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Stories
What will you uncover? Explore the legends, lives, and legacies that shape the North East.
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Watch
Top 5: Segedunum Roman Fort
Ever wondered what you'll find at Segedunum Roman Fort? Keeper of Archaeology, Alex Croom, talks through her 'Top 5' objects to come and see. Do you agree? What would make your Top 5?
TOP 5: Discovery Museum
What will you uncover at Discovery Museum? Keeper of History, Kylea Little, talks through her 'Top 5' objects to come and see. Do you agree? What would make your Top 5?
Weird Walks
Join broadcaster, author and paranormal expert Alan Robson MBE, on a journey through the dark side of Newcastle. Walk the route using the Weird Walks map and watch the videos as Alan shares grisly stories of famous local landmarks and their ghostly inhabitants.
Episode 1 - The Dark Side of Newcastle: Discovery Museum
Alan is at Discovery Museum, home of Newcastle's story. He tells us about the history of the site and sets the scene for an unforgettable trail filled with tragic and terrifying tales.
The route starts at Discovery Museum, where Alan sets the scene for an unforgettable trail filled with tragic and terrifying tales. Join Alan at one of Newcastle’s most haunted buildings, the Tyne Theatre, followed by the Blackfriars site, West Gate Wall and Cowan’s Monument. Drop in at Newcastle Cathedral and then on to the Black Gate to hear the unfortunate story of the hungry soldier. At Newcastle Castle, the imprisonment of a young girl is enough to send a shiver down the spine of any florist. From there, head down to the Quayside to find out about the city’s great flood and fire. Along to Bessie Surtees’ House and a tale as old as time: young lovers, thwarted by disapproving parents. Finish off with a nasty story of the lad caught in the middle of a battle between The Cooperage and the press gangs. As you head back up to Central Station, bask in the warm glow of a walk well done.
You can download a copy of the map, print it off and scan the QR code which will take you straight to the Weird Walks YouTube playlist. Or alternatively you can stay on this page and watch the videos here.
If you don’t know your way around the city so well, here’s a Google map to help you find your way.
Click here to watch more Weird Walks.
Read
How Sierra Leone’s first female doctor qualified in Newcastle — feminist, activist and trailblazer — Dr Irene Ighodaro
Irene Cole’s graduation, Newcastle Medical College, 1944 (photograph courtesy of the Ighodaro family).
Dr Beverley Prevatt-Goldstein, North East of England African Community Association (NEEACA) member, Equalities Activist, and Coordinator of African Lives in Northern England Project, writes about the exceptional life of Dr Irene Ighodaro, a trailblazer who contributed much to life in Newcastle upon Tyne during the Second World War and beyond.
Click here to read the full blog.
Our changing relationship with Irtyru
'Examination of a mummy', by Paul Dominique Philippoteaux (1891).
Irtyru — the mummified woman displayed in the Great North Museum: Hancock — is well known to generations of adults and children from Newcastle upon Tyne and beyond. Irtyru has been in the museum now for a very long time. Over that period, there have been many changes in how society views the display of human remains. Our historical relationship with her could be viewed at problematic, and our current relationship is proving to be just as tricky.
Click here to read the full blog.
Decolonising the Museum
The World Cultures gallery at the Great North Museum: Hancock
The Great North Museum: Hancock was founded during the height of the British Empire. This means we have lots of objects that came from former British colonies around the world. But we don’t always know how they ended up here or what they really meant to the people that made them. We are now trying to research these items so we can tell their stories more fully. We are not seeking to return all these objects to their original locations, but we are open to proposals for repatriation.
Click here to read the full blog.
Click here to read more about the differences between decolonisation and repatriation.
Listen
Queer stories of Hadrian's Wall
Episode 1 - Hadrian and Antinous: A Gay Love Story
In these two podcast episodes, Richard Bliss explores same-sex relationships in the Roman Empire. With guests, he explores the love stories of the Emperor Hadrian and Antinous, and the cavalryman Numerianus and his servant Victor.
‘Oil Study of Statue of Antinous’ (detail), 1900, Robert Ernest McEune.
Click here to download a transcript of the podcasts. Click here for Episode 2: The Victor Tombstone.
Heavier! Faster! Louder! The Story of Tyneside Heavy Metal
Heavier! Faster! Louder! The Story of Tyneside Heavy Metal is a six-part audio documentary series narrated by renowned hard rock DJ Alan Robson. Hear interviews from Venom, Raven, Tygers of Pan Tang, Atomkraft, and many more.
Episode 1 - SS Giro
Tyneside's traditional heavy industries are dying. Inspired by the devil's music, kids see guitars and amps as their way out. Music included in this episode: The Power - War Machine, Back To The Grind - White Spirit, SS Giro - Fist, Break The Chain - Raven .
Click here for more episodes.
Jesters: Forgotten stories of North East comedy
Join hosts Gavin Webster, Lee Kyle, Si Beckwith and John Gibson as they explore the history of North East comedy. Hear stories of lesser-known comedians and entertainers, who paved the way for today’s comics. Expect sketches, songs, stories and silliness.
Episode One - Leonard Barras, a Shipyard Surrealist (with Gavin Webster)
Stand-up comedian and long-time fan Gavin Webster tells the story of 'a disgracefully neglected comic writer,' the “Geordie Ionesco,” Leonard Barras. The mild-mannered, spotlight-shy surrealist was born on February 13, 1922, the youngest of four brothers, in Wallsend. He spent his working life at the Swan Hunter shipyard and never moved from the area – in fact it was the inspiration and setting for his writings. In 1949, he began writing his weekly column ‘Through My Hat’ for Newcastle’s Sunday Sun newspaper, and his list of writing credits include BBC radio programmes Wot Cheor Geordie, Northern Drifts and BBC2’s Mother Nature’s Bloomers, starring Roy Kinnear. His plays, A Little Stiff Built Chap and The Shy Gasman were premiered in Scarborough by Alan Ayckbourn. He died on 20 January 2008, falling further into obscurity.
Click here for more episodes.
