Love them or loathe them we all have a stand out memory of school meals whether it is your favourite or least favourite dish, the dinner ladies in the hall or the seating arrangements that separated you from your friends as they were on packed lunch. My foremost memory is from first school (aged maybe 7-8) and getting into trouble for trying to eat my pudding first…for those that know me that will hardly be a surprise!!

For those attending a residential school, the experience of school meals would undoubtedly be different; you couldn’t push your food around the plate as you didn’t like it, hoping that your mam had made your favourite for tea! Run by Northumberland Local Education Authority, Brown Rigg Camp School was a secondary school based near Bellingham. During World War Two the buildings were used to house and educate evacuees from Newcastle upon Tyne. Brown Rigg opened its doors in 1945 as a Residential School, closing in 1985. The school provided “a one-year course from September each year for any boy or girl in the 13-15 age group in the Authority’s schools” [NRO 02847/F/101]. “The aim of the School [was] to provide the benefits of a Boarding School Education, particularly to boys and girls in their last year at School, in which they rapidly develop a sense of responsibility and self-reliance which are valuable assets for the future” [NRO 02847/F/102].

The school prospectus gives us an insight in to what the children could expect; breakfast at 8.30am, dinner at 1.00pm, tea at 4.30pm and supper at 7.30pm. The food provided was described as ‘consistently good’; the typical menu shows different meals everyday although bread and butter with tea was available each breakfast and teatime (tea being replaced with cocoa at suppertime). Breakfasts included cornflakes, porridge, bacon, sausages, kippers. Dinners were two-courses typically a meat, potato and vegetable main course such as Irish stew with potatoes, although fish pie was served on Fridays. Puddings included tapioca, trifle or apple tart. Tea was more like a snack, a boiled egg or a herring to go with the bread and butter. Supper was a little more substantial, bubble and squeak, soup or a pudding.

Maybe you attended Brown Rigg and can recall the meals provided – were they ‘consistently good’ as promised? For those who didn’t attend Brown Rigg what is your stand out memory of school dinners? Did you have a favourite or one that you still loathe to this day? A quick office poll concluded that pink custard was remembered by a few of us. We would love you to share your food related memories in the comments section.

The women of Newbiggin-by-the-Sea are certainly no strangers to the peril that the North Sea can bring; whether that was waiting for the catch to come ashore or mourning those who never did make their return.  The involvement of the town’s women with the lifeboat institution resulted in a much-needed life-saving service being provided. 

A pamphlet entitled “Royal National Lifeboat Institution Newbiggin 1851-1951″ (NRO 7847/11) provides more details… 

“The good ladies of Newbiggin have always played an important part in the work of the local Lifeboat station, in fact, it is doubtful whether they could have been done without”. 

“When the launchings were necessarily hand-operated, it was the women who took the lion’s share of the work that was handed out.  It was usually the cry of “of every man to the boat and every woman to the rope” and they certainly more than pulled their weight”.  The women would wade out in to the water, often up to their necks, undoubtedly weighed down by layers of clothing, heaving a rope and putting themselves in a position of great danger ensuring that the Lifeboat was successfully put to sea.  Then repeating the whole exercise when the Lifeboat returned to shore. 

In February 1940 the women towed the lifeboat a mile overland when it was launched away from its usual station.  For their actions the women received the RNLIs ‘thanks on vellum’; “It took more than rock and sand to stop the “weaker sex” on that occasion when the call for assistance was made”. 

By the time the pamphlet was published in the early 1950s it was their fundraising through the Women’s Lifeboat Guild that was instrumental to the continued success of the Lifeboats in the town; “Although the days are gone when every woman, no matter how young or old they were, used to play their part in launching the boat and wearily dragging it back to the boat station, they still do a useful job”. 

Elsewhere in Northumberland, Margaret Armstrong from Cresswell became known as the ‘second Grace Darling’ for her involvement in rescuing those aboard a struggling steamer.  Originally published in February 2018, here is Margaret’s story…. 

https://www.facebook.com/northumberlandarchives/posts/1576552522413950

Following on from a previous blog about Ponteland Workhouse, this blog looks at the experience of one young girl who was a resident of Ponteland Cottage Homes.  The Cottage Homes were built by the Newcastle Board of Guardians to accommodate pauper children away from the workhouse. Each block was supervised by a ‘house father’ or ‘house mother. ‘

In 1905, at the age of nine, Isabella Gardner went to live in the Ponteland Cottage Homes. She lived in cottage number six and her house mother was called Miss Swallow. Isabella states that she enjoyed living there and that Miss Swallow was a lovely lady who she always called mother. Isabella and her sibling were taken to the home after the death of their biological mother. She had owned a shop which sailors used to regularly visit to buy bread. It is thought that she contracted Smallpox from one of the men and sadly died. Isabella’s father suffered from Paralysis so was unable to look after his children. He was placed in the Ponteland Workhouse and once a month they were taken to visit him. He died in the workhouse six years after the death of his wife. 

Isabella recalled that nearly every cottage had a pet cat. The Master and Matron had a couple of dogs and some of the ‘house mothers’ also had dogs which made it all feel very homely. The food was good, and she felt very well fed. They would have liver, sausages and tripe and they always had a roast on a Sunday. They grew all their own vegetables and baked their own bread, cakes, tarts and scones. They would pick fruit in the summer holidays and make their own jam. 

All the children had chores to do. The floors in the cottage were white wood & the children had to scrub them. This was usually done at night. The children got up about 6am and were woken by a boy blowing a bugle! They walked to school then returned to the cottage for lunch then walked back to school again for afternoon lessons. They had leisure time though and the boys played football while the girls played hockey. Isabella enjoyed hockey and remembers that the ‘mother’ in cottage 4 had a hockey team. There were swings in the grounds and a huge field to play in. Isabella also fondly remembered that the home had a horse and trap which the gardener used to drive. Sadly, the horse was needed and was taken away during the First World War. 

Isabella once won first prize for baking bread. She recalls that one Christmas the Lord Mayor came to visit so the Master asked him to dress up in his robes as a treat for the children. He asked them to show him examples of their work so she showed him the bread and won a prize. Unfortunately, she didn’t say what the prize was but seemed very proud of her achievement. It would have been an extra bonus at Christmas time along with the shilling that each child was given on Christmas Day.

The children occasionally went on seaside trips to Whitley Bay with the chapel they attended. All the ‘mothers’ from the cottages would have large hampers & they made pies and cakes so they could have a nice picnic. They went to Tynemouth Palace & had their lunch in the grounds then would always go to play on the sands. She recalls that they once went for tea in a cafe which was run by a retired sea captain. She claimed that he had built his cafe from an old boat!

Isabella remembered a young boy who eventually ended up becoming the shoe repair man for the home. He used to help the repair man when he was a boy. All shoes were made on site. The only time shoes were bought were for the girls who went into service. They also had a dress maker on site. All the clothes were made, they didn’t go to any shops to buy them. All the girls were taught how to sew and work in the laundry. The old master was very careful with money so saved as much as he could. When some of the older boys went out to work in the ship yards, there were women who were on the books of the home who were paid to take in boarders.

For her first two years, Isabella attended the school that was within the grounds then after that she transferred to the Coates school in Ponteland. She enjoyed school and left aged 14 where she then went to the Matron’s house to train for a life in service.  When there was a vacancy, girls went to the Matron’s house and trained in the kitchen then upstairs then in the dining room. This training lasted nearly two years and aged 16, Isabella secured her first job as a maid at Ilderton Rectory near Wooler. It was quite a large house with 20 rooms. The week before she started, the Matron took her for a visit then the day her employment commenced, she was taken as far as Alnwick then had to make her own way there. She only stayed for a year and recalls that it was very hard work, but they were very kind to her. However, what she truly wanted to be was a cook. Her next job was at Haughton Castle where she attained the position of scullery/kitchen maid. She was very grateful as during her time there she did have the opportunity to train for her dream job. Isabella also worked at Middleton Hall and was there for 12 years.  She believed that her training at the Cottage Homes was a good introduction and very good practice!