Heritage Hour 2021

Heritage Hour is our exciting weekly programme of online talks delivered by local authors, historians and special guests. The talks are free and available to everyone to view. 

Tune in to Gateshead Libraries Facebook page (opens new window) every Tuesday at 7pm to catch the talks. 

You don't need to be a member of Facebook to watch the talks and you can also catch them afterwards on Gateshead Libraries' YouTube channel (opens new window). 

26/01/2021    Kindertransport 

After 1933, Hitler in Germany began the process of excluding German Jews from society, beginning the inexorable move towards genocide; this intensified after Kristallnacht when a number of individuals and groups decided to try and move as many Jewish children out of Germany and Czechoslovakia as possible - many of them came here to the North East and Gateshead - this will be their story; one we should never forget. With John Sadler. 

02/02/2021    A Grand Night Out: Local Cinema and Theatre 

Going out has changed a lot over the last 150 years - it could even land you in hot water. Learn why MI5 staked out a Gateshead gig in 1949 as we discuss how cinema and theatre developed in the area. With Rosie Serdiville. 

09/02/2021    Victorian Gateshead 

In the 19th century, Gateshead was a town of contrasts where poverty was never far away and yet Civic pride was high. Discover how the town changed and why with Anthea Lang. 

16/02/2021    Anderson Place 

Anderson Place was a large mansion with grounds of 11 acres in the heart of Newcastle. It was created from the remains of the Franciscan friary on Pilgrim Street and became the home of several Newcastle merchant families including the Andersons and the Blacketts. Its purchase and demolition in 1835 provided the land for Richard Grainger's reconstruction of central Newcastle as a 'city of palaces'. Learn more about this lost jewel of Tyneside in this illustrated talk by Richard Pears. 

23/02/2021    WW2 Home Guard 

BBC TV's Dad's Army has immortalised a certain vision of the wartime Home Guard, one which in some respects isn't far from reality. But theirs was a serious role and had Germany invaded it wouldn't have been half as funny, in fact not funny at all. We'll look at how the HG was formed, its kit and weapons, and the experiences of many of those who served. With John Sadler. 

02/03/2021    Love Thy Neighbour 

People don't always get on. Arguments about minor matters can turn bitter very easily. We're going to look at neighbour relations down the centuries. So if you want to know what links a medieval park with a Vietnamese pot bellied pig, come along to this talk with Rosie Serdiville. 

09/03/2021    Necessary History: The British Toilet

Skara Brae, commodes, 'little houses', cholera and Thomas Crapper - hear the long history of the smallest room in this illustrated talk by Richard Pears 

16/03/2021    From Here to Eternity: Burial Practices, Churchyards & Cemeteries 

From grave robbers to grand mausoleums, discover some fascinating and not unduly morbid facts about local burials with local historian Anthea Lang. 

23/03/2021    Death in the Pot - How Gateshead's Women Fought Slavery 

On 2nd May 1823 Gateshead formally joined the anti slavery movement. Local women played a key role in that fight, coming up with new ideas that would eventually win that battle and inform the 20th century struggle against discrimination. With Rosie Serdiville. 

30/03/2021    Poetry of World War I 

We've all heard of the famous Great War poets, Hodgson, Sassoon, Graves, Owen, Binyon and others. But there is a substantial body of verse penned by local men serving in the trenches which hasn't really ever been heard. They weren't professional writers or poets but ordinary Tommies, yet their voices reach out to us even after a century. With John Sadler. 

06/04/2021    Notable Women of Gateshead

A look at some Gateshead women, some famous, others not, but all with a story to tell. With Anthea Lang.             

13/04/2021    The Land of Oak & Iron

A 4-year landscape partnership project has breathed new life into the rich industrial and social history of the Derwent valley area of rural west Gateshead. Join project volunteer and local writer Val Scully for a whistle-stop tour of the heritage highlights of the Land of Oak & Iron.

20/04/2021    Dangerous Youth 

This talk with Rosie Serdiville explores our attitudes to young people over the last 200 years looking at how they have been portrayed in fiction, film and police mug shots. 

27/04/2021    Get Carter 

Ted Lewis set his original book in Scunthorpe but Newcastle and Gateshead became locations for the iconic crime movie with Michael Caine and Britt Ekland; gritty and violent, Tyneside noir at its best; we look at the plot, the characters, action and locations, what's left after 50 years? With John Sadler. 

04/05/2021    "Where there's a will, there's a way" - how Gateshead Got an Art Gallery

Gateshead wouldn't have an art gallery if Joseph Ainsley Davidson Shipley hadn't left money to the town, albeit by default. Join Anthea Lang and discover the history of this fascinating building and of the art collection which began it all. 

11/05/2021    Mary Ann Cotton 

Until the career and crimes of Harold Shipman, Mary Ann Cotton was Britain's most prolific serial killer, murdering a whole list of victims including her husbands, partners, her own and other's children; how it was she escaped detection for so long and how she was caught - her trial and execution. With John Sadler. 

18/05/2021    Hunger Marches

We've all heard about the Jarrow March but there were many others in the 1930s. Join Rosie Serdiville to hear about the men and women from Gateshead who struggled against hunger and poverty down the centuries. 

25/05/2021    Country Houses of North-East England

Conquest, commerce, coal and slavery funded the building of castles and mansions for wealthy families. Richard Pears will show the past and present cultural, social and economic importance of the region's country houses. 

01/06/2021    Days at the Seaside

Remember happy days at the seaside in an illustrated talk that shows people enjoying themselves at Whitley Bay, Tynemouth, Seaburn and South Shields. In the days before holidays abroad a trip to the beach would be a great time for all. Join local author Andrew Clark to bring back memories of fairground rides, eating 'sandy' sandwiches and wearing knitted bathing suits. 

08/06/2021    WW1 as Experienced by Gateshead Men and Women

We hear local voices from those who served and endured the Great War both in the front line and home front. Hear their experiences and reflections, how the war affected them and our region, the scars it left and the many memorials it inspired. Why it is we must never forget! This talk will end with a live Q&A with the speaker, John Sadler.

15/06/2021    Beer Brewers and Pubs

Pubs are a fascinating subject for local history and author Andrew Clark recalls the rich heritage of the licensing and brewing trade in the North East. Remember the great breweries such as Scottish & Newcastle, Vaux and Deuchars and the many pubs they had in Gateshead. The talk also includes some of the famous brands of beer served to North East drinkers - such as Newcastle Brown Ale, Double Maxim and Lochside Ales. 

22/06/2021    Mines and Mansions: A History of Whickham

Whickham began as an agricultural village, became one of the most important coal mining areas in the world and attracted wealthy families to build grand houses in this 'fine and airy place'. Learn about the long history of Whickham in this illustrated talk with live Q&A, by Richard Pears.

29/06/2021    Saltwell Park

Opened in 1876, Gateshead's 'People's Park', is one of the best public parks in England. But what was the history behind it and how was it constructed? This talk will end with a live Q&A with the speaker, Anthea Lang.