Nostalgic memories of Newburn's local history
Share your own memories of Newburn and read what others have said
For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our web site to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was when the photographs in our archive were taken. From brief one-liners explaining a little bit more about the image depicted, to great, in-depth accounts of a childhood when things were rather different than today (and everything inbetween!). We've had many contributors recognising themselves or loved ones in our photographs.
Why not add your memory today and become part of our Memories Community to help others in the future delve back into their past.
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Displaying Memories 31 - 40 of 58 in total
I was fourteen in this year and I had been at Walbottle School about a year. I had teamed up with two mates, one was Tony Grey from Lemington who dressed like me and we were into the same music. One of the sayings at that time was "Cool" that's the category we liked to think we fell into, the other lad from Newburn was my mate 'Ginger Broon', or Derek Brown, he was a big fella with bright ginger hair, his face ...see more
As I told you, in Millfield there was only one shop, 'Jacksons', and two houses, Sewells and Gribbles, both in Victoria Terace where they turned their front parlour into shops. Sewells was run by Anne Veitche's mother, a nice lady, who lived straight opposite in Albert Terrace. All main shoppping was done in Newburn. There were two shops on Warkworth Crescent, Coffees and Lewins who I believe were related. I can't ...see more
We are in year 1955 and I'm sure you older ones from around here will remember what Duffers were, this was a task game where all the gang joined in. We had different modes which would take our fancy, pole vaulting was where we would cut a length of tree, dress it up and use it for a number of duffers, like down the burn we would pole vault in different widths of the burn without falling in, well not on all occasions. Then ...see more
This was 1958 the time when I seriously got into drainpipes, drapes and rock 'n roll music. I was at Walbottle Secondary Modern School. I used to take in the leg width of my jeans by hand using a needle and thread to make them as tight as I could get them, and I went to school with these drainpipes on and a Donegal jacket, along with black crepe shoes with white bars of music on the front, along with ...see more
This is a memory of about 1960. I had left the pit and started work on Lowrisons farm in Westerhope, there were two houses, one was at the bottom of West Avenue next to the park. This is where John Lowrison lived with his sister Betty, she was a Personel Officer with Clark Chapman. Betty never married, nor did John. He ran the farm with his other sister Sylvia who was married to Roger Contel who owned Contels fruit ...see more
It was 1958 and I had just left school at Walbottle Secondary. Me and my best pal Wes Coulthard (who I'm sad to say has since passed away) went on our first holiday together before starting down the Pit. We went with his parents Jimmy and Polly to Middleton Towers in Morecambe, it was just like a Butlins camp and bye, did we have some fun. Then, that over with, it was the pit. We started doing training at Wheatslade ...see more
In the mid 1950s to early 1960s there were local dance halls, one at Newburn which was down Station Road, take a left towards the bridge and it was just there on the left side opposite the level crossings near enough. It was a wooden hut as far as I can remeber, I was too young to get in but I would peer in the windows. There were always fights with rival gangs from Blaydon, Ryton, Stella, ...see more
It was about 1953 when we discovered pluffers and ca caws. The pluffer was a device we used for a pea-shooter. This was a straight stem from a weed and it was about an inch or so in diameter, hollow through the centre and collected from Millfield tip where they grew in abundance. We would cut a length measuring about a foot and load our mouths up with the ammo, i.e. the ca caws. These were the berries from ...see more
It was around 1952 when these tragic accidents happened to to two Millfield families. I remember the day as plain today as it was then. A little boy had fallen into the Dewley Burn and drowned, his mother was Edna Clues who lived at the end of Millfield Crescent. Everyone was out in the back lane with horrified expressions, some crying, others consoling each other. What this poor woman must have been going through, she ...see more
Rediffusion: about 1958 and onwards. This bombshell hit us like nought else, it meant no interference on our wireless. No more tuning in every ten minutes or so. It was A. B. C. D. E. F.
You knew Radio Luxembourg was the station for pop, but it was hell to get on a normal set, we would sit with our hand on the knob and ear to the speaker resetting the dial. But with good old Rediffusion it was crisp and clear. And ...see more