1916 Felling

Left click to see map bigger

Rowlandson Terrace (above) is still alive and well but gone are Havelock Street, Ridley Street, Booth Street, Cross Street, Simpson Street, Stainton Street, Christies Lane, Norman Street, Buller Street, White Street, Brown Place, Pattinson Street and Pattinson Terrace

This one shows Heworth Village as it can be seen in old photos, before the by-pass took the whole northern end of the village away and before the Metro station took the school away. Note, also this map mentions the cup and coins found in Heworth Churchyard, which turned out to be an elaborate hoax.

Look at these magnificent pictures of Heworth village lost because of the bypass and the Metro line, the fast transport links to Sunderland..hands up, who was in favour of a fast way to get to Sunderland? I'm joking!

ASDA Here We Come

The redevelopment of the Felling shops has been a long time coming.
The original plan was

Planning application – 20th January 2012 

Planning approval – March 2012

Start on site – August 2013 (revised date)

Completion  – May 2014

The actual start on site was Nov/Dec 2014

Council building getting nibbled

Co-op store, Bamling shop and Council Offices gone

photo courtesy of Michael

Rubble cleared 18 Dec '14

Another one from Michael..19th Jan 1015

Steel work going up 13th March 2015

14th March 2016

In the first hour of opening 14th March 2016

Felling on O.S.Map

By popular demand here's pics of the coloured 1877 O.S. Map at Gateshead Library Local History Section. To preserve the maps, the library do not want them removed from the protective plastic sleeves. I've managed, in taking these pics, to avoid too much reflection. Feel free to capture them. 
Left click to see them larger

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Lots more to come

What is a Pant?

"What is a pant?" is a question often asked by Felling folk and other Geordies, who have or had a pant in their town. Is it primarily a memorial/commemoration or a drinking fountain?

It is a drinking fountain
often, but not always, used as a war memorial or as a commemoration of a coronation

 There's many drinking fountains in the North East but the following are called pants. Additionally, there are also pants to be found in Corbridge, Hexham, Embleton, Bamburgh and Lesbury

Pant near Alnwick, Northumberland

The Sandgate Pant, now gone, was at the junction of Sandgate and the Milk Market Newcastle upon Tyne c.1900. The Milk Market is in the background with the Tyne public house to the left and Johnson Dodds warehouse to the right

Bowden Pant Well, near Scottish Border

Dated 1861

The Pant on The Green, West Auckland

A Victorian water feature, adapted to commemorate Queen Victoria's Jubilee in 1897 (plaque inserted near top of the front face) and a War Memorial recently placed adjacent.

The Pant Well at Newcastleton

The Pant Well in Douglas Square was designed in the late 19th century and has a domed roof. The lamp was added later.

The best of the pants in the North East and Borders are significantly less iconic than the Felling one was. It is the local authority that takes the initiative and oversees the preservation of these monuments which are invariably listed. What is gallingly ironic here is that not only was our monument not preserved by, but was actually destroyed by, the Local Authority

It was an unknown petty official of the Council who confined it to be broken up and used as landfill. This was the property of the people (funded by public subscription) and were it not beyond time limitation (or is it?) a formal public liability claim could be lodged, in negligence, to secure a replacement.The word "pant" is used most frequently in the North East, including the Borders. As a word for a town or district it does also crop up in Wales and in England, near the Welsh border.  Here's local historian Joan Hewitt in her history notes

 The memorial was popularly called 'The Pant' (old northern word for a fountain). Local wits said "No wonder, after climbing the High Street!"

For more on The Felling's pant

For more pant examples

Felling Heritage Exhibition

The Felling Heritage Group's
History Exhibition

Another resounding successful exhibition
@Methodist Church Hall, Coldwell Street, The Felling

10.30am-4pm
Fri 21st & Sat 22nd November 2014

Felling Shore Pubs

This map shows The Ferry House PH and The Unicorn PH

This is a snippet of Pigot & Co Trade Directory of 1841 naming Felling Shore Pubs. Note: Union pub run by William Forster? Where is the Grindstone? Is this right and/or complete? It needs investigation

Anchor Inn, Tyne Street

1841 it was run by William Jefferson and in same year Edmund Hodgson.
In 1877-1898 it was Robert Lightfoot

Bee Hive, Brewery Lane

1841 George Noble
1877 Thomas Diston

Brandling Arms

1877 Frederick Willshire
1898 John Sanderson

Grindstone Tavern, Tyne Street

Robert Wilkinson 1800 - 53 ran a pub and a maltings called the Grindstone Tavern at Felling Shore, Gateshead, Durham. Does anyone else have records of this pub / inn ? In the 1841 census his address is Low Felling, occupation Maltster. By the end of the decade he owned 4 boats in the Dictionary of Tyneside Shipowners giving his occupation as a inn keeper.
1877 it was Forster Stephenson
1898 William Willshire

Oak Tree

1841 Thomas Meadows

Ship Inn

1828 Rowland Richardson
1841 Elizabeth Richardson
1898 John Cunningham

Unicorn

1828 Thomas Emerson
1841 John Gallon
 

The Ferry, Friars Goose 

1877 Ralph Waugh
(called in 1841 The Ferry House, when James Vazey had it) 

The Wherry

1828 William Forster

Left click to enlarge

Green Tree, Brewery Lane

Julia O'Donnell



These are some notes made by Peter Haywood. He is trying to get a picture of what was going on at Felling Shore. We can identify that his sketch is of

here

His map is from the river looking south, inland, but...

...unfortunately the lower right of his map has been lost

This shows The Ferry pub. Click on the big map to see it enlarged to identify Nest House and Friars Goose Chemical Works

Felling Shore, back then

The riverside as it is now

The Railway Tavern, , The Old Engine, The Wherry, The Moulders Arms, The Ferry Boat and