The Houghtonian Magazine Vol 1 Issue 5 - Houghton-le-Spring

THE HOUGHTONIAN | JAN 2012 | VOL 1 ISSUE 5 | ISSN 1757-3890OCTOBER 2010THE WELFARE GROUNDS havebeen out of action for a while now,most noticeably during HoughtonFeast, when the Carnival paradehad to have its start location movedwhile a new Primary Care Centrewas under construction. Workbegan in January 2010 and thebuilding received an OutstandingBREEAM rating of 86.38% forsustainable buildings during itsdesign stage. In July 2011, pupilsfrom the nearby Burnside PrimarySchool interred a time capsule inthe Community Garden of the £21million development. The facilityopened in August 2011, as seenbelow alongside its old-ageneighbour, the Miners’ Welfare Hall.AUGUST 2011

THE HOUGHTONIAN | JAN 2012 | VOL 1 ISSUE 5 | ISSN 1757-3890MEMBERS OF THE HH SOCIETY WERE KEPT VERY BUSY DURING HOUGHTON FEAST 2011 WITH AWIDE RANGE OF HERITAGE EXHIBITIONS AND ACTIVITIES. FOR THE 13 TH YEAR RUNNING, ASMANY FEAST EVENTS AS POSSIBLE WERE PHOTOGRAPHED BY PAUL LANAGAN, ALL RECORDED FORPOSTERITY IN THE FEAST ARCHIVE. THANKS ARE EXTENDED TO ALL WHO HELPED INCLUDINGDAMIEN WRIGHT, PETER CORFIELD, OZZIE MASTERS, CAROL BELL AND SHEILA QUIGLEY.1243(1) Hundreds of visitors came throughout the day tothe heritage photograph exhibition in the Broadway.(2) The stall was manned by Damien Wright, picturedwith visitor George Peebles, Church Organist (left).(3) A gurning competition was held in the RobbieBurns pub on Saturday October 8 th 2011.(4) A framed photograph and bottle of Gilpin Ale waspresented to the Gavioli Organ crew on its 50 thanniversary appearance at Houghton Feast.

THE HOUGHTONIAN | JAN 2012 | VOL 1 ISSUE 5 | ISSN 1757-3890Houghton is a little ex-mining village withnot a lot happening except for HoughtonFeast. The Feast takes place everyOctober and for the last few years I havehelped out by taking photographs andplaying the part of a very convincing deadbody for the murder walk. I’ve helped outon the Broadway stall, the HoughtonLibrary Exhibition and also the Homicide inHoughton Murder Walk, all of which I havegiven me great pleasure. I feel every yearseems to be a history lesson just onHoughton, as if I was back in school;getting to hear people’s fascinating storiesand tales is fun! Each year you never knowwhat you are going to be shown or told. Ilearn so much.DAMIEN WRIGHTH-L-S HERITAGE SOCIETY56(5) Houghton Feast 2011 also marked anotheranniversary – the 30 th anniversary appearance of theImperial Waltzer under the ownership of showman KeithTurner. A framed photograph was presented to theTurner family in acknowledgement of this specialoccasion. As always, the last ride played out to theShirelles ‘Will you Still Love Me Tomorrow’.(6) Billy Purvis the Victorian Clown returned to helpcelebrate the Round Table’s 45th Carnival Parade andalso judged the Robbie Burns’ gurning competition.This was his third reappearance since 1848 and muchfun was had by all he me t, as seen in this photographtaken on the Broadway after the parade.

THE HOUGHTONIAN | JAN 2012 | VOL 1 ISSUE 5 | ISSN 1757-3890REF NO: HLS1854161313THIS MONTH’S PHOTO FOCUS looks at a photograph from the Houghton HeritageArchive showing members of Houghton Urban District Council (HUDC) in 1955. Thecouncillors are stood in front of the old Rectory building, which had been convertedinto council officers and the council chamber several years earlier. HUDC celebratedthe centenary of local government in 1954 with much fanfare and thoughts about thepast and future; 20 years later it ceased to exist and was superseded by SunderlandBorough Council, when Houghton left County Durham upon the formation of Tyne &Wear.The following have been identified and if you can help with any other names, pleasedo get in touch on 0191 268 4688 or via the HH website:1 – Cllr Edward Kelly;9 – Cllr Tom Urwin;13 – Cllr Lovett Holmes;18 – Cllr John Mawston;2 – Cllr Eric Bramfitt;10 – Cllr Barney Bircham;14 – Cllr Thomas Hunt;24 – Cllr Joe Bartley;8 – Cllr John Avery;11 – Cllr Donald Cockburn;17 – Cllr Bob Allison;25 – Cllr W. J. McKinley.Cllr Alwin Hodgson is pictured but his number is to be confirmed.

THE HOUGHTONIAN | JAN 2012 | VOL 1 ISSUE 5 | ISSN 1757-3890HOUGHTON-LE-SPRING REMEMBERED IS YOUR CHANCETO SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES AND MEMORIES OFHOUGHTON IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS. THE FOLLOWINGMEMORIES, FROM THE LATE ELIZABETH PORTER, WEREFIRST SHARED IN THE 2002 BOOK ABOUT HOUGHTONFEAST.Mrs Elizabeth Porter, Chairman of Houghton Urban District Council (1970-1971)and Mayor of Sunderland (1975-1976) sadly passed away on June 25 th 2011 atthe age of 101 years. She is remembered with fondness by Paul Lanagan, for herwit and kind smile when they renewed acquaintance at each Houghton Feast:I remember going to Houghton Feast before I was married in 1932. It was a treat and Ihave happy memories. I would walk there and back with school friends; stalls lined theBroadway in front of the Church. I remember a funny incident at the Sunday evening[outdoor] hymn singing. A Mrs Turnbull was there wearing a hat made from feathers. Agale blew up just as the hymn was finishing and she said: ‘I’ll have to buy a hairnet to goover these feathers’. It went out over the loudspeaker and everyone in the Broadway heard!I can also remember charabancs coming from Shields for day trips. Houghton was alive!Elizabeth Porter, 2002HlS

THE HOUGHTONIAN | JAN 2012 | VOL 1 ISSUE 5 | ISSN 1757-3890WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?Can you help solve these Genealogical Quests?Further quests can be found on page 13SOLDIER SOLDIERLooking for information onthe soldiers stationed inHoughton during WWII. Asone of them was my fatherfrom Oldham. He met mymother Ivy Graham. Notsure how long he wasstationed here and for whatreason. Don't know theregiment either.Lesley CloughFREDERICK CLARKHaving spent the last 12months researching theCLARK family, GrandadClark just seemed to havevanished off the radar.However after picking thebrains of the few relativesthat are alive, we managedto put together enoughinformation with the"ancestry sites". Theoutstanding missing pieceswere: what year did he die?where did he die? wherewas his grave? With thehelp of the HoughtonHeritage website wemanaged to put everythingtogether, and hopefully canput a closure on it. We areplanning to visit HillsideCemetery. Will his grave bemarked or just a plot no?Thanking you inanticipation, Sincerely,Jacqueline PinkneyScarboroughA CENTURIONHi Paul, I wonder if youcould help me? I have beensearching your records forthe birth of HowardNicholson. He said he wasborn in H-L-S. His date ofbirth is 1st Feb 1912. Asyou can see he will be 100years old next Wednesday!His mother was SarahNicholson nee Harrisonyears old next Wednesday!His mother was SarahNicholson nee Harrison(I’m pretty sure she is thedaughter of ElizabethHarrison nee Skipsey) DrNicholson is relatedsomewhere along the lineto Joseph Skipsey. Hisfather was FrederickNicholson who died inWW1 in 1916. I haveordered your book viaAmazon as I thought itwould be a lovely birthdaypresent. It’s just gonemidnight and I’ve justremembered that he mayhave the original birthcertificate – I will checklater when I see him. NowI’ve started I am intriguedby his family tree and willattempt to find out moreand show him. He is totallycompos mentis, fit andhealthy. Must be theupbringing! Look forwardto seeing the book. Kindregards.Kathryn MuirPIT SHAFTAnyone know anythingabout pit shaft right behindBeehive Pub. I remember abrick cap there in the 1960-1970s. It was same as theone at Philly over road fromthe bus depot.Paul SykesFencehousesSCHOOL TIMEHello. I am planning onteaching my class of Year 3children about the land useof Penshaw during WorldWar Two to link in with ourCross-curriculum topic. Iwas wondering if you areable to provide me withinformation of any sort.Thank you very much,was wondering if you areable to provide me withinformation of any sort.Thank you very much,M. DickinsonPenshawTHE WILD BOARDear Paul, I enjoyedlooking through theHoughton - le - SpringHeritage website. I lived inFence Houses and knewHoughton quite well, and Iam now living in the USAso I suppose I got a touchof nostalgia there. Couldyou tell me, though, theorigin of that big hog or pigon your masthead. Thankyou!Jamie TubmenVirginia, USATHE WHEATLEYSWhat a fascinating site.Just been having a browsearound the site and cameacross a PDF on mymaternal relatives - theWheatleys!Mygrandmother was NoraWheatley (born January1920) and her sister wasEva... They was alwaystelling me about the factoryand the shed load ofrelatives that I had! I'll showmy mother and her sisterthe PDF and see whatmore they can tell me! I'llfind out from my mothertonight about whichWheatley they came from.I'm based in Sunderland asthat is where myGrandmother moved towhen she married. I've beentold I have the "Wheatleylook". I know that I do looksimilar to my maternalgreat grandfather. Again,any info I do glean I shallpass on to you.maternal great grandfather.Again, any info I do glean Ishall pass on to you.Thanks.Adam ReavleyC OF E ALL ANGELSWhen did Houghton ParishChurch become known asSt Michael & All Angels? Iwas baptised there in 1938and have an old Churchmagazine which states just'St Michaels'. Was the '&All Angels' added on todistinguish it from theCatholic Church?Fred InchHoughton-le-SpringI have checked my copiesof the Church magazinefrom 1884 and it is notedthroughout as 'HoughtonParish Church'. In the olddirectories, notably onefrom 1827, it is stated thatthe Church is dedicated to'St Michael'.The CatholicChurch was built in 1837. Itwill be interesting todiscover when the AllAngels was added on!Paul LanaganCHURCH MAGAZINEMy name is RichardChadwick and I have a1944 St Michael’s AllAngels magazine in goodreading order, would yoube interested?Richard Chadwick* * * * * * * * * * *Keep readingfor more FamilyTree Quests.

THE HOUGHTONIAN | JAN 2012 | VOL 1 ISSUE 5 | ISSN 1757-3890The Northern EchoNo. 16,923 (FOUNDED 1869) TUESDAY, 10 JUNE , 1924RUN OVER BY MOTOR CARIN SIGHT OF PARENTSA motoring accident,resulting in theinstantaneous death of asix-year-old boy, occurredyesterday afternoon abouthalf-a-mile south of thefamous Scotch Cornercross-roads on the GreatNorth Road south ofDarlington.oncoming car and instantlykilled. The body wasconveyed to the mortuary atthe Hospital of St John atScorton. Mr Hartley wasaccompanied by Mr WilliamAckroyd of Baildon.Text from the NorthernEcho of June 10 th 1924.The child's parents, whowere present in the car atthe time of the mishap,were Mr and Mrs HoraceKay, of 28 SunderlandStreet, Houghton-le-Spring.Mr Kay was driving his wifeand three youngsters toManor Cottage, HudswellLane, Richmond, wherethey were going to visit MrsKaye's sister. They weredriving in the Catterickdirection, and were justoutside the gates of theMorris Grange Sanatorium,when they encountered acar driven in the oppositedirection by Mr ThomasHartley, of Bracken LeyHouse, Skipton.According to an eyewitness,both cars were ontheir correct side of theroad, but for some reasonMr Kaye's car ran on to thebank, its left wheel falling ina gully and then jerkingover two heaps of stone.The boy appears to havebeen leaning over theoffside of the car, and wasprecipitated into theroadway, with the resultthat he was run over by theoncoming car and instantlykilled. The body wasconveyed to the mortuaryREF NO: HLS1854161420A studio portrait of Stanley HoraceKay, 6 year old son of Horace Kay,a master cobbler of 28 SunderlandStreet, circa 1924.The young lad, StanleyHorace Kay, was buried atHoughton Cemetery,Durham Road. The grave isin Section G, and the landbehind the two trees in the1956 photograph laterbecame Warwick Drive, asseen in the 2011 view.Grateful thanks areextended to Val Lanceleyof London for sharing theinformation about herfather’s brother, StanleyHorace Kay.19562011REF NO: HLS1854161417

THE HOUGHTONIAN | JAN 2012 | VOL 1 ISSUE 5 | ISSN 1757-3890WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?Can you help solve these Genealogical Quests?More quests to come in the next issue!LABURNUM HOUSEDear Houghton Heritage,After looking through yourwebsite, I wondered if youcould please offer anyinformation or point me inthe right direction inlocating informationregarding Laburnum HouseYard, Houghton Le Spring.My grandfather recentlypassed away and I am nowtrying to research hischildhood. So far I havediscovered that he wasborn in Laburnum HouseYard in 1926 then adoptedin 1933. Birth parents MrJoseph Watson (miner),Mrs Elizabeth Watson (diedin childbirth). I am trying tofind out what LaburnumHouse Yard was and theinvolvement they had withmy grandfather, to thenhopefully fill in the gap upto the age of seven whenhe was adopted. I would bemost grateful of anyinformation you may have.Many Thanks.Julie WhyattDear Julie, Thank you foryour email regardingLaburnum House, NeshamPlace, Houghton-le-Spring.You can see this house onGoogle Maps. Note theLaburnum tree growing inthe front garden! TheNesham Place house-byhousearticle is now on theHoughton Heritagewebsite.I do hope itCOAL RAILWAYDear Houghton Heritage,Just wondered if any ofyour DVDs or bookscontain any photographs ofthe Rainton to Seahamcoal railway particularly thesection from Rainton toCopt Hill? Or, do you knowwhere I could find outabout the railway line andparticularlysomephotographs? I wasbrought up in BradleyAvenue just a few housesaway from Ken Richardson.Back in the 1960s to therear of Bradley Ave inStaffords Farm fields was araised bank which was theremains of the Londonderryrailway line which ran fromRainton to Copt Hill andthen to Seaham. Thanks,Derek SharpGEORGE OSWALDRe: The burial list, StMichael and All AngelsChurch, I am interested toknow more about GeorgeOswald who died 1836,Jane Oswald nee Fell, hiswife, died 1842, childrenWilliam, George, Elizabeth,John and any related earlierOswalds. Father may beJohn Oswald born 1707.Your Thomas Oswald mayalso be related. I lookforward to your advice.Janet Caffinnee OswaldAustraliaproves useful. Kindregards.CELLAR HILLPaul Lanagan Hi, I have joined this grouptoday and wondered ifanyone had anyinformation on the buildingat Cellar Hill which I believewas a school at one time?My daughter recentlyinformation on the buildingat Cellar Hill which I believewas a school at one time?My daughter recentlyrented the "Stables" on thesame development.I ammore interested in thehistory of the building inthe 19th century. As I saidearlier my daughter rentedthe Stables for 6 monthsand in that time both sheand her partner and guestsexperienced some verystrange happenings.Les GoldingROBERT LONSDALEROBSONDear Mr Lanagan, Bornand raised in Sunderland, Ilived in Fencehouses forthe first 4 years of mymarried life until commonsense (financial necessityreally!) forced mesouthwards, to live nearermy then work inMiddlesbrough. I wastherefore more than a littlepleased when startingresearch into my familyhistory, to discover that mygreat-great-grandfather,Robert Lonsdale Robson,was Houghton born andraised whilst his wife Mary(nee Thornton) was fromNewbottle. I have fairlysolidly tracked Robert fromhis birth and upbringing,through his subsequentmoves around CountyDurham with his ownfamily, to his final death,aged 80, in the HoughtonPoor Law InstitutionHospital whilst resident inNew Herrington. It wasthrough my Google searchfor the Poor Law Hospitalthat I discovered yourexcellent website. Mycurrent request is in thefor the Poor Law Hospitalthat I discovered yourexcellent website. Mycurrent request is in thehope that your burialrecord can add even moreto the information I alreadyhave on him. However, mygreat-great-grandmother'sprecise origin is provingelusive to pin down. Iwould be delighted to beput in contact with anyonealso researching the variousRobsons and Thorntonsaround Houghton (even ifthey are not apparently myparticular branches of thefamilies) so that we cancompare notes and confirmor correct traces asappropriate, hopefully toour mutual benefit. Withthanks and regards.Bill WoodwardMiddlesbroughMICHAEL DOYLERe: The plaques forChairmen of HoughtonUrban District Council inthe Old Rectory. I wonderwhether the ???? for 1953 –1954 could have beenAlderman Michael Doyle(he of the Dubmire clockand the nativity woodcarving at DurhamCathedral). I would havethought that he hadprecedence over DonaldCockburn, English teacherat the Grammar Schooland later head ofSpennymoor Grammar –you had to be a LabourParty member to get thatsort of promotion).RegardsBarry JonesHampshire

THE HOUGHTONIAN | JAN 2012 | VOL 1 ISSUE 5 | ISSN 1757-3890A RECIPE BY HARRY SMITHThis recipe makes a delicious batch of about 20 biscuits and is a recipe which Harry Smithused to make as a youngster and one he has now taught to his 12 year old granddaughter.Harry’s family can be seen below: Louise Waite and her son Harold at Sunniside miningsettlement, 1927. Measurements for this recipe are traditional (‘old money’) – they mightarrest people for selling bananas in lbs and ounces but we’re pretty sure it’s not illegal to usethem in recipes (yet)! More recipes from the Taste of Houghton series can be found on the HHwebsite.INGREDIENTSSoft margarine x 4ozSugar x 3 ozGolden syrup x 1 desert spoonPlain flour x 4ozPorridge oats x 4 ozBaking powder x 1 tspBicarbonate of Soda x ½ tspGround ginger x 2 tspMETHOD1. Cream together the sugar and margarine then add the golden syrup.2. Mix the dry ingredients together and add to the creamed mixture.3. Divide the mixture into small balls, flatten slightly and place on a greased tray.4. Bake in an oven heated to Gas Mark 5 (375 Fahrenheit) for around 15 minutes.REF NO: HLS1854161194

THE HOUGHTONIAN | JAN 2012 | VOL 1 ISSUE 5 | ISSN 1757-3890IN MEMORIAMIN MEMORIAMCONGRATULATIONSELIZABETHPORTER1909 - 2011Mary Elizabeth Dodd was born in 1909.In her early years, Elizabeth (as shewas known) worked at Birkbeck’sdrapery and later with her husbandJohn at Porter’s Stores, both businessesbased in Shiney Row. Elizabeth waswidowed in 1966 after 32 years ofmarriage. In 1970 she becameChairman of Houghton Urban DistrictCouncil (HUDC), having always had aninterest in politics – she had met manyfigures from the Labour party, includingPeter Lee and Aneurin Bevan, and wasprobably inspired by her father, WilliamDevine, who was Chairman of HoughtonRural District Council before the GreatWar. Following the reorganisation ofLocal Government and the merging ofHUDC with Sunderland Borough Councilin 1974, Elizabeth remained involved inlocal politics - she became the firstfemale Mayor of Sunderland on May12 th 1975. In 2006, at the age of 96,Elizabeth was still active in thecommunity and was appointed lifepresident of Houghton’s Age Concern inacknowledgement of her 50 years’ ofservice having been involved at theHoughton Day Club in 1956. Elizabethcelebrated her 100 th birthday onOctober 23 rd 2009 and received aspecial mention in Parliament, as wellas a telephone call from Prime Minister,Gordon Brown. Elizabeth passed awayon June 25 th 2011 at the age of 101years. She is remembered withfondness by many in the community,especially her colleagues at Age UK,where she championed the rights of theolder generation, and those in theLabour Party of which she was a lifelongmember and supporter.GEORGEWESTGARTH1924 - 2011We're sad to report the death of localartist George Westgarth, who passedaway on December 18th 2011, aged 87,following a battle with lung cancer. PaulLanagan knew George from his time onthe Houghton Feast Steering Committee(“George was a very friendly gentleman,always smiling”), but many willremember him for his fantastic pieces ofartwork - pit scenes often painted on oldmining helmets. George was ablacksmith, having worked at EppletonColliery for 43 years. A fitting tributecan be read on the Sunderland Echowebsite, where the above image wassourced, at:www.s underlandec ho.com/c ommunity/tributes_to_wearside_artist_george_1_4108814To join the HH Groupon Facebook simplyclick the link from themain website thenfollow the directionsto join!REF NO: HLS1854161233Congratulations are extended toRichard and Ethel Rose whocelebrate 58 years of marriage onMarch 27 th 2012. Richard and Ethelwere married in Mautland StreetMethodist Church in 1954. Bothhave been great supporters of thework of Houghton Heritage Society.NOW ON KINDLEOX ROASTING:A BEEF HISTORYDownload fromwww.amazon.co.ukThe next issue of the HOUGHTONIAN will be availableto download in March 2012. Send us your detailsand get a copy sent directly to your Inbox!

THE HOUGHTONIAN | JAN 2012 | VOL 1 ISSUE 5 | ISSN 1757-3890Houghton HeritageHoughton-le-Spring in Old Photographs bookJourney Through Time DVD& 2012 calendar available from:www.houghtonlespring.org.ukSIMPLY QUOTE OFFER HOTONIAN & MAKE A £2.00 PAYPAL DONATIONWHEN YOU ORDER THE 2012 HERITAGE CALENDAR VIA THE WEBSITE(OFFER VALID UNTIL 01/04/2012. THIS OFFER SA VES YOU £2.00 AS THE USUAL DONATION FOR A CALENDAR IS £4.00 . THEHERITAGE CALENDAR IS PRINT-AT-HOME AND WILL BE EMAILED TO YOU AS A PDF. SEE HH WEBSITE FOR INFO.)THE HOUGHTONIANPublished by Books of the NorthCopyright © 2012VOL 1 ISSUE 5 JAN 2012ISSN 1757-3890V001IS05VE03No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a mechanical retrieval system, ortransmitted, in any form or by means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,without written permission from the publisher. The publisher has made all reasonable efforts tocontact copyright holders for permission. Any errors that may have occurred are inadvertent andanyone who for any reason has not been contacted is invited to write to the publisher so that a fullacknowledgement may be made in subsequent editions of The Houghtonian. Articles andinformation are presented in good faith, occasionally based on people's recollections and memories,which can be fallible. While every effort is made to ensure the content is accurate and up to date ,some errors may exist, such is the nature of recording local history, therefore no responsibility can beheld for any errors contained herein. Thanks are extended to the following supporters/contributors:John Mawston; Val Lanceley; and Harry Smith.