Almost A Half Century In Old Ponteland

Mr Parker was the Head of the "infants school" next to St.Marys. Mr Parker struck fear into the hearts of children and had a cane on the wall in his office which he did use. He wore sort of worsted suits and smoked a pipe heavily.
I went there in 1955 when I was 4 1/2 . Mams used to watch from the churchyard wall to check on their kids in their first few days at school. I lived in Darras Hall estate at the old station there. I used to get the no.5 bus to school , lunchtime but in the summer would walk home the couple of miles. Also so I could save the bus money to spend at Mrs Arrowsmith's sweet shop opposite the CoOp.
Another teacher I remember with more pleasure was Mrs Johnson (first class) who taught us how to use those wood edged individual blackboards and sand tray (using your finger) to write.
Mr Wilson used to drive a diminuitive(now) Austin A40 - he was the last teacher at the school for me before I went to th "Little School" up North Road.
Lots of kids used to go down over the churchyard wall - some smoking much aged much less than 10 - those Senior Service fags you could buy in 5's. Older kids then flogged them to the young ones 1 at a time - at a profit.
I went to the Little school next where Mr Hedley was the Headmaster - he retired while I was there. He had a sort of Mohican haircut.
I remember Cheshire but then Revd Porteous came and he was much more approachable. The sexton was a much feared person and would chase kids out of the churchyard with his stick.
I loved the Little School - Mrs Wingate (who lived on Lindisfarne) and made us sing lots of Nothumbrian songs ( John Peel, The Keel Row etc) ; Mrs Charlton who organised the school play - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ; Mr Ridley who was our last teacher ( he later became head master of the Secondary school I think). He used to cycle from/to home each day from Cheviot View.
I have lots of fond memories of growing up in Darras Hall and Ponteland and the pleasure of wandering safely all over the nearby countryside on my own and with friends.
I left to go to Edinburgh in 1969 and never really went back for long. I have been in Australia since 1974.
Ponteland HAS changed some much - but it was great growing up there in a real village where you knew lots of people.

I was at the infant school near st marys church at the same time and remember mr Parker and his cane only too well. My mother was from an old ponteland family and knew mr Parker well so that when I’d received chastisement, she knew it before I got home. I too spent my bus money at arrowsmiths,- on toffee bars costing a farthing!, and walked back via the old railway line as a short cut to eastern way where we lived. Although the line was “closed” trains occasionally ran and I do recall the royal train passing over the eastern way bridge. In snowy weather we used to sledge in the Fox covert field which at 6 or 7 I found scary.
My father was in the bank and we moved from ponteland in 1961. I still have family in the area.

Bill,
We went to school together . I lived at the old station in Darras Hall. I remember coming to your house. My sister still lives in Pont - in Cheviot View. Will probably be going back in July for a visit.
Granville

Parker/Bill - really enjoyed reading your comments. I lived in Ponteland (North Road and then Western Way) between 1940 and 1988 and your comments bring back lots of happy memories. Although now living in North Shields, my wife and I still manage to visit friends in Ponteland quite often - I still look upon the place as "home". It has changed a lot over the years, but I try to remember it as the lovely small country village which I knew as a child of nine and upwards. John.

ps The person walking across North Road in photo ref: P264012 is me (early 50s)

Does anybody remember Philip and Yolanda Walton who lived at Rosedale, 212 Darras Road ? He had an Italian middle name (Garibaldi) and she was Italian I believe. In the 1950s he owned a Frazer Nash sports car and did a few races. He may also have been a director of the Colombo Bus Company in Sri Lanka. Well, I own that sports car and am checking previous owners.
Thanks, James