Loft paintings added to 'Pitmen' collection

7 April 2008

In the best 'Antiques Roadshow' television programme traditions, two paintings stored in an attic for the past 20 years, have been added to the treasured collection of works by the iconic Pitmen Painters of Ashington.

The painters by Pegswood artist W J Dobson, were bought in the 1960s by Ron Eastlake and his wife Mary. One is a copy of an etching of the village of Bothal near Ashington that dates from around 1700, while the other is a composite view of a variety of scenes in Northumberland.

Just before he died 18 months ago, Mr Eastlake decided to donate the paintings to the Woodhorn Museum and Archives Centre, and his wish has now been carried out by his wife.

The paintings will be added to the unique collection of work retained at Woodhorn, many of which are on show in a permanent gallery at the former colliery which has been transformed into a major visitor attraction thanks largely to a grant of more than £10m from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Mrs Eastlake explained how the paintings came to be in the loft of her Stakeford home. "My husband knew Mr Dobson and bought the two paintings from him around 1968, for I think £30," she said. "They were hanging on the walls of our home for many years, but when we moved and didn't have the same amount of room, we stored them in the loft," she said.

"Just before Ron died he was reading an article about Woodhorn and said he would like the paintings to go there. I am pleased to have been able to fulfil his wish, and he would be delighted to know that they have gone to a good home."

The gift comes at an appropriate time as the much vaunted play about the Pitmen Painters by author Lee Hall, is just about to start a re-run at Live Theatre in Newcastle. Hall - best known as the creator of smash-hit film and musical 'Billy Elliott' - chose the story of the Ashington miners who joined an art appreciation class in the 1930s, before compiling an astonishing collection of paintings chronicling life above and below ground in their mining villages, as his follow-up work. The play, which made its debut at Live Theatre at the end of last year, will also transfer to the National Theatre in London in May, for a month-long run.

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Memories Wanted!

Were you evacuated from your home to Northumberland during the Second World War? Maybe your family looked after an evacuated child? Then your memories and stories are wanted for future generations.

Liz O'Donnell, who is based at Woodhorn Museum and Archives near Ashington, works for a Heritage Lottery-funded project called Access to Northumberland's History (A2NH), and part of her job is to add to the fascinating collection of oral history recordings which is kept at Woodhorn. The recordings began in the early 1970s and there are nearly 500 interviews, including rare recordings about everyday life in the very early twentieth century, on the farms, down the pits and in the schoolrooms of Northumberland. Liz is now on the trail of evacuees.

"It is particularly vital" says Liz,"that people's memories of the Second World War are preserved before it is too late, so that those interested in local history today, as well as future generations, have access to these fascinating tales of life on the Home Front.

"Since the project started last summer, we have managed to interview a number of former Bevin Boys, several fishermen of North Northumberland, as well as a well-known Northumbrian beekeeper and a former Land Army girl. Now the appeal is for evacuees to tell their tales."

Liz has already been in touch with one such lady who now lives in Bedlington. Jennie Hall was evacuated from Cowgate to Ponteland in September 1939 and was delighted to tell Liz all about it. Apparently her stay in the countryside was short lived as Jennie and her older sister were desperately unhappy. And hungry.

Jennie was evacuated, together with her older sister from Cowgate School, to Ponteland on Sept 1 1939, but was brought home by her mother after only 8 weeks because they were not happy with the couple who were caring for them (kept them short of food for one thing). She went to Coates School in Ponteland every morning (local children went in the afternoon) and the rest of the school day they did organised games in a large barn. Jennie now lives in Bedlington.

If you would like to share your memories and help to build this important bank of memories, contact Liz O'Donnell at 01670 528045, or email her at LODonnell@woodhorn.org.uk

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Looking to build on Woodhorn's success

January 2008

Woodhorn heritage museum and archives centre starts its second full year in business buoyed by the arrival of a new director, and the fact that more than 130,000 visitors were recorded as having passed through its doors in 2007.

Keith Merrin is now in the post having made the short journey north from Bede's World at Jarrow, and he brings with him the enthusiasm and determination to continue the development of an amenity which last year was voted as the third top visitor attraction in the North East at the regional tourism awards, behind Beamish and the Discovery Museum.

Keith spent six years at Bede's World - an experience to treasure and savour for someone who grew up as a young lad in Jarrow. During his time as Director there, Bede's World which chronicles the life and legacy of the 7th Century monk, scholar and historian who helped shape Europe’s cultural future, was successfully selected as the UK's nomination for World Heritage Site status in 2010.

"I see many parallels between Bede's World and Woodhorn," says Keith. "Both began as small local museums, with enormous latent potential which have now grown into heritage sites of regional, national and even world importance."

Keith has arrived at Woodhorn 15 months after its re-opening by Princess Anne, following a £16m transformation masterminded by a Wansbeck and Northumberland County councils' partnership funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Northumberland Strategic Partnership, the Northern Rock Foundation, Coalfields Regeneration Trust and English Heritage.

"The challenge for us now, is to develop and sustain Woodhorn as a vibrant and popular visitor attraction, and that is a completely different mindset and set of disciplines to those needed to get it up and running through the construction process," said Keith.

Two key audiences, he believes, need to be catered for at Woodhorn - one local, and one from outside the region or even the country. "For local people we need to embed Woodhorn into the community as a great attraction on their own doorsteps," said Keith.

"We want people to come back time and time again to events and attractions that appeal to people of all ages and interests, as well as revisiting the permanent displays.

"But we also have to bring people in from outside the locality, and one of the ways we hope to do that is to regularly put on big exhibitions which Woodhorn will become known for. We have the space to do that which not many other attractions in the region have."

The first of the major exhibitions which has just opened at Woodhorn features the Oscar-winning animation characters Wallace and Gromit and their mad-cap adventures. The screen duo are just part of the Animated Adventures exhibition in Woodhorn's revamped workshop block which has been transformed at a cost of £1m, into display space large enough to house big touring exhibitions.

"Woodhorn was very close to securing the Kyle Minogue exhibition which drew huge crowds when it opened in London, and we will be looking to attract displays of truly similar national significance in the future," said Keith. "The current Animated Adventures exhibition is setting the standard we plan to maintain for the future."

Woodhorn, says Keith, also needs to capitalise on its other unique features such as the county archives which are a treasure to be accessed by local people as well as global enquirers interested in tracing their Northumberland roots and heritage; and the Ashington Group 'Pitmen Painter's' collection, now immortalised on stage by playwright Lee Hall of 'Billy Elliott' fame.

"I am excited by, and looking forward to the challenge of taking Woodhorn on to its next stage of development," said Keith. "Year One was enormously successful and the challenge is now to build on what has already been achieved at Woodhorn by ensuring it has a sustainable and viable future as a major visitor attraction in the North East of England."

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New Director for Woodhorn

Woodhorn, Northumberland's newest and popular museum, archive centre and tourist attraction has announced the appointment of Keith Merrin as Director. Keith will be joining the award winning site in the New Year from his current role as Director of Bede's World in Jarrow.

Woodhorn has recently welcomed its 130,000th visitor since reopening in October 2006, 30% above its original visitor projections and it is continuing to add new elements to the site.

Keith has been at Bede's World for the last six years during which time visitors to the Jarrow museum and heritage site have almost doubled. He has been one of the driving forces behind the bid to have Bede's Wearmouth-Jarrow Monastery inscribed as a World Heritage Site which was recently announced as having won the race to be the UK Government's 2010 nomination to UNESCO. One of the first cultural leaders in the UK to be made a Fellow of the Clore Leadership Programme, a prestigious award, Keith is on the national council of the Association of Independent Museums. He also spent seven months seconded to the Newcastle Gateshead Initiative where he oversaw programming for Culture10's £12m 2005Alive Festivals which included the International Festival of Rivers and the Sea to accompany the 2005 Tall Ships Race.

Woodhorn - Northumberland Museum, Archives and Country Park is a partnership between Northumberland County Council and Wansbeck District Council with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Northumberland Strategic Partnership, the Northern Rock Foundation, Coalfields Regeneration Trust and English Heritage.

As well as exhibitions such as 'Coal Town' about life in Northumberland's mining communities throughout the 20th Century, visitors can see a unique collection of miners' union lodge banners - as well as the work of the famous Ashington Group of 'Pitmen Painters.'

Marguerite Gracey, Acting Divisional Director for Customer Services, Libraries and Archives at Northumberland County Council, said: "I am delighted to welcome Keith to his new role. He has a wealth of experience in the museum sector which will be an asset to Woodhorn."

Speaking on behalf of the Woodhorn Joint Committee, Colin Mitchell, Wansbeck's Head of Neighbourhood and Community Services said, "We welcome Keith Merrin on board the Woodhorn team, to help us build on the successes that have been achieved since the Royal opening a year ago.

"Since then Woodhorn's growing reputation has attracted 130,000 visitors from all over the region and beyond, keen to enjoy the experience of learning more about the heritage of the county, and, in particular, our mining traditions. We are sure Keith will successfully steer Woodhorn through the next important stage of its development and evolution."

Keith Merrin said, "I am delighted to be taking up this new role at Woodhorn and looking forward to building on the success that has been achieved to date. It is a fantastic site and the combination of mining heritage, state of the art archive and research facilities, galleries and open space make it a truly unique venue.

I am very proud of my achievements at Bede's World and will continue to watch with interest as the World Heritage Site bid progresses."

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Bronze for Woodhorn

Staff at Woodhorn were thrilled to receive the Bronze Award in the Visitor Attraction of the Year category of the North East England's Tourism Awards held at The National Glass Centre in Sunderland last Wednesday evening.

The awards are a showcase for the work of the tourism industry in North East England and recognise quality, performance and innovation.

"We were absolutely delighted just to be at the award ceremony," said Acting Director, Jo Raw. "To be receiving an award like this having been open less than 12 months is wonderful. It is a fitting tribute to all of the staff at Woodhorn and to the work of the partners at Northumberland County and Wansbeck District Councils. To be considered to third best in a region with some amazing and well established attractions is fantastic."
Beamish was awarded Visitor Attraction of the Year and the Discovery Museum took the Silver Award.

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Banner mystery solved

Some careful detective work by Woodhorn Collections Assistant, Deborah Moffatt, has finally solved the mystery of a long lost miners' banner. The whereabouts of the Netherton Colliery banner can now be disclosed after being missing for twenty six years.

The banner was deposited by the National Union of Mineworkers with Northumberland Record Office back in 1974 after the Netherton Colliery closed, and it remained there until 1981 when it was transferred to the NUM Head Office at Burt Hall in Newcastle. The exact whereabouts of the banner became unclear from then with many people trying to track it down. A photograph deposited with the County Archives Service showed that the Netherton banner was remarkably similar to the Seaton Burn and Brenkley banner which had been deposited at then Woodhorn Colliery Museum in 1990. Investigations suggested however that the banner had been made during the Miners' Strike in 1984.

The mystery was finally solved this year with the assistance of Caroline Rendell, a textile conservator, who proved that the banners were one in the same. The panel bearing Seaton Burn and Brenkley had been affixed over the original name, and the original letters can be made out using touch.

The reusing of banners by other lodges has happened before: the old Newbiggin Colliery banner became the Lynemouth Colliery banner when the majority of men were transferred to Lynemouth after Newbiggin closed in 1967.

The Seaton Burn and Brenkley and Lynemouth banners are two of a collection of sixteen banners deposited at Woodhorn by the Northumberland branch of the NUM. The remaining banners of the collections are Ashington Federation Banner, Bomarsund, Cambois and Bates, Dr Pit, Ellington, North Seaton, North Walbottle, Pegswood, Rising Sun, Seghill, Sleekburn A, West Sleekburn, Whittle and Woodhorn. A further six Northumberland banners are elsewhere: another Ashington Federation banner from the 1940s, Ashington Group of Collieries banner, Backworth Federation, Burradon and Weetslade, Cowpen and Crofton, and the Dudley and Brenkley banners.

The importance of the banner to the men of the union branch cannot be emphasised enough. The miners' aspirations for a better working life is emblazoned on their banner; their heroes, the portraits of men that drove the way forward for reform in the mining industry are held in front as they march behind them. In bad times the banner would be draped in black to signify the deaths of their members.

The first new Northumberland Miners' Banner made since the decline of the coal industry was produced earlier this year. The NUM together with the Aged Mineworkers Partnership and Northumberland County Council produced a banner with Heritage Lottery Fund money to be used on special occasions. It was dedicated and blessed at Woodhorn and still instils the messages of solidarity, unity, determination and hope that are important to miners and their families.

Woodhorn has a total of 23 banners in its collection, five of which are on display at any one time.

For more information about collections at Woodhorn check out the website:
www.northumberland.gov.uk/collections

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Woodhorn hits 100,000 visitors!

NORTHUMBERLAND’s newest museum proudly welcomed its 100,000th visitor at the weekend in the middle of its fun-filled summer programme.

Staff at the £16m Woodhorn museum and archives attraction geared up to welcome their 100,000th customer following the opening late last year, and were able to congratulate a family from Whitley Bay who came through the doors on Saturday. Grandmother Lily Middlemiss was accompanied by her daughter, Christine Corner and her two granddaughters Jess and Bethan Corner.

The family were proud to tell staff of their own mining connections. They were given a Woodhorn goody bag, bottle of bubbly, and voucher for lunch for four, donated by nearby Woodhorn Grange as a souvenir of their extra special visit.

Marguerite Gracey, Acting Divisional Director for Customer Services, Archives and Libraries for Northumberland County Council, said: "It's great to see that Woodhorn has been such a runaway success. It is well ahead of targets for 75,000 visitors in its first year."

" It is phenomenal to see so many visitors in just nine months," said a delighted Wansbeck District Council Leisure and Culture Portfolio Holder, Councillor Ken Parry. "It has become a real favourite with local residents and visitors alike, and long may it continue."

Heritage Lottery Fund Regional manager Dr Keith Bartlett said, "100,000 visitors is an impressive achievement and is testament to the fantastic work that has gone into transforming Woodhorn into a world class visitor experience. The money that the Heritage Lottery Fund invested has been well-spent and it's clear that the public appreciate this wonderful opportunity to get in touch with the North East's heritage."

As well as exhibitions such as 'Coal Town' which chronicles life in South East Northumberland's mining communities in different decades of the 20th Century, visitors can see Woodhorn's unique collection of miners' union lodge banners, the work of the Ashington Group of 'Pitmen Painters,' and delve into the archive records of the county that are now stored in state-of-the-art conditions.

There's a full programme of family activities during the holiday period too. Full details can be found on the this website or by calling 01670 528080.

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Body Adornment in Northumberland

An intriguing exhibition has recently opened to the public at Woodhorn in Northumberland - a fabulous new visitor attraction and research destination opened by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal at the end of October 2007.

The exhibition, Bodies, Bouffants and Boots is a tongue-in-cheek look at the strange world of body adornment from bizarre, colourful and sometimes outrageous tattoos, to footwear with special memories and wacky wigs that change appearances.


In the "Tattoo Parlour" visitors can marvel at a series of large scale images produced by award-winning photographer Paul Plews. Paul was commissioned by Woodhorn to record the way people of the North East have adorned their bodies with permanent images of anything from knights in shining armour and cute pigs to Japanese figures and even close relatives. Ashington grandfather, Peter Merryweather, has images of his three grand-daughters Zoe, Leah and Amy tattooed on his back.

More than thirty stunning photographs were captured during a three day photoshoot following a regional appeal for tattoo volunteers. Exhibition organisers weren't just looking for pretty pictures though as they realised that each and every one would have a story behind it.

It was the story behind the shoe that was important in the "Shoe Lounge" too. The fascinating collection of footwear loaned by local folk tells tales of happy family occasions, nights on the town and even work. Glittering dance shoes complete with utility marks from the 1940s and 50s are displayed alongside winkle pickers too painful to be worn more than once, and red shoes resembling mice worn by a nursery nurse in the 1960s are near gents Tuf shoes worn by father and son at their weddings 47 years apart.

But this display is not all about the North East. Centre stage, so-to-speak, are glitzy, flamboyant shoes inspired by the Stars and Stripes belonging to internationally renowned showman, Liberace. Alongside are the boots of England cricketer and Ashes hero Steve Harmison - hero and local lad.

The "Wig Warehouse" is pure escapism - a chance for visitors to transform themselves into their favourite stars with the help of a hairpiece. For a few moments at least they can see how they might look with a David Beckham mohican, or an Elvis Presley quiff.

Bodies, Bouffants and Boots is a perfect example of Woodhorn's philosophy. "Our aim is to focus on unique artwork, objects and stories from our region but bring in the best of the rest of the world too," says Acting Director Jo Raw. "The exhibition will be great fun for all of our visitors. There's even an events programme over the summer with live tattooing displays."

The exhibition runs until 28 October 2007.

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Big increase in users of new archive study centre

HISTORY hunters have kept staff busy after the opening of a 21st century archives centre in Northumberland. Archives experts from Northumberland County Council have seen a massive rise of interest in local research at Woodhorn.

People have been exploring over 800 years of border conflicts, maps, paintings, legal agreements, plans, births, deaths and marriages.

Woodhorn - Northumberland Museum, Archives and Country Park is a partnership between Northumberland County Council and Wansbeck Council with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Northumberland Strategic Partnership, the Northern Rock Foundation, Coalfields Regeneration Trust and the English Heritage.
Since opening, the archives have had 4,077 visitors.

There have also been over 1,300 applications for the Woodhorn Card, while users at the study centre have looked at more than 1,500 microfilms and 1,700 document productions.

Sue Wood, head of collections at Woodhorn, said: "We have been very busy, but it is brilliant to see such a rise in interest in local history. Exploring the past is an immersing world - especially as you can now do it online.
" More people have got it down on their list of things they'd like to do. Once upon a time doing this could mean trips up and down the length of the country exploring parish and church records, but now much of the legwork can be done by computer."

Users can log on from home to a web-based electronic catalogue, including details of about 150,000 records.
Many users are consulting microfilm and microfiche on one of the 31 'readers' in the study centre. One of these new machines was bought with donations made by researchers who used the old Morpeth Record Centre, while The Friends of Northumberland Archives (FONA) donated £1,000 for the repair of damaged films.

Visitors can now use interactive computer touch screens and audio-visual presentations besides old fashioned detective work to explore the Northumberland at Your Fingertips section. The collections service includes archives, modern records, local studies and the former museum collections.

Holdings include records of many of the churches of Northumberland dating back hundreds of years, maps, photographs, paintings, letters, legal agreements and plans. The building has enough initial space for another 25 years of deposits. Woodhorn is also building up a massive digital library which currently has about 18,000 digital images.
Many of these were used on the county archives' award-winning Northumberland Communities website.
Dave Bonser, Northumberland County Council's divisional director for customer services, libraries and archives, said: "This fantastic new home has enabled local history to be taken into a fabulous new home and become far more accessible to people."

Archives staff moved four miles of archives from their old premises in Gosforth to their futuristic new just outside Ashington. It involved more than 21 miles of packaging tape, 4,600 boxes and 23,000 sticky labels to repackage over 58,000 items. Neil Anderson, director of Experience Northumberland at Woodhorn, said: "Woodhorn is an impressive and much improved resource for both the people of Northumberland and visitors to the county."

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10,000th Visitor to Woodhorn

THE REGION's newest visitor attraction has pulled in its 10,000th visitor - less than two weeks after opening its doors. Staff at Woodhorn who entertained HRH the Princess Royal last month gave another Royal reception to Rachael Glynn from Longhirst, near Morpeth.

Rachael had previously visited the old museum and was keen to see new developments - including a walkthrough recreating life in the mines and in colliery villages.

Rachael and her boyfriend thought that the new building was "amazing!" Jo Raw, Assistant Director Operations presented her with a bottle of champagne and a certificate to mark her special arrival. Neil Anderson, Woodhorn Director, said: "We're delighted to make it a grand ten thousand and I'm sure it won't be long before we make it 20,000 people to pass through our doors.

"It's amazing considering we've actually only been open to the public for seven days. Rachael and her boyfriend were both very complimentary about the things to see and remarked that you need a good two or three hours to see everything here.

"Hopefully they and other visitors will come back regularly - our aim is to provide new experiences for visitors to see with different exhibitions, and to become a world class venue." Visiting Woodhorn at dusk will be a real eye opener during the winter, when the pit yard and colliery heapstead will be bathed in light as part of the Northumberland Lights programme. This is part of the dazzling North East England Winter Festival which in turn is part of North East England's world-class festivals and events programme, funded by One North East, Northern Rock foundation, Arts Council England North East and Northumberland Strategic Partnership.

Woodhorn re-opened on Saturday 0ctober 28th, after being closed for more than two years. In that time an iconic a new building has been constructed by Wansbeck District and Northumberland County Councils, to house absorbing displays taking visitors on a fun journey through time in Northumberland; new galleries and space for Woodhorn's unique mining collection; and state-of-the art facilities for storing and accessing the county's archive records. Unique old colliery buildings have also been conserved and are open to the public to the very first time. Woodhorn is a partnership between Wansbeck District Council and Northumberland County Council, with significant funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and a number of other partners.

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Visitors flock to Woodhorn's opening weekend

Five thousand visitors from babes-in-arms to grandmas and grand-dads enjoyed the Woodhorn experience over the opening weekend at the new museum and archives centre.

Two days after Her Royal Highness The Princes Royal officially opened the £16m development, visitors went in their droves to see for themselves exactly what has been created at the former mining museum near Ashington.

Their reaction - according to Project Director Neil Anderson - was 'phenomenal'.

"We have had so much positive feedback over the weekend," said Neil. "We had families travelling down from Scotland as well as visitors from the south of England, who had heard or read the media coverage and wanted to see Woodhorn for themselves. The response has been astonishing."

0ver the weekend there were face painters, trick balloon artists, a cartoonists, musicans and stilt walkers to keep the crowds entertained while they viewed Woodhorn's new exhibits including the imaginative Coal Town display, and the Ashington Group's opening exhibition of the works of the renowned 'Pitmen Painters'. Many people also took the chance to find out how and when they can start searching through 800 years of Northumberland’s treasured archive records.

Local hero Jack Charlton - veteran of England’s sole World Cup win in 1966 - was also a huge hit with the crowds eager to get his autograph and talk about his long and distinguished soccer career.

" It really was a fantastic weekend, and, after so much hard work at the preparation and development stages, it was just so rewarding to at last see visitors enjoying the Woodhorn experience," added Neil.

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Woodhorn really is a class act!

Have fun and learn. That's the key message from Woodhorn following the opening of the redeveloped visitor attraction in the North East. From the early planning stages right the way through to the frenzy of activity leading up to the opening of Woodhorn, one thing that remained constant and at the forefront of planning was the provision of an excellent educational programme.

The new £16m attraction on the former colliery site is expected to have at least 70,000 visitors a year. The site boasts a stunning new building with a spectacular roofline inspired by coal cutting machinery which tells the story of Northumberland through interactive displays, events and touring exhibitions. The building also includes a new archive study centre with the latest up-to-date technology to trace county records and family history. Original listed colliery buildings on the site have also been restored.

Education Woodhorn is specifically designed to target the needs of the National Curriculum, Key Stage 1 - 4 and QCA schemes of work. A variety of packages are on offer and include learning about the life of a miners wife in 1936 to experiencing what it was like to work underground in a mine. The range of packages have been informed and researched by professional educators and can be tailored to individual school needs. Interactive activities include computer games, handling memorabilia, archive trails, guided tours and illustrated talks.

Julie Gowland EduationOfficer at Woodhorn commented, "Woodhorn recognises the huge opportunity a visit can offer to a child. It is important to expand their horizons and get them involved in educational activity outside the school environment."

Attractions such as Woodhorn offer fantastic opportunities for children to learn, engage and have fun. The environment is ideal for school visits as the venue is well contained and easily accessible.

Destined to be one of the top visitor attractions in the North of England, staff are very aware of their role in ensuring kids in the region can learn in a safe and engaging environment. Jo Raw, Assistant Director of Operations said, "We have spent months talking to teachers and working with children to find out exactly what they want and have come up with a programme that is both exciting and stimulating."

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