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Northumberland

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 25TH NOVEMBER 1921

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DEVELOPMENT OF BERWICK

The second article in the “Edinburgh Evening News” dealing with Berwick was as followed:- Linked up with the development project previously outlined there is another scheme which the unemployment emergency may force into speedy practical operation. Local authorities everywhere are finding great difficulty in providing work for the unemployed, the cost of which can be absorbed, in the largest possible proportion, in wages, but Berwick, although its unemployment problem is not so acute as in many places,  could at once address itself to a work of improvement which meets that qualification. What is proposed is the levelling and laying out of a promenade on the low-lying sea cliffs which, extending within the borough for three miles from north to south, skirt the area that has been suggested for town-planning and continue for some distance on the Spittal side of the river.

This line of sea front, is uneven just now, but it has beautiful turf. There is at present only a narrow and ill-defined path, but a beautiful promenade could be made which would greatly enhance the attractiveness of the town. There is reason to believe that more will be heard of this proposal in the near future.

SCHEME OF RECONSTRUCTION

With regard to the houses which have been scheduled as unhealthy and call for reconstruction, it is proposed, if and when reconstruction takes place, that the first areas to be dealt with will be those from the ramparts between the Scotsgate and Wallace Green, and between High Street, Church Street, and the Town Hall.

Elevation of Houses in Wallace Green from Sanitary Report Ref: E.26-7-18a

Wallace Green should be hallowed ground for patriotic Scots. When Wallace was executed in 1305, one half of his body was ordered to be exposed on Berwick Bridge, and, according to tradition, his left arm was buried in the Wallace Green.

Berwick is justly proud of its Town Hall, which, dating from about 1755, has a tetrastyla Doric portico and a tower surmounted by a spire 150 feet high and occupies a commanding position at the foot of High Street, but the wit of man could not have conceived a more inconvenient situation for it. To make the bottom corners reasonably safe for traffic would entail carrying back the frontage on both sides of the street a very considerable extent.

Such a project could not be undertaken all at once. Building lines should, however, be laid down, and any rebuilding made to comply with them, so that the improvements could gradually take shape. It is from the spire of the Town Hall that the curfew bell rings at eight o’clock every evening, Berwick being one of the few remaining towns where this ancient custom is observed daily as a reminder of a bye-gone age is the existence of the old wooden stocks in a conspicuous place to the right of the Town Hall entrance.

THE SCOTSGATE

The original war memorial scheme having been dropped, the Scotsgate at the top of high Street has been given a fresh lease of life. The Scotsgate was once the most important of all the gates, and originally was in architectural harmony with the ramparts, of which it forms part, but the present structure has neither architectural nor antiquarian value.

A public improvement embodying a much needed widening of the road was proposed by the War Memorial Committee for the removal of the Scotsgate, and on the wall face which would require to have been built after the demolition, it was intended to place large bronze tablets depicting a naval and a military incident in the Great war, together with the names of the 450 gallant townsmen who fell. But a cry of “vandalism” was raised, and the scheme fell through.

War Memorial, Castlegate, Berwick-upon-Tweed. © Copyright J Thomas – (cropped image) Creative Commons Licence 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Instead of one memorial for the whole borough, Tweedmouth and Spittal went forward with memorial of their own, and Berwick is now to have its memorial in the shape of a bronze figure of Victory on an open space in front of St. Mary’s Church in Castlegate.

INDUSTRIAL EXPANSION

Only a moderate shipping trade is now carried on at the harbour, but a case could  be made out for Berwick greatly extending its harbour and vitalising its industrial activities.

Berwick is probably the nearest British port to the Baltic, and an important development of the timber trade suggests itself as the only one consequence of future harbour extension. Berwick is admirably situated to be a busy seaport and an inland distributing centre. Much of its present prosperity depends upon its service to the agricultural communities in Berwickshire and Northumberlandshire. As matters stand there is a considerable import of timber for the well-known saw mills at Tweedmouth.

Other local industries are connected with fishing and agriculture. There are important implement works in the town proper and a big manure facture at Spittal. The corn and cattle markets rank very high in the country, and before the war more barley was exported coastwise than from any other port in the Kingdom. Pride of place should probably be given to the fishing industry. The salmon fisheries have always been famous and the herring fishing with its attendant trades of curing, smoking, and coopering is carried on in the town on a large scale. This has unfortunately been a disastrous season for the herring fishery, and Spittal feels particularly sore about it, because improved accommodation for the fishing boats has only recently been provided.

INADEQUATE RAILWAY STATION

When one considers the importance of Berwick as a railway centre, its position as the terminus of the North British and North eastern systems and the splendid enterprise of the former company some 70 years ago in erecting the Royal Border bridge with its 28 noble arches, one is amazed to find the content with such a mean, inadequate, and squalid railway station. A new railway bridge outside the station has, however, just been completed, and it may be assumed that this is the first stage in the erection of a properly equipped station.

Berwick Station, although a poor affair, occupies a proud site, the ruins of the old Castle having been demolished to make way for it. Only a fragment remains of that famous fortress, the scene of grim battle and weighty council that decided much in Scottish history.

Railway poster from the 1930s, shows the punishment of Isabella, Countess of Buchan, in the 1300s.
Ref: BA/W/6

The present booking office stands on the site of what was the great hall of Berwick castle in which Edward I assembled the gathering of nobles which decided as between Bruce and Baliol for the Scottish Crown. The same English King has a sinister connection with the Castle by having shut up for four years in a wicker basket with its walls the Countess of Buchan for placing the Crown upon the head of Bruce at Scone.

THE ANCIENT WALLS

Upon whatever lines Berwick of the future chooses to develop it will for ever possess peculiar charm as one of the few walled towns that remain in Great Britain. Only scant relics exist of the Edwardian walls, but the earth-works of the Elizabethan Walls, now converted into a well-appointed grass-banked promenade, encircle the old town for about a mile and a half, and afford land and sea views of rare beauty and interest.

For all their romantic charm the Walls have seriously contributed to the congestion of buildings and hindered expansion, and for proper expansion it would be necessary to make openings through them without obstructive archways. No one dreams of destroying the Walls, but to cut a slice here and there would open out the town and would not obscure the fact that they were once continuous. From the Walls many interesting landmarks of the town can best be viewed, including two places which this year are entitled to centenary notice. Berwick barracks have now reached the 200th year of their age.

Fuller’s engraving of Berwick Barracks 1799. Ref: BRO 1637-04

The other place of centenary interest is the Pier, which was completed in 1821. It is about half a mile length, and is one of the favourite walks of the townspeople, who have peculiar affection for their lighthouse, a noble building on the end of their Pier, dating from 1826.

Berwick stretches its burghal sphere of influence to the south side of the Tweed to embrace Tweedmouth and Spittal. Access to Spittal is obtained by a ferry, the landing stage of which might with great advantage be made more convenient for the public.

The southern suburbs of Tweedmouth and Spittal, the latter enjoying much popularity as a holiday resort, displaying those wholesome pro-pressive tendencies which, in an increasing degree are today characteristic of the whole borough. A new atmosphere is being created in Berwick, and while little can be done immediately, the spirit of progress has awakened, and in due course will make itself felt.

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 11TH NOVEMBER 1921

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GLENDALE NOTES

BRITISH LEGION MEETING

The initial meeting of the British Legion since becoming members of this great body was held on Monday evening last. Comrade Cowans, in the unavoidable absence of Canon Moran, presided. The attendance was very disappointing, but it is hoped, now that the laying of the bowling green has commenced, this may be the means of stimulating the enthusiasm. It is expected, if money is in the funds after the green is finished, a club-house will also be erected. So far there has not been anything but the monthly meeting. The first business was making final arrangements for Armistice Day.

“Poppy Field (Chollerford)” by wazimu0 is licensed with CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

A brief service will be held on Tower Hill. The ministers of the various churches in the town will take part; also the members of the Parish Council will be present. It is hoped that all ex-Service men will endeavour to be present, as the service will be a short duration. The Wooler Branch of the Legion will lay a laurel wreath on the memorial in remembrance of the great sacrifice of their comrades. Poppies, which have been made in the devastated areas, will be sold in the town, commencing an hour before the service. The Secretary gave a report of the bowling green, and explained that all the unemployed ex-service men in the town had been taken on. He also explained that there was seventy fully paid up members. He was pleased to report that a few intricate cases had been dealt with by him and all were proceeding satisfactorily. He would like to draw the members’ attention to a certain thing which was going on, and asked for their support in the matter. Many of the ex-Service men had held aloof from the branch, but now that they need assistance they were coming with their subscriptions in one hand and their cases in the other. It was not the game, and he wanted them all to help to blot it out. It was decided to have a reunion of ex-Service men, and after considerable discussion it was agreed to hold it when the bowling green was opened. Votes of thank concluded the meeting.

NORHAM AND ISLANDSHIRE

RURAL DISTRICT COUNCIL

A CRIPPLE GETS SIX MONTHS’ FOR BIGAMY

Three aged people figured in a case at the Newcastle Assizes on Monday, when William Henry Usher, 60, miner, pleaded guilty to a charge of having committed bigamy with Dinah Oliver of Embleton, at Rothbury in November, 1918, his former wife being then alive.

Mr C. B. Fenwick who prosecuted, said the facts of the case were most unusual, because of the age of the parties concerned. The first marriage took place so far back as 1886, being contracted at the Durham Registry Office. Accused and his wife lived together until 1915, when she left him on account of his temper. They were then living near Amble. Sometime later, in 1917 he made the acquaintance of the second “wife,” a widow of the same age. They were married in November of that year at Rothbury, he representing himself as a widower. In the spring of 1921 she heard something which aroused her suspicious and she taxed him with being a married man. He thereupon packed up his clothes and left her.

Rothbury Village Reference: BRO 1796-1-39

Prisoner handed in a statement to his Lordship, who expressed a wish to hear something about his character.

P.C. John Edward Hogg said he had known the prisoner for about three years and apart from occasionally getting too much drink he seemed to have lived a quiet life. He was a cripple. Witness added that in documents which he had prisoner stated he was formerly in the Army.

His Lordship – Do you know that to be true?

Witness – He told me that, but I cannot vouch for the truth of it. It might be so, and he says he was discharge with the rank of sergeant-major.

Mr Fenwick – it is very probable that his first wife may be able to tell us that.

Sarah Usher said prisoner had been a soldier and had been out in India about seven years. He left the Army when she married him. She thought his rank then was sergeant. She did not always live with him at Amble and witness stated that she lft him in 1915 because of his drunken habits.

His Lordship – Do you know whether his discharge papers from the Army were good or bad?

Witness – I think they were good.

How did he come to be a cripple? – I think he had an accident in the mine.

Dinah Oliver, who left Usher in 1920, going to live with her son at Scremerston, was then called, and she stated that when she “married” prisoner he stated he was a widower. He said he had been a widower for four years. She left him on one occasion and they differed over several things Witness added that she was afraid of him.

His Lordship said it was a very serious offence, but he was willing to have some regard to the fact that he was a man of some years of age, that he was a cripple, and that he appeared to have had a good record in the Army. Fortunately there were no children of his second “marriage” to bear the shame.

Prisoner was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment.

LOCAL NEWS

The fashion of sending Christmas cards is still popular, and from samples submitted to us by Messrs Raphael Tuck and Sons, there will be a wider selection than ever from which to choose this season. Even the most fastidious in artistic taste cannot fail to find something that will appeal in the 3000 designs which this well-known firm has to offer. Cards that delight the children have always been a feature of Raphael House and this season’s designs are as fascinating as ever. Very dainty are the “Pot Pourri” series with their deliciously fragrant perfume. The silhouette mascot cards will be popular with these who pin their faith to the black cat as a symbol of luck.

Christmas Card from 1916 Reference: BRO 1775-2-1

There has surely never been anything more artistic produced than the beautiful garden scenes chosen by Queen Alexandra and Princess Mary this year for their cards. Queen Mary, King George and Prince of Wales have chosen historic scenes which are equally delightful. It is perhaps not generally known that these royal cards, which are reproduced for the use of the public. Great taste is exhibited in the greetings or quotations which all the cards bear. It is not only Christmas cards they have to offer. There is an equally wide selection of post-cards and calendars to choose from, and gift books, toy books and painting books galore to delight the hearts of the children. There are charming editions of Hans Anderson, of the equally popular Grimm, or of “Alice in Wonderland,” illustrated in a fascinating manner by Mabel Lucie Attwell. These are interesting stories of animals, birds, insects, that instruct as well as amuse; lesson books that make the learning of the alphabet a joy, or sets of picture building blocks to while away happy hours in the nursery. No better selection of goods has ever been issued from the studios of Raphael House.

Saturday evening was Guy Fawkes night and the youngsters in the town celebrated the occasion with bonfires and fireworks display. Some ingenuity was shown this year with Guys, and one burned at the stake in the Greens was quite original and up-to-date. Last week a Naval deserter eluded his escort at Berwick Station and hid in a passage in the Greens. His whereabouts was given away to the escort by a Greens resident and he was duly captured. To show their contempt of the informer, the youngsters burned his effigy.

In a discussion on rat extermination by the members of the Northumberland Agricultural Committee a motion that it was desirable that the Rats and Mice Destruction Act 1919 be repealed was defeated by 15 votes to 3, the view being expressed that the Act should be retained as the rat was one of the greatest destructive pests in the country. It was argued in support of the motion that rat-killing was a waste of public money and that the farmer who allowed the rats to accumulate should bear the expense of their destruction and nobody else. No fewer than 35,000 rodents had been killed in six months at 180 places, and it was stated the estimated cost for the year was between £800 and £600.

BERWICK ADVERTISER, 16TH SEPTEMBER 1921

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ANOTHER FIRE AT JOHNSON & DARLING’S BREWERY

Maltings, Stores and Kiln Gutted.

Heavy Damage

Within three months from the last outbreak the Tweed Brewery, Berwick, was again the scene of a startling fire on Tuesday morning. The blaze was the biggest, and most appalling that has been seen in Berwick for many a long day, while the damage wrought in such a short space of time was well-nigh staggering. Even a rough estimate of the damage to buildings and material destroyed cannot be given, but there is a likelihood of this being well over £12,000. It is expected that Insurance will cover the heavy loss, and it is not anticipated that the work of the Brewery will be greatly interfered with.

It was on June 17th that the rafters of the malting barley kiln took fire and it is a strange that last Monday, the night after the work of repairing the damaged kiln was completed, fire should again reduce to cinders the labour spent upon it. A little window frame, with the sizing coat of paint and putty still fresh upon it, set in the gaunt wall of the now partly gutted kiln, is a pathetic witness to how the work of mortal man can be undone in a night. As a matter of fact several of Mr R. Sidey’s plasterer’s men had not removed their tools from the building where they had been at work that afternoon before, and these have been lost in the fire. There is no night watchman on the premises, this not being considered necessary with the residences of directors in the firm in the vicinity and adjoining, but when the last of the workmen left on Monday night everything appeared to be all right and nothing out of the way was observed up to a late hour. The cause of the fire is therefore unknown, though it is suggested that the fusing of one of the electric wires which run through the building caused the outbreak. The Inspector from the Insurance Company however, who examined the premises on Wednesday, came to the conclusion that it was highly improbable that the fire had been started by one of the electric wires. There was no fire in the kiln to throw a spark, but the kiln had been whitewashed and got ready for malting to start this week.

There can be no doubt that the fire must have been smouldering for some considerable time before it was observed, for when Mr Thos. Darling was aroused at 2.45 by Mr Younger the flames were through the roof of the malt barn and were shooting for nearly twenty feet into the air. The fire originated in the malt barn without a doubt, and the portion of the building and the kiln were the first to be destroyed.

THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE

When day broke the fire was still raging furiously, but the buildings at the malting were little more than gaunt smoke-blackened and flamed-scared walls. The lower concrete floor, or first floor of the building, held, though upon it were tons of smouldering debris, which blazed up at intervals in spite of all the water poured upon it. The bulk of the floor, however, fell on Wednesday night and now lies smouldering in the ground floor. All through the day on Tuesday the first floor of the maltings smouldered and blazed up, and though all immediate danger was then past, fire-hose had to be kept playing on it.

The heavy rain which fell on Tuesday night damped down the smouldering mass but did not succeed in putting it out. A look through the gutted building on Wednesday morning revealed a truly appalling sight. Where large stocks of barley, hops and other brewing materials had been stored was a pitted mass of smouldering debris, with twisted and broken angle irons and bare sticking through. \the screening machinery and other plant used in the malting were entirely destroyed.

Section of the O.S. Map Second Edition, Berwick-upon-Tweed, 1852 showing the Tweed Brewery. Reference: BA-U10-04

The experience gained in this fire will have to be carefully weighed. Had it taken place in the High Street the steam fire engine could have been got to work, there being plenty of water, but in the Palace and no doubt other parts of the town the use of the steam fire engine is impossible. We cannot expect Berwick to maintain a fire prevention equipment like Glasgow or London. We know therefore that under the most favourable conditions, it will be half-an-hour before the Brigade turns out, that their best efforts are bound to be below the standard of city firemen, and that in many cases there will not be sufficient water to put out a big blaze. If there had to be a fire, a better night could not have been chosen for it than Monday. With a gale or a strong wind from the sea the damage must have been very much more serious. Are we going to continue to run the risk of this? If not, there seem to be two lines of defence- Either to increase the pressure of water all over the town, which would be very expensive, or to arrange that the storage of inflammable goods takes place only under approved conditions, which should include patrolling by night watchmen. Otherwise the safety of large blocks of the town may be at stake. One small improvement that could be made straight away is to connect up the telephone with the Superintendent and members of the Brigade, so that the alarm reaches them in their houses immediately, whether they are waking or sleeping. Again, the Brigade and equipment might, with advantage, be inspected annually by an independent expert, and a report presented to the Town Council. The police are inspected annually; why not he Fire Brigade?

THE CLOSE OF THE SALMON SEASON

The season which closed on September 14th is one of the most disappointing there has been. Not that it has been failure, but that at one time it promised to be a record success and then at the beginning of July the fish seemed to disappear in a body. Up till then exceptional catches were obtained both at the netting stations on the river and at the fixed nets on the coast north and south of the river-mouth. The first grilse was caught on April 27th, being earlier than last year, but the yield since then has been poor in number and quality. The great catches of the season were in trout and salmon. The prices realised for Tweed salmon have been good. Most other things have at any rate doubled in price; but this has not been so with salmon, which have therefore been relatively cheap, and certainly, on the whole, considerably lower than last year.

Pictured, in 1956, are sisters Grace and Annie Meston, employees at the former premises of Ralph Holmes & Sons in Bridge Street, Berwick. The salmon was caught at the North Bells Fishery, and weighed in at 38¼ pounds. Reference: BRO 1944-1-1341-3

The most disquieting feature is that for quite a number of years now the fish have fallen away in the latter months of the season. There have been various explanations of this year’s shortage. One of them is that the fish have been driven away by porpoises and dolphins. From the salmon caught it is easily seen that the porpoises have been busy, but they have been no more numerous than they have been in the past, though, of course, the shortage of herring has been put down to the high temperature of the water allowing the sharks to come north. But even if porpoises or sharks explained this year’s shortage that would only be a temporary cause. It is the constant shortage in the later months of the season which is the serious problem. What is more likely to be the correct explanation is that we used to be able to rely on getting floods, say about Tweedmouth Feast time and the Fair, which thoroughly cleaned out the river. These have been wanting in recent years. We have has rises in the river, after rain, but not sufficient in volume to make a clean sweep. They just serve to bring down the accumulated pollution of the river to the river-mouth, nut they do not scatter it out to the sea. The result is that the foul water drives off the fish and they disappear from the neighbourhood entirely. We have had heavy rain lately, and there is osem sign of the fish returning to the river-mouth, which seems to support the theory. On the other hand, it may be simply that they have had their usual tip that the close season is at hand.

The necessity for flooding the river is what makes the abstraction of the Talla water so serious. Most of that water is flood water, and if it were all returned to the river at regular intervals the necessary scouring would not result. We have turned the tweed into a sewer and a sewer needs flushing. To do what is needed, the reservoir’s contribution should be let out once or twice in the season at a gush, when the river is high without it. This unfortunately the reservoir authorities are not prepared to do, but until we can arrange for flushing we may have to do without the fish.

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