Childhood Memories From 1949

A Memory of Gateshead.

I was born in Hubert Terrace which ran off Bank Street and along to Cuthbert Street. Further down was School Street and Marian Street which ran along to Derwentwater Road, and on Derwentwater Road was Lady Vernon School which I attended. The boys' school was called St Cuthberts and the church we went to was St Cuthbert's Church and the minister was called the Reverend Burnip. He lived in the vicarage on Bensham Road where the flats are now, the old wall is still there. I can still picture him going around on his bike.

Cuthbert Street used to get called Sammy's Bank because in one of the backyards a man called Sammy used to sell ice cream (imagine Health & Safety allowing that now). Further up was a dairy and at the top was a chemist which led on to the top of Derwentwater Road. The bottom of Cuthbert Street took you on to Askew Road, if you turned left you could go to the teams, right took you towards Gateshead town. Along Askew Road were all the Co-op shops.

My grandparents lived further along on Greensfield Terrace and as a child my cousins and I used to love to go into the attic and watch the trains in the Greensfield railway yard and then further along again was Greensfield clinic where I can always remember having my first tooth pulled out with gas. I remember going to the old town hall where all the Gateshead schools used to meet to sing, it is a beautiful building, I am so pleased it is still standing.

I remember the jam factory that was in one of the back lanes off Bank Street, if you took your jam jars back you got some jelly sweets for them. I also remember the street games we used to play, skipping, leap frog, hop scotch, top and whip to name but a few, we got plenty of fresh air and excercise but the streets were safer then, we used to walk along to Saltwell Park and our parents never worried. We also used to go to Saturday matinee at the Coatsworth or Bensham picture houses, happy days.

When I was eleven we moved to Springwell estate to a new council house in the country, it was bleak in the winter. I used to have to walk to where Ford's shop was for the bus, that was the terminus then, in the rain or snow, it wasn't much fun. I had to go to Shipcote girls' school at Deckham, it isn't there now but the old railings are still there. Because I wouldn't stay for dinner a few of us walked home so we could spend our bus fares, we took all the short cuts but it was all uphill, we must have been fit, but we got the bus back.

I remember my childhood as being happy days. We didn't have a lot but neither did anyone else, but I remember knowing all the neighbours, everyone helped each other and I used to go a message for the older people - actually, looking back, I bet they weren't that old! That's all I can think of for now.
Betty Harris (Scott)

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