As a title I think that is the first time I have managed to use those words together, yet that kind of sums up the morning I had today.
The Tan Hill Inn is a pub steeped in history. High up on the moors in North Yorkshire, it’s one of those places where it [...]
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After seeing a friend referring to a CD he had performed on comment “Thirteen Years ago, how time flies” I started to think about momentous periods of my life.
There are many I could recall, my generation’s Kennedy moment, September 11 2001, starting & selling my first business, graduation and my first published article. All [...]
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Edward Arnold Chapman. Chances are you will have never heard of that name, but Agent ZigZag may be a bit more familiar to you.
Eddie Chapman as he was known to friends, was born in Burnopfield in County Durham on 16 November 1914. Following his disertion from the Coldstream Guards during the 1930s, he [...]
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Arthur Stanley Jefferson, one of four children of Arthur Sr and Magaret Jefferson, was born at his grandparent’s house in Argyle Street, Ulveston, Cumbria on 16th June 1890. We know him, as Stan Laurel.
His parents, both actors, moved to Bishop Auckland in County Durham and managed the Theatre Royal on Newgate Street. Stan’s [...]
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What is the largest fossil you have ever seen? The size of your thumb? The palm of your hand? Your head? How about the size of a tree trunk?
In Stanhope, in the upper end of Weardale of County Durham, traffic sweeps along the [...]
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Durham Cathedral sits high on the peninsula above the city and dominates the skyline, regardless of which direction you approach. However, my advice, is to arrive in Durham by train. The reason for this is the railway station also sits high on a hill, there are many hills in the city, and provides a [...]
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Barnard Castle, in southwest County Durham, appears to the casual observer like many other market towns of its size. However, hidden in plain sight is a real treasure trail for both amateur and professional historian alike.
Barnard Castle Urban District Council started erecting [...]
Continue Reading →There’s a political hot-potato in my area at the moment in the form of proposal for a huge on shore windfarm. I’ve heard it may be one of, if not the, biggest in the UK if it goes ahead, so to try and get a feel for the area of land that would be affected, [...]
Continue Reading →Jeremiah Dixon. It’s a name you may be familiar with, but not 100% sure why.
Personally, I first came across the name in the lyrics of a song by Mark Knopfler, featuring vocals by him and James Taylor, Sailing To Philadelphia.
I’m Jeremiah Dixon, I am a Geordie boy.
A glass of wine with [...]
In every age, there is a group of people who will go that little bit too far in order to make ends meet.
In the 1700’s, Yorkshire, and in particular the Calder Valley saw a group of weavers turn to counterfeiting.
They became known as [...]
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