Gateshead

Read and share memories of Gateshead and Tyne And Wear inspired by Frith photos

Boy from the Slums

I was born on the 28th March 1947, into an existing family of 5 siblings in a one-up one-down decaying terraced house of 12 Russell Street, Teams, Gateshead, just off Upton Street, near to the coke works, the gas works, the rope works and every other kind of filthy polluting business on the banks of the Tyne. We ended up as a family of 8 children by the 1950s. My father was Leslie George Bull and my mother - Isabella Gattis Chilvers.

The word "Poverty" was part of their wedding vows.

In the back lanes of these rat infested dwellings we played mouse chasing and "liggies"in the "gundi". The area was so bad the rats wore white overalls.

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Contributed by alan bull

Boy from the Slums

I was born on the 28th March 1947, into an existing family of 5 siblings in a one-up one-down decaying terraced house of 12 Russell Street, Teams, Gateshead, just off Upton Street, near to the coke works, the gas works, the rope works and every other kind of filthy polluting business on the banks of the Tyne. We ended up as a family of 8 children by the 1950s. My father was Leslie George Bull and my mother - Isabella Gattis Chilvers.

The word "Poverty" was part of their wedding vows.

In the back lanes of these rat infested dwellings we played mouse chasing and "liggies"in the "gundi". The area was so bad the rats wore white overalls.

read more here
A memory of Gateshead contributed by alan bull

THE SATURDAY MORNING MATINEE

THE SATURDAY MORNING MATINEE
Of course you remember it ... well most of us do!!!
It all seems so long ago now! but it's beginning to drift up from the fog of ‘times gone by’. Hot and damp and steaming gently in the heat of the old Globe cinema at Gosforth (you sold more drinks and ice cream if you kept it very hot!) from the rain sitting there with our knees under chins and feet on the seat with sweaters pulled up to our eyes and pulled down over our knees so we looked like rows of strange beasts, so God help the ice cream girls! There must be about 1000 screaming children rooting for Roy Rogers and Trigger ...read more here
A memory of Felling contributed by DAVID HINGE

Memories of Wrekenton a mining village in Gateshead

Memories of Wrekenton a mining village in Gateshead, County Durham from my late mother and my memories from the 1950’s
My mother was born in Wakes Yard in a mining village called Wrekenton, a village close to the village of Springwell, Gateshead, County Durham, she lived at Eighton Terrace a cobbled street with 2 rows of sandstone built houses, darkly stained due to pollution from coal fired chimneys over the ages, she was an orphan with her 2 sisters, being brought up by there grandmother on there mothers side, a Hannah Watson. Mother’s grandfather was James Leslie Watson and he was a coalminer who worked down nearby Springwell Colliery.

In the war years, there were many shortages, people ...read more here
A memory of Wrekenton contributed by Ron Summerson