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

10 years ago 

TAX INCREASE: Council tax in Tynedale was set to crank up by just under 2 per cent by Northumberland County Council - the maximum allowed by central government without a referendum.

Hexham Courant: Kielder ObservatoryKielder Observatory (Image: Newsquest)

STARS IN EYES: Northumberland National Park and Kielder Water were together anointed as the first International Dark Sky Park in England and described as one of the best in the world.

AXED TRANSPORT: Sixth-form students in Tynedale were set to lose free school transport as Northumberland County Council expected to tighten its belt another notch.

25 years ago

PROPOSALS: Plans for the redevelopment of Hexham town centre were thrown into confusion by the failure of a bid for a £300,000 Lottery grant. The redevelopment of the town centre hinged on the Heritage Lottery making a major contribution to the refurbishment of the Ropery building.

TIPPED MEDAL: A First World War medal was discovered in a rubbish tip in Hexham.

LOTTERY JACKPOT: Tynedale collected a National Lottery charity jackpot with more than two grants totalling more than £200,000 being paid out to Tyne Valley projects. The biggest winner was Riding Mill Village Hall Trust. It collected £157,240 towards the building of a new £1/4m hall.

50 years ago

HIT THE ROOF: Parish councillors hit the roof over two new council houses built at the west end of Haydon Bridge. At £6,000 each, they were the most expensive houses to have been built by Tynedale Council, they failed to impress Haydon Parish Council which branded them eyesores.

INFLATION RAMPANT: Sewerage work about to be done in Hexham was to cost twice as much as the quote given the year before, it was revealed. The contractor, Taylor-Woodrow, blamed the rise from £787,200 to nearly £1.5m on inflation.

UPMARKET: The first houses at Hexham's Hackwood Park estate, the town's first upmarket estate since the completion of Kitty Frisk 12 years earlier, went on sale for £25,000 each.  

75 years ago

SILENT NIGHTS: Plans were afoot to close Corbridge's Market Place car park from 8.30pm-6am daily to stop rowdy revellers causing disruption there at night.

END OF AN ERA: Newbrough Mechanics' Institute, founded 118 years earlier, closed.   

100 years ago

ON THE CARDS: A Prudhoe and Mickley Women's Unionist Association whist drive and dance at the town's Conservative club attracted a 200-strong turnout. 

DEAL: Hexham urban councillors agreed to buy the town's White Cross field to build 90 houses on.

125 years ago

ON THE BEAT: Plans were drawn up for the staff of Northumberland's police force to be increased by 12 constables and for new police stations to be set up at Otterburn and Stamfordham.

ACCIDENT: A miner died after being knocked over by a goods train at Prudhoe. The accident occurred as he walked home with friends along the Newcastle-Carlisle railway track from Walkbottle in Newcastle, where they had been to watch a football match.  

150 years ago

BIG PIG: A 15-month-old pig from Chesterwood near Haydon Bridge was found to weigh a whopping 38 stones when sent to be slaughtered. Its weight was attributed to having been fed on Indian meal.

FINGER LOST: A boy from Bingfield, near Great Whittington, had to have his finger amputated after falling off a drystone wall near the hamlet.