Exhibition maps out history of Corbridge

The Saxon lanes, Roman stone, medieval pants and place names, coaching inns, cottages and Georgian elegance all tell the story of more than 2,500 years of habitation.

They are a three-dimensional record of centuries of development, expansion, decline and recovery.

And in 1965, a group of like-minded villagers got together to establish a community group, which has been working ever since to protect that history and the evidence of it.

Corbridge Village Trust was founded, as a registered charity, to preserve the character of the historic village centre and promote high standards of planning and architecture.

Fifty years of the trust and its achievements was celebrated at the weekend with an exhibition of historical research and old photographs which provided a nostalgic showcase of the village dating back as far as 1900.

Over 200 members were invited to a special preview of the display on Friday night, where two recently salvaged honours boards from the former Corbridge Junior School were unveiled.

Having been restored to their former glory and installed in the parish hall for all to see, the boards list all those who passed their 11 plus exams between 1911 and 1941.

Among the names featured are Edward “Teddy” Taylor who was a former editor of the Hexham Courant and former Sunderland Football Club manager Alan Brown, who also managed Sheffield Wednesday and Burnley.

The boards were discovered in storage at Corbridge First School and have been restored thanks to Corbridge Parish Council and the expertise of signwriter Robin Watson.

“We’re very lucky to have something like this which can now be retained for posterity,” said chairman of the village trust Richard Hart-Jackson.

“In this age of digital there are many things which are no longer tangible, including pictures, and if we’re not careful we’re going to lose a lot of important historic information.”

To that end 50 pictures taken around Corbridge over the last 12 months have been made into a special album which was available to view on Saturday and Sunday, when the doors of the parish hall were thrown open to the public for the exhibition.

A map featuring photographs depicting how the village looked 50 years ago and a carefully catalogued account of the previous uses of every property on the main seven streets which make up Corbridge village centre, dating back to 1900, also created a lot of interest.

“We’re very lucky that so many local people have allowed us to use photographs from their own collections,” said Richard, who has been a member of the village trust for the last 18 years.

“We also have knowledgeable members like David Waugh, who has had a number of geography and history books and leaflets published over the years, and has done a lot of work on the exhibition.”

In fact, the trust can call upon the skills of engineers, lawyers, estate agents and former council officers who are within its volunteer ranks.

These skills no doubt came into play back in 1965, when the village was facing the prospect of a large housing development on the outskirts of the village – just as it is in 2015.

With alarm bells ringing over the density and design of homes proposed on The Crofts estate, local GP Dr Hird, Dr Brian Stanley, who was honorary secretary of the trust for many years, and Prof. Daysh of Newcastle University, were among the founder members who got the group off the ground half a century ago.

“I suppose a good way of describing the village trust is a pressure group,” said Richard.

“We act as a catalyst towards getting things done and are willing to bend people’s ears to make things happen.”

Records show that, as a result of the trust’s representations in conjunction with the parish council on The Crofts proposal, “the density of houses per acre was reduced and the need for planned sewerage treatment from the estate was admitted by the developer”.

Designs for flat-roofed properties were also cancelled and new designs submitted.

The model of identifying problems and doing what they can to address them is one that has been continued over the decades by the trust.

Members campaigned for almost 20 years to have the historic St Andrew’s Church and Vicar’s Pele in the village Market Place illuminated at night.

“It was first mooted in 1966 from the point of view that both were impressive buildings and it was a worthwhile project,” said secretary Michael Cunliffe, who has been a member for almost 15 years.

“But it never got off the ground due to lack of funding until, in 1986, we eventually raised the money to do it.”

Although the trust’s means are limited mainly to subscriptions from members and legacies left for community benefit, their impact has not been hindered.

For in 1999, a piece of waste land on the corner of Princes Street which was a village focal point, but was only being used as a car park, was transformed in time for the Millennium.

Coigns Corner, near the Angel Inn, is now a tidy paved and planted seating area which is used daily by shoppers and visitors after the trust joined forces with the parish council and Rotary Club to refurbish it.

“Historically that had always been a meeting place in the village over hundreds of years,” said Richard.

“People would gather there to hear the latest news from the horse-drawn coaches arriving at the Angel.”

As a finishing touch, an image of the Corbridge seal, which dates back to the 13th century, was added to one of the walls.

“The seal is a cross with four inward-looking heads which was awarded to Corbridge by King John in the 1200s when it was second only to Newcastle in the area,” explained Richard.

“It was significant because of its location and came into being because it was a sort of crossroads between Dere Street and the Stanegate.”

In more recent years, the trust has been involved with work to resurface and realign Hill Street, which was completed in 2013, and the installation of blue historic information plaques which now denote places of significance around the village.

Members, who keep a watching brief on planning applications in the parish at their monthly meetings, have also worked with the parish council over the last few years to respond to Northumberland County Council’s core strategy consultations.

Village trust representatives are also part of the neighbourhood liaison group, the river watch group and Corbridge in Bloom.

Michael said: “We’re interested in anything that may alter the village scene because our main aim is to retain the character and heritage of Corbridge.

“And I hope we can continue to do so for many years to come.”