Another good attendance for June at the Into Newcastle University Cafe. One of out topics for discussion was leisure activities during the early 19 century and we again had a great contribution from all that attended. Below you will find a selection of topics written by our members, more to follow in next months Blog. We also had a quiz from Peter and this has prove very popular to the extent that we will be having one each session form various quiz masters.
The Leek Club by Val
When the R.H.S was founded in
1804 its flower show set off a spate of similar events throughout the whole country.
Improved living standards, increased leisure time, the development of the suburbs,
public parks and botanical gardens as well as the Plant Hunters’ who searched the
world for new species that commercial growers then made generally available all
helped to stimulate a growing interest in hobby horticulture during the course of
the nineteenth century.
Eventually virtually every city,
town and village has its own particular version and one of the biggest and earliest
took place on Bull Park in Newcastle in 1846. It was a grand affair with 'every
accomodation' offered to visitors including music and refreshment. Admission to
the show was one shilling, tickets for the Pavilion Dinner cost ten shillings and
included a pint of wine.
Growers were keen to measure their
achievements against those of their fellow enthusiast and in 1861 formal rules were
set by the R.H.S for judging the quality of vegetables whereas in previous years
the only criteria had been size.
Amongst the working classes in
the North East there was an emphasis on showing leeks, an interest apparently due
to a large influx of Welsh miners into the Northern coal fields and it became an
important feature of the regions mining culture. After a hard day underground the garden offered
pit men fresh air and contact with the natural world. For those without gardens,
tending allotments was viewed by many Victorians as a productive use of time by
keeping the poor away from the evils of drink whilst at the. Same time providing
wholesome food for the work force.
The Smallholding and Allotment
Act of 1881 and further legislation in 1908 required local authorities to make land
available for this purpose.
19 century leek growing was a
science as well as a passion. Homemade fertiliser made from an assortment of slops
left to stew was tipped into a jam jar at the base of the plant. The jar had its
bottom removed by putting an inch of old engine oil into the jar, plunging a red
hot poker into the oil and then lowering the jar into cold-water. The glass base
dropped off leaving an open ended tube into which the fertiliser was poured. A roll
of newspapers tied around the base of the growing plant kept the sun off and kept
the base white. The blanched length of the leek could measure no more than 6 inches
from its base to first leaf joint and an identical. Set of 3 was needed to stand
any chance of winning a prize. Growers often slept in the garden, guarding their
precious crop just prior to the showing season as sabotage was not uncommon.
The annual show was an important
event involving months of planning and fund raising. As well as being a leisure
activity the leek show gave the growers a sense of purpose with targets to aim.
For and by offering a range of family attractions was a welcome source of entertainment
for the whole of the community.
Ashington was sufficiently populated
to support over 30 leek clubs. Small villages like Monkton, south of Jarrow had
to co-exist with neighbouring societies. The origin of Monkton Society is not well
known but it existed in 1864 as. The photograph of its committee illustrates. Membership
of the most prestigious clubs was but invitation and it was said ' you would no
more eat a prime leek than you would eat the winner of the derby.
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| Image from https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/historic-cup-went-missing-82-13319949 |
Photo the leek show
Newcastle Horticulture show 1846
The Hopping’s. Moira
The Hoppings is an annual travelling
funfair, held on the town moor in Newcastle upon Tyne, it is one of Europe’s largest
travelling funfairs.
Hopping's were originally known
as the Newcastle Temperance Festival, and today it is still a Temperance Festival,
as there is no alcohol sold on the festival site. The Newcastle Temperance Society
was launched on. The October 1 1839. Prominent in the Temperance movement was
Dr John Hunter Rutherford, who was said to be a skillful and effective mouthpiece
and was one of the original founders of the North of England Temperance League.
After his death a drinking fountain was erected in St Nicholas Square, but was removed
to make way for Queen Victoria’s Statue. Ironically his statue was then placed in
the centre of the Big market. Famous for its number of public house and. Excessive
use of alcohol
Due to a dispute between the corporation
and Gosforth park racing company, the races moved from the town moor to Gosforth.
In 1882,the largest travelling fair was launched on the town moor, by prominent
temperance movement workers. It was designed to be a counter attraction to the drunken
orgies of the Newcastle race meetings. Because of these races which included, betting,
gambling, thieving and alcohol abuse, parents took their children away from the
town during race week.
The fair started as a roundabout
and freak show with temperance stands. It lasted two days and the rent income was
£10 as compared to the rent income of £60,000 in 1991 For nine days.
During the first world war the
fair moved to Jesmond Dene, bit returned to the town moor when the war ended. There
were no fairs in. The city in the early 1920's,but they returned in 1924 and have
continued since.
The Hoppings takes it name from
an old word meaning to. 'dance' but there is also the suggestion that it may come
from the clothing which the travellers wore, sack like tops and pants. This clothing
often became infested with fleas, and people were seen 'jumping' and 'hopping' itching
from the bites. The dance version is the one more widely accepted.
It is written in Geodie Folklore
that when the hoppings came to. Toon, so does a deluge of rain.
Leisure pursuits pre and post 1st World War Irene
The photographs show my mams
mothers family the Pearsons. The photo with the wooden shed or maybe an old
railway carriage was taken at Tarset around 1912.In the photo are my grandma
aged 13, my great grandad Samuel Pearson, great uncles Sammy and jack Pearson,
Jacks wife Georgina, great aunty Meggie and husband Tommy Siree, (killed in the
1st World War). The other photo shows great uncle Jack Pearson with brother
Sammy and friends, this was also taken at Tarset, looks like there was some
sort of competition going on. The wooden shed belonged to the Pearsons, it was
well used in. Summer months by the family. As they were all working class I
presume that it would be more used on a Sunday as they got very little time off
work for leisure.
Tarset is four miles North
West of Bellingham, in 1831 the population was just 169. Tarset was served by
Tarset railway station on the Border Counties railway which linked the
Newcastle and carlise railway near Hexham with the Border union railway at
Riccarton junction. The first section of the route was opened between Hexham and
Chollerford in 1858 the remainder opening in 1862, so this is one form of
transport as to how the Pearson sand other people on the site got there.
I could not get any information
about the site at this time, but obviously this type of leisure was pre caravan
sites. In 1956 the railway was closed by British Rail, part of the line is now
beneath the surface of Kielder Water. Tarset today is partly located within the
Northumberland National Park and also within the international dark skies park,
wonder what my Pearson family would have thought of that.
Music Halls Maureen
Music halls often began in an
adjoining premises of a public house or in rooms set aside in the 1830's. By
1850's they had become so popular that the Tavern landlord had moved the
entertainment into purpose built halls. A typical Music Hall bill would consist
of 9-10 acts of different appeals. These would include trick cyclists,
performing animals and impersonators. Comic vocalists singing the lyrics of many
of Marie Loyd's songs such as 'She sits Among Her Cabbages and Peas' were also
very popular. There was an. Entrance fee and a chairman would keep order using a
gavel as he introduced the acts. The audience were able to consume food and alcohol
as well as smoke Tobacco. The growth of the Hall were rapid. By 1870 there were
31 large Halls listed in London and 384 in the rest of the country. However
there was a gradual decline by the end of the century when cinemas became more
dominant.
The Music hall of 1838 in
Nelson Stree built by Richard Grainger was a replacement for the one he had
built on Blacket Stree in 1830. It was used for exhibitions, concerts and
lectures. It was was known as the lecture Room and was where Charles Dickens
read from his works. It changed its name to the New Concert hall in 1879 when it.
Was recognised as a 'Music Hall'. From 1884 it was known as the Gaiety
Theatere of Varieties. It was taken over by the Temperance movement in 1890 and
renamed it Central Hall. In 1911 it became a cinema. Most of the building was
demolished in 1964 leaving the facade with a tablet above the door.
