ISSUE 16 JULY 2014

freemenTHE NEWCASTLE UPON T YNE

MAGAZINE

Front Cover photograph: Hoppings at Night Swearing in & cover photographs taken by Freemen of Newcastle

upon Tyne Official Photographer, Steve Brock Photography: www.stevebrock.co.uk Tel: 0191 2863430

The Coat of Arms of theCity of Newcastle upon Tyne

ISSUE 16 JULY 2014freemenTHE NEWCASTLE UPON T YNE

MAGAZINE

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We have I believe in recent times met public expectations in performing our duty and commitments as the statutory guardian of a most extra-ordinary environmental asset - Newcastle Town Moors. In this context

however many commentators and City residents do ask – how can this be so in a day and age of such stress and unrelenting pressure on resources, both financial and otherwise, with traditional open space in the urban landscape being a target for developers.

For the less than enlightened we may as Freemen simply come across as an historical artefact but take a moment or two, reflect and contemplate – where would our fine City be without the Town Moor as we know it and the Freemen of the City exercising rights and responsibilities?

The presentation and stewardship of our portfolio of public responsibility has without any shadow of doubt never been stronger and in recent times. Newcastle City Council too are to be commended for the part they play in relation to partnership working and a much acknowledged duty of care in supporting all that we do.

Turning to 2014, the issue of most interest for the North East was shall The Hoppings be held. We report further on one of the most successful years ever in the 130 year history of this much cherished event. A big thank you to the Showmens Guild of Great Britain and whom we are proud to be closely associated with.

Sir Leonard Fenwick CBEChairman, Stewards Committee

Magazine Editor:Nick AtkinsonRopemakers Company, Stewards CommitteeIan MillerShipwrights Company, Stewards Committee

The Newcastle upon Tyne Freemen Magazine, Moor Bank Lodge, Claremont Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4NL

E-mail magazine@freemenofnewcastle.org

Foreword Contents04 Superintendents Report

05 Summer Event

06 Hoppings 2014

10 Drainage Works

11 Town Moor Fertiliser Programme

12 Easter Guild

13 Annual Freemen Church Parade

14 Keep Yor Feet Still Geordie Hinny

16 House of Tides

18 Diary Dates

19 Noticeboard & Freemen Shop

On the 31st March we once again welcomed back our grazing herds to the Town Moors. All graziers have returned and all are grazing their respective numbers giving a total of 525 beasts grazing our Moors this season.

Town Moor Superintendents Report

It had been one of the wettest winters in living history but fortunately it did not impact on the drainage exploratory works on the Town Moors. The works were carried out on five different areas of Town Moor, which concluded in three schemes being drawn up for the Stewards Committee’s approval, these schemes were agreed and the works were carried out at our contractors earliest convenience. These items will be covered more in depth and further on in this issue.

During the winter months we sourced some 600 plants of hawthorn, bramble and dog rose to help thicken and improve the hedge line along the Great North Road which will hopefully support our wildlife over years to come and also enhance the visual aspect for people visiting our City.

On December the 2nd 2013 the University of Newcastle terminated their lease with the Freemen for the Botanic Gardens at Moor Bank Lodge. Our staff and I have been shown how to prune and maintain all the various species of tropical plants in the hot house, the main corridor and the Desert house. A lot of time has been spent watering the plants as during the winter months the greenhouses had to be kept at a temperature of 25 degrees. As spring approached us and the outside temperature improved the inside temperature has been reduced significantly and the plants are thriving. We were approached by Southern Green re the availability of some of the tropical species as Avery Hill Botanic Gardens in Greenwich, London were being

revamped, Southern Green along with delegates from Greenwich have visited our Botanic gardens and have selected a large variety of plants they would love to take back to London. Southern Green has uplifted these plants and potted them on and they call in on a weekly basis to tend them. We are now awaiting a date as to when they can be delivered to their new home. The external gardens are being looked after by our staff with regular grass cutting and spraying of invasive weeds taking priority. A number of conifer trees have been removed as they were too close to the main buildings.

As May approached the staff and I relinquished our daily routines as we had to start the marking out of the Hoppings site, this is something that we had never done before and resulted in five weeks of work, from pegging out the main grid to then white lining the whole site into their respective avenues to finally measuring and pegging each and every individual position. We accomplished what we set out to do and the many attractions pulled into position without any real problems, and the event opened on the 20th of June, the sun shone and a great event was enjoyed by all agencies involved as well as the public of which many tens of thousands attended.

As I write the clean-up has begun and the reinstatement all be it minimal will commence once the site has been cleared of all rubbish.

Kevin BateyTown Moor Superintendent

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There will music provided by our resident band Heart Beat, The Scottish & Northumberland Pipe Band will be performing along with a bird of prey demonstration taking place in the paddock to the rear.

We also have a working dog demonstration courtesy of HM Prison Service who will be showcasing the skills of their drug detection dogs. There will also be an opportunity to handle a range of “creepy crawlies” for the brave amongst us!

There will be the usual range of refreshments provided including a hog & lamb roast.

We look forward to seeing as many Freemen and their families there on the day.

The Annual Freemen Summer EventThe summer event is being held again this August starting at 1pm on Saturday 2nd August at Moorbank Lodge.

Town Moor Superintendents Report

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Newcastle Town Moor Hoppings 2014

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The UK’s largest and most prestigious fairground, the Hoppings, returned to Newcastle’s Town Moor in June for the 133rd time. The event was formally opened by the Lord Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne, Councillor George Pattison.

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Since the decision was reached in February that The Hoppings would take place in 2014, the Stewards Committee and the Town Moor Superintendent were hard at work planning the 2014 funfair which also marked the 125th anniversary of the Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain.

A delivery team was appointed to manage the event led by Jim Johnson and David Wilson. A massive administrative exercise commenced in February, processing hundreds of applications. The demand for sites was far in excess of sites available, demonstrating the popularity of this event amongst the Showground community.

A high impact media campaign was undertaken with PR and marketing

consultancy, Clothier Lacey & Co handling all PR and social media, Steve Davison Advertising were responsible for media planning and buying and Paul Rea of Red Square Design produced The Hoppings 2014 branding. The campaign included TV, Radio, Newspaper, Bus and Metro posters, Road side Banners and online website and facebook sites. The facebook site now has over 38,000 followers. Competitions were run on air, in the press and via social media channels. Discount vouchers available online proved to be very popular with many thousands being downloaded.

The Freemen were delighted to be able to present this iconic Regional festival which brought much enjoyment to the hundreds of thousands of people who

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came to the event and generated much business for the area. We worked very hard to ensure the site was ready, having spent tens of thousands of pounds on reinstatement and drainage upgrades. As well as refurbishing the on-site service roads we brought in a kilometre of metal tracking in order to go some way to weather proof the event and ensure the huge rides could get into position without damaging the site. This is a massive event extending over more than 50 acres, including hundreds of attractions with over a thousand support personnel – it is like a travelling City. As well as the biggest and best rides in the UK there were sideshows, lots of catering options and a free Music Stage featuring great local bands. Musical performances were given by 40 bands, playing a full range of music genres.

The weeks leading up to the event saw a lot of rainfall and a site review including representatives of the Freemen, City Council, Showmen’s Guild and Tenants was arranged the week before the equipment was due to arrive. After much discussion it was agreed that the event could proceed.

The aluminium tracking proved to be a great success; together with new procedures for entry to site including phased arrival and use of additional boards for vehicles to drive onto their plots this greatly reduced the impact on the site and the associated reinstatement.

The weather was good for the event which helped to make it the best for many years.

Lord Mayor, Councillor George Pattison, Lord Mayor’s Daughters & Sir Len Fenwick and the senior members of The Showmen’s Guild Of Great Britain

Sir Len Fenwick, Chairman, Freemen Of Newcastle Upon Tyne & David Wallis, National President, Showmen’s Guild Of Great Britain

The opening ceremony of The Hoppings 2014 (left to right)

Lord Mayor’s Mace Bearer, Glen Miller, Chairman, Northern Section, Showmen’s Guild, Lord Mayor’s Daughter , Lord Mayor, Councillor George Pattison, Lord Mayor’s Daughter, David Wallis, National President, Showmen’s Guild Of Great Britain, Sir Len Fenwick, Chairman, Freemen Of Newcastle Upon Tyne & David Wilson, Vice Chairman, Freemen Of Newcastle Upon Tyne

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Drainage works 2014

Drainage - Forsyth Road Playing FieldsForsyth Road Playing field had a major drainage problem that was causing the land to flood this in turn created a flooding risk on Highbury main road which also threatened to creep into properties along this boundary. This problem was inherited when we took over the care and maintenance of the playing fields from Newcastle City Council. There were blocked and collapsed drainage systems within the playing field it was cheaper and quicker to renew 60 metres of drainage back to the main chamber, the chamber also needed replacing due to the outlet pipes being collapsed and part blocked with concrete. The pictures show the story of events, we installed 60 metres of 6” twin wall drainage pipe as the new main which we then connected the existing two 2”field drains into it, this was back filled with 20 tonnes of 20mm clean gravel and topped off with screened top soil. All surplus subsoil was removed from site. The playing fields were also littered with foundations from previous structures that been in place previously and a number of tarmac and concrete footpaths. We removed all of this debris and when covered with topsoil and reseeded the site is now in a far better condition.

Town Moor DrainageThe Stewards Committee authorised the investigation of a recent issue where a pond had appeared on the main Town Moor. Stagnant water on the moor could have potentially caused issues that would be harmfull to the Town Moor herd including parasites such as liver fluke. Upon investigation we found that there was an old stone cundy that was used as the main carrier which all other field drains were tapped into within that area. The cundy was found to be collapsed in several areas which in turn was affecting the way the rest of the land was being drained or not drained in this case. Our drainage contractor provided a proposal to put to the Stewards Committee for consideration, our scheme was accepted and the associated improvement works commenced. In total 330 metres of new 12” twin wall main was installed in which 57 lateral field drains were re connected and 3 inspection chambers were installed to assist with ease of maintenance in the coming years. The area is now drained and the land has dried creating a far safer environment for both the cattle and the public. All that is left to do now is to level off the area and re seed and roll.

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The areas of Town Moor that made up this year’s fertiliser programme were Nuns Moor North, Nuns Moor South and the Hoppings site. In all just over 200 acres had 26.6 tonnes of triple 16 (N16 P16 K16 ) applied at 190kg/per hectare as a result of the soil testing that was carried earlier in the year by our ecologist Steve Haddon of Ryal Ecology. This is a vital program of works to ensure quality grazing for the Town Moor Herd.

The fertiliser being delivered to our agricultural depot at Moorbank Lodge.

Town Moor Fertiliser Program 2014

The fertiliser being prepared ready for spreading on The Town Moor.

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Easter Guild 28th April 2014

Easter Closed Guild commenced at 10.30 am and brought together the stewards of the various guilds. Sir Leonard Fenwick chaired the meeting and a number of relevant matters were discussed in detail.Open Guild commenced at 12 noon and was the last of the 3 guilds presided over by Councillor Margaret Wood, Lord Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne. Sir Leonard thanked her for her continued support in working with the Freemen and presented her with an engraved crystal clock as a token of gratitude from The Freemen of Newcastle upon Tyne.

12 new Freemen were sworn in by The Lord Mayor following the open guild and a buffet lunch was enjoyed by all.

The Annual Freemen Church Parade

The annual Freemen Church parade took place on the 11th May. The Lord Mayor was in attendance and there were 19 Freemen supporting her, led by the Vice Chairman Mr David Wilson.

The service was followed with tea and biscuits and an opportunity to explain to non-Freemen present what we do in the 21st Century.

It’s quite a sight to see the Lord Mayor and Freemen fully robed parading to the Cathedral. Passers-by always stop with that inquisitive look on their faces until someone explains that it’s the annual Freemen Church Parade.

I admit that this year I have beaten the drum in order to encourage Freemen to attend the annual event, to no avail. 19 Freemen supporting the Lord Mayor on what is the only time in the calendar that we can be seen supporting, is something that we, as Freemen, cannot be proud of.

Some years ago I asked the question whether we should still be having this annual event. The overwhelming replies were positive yet only 19 Freemen support the Lord Mayor.

When Freemen are approached about the Parade and asked why they did not support most have reasons or excuses. Unfortunately the embarrassment of being asked why they did not attend leads some Freemen changing or breaking off the conversation.

The parade takes place in and around the Newcastle Cathedral. As Freemen we have that right. The Lord Mayor attends because as the number 1 citizen she or he should be seen with the greatest supporters of the role of Lord Mayor within the city.

It will be a great loss to the Freemen if the tradition of parading with the Lord Mayor were to be lost because of the apathy of today’s 1500 Freemen.

It must be remembered that while the parade centres round a religious service it is also a civic occasion that happens to take place in the Cathedral so those of you who are not of the Christian faith or are of no faith at all should attend to support the Lord Mayor and uphold one of the traditions of our Guild.

The parade next year takes place on May the 10th. There will be a bus provided from Moor Bank Lodge where Freemen can park in a secure compound. Robes are available for those who wish to participate; I hope that 2015 will be better supported than previous years.

If any Freeman has any comments of ideas regarding the Parade please contact me via Moor Bank Lodge or the Freemens web site.

Alan Bainbridge, Stewards Committee

Images this page: David Hughes & Jenny Lawson

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“Keep Yor Feet Still Geordie Hinny”

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On 23rd November 1841 Joe Wilson was born, along with his twin brother Tom, and they were baptised at St.John’s Church in Newcastle. They lived with their parents Joseph and Ann Wilson and their elder sister Ann and brother John. Sadly Joe’s father died from T.B. in 1844 when aged only 32, leaving Ann to bring up her four children alone. They lived in Gallowgate at the time and Ann made her living as a bonnet maker.

In 1855 Joe was apprenticed to a printer and three years later when only 17 he published his first song book. He began performing professionally in 1864 and toured concert halls and clubs throughout the North East.

Joe’s greatgrandfather, Joseph, had been a cordwainer (or shoemaker) by profession and had become a Freeman of the City in 1780 after serving his apprenticeship with Mark Vickerson. Joe’s grandfather, John, also a time served cordwainer, was sworn free in 1806 followed by Joe’s father becoming a hereditary Freeman in 1832. Subsequently Joe and elder brother John became Freemen of Newcastle through the Cordwainers Company in 1865.

Joe wrote and sang his songs about everyday life such as “Aa wish yor mother wad cum” and “Dinnet clash the door” but his most memorable song was “Keep yor feet still Geordie hinny” which Owen Brannigan sang so well :-

Keep yor feet still Geordie hinny

Let’s be happy throo the neet

For aa mayn’t be se happy throo the day

So give us that bit comfort

Keep yor feet still Geordie lad

Ay an dinnet drive me bonny dreams away!

Joe got married in 1869 to Isabella English and they had three sons. However touring the concert halls and working men’s clubs made family life difficult and in 1871 Joe became landlord of the Royal Adelaide Hotel in Adelaide Place, Newcastle. After a couple of years he tired of this and went back to performing for a while. Unfortunately his health deteriorated and, like his father, he died young, on 14th February 1875 aged only 33 years.

His gravestone is in Jesmond Old Cemetery.

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Celebrity chef & Freeman of Newcastle brings famous quayside building back into use.28/30 The Close referred to recently as The Buttress on the Newcastle Quayside (next door to The Cooperage) is one of the most important buildings in Newcastle. It was a fine merchant’s house and has unique decoration, it shows that Newcastle merchants had houses to rank with any in the land, and it demonstrates the importance of the river in the development of the trade of Newcastle and the personal fortunes of its citizens, many of whom led their families into positions of power not only in trade but also in politics and in society.

before

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The house was also referred to previously as The Clavering’s house as it was once owned by The Clavering family from the early 17th Century to the middle of the 18th Century.

It was the home of James Clavering, a wealthy merchant, and sheriff and twice mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne.

The Claverings would have enjoyed fine dining in 28-30. And now, centuries later, history repeats itself with celebrity chef, Kenny Atkinson, opening the building as a fine dining restaurant.

The conservation plan for the building says: “It is a rare example of an early fine merchant’s house during a time when Newcastle was a major centre for shipping and trade. The design and decoration of the house demonstrate the strong trade links between Newcastle and Northern Europe, through the fine quality German design and execution of the interior plasterwork.

The house functioned continuously as a merchant’s premises through the 17th Century and beyond.

It is an amalgamation of three original buildings in an area where the first house may have been built in the 1300s.

It was probably re-faced in brick in the mid-18th Century. When merchants moved from the riverside to the “top” of the town, the building was used commercially, latterly as a warehouse.

As it deteriorated, it was acquired by the Tyne Wear Building Preservation Trust in 1983. A programme of essential works was prepared. This involved securing the building which at this time was in a dangerous condition under the guidance of English Heritage.

The first move was to clear the building of rubbish before four phases of work were carried out between 1983-93 at a cost of £500,000. Considerable works were undertaken to preserve the structure and fabric of the building and it was eventually purchased by north east comedian Bobby Pattinson in 2009 for £1.4M who intended to convert it into a bar, restaurant and offices. Bobby had budgeted in excess of £2M to commence a full refurbishment but, as work started, a well was found beneath the floor,

causing everything to come to a halt as experts investigated. Then medieval pottery dating back to 1250 to 1300 and part of a medieval shoe was discovered in the foundations. Eventually, in 2011, the major refurbishment program commenced to bring the building up to a standard that may have attracted potential tenants.

Kenny Atkinson, a member of the Ropemakers Company, is a twice Michelin star awarded chef who sprang to fame by winning The Great British Menu in 2009 secured the lease to the building in April 2013 with the idea of opening a fine dining restaurant back in his home town that he was so passionate about. The task of converting the ground and first floor of a grade 1 listed building into a fully functioning restaurant was somewhat “troublesome” with English Heritage laying down very firm guidelines as to what could and could not be done to the building. The original beams, stone floors, walls and plasterwork could not be altered in any way to preserve the original character and features.

The restaurant opened in February 2014 as House Of Tides with a quirky image of “old meets new” with sloping walls and creaking floorboards.

It is a great sight to see such an iconic landmark on the Newcastle quayside back into public use and the history of the building and the relationship between the Freemen of Newcastle and previous Lord Mayors just adds to the appeal. Kenny was kind enough to offer his services at the last summer spectacular at Moorbank Lodge where he performed cooking demonstrations to Freemen and their families.

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Diary Dates

Saturday 2nd August 2014

Summer Spectacular

Monday 6th October 2014

Michaelmas GuildHeld upstairs in Newcastle Guildhall (on Quayside, bottom of Dean Street)Close Court of Guild (for Company Stewards only) begins at 10 am.At this particular meeting the Stewards Committee is democratically elected via ballot for the ensuing year.Open Court of Guild (for all Freemen of Newcastle upon Tyne) commences at 12 noon prompt.You must be seated by 12 noon for the Open Guild in readiness to receive the Lord Mayor.The meeting concludes with new Freemen being called, and if present being sworn in by the Lord Mayor.Following the proceedings a buffet lunch is served in the Merchant Adventurers Court.

Monday 19th January 2015

Christmas Guildupstairs in the Newcastle Guildhall (On Quayside, bottom of Dean Street)Close Court of Guild (for Company Stewards only) begins at 10amOpen Court of Guild (for all Freemen of Newcastle upon Tyne) commences at 12 noon promptYou must be seated by 12 noon for the Open

Guild in readiness to receive the Lord Mayor.The meeting concludes with new Freemen being called, and if present sworn in by the Lord Mayor.Following the proceedings a buffet lunch is served in the Merchant Adventurers Court.

Monday 13th April 2015

Easter Guildupstairs in the Newcastle Guildhall (On Quayside, bottom of Dean Street)Close Court of Guild (for Company Stewards only) begins at 10amOpen Court of Guild (for all Freemen of Newcastle upon Tyne) commences at 12 noon promptYou must be seated by 12 noon for the Open Guild in readiness to receive the Lord Mayor.The meeting concludes with new Freemen being called, and if present sworn in by the Lord Mayor.Following the proceedings a buffet lunch is served in the Merchant Adventurers Court.

Sunday 19th May 2015

The Lord Mayor’s ParadeHeld in the Cathedral Church of St. Nicholas.Robing in the Cathedral Refectory at 9.30a.m. for commencement of parade into the Cathedral at 9.45a.m. with the Lord Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne.All Newcastle Freemen are welcome.Should you need to borrow a robe there will be a small quantity available on the day.To assist on the day, parking will be available at Moor Bank Lodge and transport at 9:00am to and from the Cathedral will be provided.

Annual Guild Days

Michaelmas Guild The 1st Monday after MIchaelmas Monday

Christmas Guild The 1st Monday after 13th January

Easter Guild The 1st Monday after Easter Monday

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The Freemen of Newcastle shop is openFreemen of Newcastle upon Tyne pin badges are available. The 16mm badge depicts the armorial bearings of the City circled by the inscription “Freemen of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne”.

The ever popular multi crested silk ties are back in stock.

And new for the ladies 25mm Charm, Necklace’s are also available complete on a 60mm chain, both depict the armorial bearings of the City circled by the inscription “Freemen of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne”.

Orders to Kevin Batey Town Moor Superintendent at Moor Bank Lodge, Payment with order by cheque payable to ‘Freemen of Newcastle upon Tyne’ the address may be found at the rear of the magazine.

Ties - £27.00

Pin Badge - £3.00

Stick Pin Badge - £4.00

Charm - £6.00

Necklace - £7.00

Bereavements

Averill HunterCordwainers Company

Derek TaylorShipwrights Company

Norman RidleyMaster Mariners Company

Marie Shields House Carpenters Company

Irene Thompson Saddlers Company

New Stewards

Marion Taylor Bricklayers Company

Notice Board & Freemen Shop

Freemen of Newcastle upon TyneSuperintendent and OfficeMr Kevin Batey,Moor Bank Lodge, Claremont Road,Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4NLTel: 0191 2615970Email: admin@freemenofnewcastle.orgWebsite: www.freemenofnewcastle.org

COPYRIGHT: Freemen of Newcastle upon Tyne.

PUBLISHER: Riney Publishing Limited, Sue Riney-Smith Tel: 01325 304360 Email: sue.riney@btinternet.com

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