General

Paul Hindmarsh Exhibition

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Visitors to County Hall reception in Morpeth have had the opportunity to view a selection of images from the Paul Hindmarsh photography collection held at Northumberland Archives. Paul Hindmarsh worked as a commercial photographer from the 1960s until he retired in 2010. With his associate Don Riddell, he captured many important industrial developments throughout the region as well as the day-to-day activities of businesses and factories across Northumberland. His archive of over 20,000 negatives taken between 1968 and the mid 1980s was donated to Northumberland Archives in 2023. It features images of large-scale industrial projects such as the construction of the Tyne and Wear metro and the development of Kielder Water, factory construction, housing schemes and publicity photographs for businesses across the northeast.

When fully catalogued the Hindmarsh images will be open for the public to consult, and a selection will be made available on the Archive’s website. The scale of the collection makes it impossible to suggest when this might be but, due to the quality of the images and the likely levels of interest in them, the Archives were keen to share a sample of the collection with the public as soon as possible. Staff have selected a small number of images that give a good representation of the type of work Paul undertook throughout his career.

The exhibition has been well received by the public so far. One of the reasons for this is that, while the images remain within living memory for many, they vividly highlight the dramatic changes that have occurred in a relatively short time. Although on the surface these are practical photographs from the world of industry and commerce, the exhibition showcases a world vastly different from today’s. The photographs capture artists in a graphic design department creating technical drawings by hand with nothing but pen and paper, a ‘computer room’ where the operator is required to wear a lab coat, and even the distinctive hairstyles and trouser cuts of the era—details that feel both familiar and also now, historic.

During our appraisal of the Hindmarsh Collection and the curation of this exhibition, we were struck by the many layers of significance within the images. A core mission of the Archive Service is to preserve historically valuable materials, and the Hindmarsh Collection is certainly a rich source for anyone interested in the industrial and commercial history of the northeast—both now and in the future. Yet beyond their historical and contextual importance, these photographs also stand out for their aesthetic quality. Paul was not just a documentarian but an obviously gifted photographer, with a clear ability to capture striking compositions that hold their own as artistic works. It has been interesting for Archives staff to consider this idea; that the primary reason for the creation of the images was almost always purely practical; whether to document a specific part of a construction process, an updated manufacturing procedure, or for marketing purposes. For this reason, the curation of exhibitions featuring this type of collection is especially satisfying; an image that was perhaps never conceived as anything other than part of a 1969 advertising campaign for a northeast-based glass company can now be celebrated as both an interesting historic document as well as a brilliant photograph.

The County Hall exhibition is not the first Hindmarsh project we have undertaken. During the 1960s and 70s, Paul was employed by Washington Development Corporation to photograph the output of the architect’s department during the development of the town. As 2023 marked the 60th anniversary of the town’s foundation, we worked alongside Washington Heritage Partnership, Wessington U3A and Washington History Society to hold a series of workshops where local history societies and members of the public were invited to view a selection of Paul’s Washington images, share memories and help chose images for a digital exhibition. The finished digital exhibition is available to view on Northumberland Archive’s Youtube channel. The current County Hall exhibition will end in a few weeks, but with such a rich source of historic content covering a period of huge change in the northeast, there will be scope for more exhibitions and projects in the future as more of the material is catalogued.

New Kids on the Block!

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Back in October, Northumberland Archives was lucky enough to attract two fantastic new Archive Assistants – Jemma and Helen. (Hang on – has somebody let Jemma and Helen write the intro?) We asked them to interview each other to find out how they’ve found their time settling into their new roles.

Jemma: What do you enjoy most about being an Archive Assistant?

Helen: I am enjoying how interesting the job is. I have been surprised at the variety of material we hold here – it means that every day I learn something new or come across something that piques my interest.

I’m also enjoying the social side of the archive – there is a lovely atmosphere behind the scenes and everyone has been supportive and keen to pass on their knowledge.

Jemma: What have you found your interests are when working with such a range of archive materials?

Helen: I have found I am particularly drawn to people’s personal testimonies from the past. Reading a letter or a diary, which sometimes mix an account of momentous events in the world with the everyday news of, for instance, what is for dinner or what happened at school or work, feels like a little bridge is created to the past.

Outside of work I write fiction and I am finding it quite inspiring to read people’s stories from long ago and get a little insight into everyday lives.

Jemma: What has been your biggest challenge when working at the archives?

Helen: The biggest challenge has not so much been any singular thing but everything! There is so much to learn that I feel we’ve had to accept not being totally sure what we’re doing for a little while. It has helped to hear more experienced members of staff saying that they are still learning even after working here for years.

Jemma: What was the most surprising/unexpected find for you here?

Helen: When we first arrived we were encouraged to search for anything we fancied looking at just to get used to using the catalogue. I looked up Ovingham, the village I was brought up in, and was interested to discover that we held a newspaper article about a poet who had lived in Ovingham. The article itself was interesting – written in the 1930s it was about Dora Greenwell a poet who was particularly known for writing hymns and who lived in the village for some time in the 1840s – but perhaps more interesting to me was the volume that the newspaper article was stored in. When I went to get the article out I discovered that the clipping was actually in a scrapbook about Ovingham made by a woman, Eliza Charlton, who lived in the village throughout the 20th century. Her entries started with articles and photos about the village school and progressed through various local events to pieces on the WI in the 1980s. I was delighted to come across some names I recognised in the latter part of her scrapbook.

Jemma: What should the public know about Northumberland Archives that you didn’t know about before working here?

Helen: They should know that we have a huge amount of items in our collection so there is bound to be something that interests them. On a pragmatic note, they might be interested to know that they can access Ancestry and Find My Past on the computers here for free and that there’s a lovely café in the museum downstairs!

Helen: How has the reality of working in the archives differed from your expectations? Has anything surprised you?

Jemma: I didn’t expect to be able to physically access so many materials daily and I think this may have been the biggest surprise to me, as well as the enormous amount housed here that is accessible to the public. I knew this would be an interesting job, I just didn’t realise how fascinating it would become.

Helen: What attracted you to work here?

Jemma: My interest in history has always been there from school, but recently my interest in local history has increased massively after starting a family tree. I soon found myself wanting to explore more than just the names in my family history and I wanted to find out about their houses, their towns and their livelihoods. It was this that made me really want to help and be a part of someone else’s journey.

Helen: What is your favourite part of the archive – what have you found most interesting?

Jemma: My favourite part, or place, in Northumberland Archives is the strong rooms where they store all the documents and items. I find the rooms peaceful, as is the search room where the public can access. An aspect of the Archives that I’ve found the most interesting is the information on coal mining – be it maps, photographs, transcripts or diaries of those who have worked in a Northumberland colliery. Having family who have worked in collieries in this area and specifically in Woodhorn colliery itself, makes every bit of information surrounding this topic interesting to me and it feels a little bit personal too.

Helen: Is there anything you’ve struggled with?

Jemma: Learning how to approach different family histories when customers request help was more difficult than I anticipated. More times than not it isn’t straight forward and sometimes people are starting from the beginning, with no previous family knowledge and so it becomes a bit of a hunt. However, when you help someone from this starting point it feels like you’ve made a real achievement.

Helen: What are you looking forward to mastering?

Jemma: The organisation and work that goes into the full process of obtaining documents to them becoming accessible to the public is extensive. The staff here are excellent and because of the hours of work and enjoyment that goes into each collection, everyone has their own little interest or expertise in an area. I’m really looking forward to carrying out each bit of this process and then from there developing my own area of knowledge…which would be around Northumberland’s coal mining history (my Grandad would be proud).

War Agricultural Housing in Acklington

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How much attention have you ever paid to the four houses that stand opposite the entrance to the Cheviot Meadows estate in Acklington?

These houses were constructed for agricultural workers, and were the first to be completed in Northumberland under the Northumberland War Agricultural Executive Committee War-time Emergency Programme.

NRO 4232/C/55 – plan of farm workers houses

Alnwick Rural District Council were allocated funding for 22 houses, with others being erected at Shilbottle, Felton, Lesbury and Embleton.

The Acklington houses were designed by George Reavell, of Reavell and Cahill Architects of Alnwick. The specification of work dates to June 1943 and contains some interesting points:

· Bricks to be from Radcliffe or another approved kiln

· Floor of the wash house should have a slight fall towards the door

· Paths should be 3ft wide and topped with 1” of whin chips

· Wood to be British Columbian Douglas Fir or Canadian Red Pine

· Roof over wash house to be covered with Turners’ “Big-six” asbestos cement sheets, with asbestos washers

Several builders tendered for the job, but R. Carse & Son Ltd., of Amble were chosen for the project, charging £4,400 (approx. £158,000 today). J.T. Tulley, Electrical Contractor, of Northumberland Terrace, Amble, were chosen to “electrify” the houses. Building supplies were sourced from J.T. Dove Ltd., South Street, Newcastle.

In March 1943, a site near the Vicarage (the Vicar’s half-acre) was chosen for the houses but there were concerns that the construction would interfere with the sewer and water course. By April that year, the Regional Architect and Planning Officer were favouring a site in the middle of the village, opposite the school, but drainage needed to be investigated.

Concerns raised in May 1943 – that the Vicar’s half-acre was favoured as a spot for the extension to the cemetery – led to Northumberland Estates being approached, in order to purchase land on the west side of the drain. The Council decided on north-fronted houses with slate roofs, with the bedroom windows to be four panes high, so any invalid in bed could see a proper view, not just the sky.

Northumberland Estates raised their own concerns in June 1943 over selling the land to the Council, which would leave them with a narrow strip behind. They wanted to try and sell this to the Council so they could turn it into allotments.

By November 1943 the houses were under construction. Reavell notes that the windows had arrived, not all correctly handed but that they were having “to make the best of it”. In January 1944, Reavell writes to Carse, the builder, “I noticed the glazier, who was trimming off the putties, had left three windows flying in the wind – rather a daft thing to do. I told him about it.”

NRO 12904/1 – Conveyance of land at Acklington in the county of Northumberland

The houses were completed on Saturday 12 February 1944, and the keys handed over to the Council. Charging 10/- a week rent (approx. £22 today), by March 1944, three tenants had been selected and informed, but there was a delay in the actual occupation. The Chairman of the Council had visited for an inspection and noted, “Every convenience had been provided…and they compared very favourably with the best council houses in the rural area.”

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