Old Bewick, Northumberland

The Great North Road

How great was the Great North Road when it squeezed through these ancient gates until the early 1970s? Traffic built up on both sides waiting to get through. For a child this was the spot that marked where our holidays began, as it would only be another 15 miles or so to the cottage on the coast. It felt as... [more]

Found good accomodation

I think it was 1972, when I was hitchhiking north to Scotland and stranded in Alnwick late in the evening. I sat with my girlfrend at the well on a kind of marketplace thinking 'bout a place to sleep. Later a nice guy with a dog came around and talked with us. He fortunately invited us to stay at his home... [more]

The Bird Cage Club (den of iniquity)

I am interested in anyone having memories of the Bird Cage Club in Alnwick. I ran the club in partnership with Stuart Manly (now owner of Barter Books in Alnwick). I would be interested if you have any photographs taken inside the club. I only have two photographs. I would be interested to know if you saw any bands, singers, attended... [more]

Grace Darling's Tomb

Visiting the Grace Darling Musuem, then her grave in the churchyard opposite, was an annual event while on holiday on the Northumberland coast. Peering through the bars around the tomb I was often reminded of how my grandmother had pulled herself up, slipped and put a metal spike through the base of her chin. As I could never spot a scar... [more]

First home after the war

When dad got out of Royal Navy at the end of the Second World War he took a job as a coastguard and was stationed at Bamburgh. The coastguard lookout was on the east side of the castle and a great deal of his duties in those days was to keep us kids away from washed up mines and great globs... [more]

Summer Holidays

I first remember staying for a holiday at Newton by the Sea when aged six. My aunt and uncle lived in the coastguard cottages for many years, and although I remember visitng them often at weekends, this was the first year I had been left to stay with them for a holiday. I remember walking every morning with my... [more]

Falling off the harbour wall onto the deck of a fishing-boat

A favourite family story is how my father took charge of us children for the morning and brought us to Seahouses from our cottage in Beadnell. On this occasion, age 5 or so, while walking/running along this very harbour wall. on those wooden sleepers by the edge of the harbour, I fell off landing on the deck of one of these... [more]

A holiday in South Street, Seahouses - March 2004

A friend let me stay in her wee fisherman's cottage in Seahouses for an early holiday in March 2004. My wife Elizabeth and I drove up from our home in Watford through the unseasonal snow and we were quite worried about getting there at all!

We had brought our elderly cat, Socks, with us as well and she loved... [more]