10 years ago

Castle battle: It was reported that the iconic Kielder Castle could close, with more than two dozen North Tyne forestry workers set to lose their jobs under savage cuts being proposed by the government.

Justice remembered: The closure of Tynedale Magistrates Court, at Hexham, was set to be marked with a special service at Hexham Abbey, led by the Bishop of Newcastle, the Rt. Rev. Martin Wharton. The choral evensong was to give thanks for the work undertaken by the court since the 1840s.

Harry birthday: Centenarian Joan Johnson, of Charlotte Straker House in Corbridge, received a card from the Queen to mark her 100th birthday, but Joan admitted she'd have preferred a card from Prince Harry instead!

Honouring Josie: What would have been the 21st birthday of leukaemia victim Josie Grove, was marked by pupils at her former school, Hexham's Queen Elizabeth High.

25 years ago

Bridge preservation: A listed 19th century former railway bridge spanning the River Tyne at Wylam was set to undergo refurbishment, thanks to a £157,000 lottery grant. The bridge was regularly used by walkers, cyclists and horse riders at the Tyne Riverside Country Park.

Bus worries: Opposition was mounting to proposals to cut transport services catering for pupils of Allendale’s first and middle schools. Allendale Parish Council agreed to oppose the proposals, and was setting about organising a protest campaign.

Not fare: An anomaly in train fare prices was discussed at a meeting of Haydon Parish Council. Coun. Eileen Charlton asked why it was 60p cheaper to buy a train ticket from Haydon Bridge to Hexham, and then another from Hexham to Newcastle, than it was to simply buy a £6.30 day return from Haydon Bridge to Newcastle. The Regional Railways (North-East) said it would look into the anomaly.

50 years ago

Hotel bid: Planning approval was granted for the creation of what the Courant reported would be the biggest hotel between Carlisle and Newcastle. The planning application was for the conversion of Wardrew Manor, in Gilsland, into a 157-bed hotel.

Festival honour: Hexham MP Geoffrey Rippon’s daughter, 21-year-old Sarah, was chosen as ‘queen’ for the the 18th annual International Anzalea Festival Norfolk, Virginia, in the USA.

Official opening: The Mencap Children’s Hall at Dilston Hall, Corbridge, was officially opened by Countess of Tankerville.

75 years ago

Sailor fined: A seaman from Ovingham was fined five shillings by Hexham magistrates for using abusive language at the Prudhoe railway station. His claim, that the expression he used was not intended as an insult, and was indeed a term of endearment in the navy, failed to convince the court.

Girl power: Following the district council elections of 1946, the number of female members of Hexham Urban Council jumped from one, Miss I. M. Iveson, to three - the newcomers being Daisy Lupton and Mrs E. M. Kington.

Watching brief: Hexham MP Clifton Brown, then also Speaker of the House of Commons, attended the Nuremberg war crime trials in Germany, as an observer.

Musical revival: The Tynedale Music Festival was revived. That year’s event, which took place in Hexham, was the first since 1939.

100 years ago

Memorials erected: War memorials were erected at Falstone and Ovingham.

Branching out: A branch of the League of Nations Union was set up in Hexham.

Building demolished: The old hearse house in Church Street, Haydon Bridge, was was demolished to make way for a new church hall.

125 years ago

Organ event: A two-day bazaar held at Hexham Corn Exchange and Town Hall raised almost £290 to put towards the cost of a new £420 organ installed at the town’s Beaumont Street Methodist Chapel, three weeks earlier.

Furnace dynamited: The last of the old furnaces, at Bellingham, was demolished to make way for a new Methodist Chapel, costing £1,100.

150 years ago

Big strides: The annual Hexham Easter Sports event took place, with foot races, a sack race, a hurdle race, a three-legged race, and more. It was reported that as usual, businesses closed at noon, with participants and spectators gathering on the Sele for the event, which took place over two days. There was extensive coverage in the Courant.