Displaying 3 of 14 old photos of Ireshopeburn. View all Ireshopeburn photos
Ireshopeburn, Lane Hill and Whitestones c1955
Ireshopeburn, West Blackdene c1955
Ireshopeburn, the Village c1955
Historic maps of Ireshopeburn and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Ireshopeburn maps
Historic map of Ireshopeburn
Illustrated Victorian map of County Durham
Historic Map of any Ireshopeburn postcode
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Ireshopeburn
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In or around 1959 I went on holiday to Ireshopeburn to my grandparents' house, they lived at Woodbine House which was just up from Earnwell.
My grandfather used to work at West Blackdene spar mine which was on the other side of the River Wear.
I ended up going to school at St. John's Chapel and then on to Wolsingham secondary school.
At home we had a large allotment and also kept a lot of hens which I used to feed nearly every day.
Winter time was good as usually the village or the surrounding area was snowed in and that meant we got extra days off from school. When holidays came around a lot of my relations used to visit, so it used to be a very crowded house so some of us children slept in tents and huts and enjoyed it, we used to play for hours in the fields opposite.
Looking at the photos of Ireshopeburn really fetches the memories back.
Shared on 03 May 2008
My aunt is 95 years old and now lives in San Francisco but she talks a lot about St Johns Chapel. She was born there and went to school there. Her grandfather (John Slater Freeman) was headmaster of the school for a number of years. She was born in a large house there and the tradition was that all first borns had to be born in the house. Evidently the house is now flats.
My aunt's name was Olive Freeman.
My cousin and I are making a trip to Durham so that we can visit St Johns Chapel, somewhere we have heard a lot about.
Shared on 18 June 2008
We used to rent the bottom cottage down from the Co-op and the top house pub. My younger brother had a massive crush on the barmaid of the middle house. She was called Marylin (he is called Ben). Is she still there? I believe her younger brother was a milkman? We rented the cottage for about 4 years on the bounce and had the best holidays ever there. My memories include the pirahna at Horsley Hall, the banana milk from the farm at Ireshopeburn, the Rancho del Rio, playing table tennis near the cement works and the joke shop above the book shop in Alston. Magic memories.
Shared on 31 May 2008
Well, I have been reading some articles posted on this website, about Castle School in Stanhope from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. Well, I was in Castle School from 1958 - 1962. I was in because I was a badden, lol, just like those who have posted messages on here. When I was driven up the driveway to the main entrance, I looked, and thought "This is not a school, it's Colditz". Reading some of the letters posted on here from various people, it sounds as though it was a tough place, well believe me it hasn't changed since I was in. I was in Crawley House, all the houses were named after hills around Stanhope. I did 3 and a half years before I got to go home back to Doncaster, but don't think i could have coped with 6 years, as someone had said in their letter they posted.
I did do a great escape once from the school, didn't get far, ended up in a back street, and one of the cooks saw me, so I went back. I got into trouble for that. Back then, if you got into trouble, you were made to polish the wooden floors on your hands and knees, I was dong that one time, and I stopped for a rest. When one of the teachers caught me, he told the head, who hit me with a walking stick. So yes, I agree with some of you, they would have been prosecuted if it wasn't in back then. Yes we went camping to Whitby back then, we were in a field just up from the cemetery, and when it was foggy, you got the foghorn going off.
My parents only visited me once whilst I was there. My Uncle John came with them, he brought me a fishng rod and we went into the River Wear, trying to catch little fish. The day came when I was sent home, and a Mr McTavish, one of the teachers, took me home to Doncaster.
Well I went to see Castle School today, Saturday 20 June 2009. It's all flats now, and you can't see the big field from the top, because all of the trees and shrubbery have grown to a great height. I looked into the courtyard where we played, and it brought back memories straight away. The toilet block burnt down last year, but Stanhope hasn't changed much, except for the tourist information centre and cafe across the road from the school. But I must admit, my time in there changed me. I had a few jobs when I got back home, then joined the Army in 1968 for 12 years. But it was nice to see the old school again. If anyone was in Castle school way, way, way back then and would like to share messages on-line feel free to email me at dave2948h@hotmail.com.
Shared on 20 June 2009
Displaying a selection of extracts from Frith books about Ireshopeburn, inspired by Frith photos.
This wonderful photograph shows a beautiful convertible car, probably belonging to one of the landed gentry; the two delivery men enjoy a break whilst their horses tuck into their nosebags; and the little boy watches the cameraman at work. The spire of St Nicholas’s dominates the Market Place. In 1857 this Victorian church replaced an earlier church of St Nicholas, which dated from the 12th century - it had a tower. On the left, next to the Prudential Assurance building, is the Market Tavern, where the Miners Union was formed in 1871. In the foreground is the statue of Neptune on top of the octagonal pant (a northern word for a public fountain). Neptune was placed here in 1729 to symbolise an ambitious plan to turn Durham into an inland sea port; this would have resulted in the unthinkable - the joining of the rivers Tyne and Wear! Neptune’s neighbour is the statue of the 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, who owned collieries around Durham and also constructed Seaham Harbour in 1828. The statue was sculpted by Raphael Monti, who reputedly committed suicide following the discovery of a flaw in his creation. According to legend, Monti had boasted that his statue was perfect, but a blind beggar man was feeling in the mouth of the horse and discovered that it had no tongue.
Once a vital part of the city’s defences, the river in recent times has been used for more pleasurable purposes. Boating is a popular pastime, and the river is used by a variety of pleasure and competitive craft. In the foreground we see a couple of moored rowing boats that would be used to take lady friends for a gentle meander along the river on a fine, sunny afternoon, whereas on the river are a couple of skiffs that would be used for more competitive purposes.
After climbing through the narrow streets of Durham, we suddenly come upon a dramatic opening into the light and space of Palace Green, dominated by the awesome cathedral. This great space was created by Bishop Flambard at the beginning of the 12th century: he decided to demolish the clutter of wooden houses and the market place because of the potential fire hazard to the castle and cathedral.
