want to own more that everyone else in their immediate locality. Is  excessive capitalism doing us in? Is it dividing us and giving us an inferior set of values?  Are we getting to be 'Go Compare' automatons?

WB

Your past will catch you up.

This is a tale that shows that your past will catch up with you from the most unexpected sources.

When I was about 14/15 years old I purchased a Diana air rifle for use mostly down the beck.  Much against my Mothers wishes God Bless her.

Let me emphasise that neither I nor my pals ever used the rifle to kill birds or any other living creature.  We used it for target practice using bottles from the Refuse tip which was situated on the other side of the beck from the pump house.   The pump house was situated on the New Brancepeth side of the beck and two cast iron pipes left the back of the building and went up the hill and into the ground at the top of the hill.  Outside the Pump House jutting out from the bank of the beck were two concrete channels which led into a round brick chamber which was always full of beck water.  I can never remember any water being pumped up the hill or the sound of any pumping machinery inside the building.  I can only think that this unit was built at the same time as the New Brancepeth Coke ovens at the end of the 19th or the early years of the 20th. century and water at that time was pumped from the beck to cool the coke as the ram pushed the white coke from the oven on to the tram which carried the it  up a slight incline where the it was loaded on to railway trucks for onward movement.  The Coke Ovens incidentally were built by German engineers and the the first manager was named Schwarz.  Am I disgressing a little from my tale.

Anyway we lined bottles up on the two pipes and and lay on the grass at the top of the bank and fired at the bottles and that was the main use of the air  rifle.

Even all those years ago you were not allowed to carry the air rifle in public.  To get over the problem of carrying the air rifle from No. 6 Victoria Court down throught the village I used the ingenious method of breaking the rifle (not literally) and sliding it barrel first down through the waistband of my trousers and into my turned down wellies which was the usual footwear for the beck.  In my infinite wisdom I thought that no one could see it hidden as it was.  I was so wrong.

In June 1965 as a member of the Durham County Police I was posted up to Jarrow.  I had previously served 5 years in the Regular Army.  Like the Army,  Police Officers were posted to different Police Stations throughout the County.  One officer was posted in from Barnard Castle and I thought I knew his face.  A few weeks later I was working with him and on learning my name he asked if I came from Ushaw Moor.  On learning that I had lived at Ushaw Moor he then asked me "Have you still got the air rifle which you used to take down the beck hidden down  the side of your right leg?"

So you see people know your secrets and some day they will catch you up.  That is a little industrial history and a little incident in my life.

Horatio Carter

In answer to Brian M, Raich Carter did indeed play for Esh Winning of the Northern League and  er...Sunderland, Derby County.....

George Camsell, another famous player of the time, also had a spell with Esh Winning.

For the benefit of many Ushaw Moor Facebook fans let me explain that Carter, in his day, was a magnificent footballer; he was captain of the Sunderland football team that won the FA Cup in 1937. Because it was the habit of professional footballers, during WW2 service, to 'guest' for the nearest local professional team, Derby County had the benefit of Carter during their 1945 FA Cup win. Its an amazing fact that in the 60s I worked with the brother of the 1945 Cup Final referee, E D Smith.

Raich Carter was a fan of Charlie Buchan, another famous footballer; in his time Buchan was as well known as Bobby Charlton. Buchan was known to visit Temperance Terrace to see my great grandfather George Hope - probably because George was a football scout.

Still I have to be careful of the Cluff police and his agents [tongue/cheek] because this has little to do with Ushaw Moor memories. Clough? Another quite famous football name. Do you agree young man?

WB

Ushaw College

It is with great sadness that I received  the news that Ushaw College is to close this month.  The College has been in its present situation since 1808 and as such it very much a part of the history of the local area.  The main buildings were built in the 19th century and amongst the architects that designed them were the father and son named Pugin.  They were of national renown and designed many churches and buildings in the Victorian era.  The farm attached to the College must be unique in the fact that the buildings were designed my one of the Pugins.

When I was a boy the College was very well used and boys from the age of eleven years old went to be educated and train for the priesthood in the Catholic Church.  There was a junior seminary behind the high stone wall situated near the College farm and the adult students were educated in the area of the College nearest Bearpark.  On a Wedneday afternoon large groups of the younger boys could be seen walking through the village in their red blazers and grey trousers.

Many of the staff working at the College were from the local villages and it provided employment for many people.   My late eldest brother Jim , God Bless him, worked at the College for 12 years as a joiner until his retirement.  I went up a few times to see him at his lunch break and he showed me around and at one time the College was a self sufficient unit.  It produced its own gas before the arrival of electricity.  It had its own bakery, kitchens, tailors, swimming baths, cemetery, infirmary and a large maintenance staff, stonemasons, bricklayers, painters, joiners, etc.  The domestic staff were girls from Ireland and the local area.

The College has its own unique sporting game named "Cat"  I do not know the rules but there was an inter College League and the game was played on a grassed area at the top of the Drive leading up from the Gate nearest Bearpark.  There were sports fields on the other side of the road opposite the above mentioned gate and more sports fields in front of the Junior Seminary.

The best farmer to work for picking potatoes was Mr. George Dixon who worked the College farm.  One shilling an hour, picked up in the morning and dropped off at the end of the working day.  A free sack of potatoes delivered to the house plus a couple of turnips a few days after we went back to school.  It was back breaking work but you just got on with it.  The ride on the trailer to and from the fields would be frowned on today because of health and safety rules but it was a great laugh.  I remember Mr. Dixon as a gentleman farmer with a ruddy complexion and wearing plus fours and tweeds and a hat.  I also spent many happy hours watching the pigs and piglets in the stys at the side of the road at the front of the farm on Sunday afternoons.   No omnibus editions of Corra or Eastenders or even the telly.

There is an article in the Journal today about the College library and what will happen to its priceless contents.  There are over 44,000 books and manuscripts held in the library, many of the books and manuscripts being hundreds of years old.  A treasure trove like this should not be allowed to leave the area.

Also there was a nine hole golf course situated on the east side of the College grounds (nearest Bearpark) which was used by the students and staff at the College.  We would search for hours for golf balls and were always given a tanner for each ball found.  ( 2 1/2P)

I remember in 1951 there was a huge celebration at the Colllege to commemorate the 1300th anniversary of the birth of the Northumbrian Saint Aidan.  Over 100,00 people attended the celebration in the College grounds which was also attended by Cardinal Griffin who was the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales at that time.  I had never seen as many people before and after tea we sat on the wall at the top of the bank above Whitehouse Court counting  the buses carrying the people and they  were from all over the North East and the North West of England.

I can also remember the night of the Coronation of the Queen in June 1953 when they lit the largest bonfire I have ever seen in the field opposite the West gate of the College.  It was huge and hundreds of local people attended to enjoy the spectacle.

It is time for a nice large whisky.  So good night to everyone who might read my article.

Brian Mc

About One And A Half Pages

That is all an entry to The Glittering Prize Competition amounts to. Apart from prestige; let's not forget prestige. And entertaining us all.

I think the old Durham County Council school note books had blue covers and each page had thirty lines, so let us say, on average, ten words to a line  x about forty five lines = word count comfortably fulfilled.

In the past Brian M has already done his 'duty' several times over and if there are no entries to judge he may well end up being offered the Glitter on a well deserved honorary basis!

So what will contestants write about? Will it be about the clear and sparkling waters that betrayed the little Broadgate minnows? Or will it be about you smiling at vicar Welby as he passed you by, but not on the other side?

Will it be about you catching sight of the Ushaw Moor banner for the very first time? Or will it be an account of the dark forces of  school bullying? What about scoring from a penalty for the school team? Were you in the school netball team [hopefully that is one for the ladies] or was your strength, expertise and dishonesty invested in  conker competitions?

Moving on, were you excited about furnishing your first home or aghast at the insects under your carpet?

Maybe your wonderful grandparents or uncle/aunt/parents can inspire enough words.

In a  little more than two weeks in will be all over and in the meantime the excitement is building. Well it ought to be anyway.

WB

 

 

Wilfb's Blog Has Its First Post

Although much of my new blog will have no connection to the Deerness Valley one or two regular followers of the Ushaw Moor site  just might be curious enough to have a look at my new venture which is called, strangely enough, Wilfb's Blog. My intention is to put up one article per month.

To access my blog use:  htp://wilfb.wordpress.com

WB

Cloth Caps On Cold Days Are Long Gone

Many men used to be seen in cloth caps. Old photographs of Sunderland and Newcastle supporters show thousands upon thousands of them in such regulation headgear; if you were adult without a hat you looked out of it.  They were especially useful during windy autumn and cold winters.

Caps had the advantage of hiding significant hair loss whereas now there are so many men, of all ages, without head hair, much of it by choice.

Is it right to say that the 'new man' has a bald head and broad strong shoulders?

WB

Union Matters

Back in 1915 the following Durham Miners' Association representatives from Ushaw Moor colliery were elected to attend the TUC annual conference:

W Hall [check weighman] and the following [all miners] J W Lambton, J W Hall, S Anderson, J Clark, R Hunter, J F Carling, Issac Finlay and R Needham.

Source Durham Mining Museum

Any family connections?

WB

Go Compare

It seems to me that youngsters and parents living in Ushaw Moor up to to middle 1950s  were not subjected to advertising in the manner that became so prevalent. A replica football shirt was not a childish desire and neither was it on the want list of a generously girthed, beery, thirty year old fan;  our local school was not sponsored by an estate agent or some such business; Sunderland FC and Newcastle FC did not have multi changing electronic adverts encircling their pitches and  football programmes did not cost the equivalent of a modern three quid.

But we have much of the aforementioned and a lot besides. It is probably here to stay: our economy relies on consumer spending to achieve growth and something  they call  'prosperity'. The trouble is we seem to put up with horribly noisy Go Compare adverts and the like, but should we? The advertising persuaders are making too many of us feel  off colour and perhaps we should not put up with it.

It is complicated. We have life choices and must not be overawed by having so many. I suppose we should decide our taste, spend in relation to our means and  pine for Radio Luxembourg's  gentler brand of advertising. We can then watch the ship go down. As I say, it is complicated and the genie is probably long gone from the bottle.

WB

 

More On James Marchant MM - Citation

T.Z./2118 C.P.O., James Marchant, MM., Hood Bn., R.N.V.R. (Ushaw Moor.) When the advance of the company was held up by severe machine-gun fire at Achiet-le-Petit, on 21st August, 1918, he displayed great gallantry and initiative in rushing the machine gun and capturing the crew. Later on while bombing another machine gun he was severely wounded, but declined to leave his men until he fell exhausted by loss of blood, and had to be carried from the field of battle. He set a splendid example to his men.

WB

 

It's The Way We Say It

I spent my first sixteen years absorbing a North Eastern way of speaking  and it has stayed with me to the present day. Having said that there is no doubt that my accent was influenced, to some extent, by my southern father. I eventually modified my delivery a bit e.g. some vowel work  in the way of pronouncing  book and bath, but being proud of my roots I never felt  a need for much further adjustment.

Sometimes the likes of Kate Adie and the Charlton brothers [of football fame]  pop up on the television and I  pay attention to how they speak; Kate Adie speaks what I call posh NE but she does it in a natural way that is easy to hear and understand and it  fits in with her highly successful professional career. In the case of Jack Charlton I always think he is adjusting his vowels for the media; I say that because it does not come over quite as naturally as Kate Adie's delivery but I am open to persuasion.

So much for vowel work but what about vocabulary? Does the current generation of Deerness Valley inhabitants still use phrases like gannen yem or why I man? Or words like spuggie? If so are such words and expressions still spoken as frequently and by as many?

My pet dislike had alway been the Channel Four programme announcer with his heavy Geordie twang; it set my teeth on edge and my migraine stimulator into an over-spin but I am getting used to him now.

Although delivery can be influential what you say and why you say  is  surely of  paramount importance and that applies whether you come from Ashington, Sleetburn or the USA.

WB

The Empire Had Fireflies, Smog, A Lolly On A Stick And Maybe A Bit Of The Other

I recall that in the  50s much hard earned money went up in smoke; Woodbine, Player and Capstan product, ejected by human fireflies, drifted upwards with much of it caught in the film projector beam like curling vapour trails from caught out Luftwaffe planes.

By and large the cinema going public was not aware of the dangers of cigarette smoking, not that the industry that produced fags was ever going to tell that generation the full facts! My memory tells me that the film stars of the 50s were for ever lighting up and using fags as a prop; impressionable minds were persuaded that cigarettes were swish and cool.   We are aware of the dangers now and consequently consumption has gone down in the UK, but that is not a great problem for the tobacco industry; its global results no doubt delight  its shareholders and perhaps one or two hard bitten funeral directors. Um... on reflection is there such a thing as a hard bitten funeral director? Perhaps not. The one I met a couple of years ago, when my car broke down, was ever such a nice lady.

Getting a lolly in the Empire at the interval depended on two things: did I have the money to buy one and if so was the queue short enough to make the effort worthwhile?

Which leaves me with a bit of the other; I was pre-teen so a bit of the other was a mystery that failed to register on my radar but many couples saw the period of comparative darkness as an opportunity to indulge in some back row recreational fun, the extent of which, at the time, was beyond my wildest contemplations.

WB

An Academic Marriage March 1959

Sheila Marr and Alan Spence, both teachers at Ushaw Moor County school, tied the knot in March 1959. Our class presented them with some new knives and forks and they probably found that gesture quite touching!

Can anyone recall these teachers?

WB

Glittering Prizes - The Details

The writing competition prizes offered consist of two alcoholic drinks [reciprocation not required] to the value of about two pints of beer, plus any two books from the following list of five:

1] Who Runs Britain?....and who's to blame for the economic mess we're in - author Robert Peston

2] A Woman In Berlin  -  author anonymous - A war diary unlike any other... one of the most important personal accounts ever written, wrote Anthony Beevor

3] Durham As It Was by Ian Nelson - my personal copy - a photographic record of Durham City

4] The Coalminers Of Durham - Norman Emery - The Northern Echo wrote 'a finely illustrated book by a mineworker's son'.

5] Vietnam - Christian G Appy - the definitive oral history told from all sides.

The site has gone a bit quiet and time is running out; it makes me wonder whether glitter is in demand and worth 'fighting' for! We shall see what we shall see.

WB

Terry Moore Can Show Ushaw Moor How to Tie Its Shoe Laces

Remember primary school? Your mum had already tied your shoelaces before you set out for school but what about when the laces unravelled? I suppose the teacher retied them for you. Now, the big question: did your mother or teacher tie them correctly?

If you go to TED via google Terry Moore will show you, in a very short video, how to tie them properly. I looked at it and have gone for his method! It took me five minutes to master the task but you will probably achieve it in one minute. Being left handed I found it a touch complex, hence the five minutes; that's my take on it and I am sticking to it.

WB

The Eagle, Charlie Buchan's Football Magazine, The Dandy.....

They were part of my childhood back in the 1950s. If you are so inclined you can read the September 1951 edition of Charlie Buchan's magazine by googling  - Charles Buchan's Football Monthly Archives. It's at the top of the page of sites. Once in the site itself  look to the right hand side and click to another era of football. There is a picture of Newcastle United, a feature on Raich Carter and much more.

WB

Does The Surname Marchant Mean Anything To You?

J Marchant served in the Royal Navy Voluntary Reserve and was awarded the MM [Military Medal] in 1917 for bravery in battle; the records show that he came from Ushaw Moor. It is quite possible that his family lived at 25 South Terrace Waterhouses in 1901 - parents being Billy and Martha. No less than thirteen people lived in that house on the night of the census and our medal winner may have been James [ten years old in 1901], or John [six in 1901]  or Joseph [22 in 1901]. Perhaps Joseph is the least likely contender owing to his age but I could easily be wrong about that.

Are you associated with this family? If so have you any memories to share?

WB

Ushaw Moor Voted the Worst Village In Britain?

Too often we get tacky taste and downright drivel on the internet; let me direct you to some, just for a moment.  Google - NUFC Ushaw Moor - and you will find it. Amongst the slime you will find a very good account of Ushaw Moor and its history which helps towards  redressing the balance. When and where did the so called vote take place?

NUFC? It was Newcastle United FC that relied for a century on some of Ushaw Moor's football fans for important revenue. No doubt the club itself has nothing to do with the site in question.

Ushaw Moor helped to fuel the Industrial Revolution and revitalize the economy. Too many of its people died in the process and that is not counting those that died in two World Wars. There are lots of places inferior to Ushaw Moor and one prime example is Blackpool. I love Blackpool Football Club almost as much as I love Derby County but let me tell you that I would rather live in Ushaw Moor than Blackpool. Yes I know Blackpool is a town and not a village.

WB

We Must Use Our Memories To Evaluate The Present And Ponder The Future

My goodness I did find it difficult to decide the subject header for this post. I think what you finally see up above is version three.

The Ken Robinson talk  concerns the state of education in the past and ponders and projects into the future; at the same time it brings much laughter to us on the way. I find it a contrast to things as they were in Wallace Hayton's day and surely it should make us think while we chuckle and admire his brilliant speech. 'So there' as Sir Ken would put it!

WB

Most Parents Will Surely Warm To This

I recommend that you google a site called TED.  Ted  stands for technology, entertainment and design. Look for Ken Robinson and mouse into him; I found Sir Ken's not too long speech, made in 2006, both inspiring and witty. His theme is that schools are killing pupils creativity and he goes about delivering it in a very entertaining way.

Please give me a bit of feedback on this one I really will appreciate it.

WB

From The Archives

Wallace Hayton remembers the old days

Original date of publication 24/01/2007

I had been teaching at New Brancepeth since 1951 when the big change came about.I transferred to Ushaw Moor with Mrs E Barlow, Mrs E Wilson and Mr G Hill [who became Deputy Headmaster] on 7th of April 1959,together with senior pupils from the school. Among those pupils were Edith Smith, Gillian Cruddace, Hazel Dickinson, Ann Mountain, Ann Dowson, Audrey Thompson, Pauline Newman, Jean Metcalfe, Malcolm Gibb and Thomas Patterson. Another I recall was Peter Barella who became a senior police officer in Northumberland. I quite frequently bump into Ann Mountain and Ann Dowson and always enjoy having a little chat with them.

At first I think that all pupils and staff of the new school were wary as to how we’d all settle but we need not have worried because everything seemed to go well with no great problems, despite the upheaval. I didn’t notice any signs of rivalry between pupils from the three contributory schools.

As far as I can remember [42 years on] we had no great discipline problems – maybe because we had certain simple rules. Do you remember?

1. Walk [don't run] on the left in the corridors.
2. Line up in classes in the schoolyard with one hand on the shoulder of the pupil in front – drop      hands on the word of command, then walk quietly into the school.

Lunchtimes involved two ‘sittings’ in the dining room that was opposite Mr Gibbon’s office. Pupils went table by table to the hatch to be served. Do you remember that Grace was said at the beginning and end of each sitting? Times change – schools are so big these days that they don’t seem to have time for that!

The boys may remember the school gardens by the side of the wood. A number of staff took classes there – notably Mr Turnbull.

A number of staff also shared PE untill specialists took over years later. I believe that Mrs Barlow and Mrs Wilson did girls PE. Mr Barlow, myself and later a young teacher called Mr Grimshaw looked after the boys.I enjoyed these lessons because I had the change from the classroom and it also helped me keep fit.On wet days we had mixed PE – you may remember such relays as tunnel ball. We got a new trampoline with which everyone was newfangled. We also had a game called Padler tennis. Some pupils will remember Mr and Mrs Barlow, Mr Grimshaw and I playing the game in the schoolyard at lunchtimes.

As a member of staff I saw many changes in my twenty four and a half years at the school – from Sec. Mod. to Comprehensive, but I must say I enjoyed the earlier years most. In fact they were some of the best of my teaching career, which ended in early retirement in 1983.

May I finish by wishing all pupils from the past every happiness in the future.

WH/WB

Gordon Thompson [1921 - 2001]

A few of our older Ushaw Moorites will recall Gordon. He opened the innings for Ushaw Moor Cricket Club in the late 1950s. I cannot recall too much about his batting but I am very sure he was the club's  paid professional. Someone did tell me that he scored a century against Australia and from time to time I have tried to unearth more information about that claim.

I can now confirm that Gordon did indeed play against the mighty Australians. He was one of those players representing Durham County in August 1948. It was a rain affected game but he had time to dismiss the famous Neil Harvey by catching him: Harvey caught Thompson 2. Australia were all out for 282. Note that the best batsmen that has ever lived, Donald Bradman, was absent from this game.

Gordon did not have much luck with the bat in the Durham reply, being bowled by legendary Keith Miller for 2.  Durham were 73 for five wickets when the weather called a halt. He did have some  success for Durham against Yorkshire seconds [38 runs] and Northumberland [47 runs].

I can recall that he was a right handed batsman and dressed immaculately, as befitting a club professional. Can anyone recall  more about Gordon?

WB

Time To Ponder

I don't know much about my great uncle Tommy Dodds apart from snippets. He was a miner at Sleetburn, had a pocket watch, used snuff and eventually died of cancer. He had done rather well in examinations after leaving New Brancepeth school and it was felt that he had the potential to get a degree; in the event it was his younger brother Wilfrid that collected the  glittering academic prizes. I rather fancy that Tommy's fate was due to  limited family finances and if so it is a familiar story for quite a few working class lads in those days. For bright daughters it was often worse; they tended to suffer  because their role was seen to be that of looking after the hearth while the man was out earning  the family finances.

As previously stated  Tommy had a pocket watch but I do not recall him owning a wrist watch even though such watches became popular in the 1920s, having originally been called wristlet's!

I did not wear a wrist watch until 1960 but several of my mates had them before then. It is a funny thing but how often do you see young people wearing wrist watches these days? Most of them do not see the point because mobile phones supply the time, the internet and much else.

WB

Lots Of People Living There

At the time of the census a hundred years ago Hardy Hudson's household at 11 West Terrace, Ushaw Moor consisted of eleven people but  the household of Jane Miller, at 46 Temperance Terrace, exceeded that by two.

Joe Towns shared 5 West Terrace with ten other people and Billy Oyston, a few doors down at number ten, could claim the same.

WB

Just Do It

I hope that some of you, if not all, find the following words from G M Trevelyan a touch thought provoking:

''The poetry of history lies in the quasi-miraculous fact that once, on this earth, once, on this familiar spot of ground, walked other men and women, as actual as we are today, thinking their own thoughts, swayed by their own passions, but now all gone, one generation vanishing into another. . .The Dead were, and are not. Their place knows them no more, and is ours today. Yet they were once as real as we, and we shall tomorrow be shadows like them''.

It reminded me of the film Dead Poets Society and in particular the words of the school teacher character John Keating played by Robin Williams:

''They're not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they're destined for great things, just like many of you, their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? - - Carpe - - hear it? - - Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary''.

WB

1911 Snippets

Ralph Park, a New Brancepeth miner, just missed 1911 having died on 29 December 1910  as a result of an apoplectic seizure.

The year itself started on a Sunday and like any other year lots of people were born, lots died and tragedy was never too far way.

Just a few of those born:

6 February Ronald Reagan

11 May Phil Silvers

16 July Ginger Rogers

6 August Lucille Ball

5 November Roy Rogers

On 25 March there was a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City resulting in the deaths of 146 people.

George the Fifth was crowned and in the same year shot twenty one tigers, eight rhinos and a bear. Very brave, very kingly; oh  what an empire!

Meanwhile in Ushaw Moor the Yard Seam was abandoned;  Jimmy Dodds of New Brancepeth played for Durham County Boys against Northumberland  County Boys; Captain Cody landed his plane at Brandon Hill  [more details on this site]; Ushaw Moor Working Men's Club was seven years old and Station Road was 'pregnant' with the Empire Cinema [duly 'born' the following year].

George Clark was living in Ladysmith Terrace with his wife Dorothy. Their four lads, Norman, William, George and Frank took the very short walk to Ushaw Moor School.

26 October 1911 was a very exciting day for Ushaw Moor miner John Rochford; he married an Esh Winning lass called Annie Brennan. Edward and Esther Brennan acted as witnesses.

William Stamford was living at 48 Temperance Terrace around about this time and working at Ushaw Moor Colliery.Very sadly he died in Palmer's shipyard in June 1915 owing to Zeppelin bombs. 15 other people died as a result of the incident.

This was the year that Reverend Davies of Esh was critical of St Lukes Church because one of its oil lamps fell from the ceiling and started a fire. Tolerance Rev. Davies;  tolerance.

WB

Seven Assorted Piggs

Back in 1891 Robert Pigg [a coke drawer] and his wife Sarah lived at 31 North Terrace Waterhouses;  together with them were their children: John Charles b1886, Sarah Elizabeth b 1888 and Robert b1890. School master John Potts lived next door to them.

By 1901 they had moved to 1 Arthur Street, in the same village, and had two additional children: Walter and Joseph.

This just might be the Pigg family mentioned in the recent interesting  postings on this site.

WB

Mr and Mrs Kale

Submitted on behalf of Peter Ham

G’day from Eldorado in Victoria Australia.

My sister and I were sent to stay in Esh Winning during the war. I was 7 or 8, and Betty 2 years older. I stayed with Mr and Mrs Kale, and Betty with relations of our stepfather, John Pigg, also in the village. The Kales had Arthur and Eileen. They were all very kind. Mr Kale was a miner. He took me to the pit one Sunday morning, but I remember I chickened out and ran away. But since then I became a very keen caver. He also kept pigeons. The parents would be long passed away but perhaps Arthur or Eileen might still live there-abouts. I went to the local primary school, where the kids gave me a very hard time, because I didn’t speak proper!

We came from Bath. I wonder if anyone would make a few enquiries to see if these good people are still there. I would be very grateful, but please don’t go to any great trouble. I know I am pulling a very long straw.

Kind regards
Peter Ham

 

A Timely Dance Across The Universe

Time  is important to me right now;  there is this  acute awareness that it is finite, creeping and precious. I have this to do, and that to do, and if I am not careful I will begin to express myself like a  professional footballer playing in a cup-tie and behaving like a headless chicken.

Time can be interesting as well as a concern. Why is it that 1968 seems much more recent than the Spring of 1973? As for  Ushaw Moor, version 1954 -1960, it seems like another planet all together; 1956 was all about that school building in Temperance Terrace, Jackie Milburn and Len Shackleton; then there were my lovely family members: Ethel Hope, Doreen Hope, Tommy Carse, Arthur Hodgson and  others too many to mention. There were no mobile phones in sight; fewer unruly youngsters; Marks and Spencer stores were the size of a shop rather than now, in my area, a village.There were less stressful kids in supermarkets; more cigarettes to harm or kill; for adults there was a moral imperative to be sin free and married. More dirt less sin; smoke and steam from locomotives; fewer 90 year olds......

A useful tool for tripping the universe is  - British Newspapers 1800 - 1900,

http: //newspaper.bi.uk/blcs/

might get you there  [breaking news it does not] via red dwarfs and black holes, but if not just google and experiment - you will find it. It costs a penny short of seven pounds  for a 24 hour pass  and that gives access to one hundred articles - several of which involve New Brancepeth and Ushaw Moor via its search box.

WB