Northumberland communities - Ponteland

Northumberland Christmas nostalgia

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:39:38 +0000

We dip into the Journal's archives to get into the festive spirit with some Christmas images from Northumberland's recent past.

Send your seasonal images of the county to northumberland@ncjmedia.co.uk if you would like to share them on our community sites.

Nostalgia gallery: Heddon, Harbottle & Whitfield

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:13:31 +0000

As the summer draws to a close, the season of summer shows is also winding down, although this coming weekend has another three great ones to choose from.

Whitfield, Harbottle and Heddon are all looking forward to holding their shows, which gives YourNostalgia a chance to look back at some Journal archive pictures of the three villages from days gone by.

One picture is pre-war, with a view of Harbottle in November 1935. The description gave it as "the site of the 'House of Commans', and where the prison once overflowed".

Stamfordham nostalgia gallery

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:45:56 +0000

Pictures of Stamfordham from years gone by show how little has changed in the picturesque village.

But for the children in the foreground pushing a home-made trolley, a shot of the village green from 1965 could almost have been taken yesterday.

The village green is also the scene for a great picture from 1937 in which Tynedale foxhouds gather for a hunt.

Historic recreation begins at Kirkharle

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:54:46 +0000

Work began yesterday on building a lake in fulfillment of a vision of one of Britain's greatest landscape gardeners.

The project is taking place at Kirkharle in Northumberland and is based on plans drawn up for the site by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown in the 18th Century but never implemented.

Landowner John Anderson walks along the site which will be used to bring plans of architect Capability Brown at Kirkharle Courtyard to life

The documents created by Brown - born at the hamlet and famous son of Kirkharle 'Capability' Brown - were discovered by local landowner John Anderson among his grandfather's papers.

Kirkley Hall reunion may lead to TV documentary

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 12:06:03 +0000

The discovery of a 50-year-old film capped a remarkable reunion for a group of former Kirkley Hall students and may now lead to national TV documentary about the classmates' lives.

Members of the class of 1957-58 were stunned to see their teenage selves on the 35-minute colour cine film that had been hidden away in a box of artefacts at the Northumberland College campus.

Former classmates on the general agriculture course Frank Mattinson, 72, from Bellingham, and Geoff Arlidge, 69, who now lives in Essex, found the film among archive material that lab technician Anne Owen had pulled out of the vaults.

Film-maker only missing one Kirkley Hall classmate from reunion project

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:28:45 +0000

A film-maker's quest to reunite classmates from more than 50 years ago is tantalisingly close to completion - after an appeal in Saturday's Journal uncovered two of the remaining four he had been unable to trace.

Another former student from the 1957-58 general agriculture course at Kirkley Hall college in Northumberland also emailed reunion organiser David Taylor, 69, from his home in Scotland at the weekend.

That has left the Emmy award-winning documentary maker and former Journal writer with just one person - Jenny Dodds - to find in order to have a full house.

Kirkley Hall agriculture reunion going well

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:27:18 +0000

An award-winning film maker searching for students he studied alongside at Kirkley Hall half a century ago has tracked down his two Hungarian classmates - but is still appealing for four Northumbrians to contact him.

David Taylor, 69, is organising a reunion of the general agriculture class of 1957-58 at the Northumberland College campus later this month - and has already found 27 of his old classmates.

The former Journal writer and Emmy award-winning documentary maker, who introduced the nation to arm-whirling TV scientist Magnus Pike through his show Don't Ask Me in the 1970s, uncovered Csaba Sulë and Csaba Balassa through appeals in the Hungarian media.

Grand reunion call for members of Kirkley Hall class of 1957

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:02:15 +0000

A journalist turned Emmy award-winning film maker is trying to track down his Kirkley Hall classmates from more than 50 years ago for a reunion.

Former Journal writer David Taylor, 69, wants to contact the other members of his general agriculture course who studied at the Northumberland College campus in 1957-8.

The general agriculture class of 1957 outside Kirkley Hall. David Taylor is pictured in the back row, seventh from left

Mr Taylor, who worked for a string of publications including Farming Express before moving into TV where he produced Farming Outlook, is organising the reunion at Kirkley next month.

Ponteland nostalgia gallery

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:30:46 +0000

It is now known mostly as a wealthy commuter village on the edge of Newcastle favoured by footballers and company directors.

But Ponteland has a long and rich history and can point to buildings such as its Pele Tower and St Mary's Church as signs of the village's illustrious past.

The Romans and the Anglo-Saxons disagreed on the origins of the name Ponteland, with the Romans claiming that Ponteland meant "bridge over the swamp" while the Anglo-Saxons said that it simply meant an island beside the river.