WE looked back through our archives to find what made the headlines up to 150 years ago.

10 years ago

MAKEOVER: One of Kielder's busy tourist road was on the verge of collapse. The C200 road which transports hundreds of thousands of tourists to and from Kielder Water and Forest Park each year was in need of a £3 million facelift to restore the road and improve its drainage ability.

SUNSHINE: Tynedale residents basked in sunshine and temperatures up to 27C in some of the hottest summer weather for the best part of a decade. Sales of icecream, ice lollies and soft drinks soared to keep people chilled.

BIAS: Council leaders were accused of anti-rural bias as the Northumberland County Council Labour administration placed a moratorium on the allocation of cash from its £300,000 community chest fund, with the aim of directing more cash to its south-east Northumberland heartland.

25 years ago

REJECTED: Three Tynedale schools spurned the Government's aim of turning them into isolated flagship schools.

Prudhoe High School, Hexham Sele and Broomhaugh first schools wanted to share with other Tynedale schools the possible cash windfall of up to £450,000 they could receive under the Beacon Schools Initiative.

APPEAL: Parents pleaded for their children to be accepted into Hexham's Queen Elizabeth High School. The previous month the school turned away 29 pupils hoping to start in September because it would be too full.

50 years ago 

TAKEOVER: Plans were announced for the Hexham Hydro to be taken over by the cramped Hexham Queen Elizabeth Grammar School and the 120 Northumberland College of Education students who were in residence to be transferred to Ponteland. 

OPENING: A crowd of 1,400 people gathered to see the opening of the new £9,000 sports pavilion at Wark.

DEATH: Prudhoe was shocked by the sudden death of the headteacher of Prudhoe County Secondary School, Mr William Tait of Stocksfield, aged 57. 

75 years ago 

JUBILEE: To mark his silver jubilee as chairman of Allendale Parish Council, Cllr JG Nevin was presented with a smoker's outfit by his colleagues.

RECORD: A Hexham store had on display the major trophies won by local sports clubs. This included the Northern Alliance Championship Cup won by Hexham Hearts FC, and the Northumberland Senior and Junior Cups won by Tynedale Rugby Club.

PROPHECY: After 39 years as second master at Hexham Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Mr WG Martin predicted at the annual school speech day that Government policies would be the death knell of all grammar schools.

100 years ago 

BALL: Viscountess Allendale gave a dance in London's Piccadilly for her daughters, the Hon. Mary and the Hon. Agatha Beaumont. 

MEMORIAM: A suggestion a cottage hospital be built in Prudhoe in memory of the war dead was under consideration by Prudhoe Urban Council.

OPERA: The Allington Charsley Grand Opera Company presented Il Travatore, the Bohemian Girl, Faust, Maritana, and the Daughter of the Regiment at the Queen's Hall in Hexham.

125 years ago

DEATHS: Three workmen engaged on the building of Catcleugh Reservoir fell 61 feet to their deaths down a shaft.

ATTRACTIONS: To boost attendance at the annual show, Haydon Bridge Floral and Horticultural Society added poultry and horse-leaping classes to the programme.

150 years ago

SOIREE: Newbrough Saxhorn Band provided the entertainment when 250 people sat down to the annual soiree of Newbrough Mechanic's Institute in the Reading Room. 

QUARRY: At the annual dinner of the gamekeepers operating in the area, Nicholas Cornish, huntsman to the Tynedale pack, introduced an innovation - clay pigeon shooting.

CATCH: A gardener at Blindburn Hall, Wark, captured a trout 17 inches long and weighing 2lb from the narrow Warkshaugh Burn.