Whickham History Society

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Whickham History Society

Whickham Local History Society exists to encourage interest in the history of the North East of England and Whickham in particular. We meet at 7.30p.m.

Whickham is a town in the North East of England, four miles south west of Newcastle upon Tyne and part of Gateshead Metropolitan Borough. Situated on high ground overlooking the River Tyne and the MetroCentre, Whickham is now a pleasant retreat for those working in the Tyneside conurbation. This sedentary image is misleading, however. Whickham is a living town, with many social, cultural and business activities. This has always been the case. From the Romans to the Norman Conquest, agriculture, the Anglo-Scottish wars, the rise and fall of the coal and iron industries, the Reformation, the dawn of railway transportation, electoral reform, twentieth century war to suburbia, these great historical themes have influenced life in Whickham. in the Community Centre, Front Street, Whickham on the fourth Monday in the month, from September to April, to hear a talk on a historical subject. Tea and coffee are available from 7.00pm. You are warmly invited to join us, to meet new friends with historical interests and to learn and share your knowledge of Whickham. Annual membership is £7.50, or £2 per meeting for guests.

26/09/2026

The first meeting for 2026-27 of Whickham Local History Society will be at 7.30pm in the Community Centre, Front Street, on Monday 28th September. We have Dr Shane McCorristine and Dr Helen Rutherford of Newcastle University talking about The History of Newcastle Gaol 1828-1925. Copies of their book will also be available to buy (Christmas is coming!) for £14.

There'll be tea and coffee from 7pm and the meeting starts at 7.30pm. Annual membership £10 or £2 per talk.

This is our 50th year and there will be our usual programme of monthly talks and a Whickham History day. Full programme:

MONDAY 28 September 2026: The History of Newcastle Gaol 1828-1925, by Dr Shane McCorristine and Dr Helen Rutherford

MONDAY 26 October 2026: AGM followed by Quakers in Newcastle, by Margaret Bozic

MONDAY 23 November 2026: The 1926 General Strike in the North East, by Dr Joe Redmayne

MONDAY 14 December 2026: Members’ Christmas party. Buffet and entertainment by The Old English Duo

MONDAY 25 January 2027: The Cullercoats Artists' Colony, by Michael Gatherar

MONDAY 22 February 2027: The Setting of Durham Castle and Cathedral World Heritage Site, by Martin Lowe

MONDAY 22 March 2027: 1066 and all that, by David Slater

MONDAY 26 April 2027: An English Journey: J.B. Priestley’s account of the North East and how he found it in 1933, by Anthea Lang

SATURDAY 22 May 2027: Whickham History Day, St Mary’s RC School, Duckpool Lane (details tbc)

29/08/2026

50th Anniversary Programme

We meet on the fourth Monday of the month September to April in the Community Centre, Front Street, Whickham. Doors open at 7pm and talks will begin at 7.30pm. Annual membership £10, or if you can attend individual talks as a guest for a contribution of £2.

Monthly talks:

28 September 2026: The History of Newcastle Gaol 1828-1925, by Dr Shane McCorristine and Dr Helen Rutherford

26 October 2026: Quakers in Newcastle, by Margaret Bozic

23 November 2026: The 1926 General Strike in the North East, by Dr Joe Redmayne

14 December 2026: Christmas party with entertainment by The Old English Duo (Members only)

25 January 2027: The Cullercoats Artists' Colony, by Michael Gatherar

22 February 2027: The Setting of Durham Castle and Cathedral World Heritage Site, by Martin Lowe

22 March 2027: 1066 and all that, by David Slater

26 April 2027: An English Journey: J.B. Priestley’s account of the North East and how he found it in 1933, by Anthea Lang

50th Anniversary events:
This is our 50th anniversary and there are extra events in May and June 2027. More on these later!

SATURDAY 22 May 2027: Whickham History Day, featuring talks and walks, buffet lunch, at St Mary's RC Primary School, Duckpool Lane

MONDAY 14 June 2027: 50th Anniversary Dinner in the Gibside Hotel

21/06/2026

The seats of the representatives of Watergate, Axwell and Marley Hill collieries in the Pitmen's Parliament, Redhills Durham Miners Association headquarters. A proud heritage, recalling 700 years of mining in the Whickham area.

04/09/2025

New programme of talks for 2025-2026:

22 September 2025: Rosie Serdiville and Sylvie Fisch - ‘The Enemy Within – WW1 Aliens in the North East’

27 October 2025: AGM, followed by Peter Shaw – ‘Iron and Steel Making in Consett 1840-1980’

24 November 2025: Simon Woolley – ‘Managing Expectations – The 1950s Town at Beamish’

15 December 2025: Christmas party

26 January 2026: Richard Pears - ‘Dunston Hill – 300 years of a Tyneside estate’

23 February 2026: Judith Green- ‘’Gannin’ Alang the Wall: Hadrian’s Wall on Tyneside’

23 March 2026: Mike Greatbatch - ‘Wherrymen and Chain Horse Lads in the Ouseburn’

27 April 2026: Abby Hammond - ‘The Women in the Ledger Stones: New Histories at Newcastle Cathedral, 1640-1815'

We meet in the Community Centre, Front Street, Whickham, 7pm for 7.30pm. Annual Membership £10, Guests £2.00 per meeting

21/03/2025

Our next talk on Monday 24th March is by historian and author Les Turnbull, an expert on railway history. His talk. 'The Stockton and Darlington Railway Reconsidered' starts at 7.30pm in the Community Centre, Front Street, Whickham. Tea/coffee from 7pm. Talk is £2 for non-members. Copies of Les's books will be available for sale at the meeting.

17/11/2024

Our next talk on Monday 25th November is 'The Wheel of Time's by Val Scully, looking at the history of Blaydon Burn, Stella, Summerhill and Path Head Mill. Copies of Val's book will be on sale for £15. Start 7.30pm, Community Centre, Front Street, Whickham.

27/10/2024

Watergate Colliery opened 100 years ago and closed 60 years ago. I'll be talking about the Colliery, the earlier history of the area, including Romans, a knight from Brittany, early mining and the Tanfield Railway, and the transformation of the site into Watergate Park.

16/07/2024

New programme of talks for September 2024-April 2025:
23 September 2024: Susan Lynn - 'Impressed... You Will Be! the notorious press gangs on Tyneside'
28 October 2024: AGM, followed by Richard Pears – 'Watergate Colliery, 1924-1964, before, during and after'
25 November 2024: Val Scully – '‘The Wheel of Time’, a history of Path Head, Stella, Blaydon Burn and Summerhill'
16 December 2024: Christmas party

27 January 2025: Anthony Atkinson - 'Mo Mowlam'
24 February 2025: Margaret Bozic - 'History of the Newcastle Literary & Philosophical Society'
24 March 2025: Les Turnbull - 'The Stockton and Darlington Railway Reconsidered'
28 April 2025: Julian Harrop - 'Treasure of Memories Durham Advertiser 1934-61'
Annual membership £10 or £2 guest entry to a talk, see

13/06/2024

I'm leading two history walks for Gateshead Libraries local history programme:

Watergate Park history walk. Sunday 30th June 2-4.30pm.

Watergate Park is the site of the former Watergate Colliery, in use 1924-1964, but its long history includes part of the Tanfield Railway dating from 1725, the site of the medieval manor house of Fugar, and is overlooked by the Roman fort at Washingwells. Reclamation and landscaping in the 1990s created the forest park, waterfall and lake (a haven for wildlife), sculptures and viewing points. This walk is about 2.5 miles (4km) on paths including steps, uneven (often muddy!) ground, next to a lake and streams, and some steep hills. Please wear appropriate footwear and clothing. Meet at Watergate Cafe. Car parks at Lobley Hill on Whickham Highway (B6317) or A692 car park near Emmanuel College. Book your place at https://www.gateshead.gov.uk/article/28000/Watergate-Park-history-walk

Walk around Whickham. Sunday 14th July 2-4.30pm

A gentle stroll along Whickham Front Street, looking at the history of the village featuring Oliver Cromwell, John Wesley, Harry Clasper and Lang Jack. This walk is on pavements. Please wear appropriate footwear and clothing. Meet at the War Memorial, Front Street, Whickham. Car parking on Broom Lane and in public car parks behind St Mary's Green shops. Book your place at https://www.gateshead.gov.uk/article/28003/Walk-around-Whickham

22/09/2023

Our new season of talks starts at 7.30pm on Monday 25th September in the Community Centre, Front Street, Whickham. New members always welcome: annual membership £7.50 or £2 per talk.
We begin with local author and historian Ken Smith giving an illustrated talk on Miners banners. Full programme:
Monday 25th September 2023: Ken Smith – 'North East Miners’ Banners'
Monday 23rd October 2023: Gary Bankhead – 'Diving into Durham: Archaeology of the River Wear'
Monday 27th November 2023: Gordon Scorer - 'River Team: 10,000 years of History'
Monday 18th December 2023: Christmas Party with buffet and band
Monday 22nd January 2024: Richard Pears - 'David Stephenson, architect, and the Georgian remaking of Newcastle'
Monday 26th February 2024: Marion Anderson - 'Writers and Revolutionaries on Tyneside'
Monday 25th March 2024: Tony Jeffs - 'Lena Ashwell (1872-1957): Actress, Suffragist and Patriot'
Monday 22nd April 2024: Anthea Lang – 'Retail Therapy - Shopping History of Newcastle and Gateshead'
May - annual dinner (tba)

Address

Raby Castle, Staindrop
Darlington
DL2 3AH

Website

http://whickhamhistory.weebly.com/

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