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
Whickham History Society
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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 busin
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
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
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)
25/06/2023
Wonderful visit today to Raby Castle and fascinating Behind the Scenes tour of unused Georgian state rooms.
New talks for 2022-2023:
26th September “Abolitionism, the American Civil War and the North-East” by Professor Brian Ward
24th October AGM, then "The Wilkinsons Air Raid Disaster" by Peter Bolger
28th November “Monty” by Professor John Derry
23rd January 2023 “Axwell Hall - Georgian Splendour in Blaydon” by Susan Lynn
27th February 2023 “The Roman North” by Dr Nick Hodgson
27 March 2023 “Patterson's Pottery of Sheriff Hill, Gateshead” by Tony Patterson
24th April 2023 “Tyneside Irish Centres: How Buildings Foster Communities” by Rosie Serdiville
24/02/2022
Our talk on Monday 24th February will be by Mike Greatbatch on 'William Parker, Tyneside Chartist'. Start 7.30pm, in the Community Centre, Front Street, Whickham. Annual membership £7.50 or guests £2 per meeting. Also on Zoom for members.
(Photo from NE Labour History website)
24/10/2021
Our talk tomorrow night is totally local, The People's History of Gibside by Val Scully and Helen MacFarlane. Start 7.30pm, Monday 25th October, in the Community Centre, Front Street, Whickham. Annual membership £7.50 or guests £2 per meeting. There'll be copies of this great read and other local history books available to buy after the talk.
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Raby Castle, Staindrop
Darlington
DL2 3AH