10 YEARS AGO

OLDIES OUT: Elderly residents living at the Sheiling in Bellingham were told by housing association Milecastle Homes they would have to leave their homes, just a week after residents of Trinity Court in Corbridge were told the same thing.

FOR SALE: Northumberland County Council was considering selling off many of the former Tynedale Council premises in Hexham as it battled to set a budget, with Hexham House, Hadrian House, Prospect House and the Old Grammar School all potentially going under the hammer.

GREAT ESCAPE: David Taylor, the owner of the Centre of Britain Hotel in Haltwhistle opened a tunnel, that ran underneath the building, to the public, unveiling a secret part of the town’s history.

REWARDING PATIENCE: An L.S. Lowry sketch, given to six-year-old John Waldie as a reward for not crying after being hit in the face by a door, sold for £12,800 at auction – 51 years after it was drawn.

25 YEARS AGO

NO PORKIES: Ayle Blacksmith Stan Pike was delighted with his surprise 40th birthday present – a Gloucester Old Spot cross pig named Paddy, who was set to grow to a huge 25 stone. Stan intended to use Paddy as a “guard-pig” alongside his Jack Russell.

KILLER HOLIDAY: Hexham MP Peter Atkinson was investigating the circumstances that saw three convicted murderers stay at Calvert Trust Adventure Centre at Kielder without centre staff knowing their backgrounds.

DEAD END: A Hexham councillor’s bid to revolutionise the town’s traffic system by closing part of Priestpopple and Market Place to traffic and building a relief road to the south was shot down by her fellow councillor.

NO WAITING: Rail bosses were condemned for leaving commuters out in the cold in Haltwhistle, after they closed the waiting rooms at the train station at night.

50 YEARS AGO

HOLY SMOKES!: The rising price of shop-bought tobacco drove a Hexham JP to grow his own. Magistrate Sam Wright took to growing his own after the price of his favourite brand of tobacco rose to “the ridiculous” price of 8s 10d an ounce. The result was a “tip-top blend that can be smoked in the presence of ladies without causing offence,” he said.

FACTORY FILM: Three Prudhoe County Secondary School pupils filmed the building of the town’s new Kimberly Clark factory.

FARE FURORE: British Rail was criticised by Haltwhistle Rural Council for putting up the price of fares to Alston.

HEAVY HAPPENING: Yellow, a North-East band specialising in “heavy” modern music appeared at the Queen’s Hall. Their manager said beforehand: “This will be a major happening for the kids of Hexham. Soft drinks and snacks will be on sale.”

75 YEARS AGO

U-TURN: The Ministry of Health had a change of heart after meeting a delegation from Prudhoe, and decided to allocate the town 50 pre-fabricated houses. The ministry had said Prudhoe wouldn’t get any.

WORKERS SNUBBED: Tynedale Civil Defence Service members complained of being snubbed during the regional commissioner, Arthur Lambert’s visit to the town. Sir Arthur had only addressed the heads of local services and had not many any rank-and-file members.

ON TARGET: Hexham Auction Mart had lined up a fifth livestock gift sale in aid of the Red Cross Agriculture Fund. Sale organisers predicted that this event, to be opened by Viscount Allendale, would enable the mart to reach its target figure of £12,500.

100 YEARS AGO

FEVER SCARE: Acomb School was closed for two weeks because of an outbreak of scarlet fever.

HOMEWARD BOUND: A Stocksfield farmer’s cat went missing shortly after he moved in Hexham. The cat, Grimalkin, was found some months later at its old home eight miles away.

SUPPLY CUT: Bellingham Gas Company decided to stop manufacturing gas.

HUNTING ACCIDENT: Colliery owner Joseph Straker, of Corbridge, died after sustaining head injuries when he fell off his horse during a hunt.

125 YEARS AGO

TURKEY RECIPE: The Courant published a seasonal recipe for roast turkey stuffed with stale bread, butter, and oysters.

SALE OF WORK: A sale of work held at the Wylam British School raised £320 for the Universities’ mission in Central Africa.

150 YEARS AGO

COMMUNITY GUIDE: Mr Sinclair Davison, a grocer from Hexham, issued a sheet Almanack which detailed local information of fairs and other events. The Courant reported that Mr Davison’s effort was “less pretentious in appearance than its rivals”.

LAID DOWN: The foundation stone of a new Primitive Methodist church was laid at Langley by W.B. Leighton, Esq of Newcastle.