High West Jesmond

November 15, 2017November 8, 2017

1964 – Paviers at work, Kingswood Avenue, Newcastle

It’s the little details you forget!

Workmen with cloth caps, no high visibility jackets and no machinery to help lift heavy paving slabs. Compo style turned down wellies.

A heritage posting from Chris Morgan

Those wires leading up the walls – radio aerials. Telephone wires were at the back of these properties. Many had overhead wires for Redifusion, a forerunner of today’s cable services.

The polished brass door bell on the house to the right. And all those milk bottles. In those days there were 3 separate milk delivery companies vying for business in this street – Co-op Creameries, Jesmond Farm Dairies and Peter Knox.

Early mornings were quite noisy with all those deliveries of clinking bottles. (Newspapers were delivered from 2 different newsagents and virtually every house had a paper each morning, and most an evening paper as well.)

The leaded windows – and that yellow front door that was quite prominent amongst the mostly green doors of the time.

Not only were the doors usually green but so were the window frames and the door surrounds, as was the house on the left.

The heavy front doors usually left open all day, with an inner porch door that probably wasn’t locked either!

Although all the terraces in Newcastle looked much the same, in truth they weren’t.

Built to a basic standard laid down by the original landowners, these properties in High West Jesmond were built in twos, effectively as a line of linked semis.

The house to the left has a pitched red tiled roof over the bay window, the next has a flat, leaded, roof. The deeds stipulated the type of bricks, stone, and slate to be used on the roof. They even said the mortar had to be black.

The repointing round the yellow door way shows that by the 1960’s such conditions were being overlooked.

November 10, 2017November 8, 2017

1964 – Manure delivery, Moorfield allotments, Newcastle

Dad had a contact at Newcastle Breweries stables where the dray horses were kept, but this small load of manure probably came from somewhere else.

A heritage posting from Chris Morgan

Excellent stuff for improving the allotment!

Taken at top of Newlands Road on Moorfield just as the rain stopped and we prepared to unload into wheel barrows.

In the 1950 and 1960s there were still horse drawn carts around High West Jesmond.

There was a fruit and vegetable man who went up and down the back lanes.

There were rag and bone men who’d do the same crying out “Any old rags or bones or lumber” – although you’d be hard pressed to make out what exactly they were saying!

There was even a coal cart in the 1950s loading coal from the yard at West Jesmond station.

And there were dray horses who brought manure from Scottish & Newcastle’s stables. They were usually larger carts than this one, with two horses.

The house on the corner was occupied by the Brocker family. Mrs Brocker was the first head teacher at Kenton Comprehensive’s girls section.

November 8, 2017

Residents’ meeting for Streets for People Moorfield & Ilford Road proposals

What changes would you make to Jesmond to encourage you to walk more, cycle more or let the kids play out?

That’s what Newcastle City Council asked residents in three areas of the city – Jesmond; Arthur’s Hill & Fenham; and Ouseburn & Heaton as part of the Council’s process for determining how to spend £3m of Cycle City Ambition Fund money in these areas.

Moorfield proposals

Included within the Jesmond proposals are plans for Moorfield & the junction with Ilford Road, High West Jesmond with a public consultation open until 30 November 2017.

Residents meeting – Monday 13 November

HWJRA (High West Jesmond Residents’ Association) would like to meet with local residents so that we can guage local opinion on the proposals and then submit a response on behalf of HWJRA.

Come along to the residents meeting which will take place in the main room at Jesmond Library, St George’s Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 2DL on Monday 13 November 2017 at 18:30 where you can find out more and let us know your views.

Cabinet lead talks about Streets for People

Hear Cllr Arlene Ainsley, Cabinet Member for Transport and Air Quality talk about Streets for People in a short video posted on to the Newcastle City Council Facebook page today.

More about Streets for People

You can find out more about Streets for People in our previous news article on this website.

November 8, 2017

1964 – The Great North Road (the old A1)

More nostalgia, a quiet day on the old A1, Great North Road in June 1964 before the Civic Centre was fully completed.

A heritage posting from Chris Morgan

Great North Road, Newcastle, looking south from end of Moorfield, 1964

Little Moor on left, Dukes Moor on right.

Blue House corner ahead, then the Town Moor proper.

Before yellow lines and red routes, police notice in blue ‘No parking in roadway’ was enough.

Before the Civic Centre, just visible in the distance, had received it’s carilion topping.

Before the A1 had been bypassed, first to the east through the Tyne Tunnel (now the A19), then to the west.

And only just after the trolley bus wires had been removed from the old tram poles.

November 8, 2017

“Monstrous New Year’s Eve bonfire” to take place on Newcastle’s Town Moor

NewcastleGateshead Initiative and Newcastle City Council have announced a new event to take place on Newcastle’s Town Moor on 31 December – celebrating New Year’s Eve in theatrical style with a beastly bonfire and a breath-taking firework display.

East of the Sun, West of the Moon will take place from 4pm – 6pm and is produced in collaboration with outdoor arts experts Walk the Plank, the team behind the hugely popular New Year’s Eve carnivals of previous years.

Entry is free of charge but ticketed. A ballot system will be operating to ensure a fair ticketing process and people will be able to apply online to enter the draw.

In the days counting down to the end of 2017, local people who pass through Exhibition Park and onto the Town Moor may notice a thicket of brambles and the shapes of strange animals in the undergrowth as a thorny lair begins to take shape and grow in size as we approach New Year’s Eve.

This incredible structure will form a monstrous bonfire, the centre piece to the evening’s theatrics, which will also include processions of dancers and masked people from local community groups.

The event takes inspiration from Norse mythology and local folklore and will culminate in a firework finale.

Vikki Leaney, Senior Festivals and Events Manager at NewcastleGateshead Initiative said: “We’re thrilled to be working once again with Walk the Plank to produce a brand-new event to mark New Year’s Eve in Newcastle. With East of the Sun, West of the Moon, we hope to take the popular dark and supernatural spirit of our previous New Year’s Eve carnivals to create something equally unique and memorable.

“We are inviting people to come and celebrate the end of the calendar year, the promise of new possibilities, and the rise of a New Year sun with an unforgettable experience on the last day of 2017.”

Walk The Plank and Newcastle City Council will be working with over 250 community group participants to create meaningful opportunities for community engagement and participation in a high quality and professional performance. Prior to the event these community participants will take part in artistic workshops to create costumes and masks, before performing in the fire-lit parade on the night itself.

Newcastle City Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Communities, Cllr Kim McGuinness, said: “This year’s event promises to be more spectacular than ever, and offers something for everyone. Its new location on the Town Moor gives the event an open space so more people can attend and get close to the action on the night.

“As with previous years, community engagement lies at the heart of our New Year’s Eve celebrations. Community groups from right across the city will come together and create a fantastic performance for all to see. We hope to inspire and engage people of all ages to get involved or to come along and celebrate the end of 2017 and welcome in 2018 in good spirits.”

Liz Pugh, Walk the Plank Creative Producer, said: “We’re delighted to be returning to Newcastle once again on New Year’s Eve, and this time with an innovative new piece of work. Whilst previous year’s winter carnivals in the centre of the city were hugely popular, they presented several restrictions and limitations – so this refresh in format and location on Newcastle’s Town Moor has enabled us to explore a range of creative avenues and new ideas. We look forward to putting on an unforgettable show and welcoming 2018 in dramatic style!”

Sponsored by Jamie Clark Fun Fairs, there will be a range of funfair entertainment and food and drink concessions available. The event will also be hosted by Heart FM’s Tom Campbell who will keep everyone entertained prior to the main event.

Children must be accompanied by an adult. Suitable footwear and waterproof winter clothing are a must.

Timings

The approximate timings for East of the Sun, West of the Moon are:

4pm: Event space will open for visitors to gather and enjoy the funfair and entertainment
5pm: The main performance will begin
6pm: Event finale
* All timings are approximate and subject to change

East of the Sun, West of the Moon is a free event but will be ticketed using a ballot system. All applicants will hear the outcome of their ballot entry in the first week of December 2017.

More information

For more information and to apply to be included in the draw, visit www.NewcastleGateshead.com/NYE

The above news release was issued by Newcastle City Council and included on the Newcastle City Council website. It has been included here for information and does not necessarily represent the views of High West Jesmond Residents’ Association.

November 8, 2017

Darker Nights – Newcastle City Council

With the clocks going back and the nights drawing in Newcastle City Council has announced preparations to ensure Newcastle’s communities are a safe place to be over the winter months.

The Darker Nights campaign will see the City Council and Your Homes Newcastle (YHN), the organisation responsible for managing its council homes, working together with other partners including Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, Northumbria Police, the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) and Trading Standards to help minimise the risks caused by illegal bonfires, fireworks and anti-social behaviour.

The Darker Nights campaign will be active in the communities of Newcastle throughout the autumn, winter and spring seasons.

Northumbria Police are launching their own proactive operation to address the different crimes that come with the darker months.

In the build-up to Bonfire Night, staff from both YHN and Newcastle City Council are surveying the fly-tipping hot-spots and removing any combustible waste with the council’s enforcement team prosecuting anyone found fly-tipping in the city.

The teams will be clearing away piles of waste that could be used for illegal bonfires and advising residents of how best to dispose of bulky materials that are building up in and round their homes.

Items like sofas and mattresses when set alight can emit poisonous fumes that may be harmful if inhaled.

Over the past two years similar community clean-up programmes have removed 43 tonnes (in 2016) and 70 tonnes (in 2015) of combustible waste from the streets of Newcastle in three days of intensive enforcement campaign.

Cllr Nick Kemp, Cabinet Member responsible for Neighbourhoods and Regulatory Services and also Chair of Safe Newcastle, said: “The aim of the Darker Nights campaign is to help protect the residents and businesses of Newcastle from anti-social behaviour that could cause people distress or even lead to loss of life. We are helping to raise awareness about the dangers of people creating and igniting illegal bonfires from discarded household materials. The campaign also looks at firework safety that will keep people safe from harm.

“The messages aren’t solely attached to Bonfire Night, as we want residents to be careful and vigilant throughout the darker night season during autumn, winter and spring. We are working with our partners to help create a safer Newcastle.”

The issue of illegal bonfires and anti-social behaviour seem to walk hand-in-hand, and, as part of the Darker Nights campaign, an education programme has been set up to try and help educate repeat offenders in association with Newcastle Youth Offending Team (YOTs).

YHN, Newcastle City Council and their partners would advise residents to always use licensed waste collection companies and attend professionally organised bonfires and firework displays.

The City Council would remind businesses and residents that Bonfire night is not an opportunity to get rid of rubbish and people can be prosecuted for doing so – the fine is unlimited and the maximum penalty is 5 years jail.