Telling Tales in Progress! Gateshead's local historians walking us through the past
In the past two weeks, Gateshead's local historians have sat down with me, Alison and Laura from Digital Voice For Communities to narrate the history of the Tyne Derwent Way for the Telling Tales podcast.
In the morning of Friday 22 November, Christine Frazer from Bensham Grove Community Centre was our first guest. She told the history of Gateshead Garden Festival as one of the iconic events of the 1990s in the memory of Gateshead and the North East's residents. During these 50-minute sessions, she talked about the scale of the event, the intentions behind establishing a big event such as Gateshead Garden Festival, and its legacies for future generations. She also recalled her childhood memories of the garden festival and the joyful summer days in the 1990s.
Right after Christine, our second local historian, Susan Lynn, pictured the magnificent and impressive history of Crowley Iron Works as a pioneering example of industrial Gateshead. Susan draws a picture of the old Crowley Ironworks as a thriving industry in the 17th and 18th centuries, which had a great influence on the industrialisation process in the rest of Europe. Moreover, she narrated an image of the social life and living conditions at the time in Gateshead. In this one-hour recording, Susan shared her vision of the future for the Crowley Ironworks as a heritage masterpiece handed from past generations to the present, and the importance of its preservation.
Finally, we wrapped up the morning with Val Scully. Val walked us through the past times of Gibside, with the twists and turns in its history. She narrated the history of Gibside from a unique angle, describing the feminine power hidden in Gibside's history before the National Trust managed the site. She walked us through the importance of the Liberty monument at Gibside, which dates to before the French revolution, to the time where liberty was a synonym for democracy and wellness. She also shared her dreams and ambitions for the future of Gibside as a great representation of the Derwent Valley's history.
These recordings were followed on 29 November with guests including Anthea Lang, the Gateshead local historian picturing Gateshead's St Mary's Church through the years; Tony Stephenson, who reminded us about the rise and fall of Dunston Staiths from pre-industrial times until the damage caused by fires; and Kari Vickers from Tyne and Wear Building Preservation Trust, who is responsible for the maintenance and revival of Dunston Staiths in the present.
During the first hour, local city guide Tony Stephenson explained in magnificent detail the structure of Dunston Staiths, and its importance for coal trading in the UK and other countries. He described how the Staiths worked closely with the railway, and about the roles and social class of the teemers (the men who released the coal from the wagons and operated the loading chutes and conveyors) and trimmers (who had the dangerous job of ensuring the stability of the colliers by levelling the load in their holds as they were filled), who loaded the coal onto ships, and their role and social class at the time.
Following Tony, we welcomed Anthea Lang to talk and walk us back to the old Gateshead's St Mary's church. She explained the layers of architectural structure in the church, the three fires at the church and its historic graveyard.
Eventually, Kari talked us through the challenges of Dunston Staiths' maintenance and restoration by Tyne and Wear Building Preservation Trust, her earliest experiences of bonding the local community again with Dunston Staiths, and the process of bringing the structure back to life.
You can hear the extended and elaborated history of the Tyne Derwent Way in our Telling Tales podcast, which we plan to launch by March 2025.
To complete this podcast, we are still looking for local people's memories and stories about each of these legacies of Gateshead's past. If you or your family members have any memories of these places, and you would like to immortalise them, please send an email to Farnaz@twbpt.org.uk or call us on 07782 226 015. We welcome your memories!
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