Photos courtesy of Old Low Light Heritage Centre

North Tyneside organisations are taking part in the country’s largest festival of history and culture which involves free Heritage Open Days.

This annual festival mainly involves local volunteers giving their time to provide events and activities including guided tours, walks and talks in local areas, usually in and around historic buildings and landmarks.

Here are some of the highlights to look forward to!

Stephenson Steam Railway

Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade (TVLB) Watch House Museum

On Saturday 12 September (from 10am to 3pm) visitors can wander around the Watch House Museum, at the Spanish Battery, where volunteers will be on hand to answer any questions and expand on the history of the artefacts.

The Watch House is a large blue and white building with two towers overlooking the mouth of the River Tyne. A Grade II listed building, it houses the museum collection from over 160 years of life saving on the NE coast. Every artefact has a story associated with it.

TVLB was the first of its kind when it was set following the tragic loss of 32 people from the ss Stanley and the schooner Friendship on 24 November 1864 at the Black Midden Rocks, Tynemouth. 

Teas and coffees will be available.

Old Low Light Heritage Centre – The Ralph Gardner Story 

On Saturday 19 September from 11am to 12noon people can view two new short films, produced by the North Shields Heritology Project, about local hero Ralph Gardner, who played a major role in freeing North Shields from the Newcastle monopoly that had stifled the economic and social development of the town for centuries.

One is a documentary, ‘Righting the Grievance’ – The Ralph Gardner Story, and the other is ‘Feathercoats and Fables’, an animation.

‘Righting the Grievance’ details how Gardner’s fight against Newcastle took his case to Parliament, the highest court. It’s a tale of power, self-interest and corruption in high places, and one man’s fight against injustice.

‘Feathercoats and Fables’ is primarily aimed at schoolchildren and tells the Gardner story using the Robin and Magpie to represent Ralph Gardner and the Newcastle leadership. It is hoped this will not only give children an insight into an aspect of local history but also highlight the issue of bullying in schools.

Local historian David Young, one of the founding members of the North Shields Heritology Project, who has worked on the films with fellow Heritolgist, Keith Spedding, said: “Ralph Gardner is a name familiar to many in North Shields. If you’re of a certain age, you’ll remember the school in Chirton that bore his name – you may even have attended it yourself.

“But how many know about Ralph Gardner the man, what he achieved, and how his words and deeds eventually changed the course of history for Shields, freeing it from a Newcastle monopoly that had stifled the economic and social development of the town for centuries?”

Using very different approaches, these films explain how in the mid-19^th century, Newcastle was one of England’s wealthiest and most powerful cities, its corporation held rights to trade on the River Tyne granted by Royal Charters over hundreds of years.

David continued: “Those in power in the city, driven by profit from the river trade, used any means, including violence, to protect their own interests.

“Gardner came into conflict with Newcastle through his brewing business in Chirton. The city deemed this illegal. Newcastle constables attacked Gardner and his family in their home, and he was imprisoned without trial or legal counsel.”

The North Shields Heritology Project is a registered charity which, over the past eight years, has produced a number of films bringing to life some forgotten stories associated with North Shields. Its members have also worked closely with many of the schools in North Tyneside to make the children aware of these stories as well as their heritage generally. 

To book a place, go to – HERITAGE OPEN DAY: THE RALPH GARDNER STORY – Old Low Light

Exhibition – North Shields 800 years in the making

On Saturday 19 September, from 10am to 3pm, visit this exhibition at the Old Low Light Heritage Centre, which takes visitors on a journey from the town’s humble beginnings with a small settlement of ‘shiels’ – fishermen’s huts – at the mouth of the Pow Burn where the fish quay is today, through wars and conflict, innovation and prosperity, through to growth and development.

There are also community wall displays about the history of the railways, from the early wagonways to passenger trains, the archaeology of Clifford’s Fort and a ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ with 30 local stories about North Shields, its people and some of its visitors. 

Christ Church

On Saturday 19 September (from 10am to 4pm) and on Sunday 20 September (from 12noon to 4pm) visit Christ Church, formerly Tynemouth Parish Church, that was consecrated in 1668.

Located on Preston Road, in the centre of North Shields, this church was rebuilt in 1792. It has beautiful stained-glass windows, including the lifeboat window that was presented to the church in 1962 to commemorate the centenary of Tynemouth RNLI, and a tower with ten bells. 

There will be an opportunity to visit the Ringing Chamber (Saturday 19 September only).

St Augustin’s Church

On Saturday 19 September (10am-3.30pm) St Augustin’s Church, Jackson Street, North Shields, will be open for a visit. This Grade II listed Victorian church, consecrated in 1884, was built on land donated by Captain William Linskill to meet the needs of the rapidly growing local population.

Of particular interest are the stained-glass windows. Above the altar, the east window is a war memorial. A brass memorial lists the fallen from the parish from both WWI and WW2. Many notable families have added to the stained-glass windows and interior over the years.

Find more information on the Heritage Open Days at: https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/whats-on