BERWICK NEWSPAPERS

BERWICK JOURNAL, 31ST JANUARY 1924

BERWICK TOWN COUNCIL

On Tuesday evening, after the Town Council meeting, Mr Ralph Skelly, aged 86, the oldest Freeman of the Borough, was presented privately with the gold-headed staff of office by the Mayor, in the presence of the Sheriff.

Mr Robertson, the esteemed and highly respected Sub-Postmaster at Horncliffe, is resigning after holding the post for a number of years. Mr Robertson is one of the oldest and best-known regular visitors to Berwick Market every Saturday.

Inquirer- The match between Celtic and Newcastle United was played in Berwick Cricket Field on March 13, 1902. The event was to celebrate the coming of age of the Rangers’ Club. Celtic won by 4 goals to 2.

Owing to scarcity of fish Holy Island fishermen have had to put in their creels and start crab and lobster fishing.

Holy Island, The Castle and the Ouse
Holy Island Castle and the Ouse

Messrs Jas. McDougle and Sons, Bamburgh, are appointed Berwick to Alnmouth Distributing Agents for Alladin Lamps.

Belford Hall is to be sold in March by Belford and District Farmers’ Auction Mart, Ltd., instructed by T. Place, Esq.

BERWICK CASTLE EXCAVATIONS

Following upon excavations at Water Tower, at river-side end of Western Flanking Wall of Berwick Castle, work has been proceeding at and near the Tower higher up, also on westside, which adjoins Western Wall before it begins to descend to Tweed. This Tower is the Buttress Tower, which was of great strength built probably about 1280, in Reign of Edward I., when Berwick Castle was made impregnable.

REF: BRO 426/37

Excavations at Water Tower have laid bare solid foundations, the facing stones, of which the upper part of the Tower is destitute, being of fine quality. A fair amount of work has been done on the Buttress Tower, a narrow trench some 2 feet deep having been dug round the wall. Nothing, however, has as yet been disclosed except the important fact that the original facing stones are still intact below the surface of the ground. Work is proceeding and some more men may be detailed to Berwick from Norham.

TWEEDMOUTH NOTES

In conversation with a railwayman, a few days ago, I was told of one particular instance of how motor cars are nibbling at traffic over which the railway held a complete monopoly since the Wooler Branch opened up. Traffic in rabbits, eggs, and other farm produce, was collected at all stations, large 5-ton vans being on the passenger trains for the purpose of conveying these food stuffs to southern markets. Those days are gone. A fleet of large motors visit the farms daily and collect what formerly had to be carted to the sometimes far-off stations and placed in the vans provided. The cars take full loads to Newcastle, and return with empty hampers, etc., much time and unnecessary labour being saved by the motor service now firmly established. The railway company in consequence has lost a fruitful source of revenue by the innovation, for where they used to carry hundreds of hampers weekly at one time, they scarcely carry dozens now.

Tweedmouth Burns’ Club Supper was held in the headquarters, Union Hotel, on Thursday night, 24th Jan.,  a day before the actual anniversary, this being to accommodate some who had a wish to attend other Club suppers, which were to be held on the 25th. There was an attendance of 60 members and friends, the spacious upstairs room being comfortably seated. The hour for starting was 6pm and by that time the room was showing signs of animation, while the savoury aroma floating upstairs told that the host and hostess, together with their staff of assistants, were doing their share. It may be safely stated that Tweedmouth Burns Club is keeping up its fine reputation, and maintaining its high standard of intellectual efficiency, whereby the annual gatherings are made a success.

THE NEW BRIDGE: A PETITION

The Mayor announced that he had just received a petition regarding the proposed new bridge, and he was of the opinion that the Council should send it to the Bridge Committee for consideration.

Coun. Dickinson seconded the Mayor’s motion that the matter be sent to the Bridge Committee and this was agreed upon.

The petition read as follows:

To His Worship the Mayor and the Members of the Town Council of Berwick -upon-Tweed.

The owners of property in and adjacent to the main throughfares leading from the Old Bridge through Bridge Street and Hide Hill and those conducting business in that district have become greatly concerned regarding the position involved by the construction of a new bridge, and recent reports of the County and Local Authorities have not dispelled the uncertainty prevailing in their minds.

View of Royal Border Bridge and The Old Bridge

So far us can be ascertained from the two routes which are now engaging the attention of the Town Council, both of which emerge directly into High Street, no provision is made for direct access to Bridge Street or its vicinity. Unless, therefore, the Old Bridge continues to be an inlet and outlet of traffic, the immediate effect of carrying out such a proposal would be the isolation of a large and important part of the town frm a great volume of traffic, and, in the opinion of the parties concerned, have the following results:-

  1. A loss of business now on the main route in that area.
  2. The depreciation of the value of the property therein.
  3. An increase in the cost of haulage and transit.

In view of such opinions those who are commercially and financially interested or otherwise connected with the question of the new bridge, so far as the south eastern area of the town in concerned, are desirous that these matters shall receive adequate considerate.

Informal, but representative meetings have been held to consider the position, but, at the suggestion of his Worship the Mayor, the parties who thus met, readily acquiesced in the view that the immediate moment is perhaps inauspicious for laying the whole of the facts before the public at large.

At such a meeting held on the 18th January, 1924 the situation was reviewed and it was unanimously resolved as follows: –

“That urgent representation be immediately made to the Town Council when considering the route of the new bridge to give earnest consideration to the special and peculiar position of the southeastern area of the Town of Berwick, and to preserve, as far as possible its present trade facilities so as to mitigate any hardship which might be inflicted upon those connected with this area.” (signed,) J.W. Blench, Chairman. H.M. Young, Secretary.

BERWICK BRIDGE

Berwick Bridge, or the Old Bridge as it is known by local people, is an impressive structure which spans the River Tweed. Built of sandstone, it consists of 15 arches, is 355 metres long and the 6th pier from the Berwick side originally formed the border between Berwick and North Durham/ Northumberland. Why was the bridge built and what is its history ?

The Old Bridge

Whilst travelling south in 1603 to be crowned King of England, King James VI of Scotland, passed through Berwick and crossed Berwick Bridge. At that time it was a wooden structure, slightly further upstream to the present one and he wasn’t impressed. These wooden bridges were liable to damage and total destruction by floods on the river which had happened on a number of occasions. Following various petitions by the town and the intervention of George Home, Earl of Dunbar, it was finally agreed that a new permanent stone structure, funded by the Crown, would be built at Berwick. This bridge was a necessity for the town but for James, it was also a permanent and visible symbol of the link between his two kingdoms.

Work began on the bridge’s construction on 19 June 1611 and it is fitting that just over 410 years later, it has been re-opened to pedestrians and traffic again, a vital link across the lower reaches of the River Tweed. As the building of the bridge was to be funded by the Crown – £8000 was offered – but the expenditure was to be initially incurred by the town, it was important to keep detailed and accurate accounts. Amazingly these accounts still survive within the town’s Borough Archives kept at the Berwick Record Office. They provide a unique record and insight into who was employed and what materials were used to build such a structure in the days before mass mechanisation.

Berwick Bridge account book, 6 Sept. 1611 (Ref : BA/G/2/13/258)

From these records, it is possible to glean some wonderful details which show how labour intensive the project was and also where the materials came from. All those employed are listed on a weekly basis, including their occupation, daily rate of pay and how many days they worked. The highest paid was James Burrell, the Surveyor of the Works (2 s 6d per day ) followed by John Shell (16d per day) Normally the men worked 6 days a week and there were different rates of pay depending on their seniority within their trade. For example, in the week starting 7 September 1611, a master mason was paid 20 d (18p) per day whilst an apprentice was only paid 6d.

Berwick Bridge account book – masons employed, 13 Sept. 1611 (Ref : BA/G/2/13/258).

Other trades employed that week included carpenters, smiths, quarrymen, labourers and boys. It’s not clear what the 8 boys had to do but they were paid 4d per day. In addition money was paid out to carry stones by water from the quarry in Tweedmouth to the bridge as well as for coals and oyster shells. The latter were used as the basis for lime mortar. In total. £25 14s 11 ¾ d was spent that week equivalent to about £7000 today. Other trades found in the accounts were lightermen, shipwrights and sawyers.

Berwick Bridge account book reference to oyster shells , 13 Sept. 1611. (Ref : BA/G/2/13/258 )

Not all the supplies used in the construction were sourced locally. Timber was made available from the Royal Forest in Chopwell, transported down the River Tyne from Blaydon to Newcastle and then brought by ship to Berwick.

Cost of transporting timber from Chopwell to Newcastle and then Berwick, 1611. (Ref : BA/G/2/13/258).

Coal, iron and lead were also shipped to Berwick and in March 1612 , a ship carrying them developed a leak and grounded on the sands entering the channel at the mouth of the River Tweed. Labourers were employed to remove the cargo and then transport it by horse to the storehouse.

Costs for labourers and mariners assisting the ship, March 1612 (Ref : BA/G/2/13/258).

By May 1617, the town had spent the initial £8000 but the Bridge still wasn’t finished. They petitioned the King for additional funds and an extra £5000 was granted. Work on the Bridge was going so slowly that by 1620, the Bishop of Durham got involved. It was agreed that the remaining work would be undertaken by contract for a set sum. This led to an agreement , signed on 12 October 1620 by the Bishop of Durham and amongst others, James Burrell and Lancelot Branxton, the master mason, agreeing to make the bridge passable to traffic by the summer of 1621. Work continued and progress was made but unfortunately in October 1621 disaster struck. The river flooded so badly that it destroyed all the work undertaken in the previous year and they were back to square one. Work started again in the following spring and by 1625/6 much of it had been completed and the bridge could be used. However, there were still bits and pieces to do because the final accounts and the work were not signed off until 24 October 1634. In the end, the final cost of the structure was almost £15,000, a huge amount for the time.

Etching of Berwick Bridge, 19th century

Since then the bridge has not only been a vital link between the communities of Berwick and Tweedmouth but also until 1928, part of the main road link between London and Edinburgh, forming part of the Great North Road (A1). As time went on, the bridge became less suitable for the traffic using it on a daily basis. By 1896, the Town Council had received petitions requesting it to be widened – market days were particularly difficult with people bringing their cattle into town from the south or trying to take them out again. They said – “We think the Bridge could be widened sufficiently to provide footpaths that would obviate the necessity of persons walking in the Roadway and at the same time, perhaps widen the Roadway too”

Petition from farmers for widening of Bridge, 1896 Ref : BA/C/SA

The thought of destroying the ancient structure resulted in a counter petition from the Conservationists – “Berwick Bridge is without doubt the most interesting structure of its kind and date in Great Britain, not only from its antiquity and historical importance, though in these respects it is remarkable – but on account of its picturesque position and extreme beauty from every point of view. Any alteration such as is proposed would in our opinion fatally destroy the appearance and greatly injure the character of this unique Bridge which is such an ornament to your ancient town of Berwick and which we all feel to be a national inheritance.”

Petition from the Conservationists, 1896 . Ref : BA/C/SA

Altering the bridge was continually discussed in the early 1900s and by 1914, there was interest in building a new replacement bridge over the River Tweed. However, the First World War put paid to those plans. The question was revived again in 1924 when Berwick Town Council, Northumberland County Council and the Ministry of Transport finally agreed that a new bridge was a necessity not only for Berwick but for ease of transport on a national road. This led to the construction of the Royal Tweed Bridge which was finally opened in May 1928 by Edward, Prince of Wales. This Bridge was to take the main bulk of the traffic and became the A1 until the early 1980s when the Berwick by-pass was opened. However, the Old Bridge as it became known could still be used by vehicles and pedestrians.

Postcard of Old Bridge and Royal Tweed Bridge, post 1928. Ref : BRO 426/93

The Old Bridge continued to take two way traffic but it was dangerous for drivers and pedestrians. I well remember driving across the bridge, meeting a car coming in the opposite direction and wondering if there was enough room for both of us. After an experiment in the late 1990s/early 2000s the Bridge was made one way, only taking traffic out of Berwick.

It’s a testament to its construction that the Bridge has been in use for nearly 400 years. However, over time, it has needed repairs and the most recent ones have just been completed. In late 2020 to mid 2021, Northumberland County Council have undertaken the first phase of ongoing repair work on this Jacobean structure. The Bridge has been closed to traffic and work has been carried out on waterproofing the bridge deck, re-laying the road surface and pedestrian footpaths, repairing some of the masonry parapets and installing new LED lights. The second and third phases will involve work on the arches and piers.

Work on the carriageway, 7 May 2021. Credit : Kevin Graham

Berwick’s Bridges are iconic and very much a feature of its landscape and its heritage. It’s fitting that Berwick Bridge , the oldest bridge on the Lower Tweed is being repaired to ensure it longevity for future generations.

Cllr Catherine Seymour, Berwick Archivist, Friends and volunteers of the Berwick Archives and Ross Straughan, Northumberland County Council apprentice mark the 410th anniversary of starting work on the Bridge, 19 June 2021

This Week in World War One, 10 December 1915

Berwick Advertiser title 1915

 

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 10 DECEMBER 1915

 

WOOLER FREE GIFT SALE

 

The arrangements for the above sale, in aid of Red Cross and Relief Funds, to be held at Wooler Auction Mart, on Wednesday, 22nd Dec., are now well advanced. A very hearty response has been made to the appeal, and would be contributors are reminded that notice of their gifts should be forwarded to the secretary (Mr R. S. G. Thompson, Auction Offices, Glanton), not later than Saturday first, the 11th December, as inclusion in the catalogue cannot be guaranteed after the date. To the present time the contributions include 6 fat and store cattle, about 140 fat and store sheep, fat  and keeping pigs, a donkey, fat and stock poultry, dogs, potatoes, oats, feeding stuffs, sheep dip, seeds, farm implements and harness, and a large quantity of domestic and other useful articles. The catalogue, price 3d, can be had on application to the Secretary, or can be purchased on the day of the sale.

Red Cross Donkeys, Gallipoli 1915
Red Cross Donkeys, Gallipoli 1915

 

The sale will open by Mrs Burdon of Wooperton, and the Hon. F. W. Lambton of Fenton will be chairman. Present indications point to very successful sale, and the committee will be able to hand over a goodly sum, which will be supplemented by many handsome donations already advised, to the various worthy objects which they are supporting.

 

BERWICK GIRL ACCIDENTLY SHOT IN LEG BY A SENTRY ON THE OLD BRIDGE

 

An accident took place on the Old Bridge, Berwick, on Sunday night about 6.40 pm., Nora Loft, a young woman residing at 25 Ravensdown being badly wounded in the leg above the knee by a bullet from the rifle of a sentry.

Berwick upon Tweed, Old Bridge
The photograph above shows the Berwick end of the Berwick Bridge, where the accidental shooting of Miss Loft took place. © Berwick Record Office.

 

It appears that about 6.40 James Edward Allan, Post Office, Chatton, left the town in charge of a motor car by way of the Old Bridge, and upon reaching the sentry box on the top of  the rise was challenged by one of the sentries on duty there. Two men were upon duty, they being Private McLary and Private W. Fortin, and on Mr Allan’s car approaching, McLary challenged it and called upon them to halt. It is stated that the challenge was given three times, but the car failed to draw up, and McLary immediately the car had passed fired apparently with the intention of hitting the back tyre.

Berwick Infirmary and Dispensary (built 1840), as it would have looked when Miss Loft was taken there to have her gunshot wound treated in 1915. © Berwick Record Office.
Berwick Infirmary and Dispensary (built 1840), as it would have looked when Miss Loft was taken there to have her gunshot wound treated in 1915. © Berwick Record Office.

 

Miss Loft, who was on the footpath on the opposite side of the bridge, received the bullet in her leg about the knee the bone being broken by the force of impact. Assistance was at once rendered to the unfortunate young woman, and she was placed in the car and driven to the Infirmary by Mr Allan, and under the care of Sergeant McRobb, her wound receiving the attention of Dr C. L. Fraser upon arrival at the institution. We understand that Miss Loft’s condition has improved over night.

 

RESULT OF BERWICK SOLDIER’S OVER INDULGENCE

 

The Coroner has concluded his enquiry at York into the circumstances attending the  death of Mr Wm. Kelsey (35), of 14 Armstrong Avenue, Newcastle, managing director of the Hylton Forge, Sunderland, who died from a bullet wound received whilst travelling in the 2.20 pm East Coast express from King’s Cross to Edinburgh, between Doncaster and Selby. In connection with the occurrence the police detained Private J. D. Tait, 3rd Coldstream Guards whose home is at Berwick-on-Tweed, and who was returning from France on a few days leave. Tait is alleged to have fired the fatal shot whilst showing his rifle to the occupants of one compartment. The bullet passed through the rear partition and struck the deceased, who was in the next compartment, in the arm and chest, severing important arteries, and he died in the York County Hospital the same day. It appears that Tait was drunk, and had a bottle of whiskey which was frequently passed round on the journey. Tait ultimately got up, took his rifle from the rack, pulled the bolt back, and closed it again, and the weapon immediately went off. The bullet passed through the back of the compartment above the seat. The Coroner, Mr J R Wood, in summing up, said the only question in that regrettable occurrence was whether there was culpable negligence on the part of Tait. The jury found a verdict of “Death from misadventure”, the Foreman adding: As this is not the first case of this kind the jury are strongly of opinion that all ammunition should be taken from every soldier before leaving for home. They also desire to express their sympathy with the relative of Mr Kelsy. Mr Straker said the relatives of the deceased had already personally expressed their sympathy with Tait, in the sad position in which he was placed. The Coroner said he was very glad the jury had seen their way to take the view they had. All he would say to Tait was “Follow the example of your King.” Tait returned with the police to Selby where it is understood he will be discharged from custody.

 

RAPHAEL TUCK’S CHRISTMAS SPECIALITIES

 

Once more Messrs Tuck have issued a fine collection of highly artistic novelties, comprising a varied array of Christmas and New Year Cards, Christmas Autograph Stationery, Calendars, Gift Books, Toy Books for the children, Art Novelties and Christmas Postcards of every description.

A Christmas postcard showing a group of soldiers on the march in World War One. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
A Christmas postcard showing a group of soldiers on the march in World War One. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

 

In face of the many difficulties with which the art printer is confronted at the present time, Messrs Tuck have made a most remarkable effort to upload the reputation which has been worthily won in seasons past. British art, British enterprise, and true British perseverance has resulted in a production of art novelties which equal if they do not excel the many lovely cards of former years. A special series of Patriotic Christmas Cards in keeping with the spirit of the times is also introduced, an important feature throughout the entire collection  being the appropriate greetings and wording suitable not only to the period of peace and goodwill but mindful in its chastened note of the sacrifices which this World’s War has entailed upon the Nation.