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Northumberland Archives

@nlandarchives.bsky.social
3K followers 916 following 73 posts

Accredited archives for the county of Northumberland and Diocese of Newcastle. Housed at Woodhorn, near Ashington, and at Berwick Library. northumberlandarchives.com

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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
We’re pleased to share our latest video 🎬 Created with pupils at Allendale Primary School as part of our At War and In Peace project, these animations are inspired by wartime propaganda and explore Second World War history 🎞️ Watch here 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W7b...
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
⏳ Step back into post-war Northumberland with our workshops uncovering the post-war rebuilding of communities: 📍 Northumberland Archives, Woodhorn – 21 March (Residents’ Festival – FREE) 📍 Hexham Community Centre – 23 March 🎟 Book: 21 March: tinyurl.com/4tw54snz 23 March: tinyurl.com/3p9eecby
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Last week, staff visited the Victoria Tunnel. Thanks to the Ouseburn Trust for a fascinating tour exploring its wartime role and engineering history. Follow us for updates on our WWII project, or get in touch about donating Northumbrian WWII items or memories: archives@northumberland.gov.uk
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
Did you catch our WW2 pop-up exhibition at Alnwick Playhouse? Yesterday was the final day. Missed it? We’re planning a post-war exhibition as part of the At War & In Peace project. Follow us for updates or sign up to our newsletter 👉 eepurl.com/jlGMpM
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
As part of our At War & In Peace project, we’re cataloguing the diaries of Ruth Leathart, mother of ATA pilot Constance Leathart. 📕 As we enter a new year we wanted to share this diary entry reflecting the uncertainty felt as another year of war began: “And so ends 1941… what will 1942 bring?”
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
A 1945 letter from Rev. J. L. Mullens of Seaton Delaval sends festive wishes to those away from home or on war work. With war’s end in sight, Christmas was still uncertain. In the New Year, we begin part two of At War & In Peace, exploring post-war Northumberland. Stay updated: eepurl.com/jlGMpM 📧✨
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
🎄 Just 13 days until Christmas and we’ve uncovered some festive finds in our archive! 🎅 From Christmas toy adverts in Coal magazine to a festive 1959 cover by National Coal Board artist Moira Stephenson, an official National Coal Board artist.⛄🎨
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
📜 Just 2 spaces left! Join our WW2 Records Workshop at Northumberland Archives and uncover life on the Home Front — from wartime work to air raids & Civil Defence. 🔍 Discover what the records reveal and learn how to research your own stories: tinyurl.com/52fkfa4z
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
We've just had a lot of fun making a short video about Northumberland place names... unfortunately, it doesn't seem to post so well here. Go and have a look at our other social media accounts (FB, IG, TikTok) to see it in all its glory! How do you pronounce Cambois?
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Just a few tickets left for our talk on Thursday: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1556282134... Bethany will be talking about the archives that are held by the Vindolanda Trust and the work she does to preserve the documentation created around this amazing Roman site.
eventbrite.co.uk
Vindolanda: Introducing the Archives
This talk will introduce you to the archival material held by the Vindolanda Trust and discuss some of the work done so far.
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
⌨ Read our latest WW2 Project blog on the Mitford Welcome Home Fund (1944–46): tinyurl.com/3mw5xpb9. Discover how Mitford community raised money with whist drives, dances & raffles to thank returning servicemen & women after WW2. 📧 Sign up to our WW2 newsletter: eepurl.com/jlGMpM #HeritageFund 🤞
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
📢Join us for a Berwick Heritage Open Day talk by Phil Rowett: Put That Light Out – Wartime Law in the Berwick Area 🕖 Sun 14 Sept, 7pm (online). Discover how locals dodged wartime laws, ending in a 1946 stolen ambulance stopped by police gunfire! 🎟️ Book: tinyurl.com/55hs2ecw
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
📢 Join us for our first WW2 Talk: Conscientious Objectors in North East England with Stuart Anderson. Explore the hidden wartime experiences of conscientious objectors on the Home Front. 🎟️ Book via Eventbrite: tinyurl.com/s8z9znuj 📧 Sign up for our WW2 Project Newsletter: eepurl.com/jlGMpM
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
🎺Heritage Open Days announcement🎺 We're going to be bringing #TheArchivesJob to Woodhorn Museum! 13 Sep 2025 The escape room and museum entrance will be free, but booking for the escape room is ESSENTIAL: www.heritageopendays.org.uk/submission-e...
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
As part of our WW2 project, Berwick Record Office has created an exhibition, displaying this weekend Friday 15 - Sunday 17, exploring North Northumberland’s contribution to the Far East Campaign. The exhibition will be on display at St Andrew’s Wallace Green Church in Berwick.📍
A poster advertising the exhibition featuring a black and white image showing 4 soldiers in their Far East uniform for hot weather.
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
Have you had the chance to see our new WW2 Home Front Exhibition, exploring the stories of ordinary Northumbrians, at County Hall? The exhibition uncovers both tragic & courageous stories from Northumberland Archives. Follow our social media to stay up to date with our WW2 project. 📣
A shaded black-out lamp used during the war is displayed in a cabinet.A woman looks at an exhibition board about wartime food.
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Are you going to be at #DCDC25 next week? @durham-university.bsky.social There for #HistoryDay on Tuesday? Stop by our escape van and say hello! #archives #GLAM #escaperoom #archivesjob
Jo and Amy chilling outside of the van. the van is decorated with a muti-covered livery and has a the "Archives Job" logo on the side, over the window.
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
We are recruiting! Are you a qualified archivist who is looking for an 18-month, full-time position? Would you like to work in a stunning location with a wide range of collections? Enjoy being part of a team and talking up archives to a wide audience? www.northeastjobs.org.uk/job/Archivis...
media.tenor.com
a cartoon of homer simpson and bart simpson sitting on a couch with the words join us above them .
ALT: a cartoon of homer simpson and bart simpson sitting on a couch with the words join us above them .
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
We've just released some extra tickets for our escape van! If you're going to Allendale Show (16 Aug) or Glendale Show (25 Aug), we'll be there too! Booking via eventbrite: Allendale Show www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1415124047... Glendale Show www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1461732935...
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Fancy a bit of #summer reading? But bored of the latest #romantasy? Why not try our manorial records blog series?! northumberlandarchives.com/2025/04/29/b... northumberlandarchives.com/2025/06/03/w... northumberlandarchives.com/2025/06/12/m...
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Announcing our latest exhibition! Art Deco 100 Celebrating art deco design around Northumberland County Hall, Morpeth Now until 1 Aug 2025
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
🌼 This weekend marks the 57th Northumbrian Gathering in Morpeth – time to dust off those Morris dancing bells and Northumbrian bagpipes! www.northumbriana.org.uk/gathering/in... Short 🧵follows... #archives #history #dialect #northumberland #bagpipes
Collage of documents from Northumberland Archives about the Morpeth Gathering. 

📸

NRO 8134/1 poster from the 10th Morpeth Gathering along with programme particulars for the 7th gathering and poster imagery of the ‘Morpeth Gadgie’.  

NRO 7791/2/5 Textual description of Morpeth Gathering
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
Do you know a scarlet woman? Are you one yourself? Read about one of our recent accessions: The Scarlet Women newsletter. northumberlandarchives.com/2025/04/07/s...
northumberlandarchives.com
Spot the Difference - Northumberland Archives
What is history? Is it the lives of royalty from centuries past? Is it the landed gentry, perhaps it is mine owners or ship builders? … In the archives we certainly see a lot of material about these g...
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
That's us! It was great working with Adam and we've come away with so many ideas! Watch this space... #archives #dragons
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
What links the highland clearances and a Northumbrian stately home? Prof Annie Tindley's blog post contains the answers... northumberlandarchives.com/2025/03/31/a... #archives @newcastleuni.bsky.social
northumberlandarchives.com
Atkinson & Marshall: Northumbrian sheep farmers in Sutherland, Scotland - Northumberland Archives
This guest blog has been written by Professor Annie Tindley from Newcastle University. ‘Messers Atkinson and Marshall the first adventurers in stock farming in the earldom of Sutherland are stock and ...
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
Blog post from our archivist, Chris, about the work that he's been doing on the Hindmarsh photographic collection. northumberlandarchives.com/2025/03/26/p... #archives #history #photography #C20th
northumberlandarchives.com
Paul Hindmarsh Exhibition - Northumberland Archives
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 worke...
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
The puzzles for the Disrupt the Archives escape room are coming together! Playtesting is revealing where to tweak the puzzles and where players might need a bit more help. But, is it ethical to use your colleagues as guinea-pigs? Asking for a friend... #archives
Northumberland Archives at Woodhorn: the study centre. This is usually where researchers sit and peruse documents. This morning puzzling took over! The puzzles are laid out on the map table and desks ready to be tested.A four-digit lock in focus. The rest of the puzzle is a sheet next to the lock - if you look closely you can see some of the creepy crawlies that eat archives on the sheet!A set of tally sticks in the foreground with a set of coloured paper cups placed upside down on the desk behind them. The paper cups have roman numerals written on the side.In the foreground is a tangle of pink Heritage Open Days bunting. In the background is the archive study centre desk which has a series of photographs stuck to it for the purposes of this puzzle...
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Our most recently recruited members of staff have just written a blog about what it's like working at Northumberland Archives. Do check it out. (It's worth it just for the photos!) northumberlandarchives.com/2025/03/01/n... #archives #newbies #careers #history
northumberlandarchives.com
New Kids on the Block! - Northumberland Archives
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...
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
Disrupt the Archives project is spending all week developing our escape room. Today: electronics supported by NCC IT staff AND filming with November Club theatre company.
A hat helps the characterisation of a gang boss!Using Micro:Bits to programme potential puzzles.
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
On the release of the new Bridget Jones film, we wanted to share some more of Mary Hannington’s diaries: She saw the film ‘I was a spy’ and wrote "Edmund Gwenn (what a canny Burgomaster!) and Anthony Bushell made a bonny German secret service agent – handsome and callous.” See alt text for more
NRO 11029 – Mary Hannington is photographed walking down a street in Newcastle. 

She is wearing a long light-coloured overcoat which is belted at the waist. She has on a cloche hat, a scarf, dark gloves and dark low-heeled shoes. She has a handbag under her arm and is carrying several parcels. There are passers-by heading the opposite direction to the right of the picture and the window of a shop on the left. A double decker bus (or tram?) can be seen in the background to the right.Picture of a page of Mary Hannington's diary (NRO 11029). Monday Oct 30. Small photographs of actors have been pasted at the top of the page. Mary's diary entry is hand written below. Part of it reads:

“Tonight went to the Queen’s to see ‘I was a spy’... The film was jolly good, production and acting, splendid. Madeleine Canoll was good also Conrad Veidt, Herbert Marshall, Edmund Gwenn (what a canny Burgomaster!) and Anthony Bushell made a bonny German secret service agent – handsome and callous.”
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
Happy Valentine's Day! ❤️ Forget #bridgetjonesdiary- we have the diaries of Mary Hannington. Entry from 1935: local amdram production, including a certain Billy in the cast... "Wish, by the way, I could keep my thoughts away from that young man because he’s a silly a** – birds of a feather though!!"
Photograph of Mary Hannington (1914-2003).
Mary is perching on the railing of a boat at sea. She is looking windswept and fabulous. The is wearing a dark pencil skirt and a light jumper, topped with a scarf tied over her hair.
She is next to a lifeboat which has a lifeboug attached to it. The lifebouy has the name "Sandhill" visible along the top.Photographs from the Evening Chronicle of the production of "Ruddigore" that Mary attended in 1935 and wrote about in her diary. She wasn't very complimentary of the newspaper photographer, writing "I could have done better myself with my brownie [camera]".Scan of Mary's diary. (NRO 11029) Mary has a humorous tone of voice, shown in this diary entry, remarking on the actors and local coverage of a production of ‘Ruddigore’.
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
This Holocaust Memorial Day we look in our collection at a postcard collected by Mr Thomas Holliday when he visited Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1972. A necessary journey that does not get easier, an unthinkable tragedy that feels incomprehensible today. We shall remember.
Black and white postcard of the gates to the Auschwitz concentration camp. The infamous slogan "Arbeit macht frei" can be seen above the gates. NRO 07173/53 Photograph of the gates of Auschwitz taken by Sarah, an archivist at Northumberland Archives.
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
This is a fabulous thread that finishes up with us! #Archives #industrial #history #northeast
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
From our friends at the Surtees Society: Stockton-on-Tees 1600-1835: Urban History in Regional Context Day School Saturday 5 April 2025 9.45 - 16.00 Venue: River Tees Watersports Centre Contact martin@peagam.co.uk for further details
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
STOP PRESS! 🛑 The Woodhorn site will be CLOSED tomorrow due to the predicted adverse weather conditions. The archives study centre will be closed to researchers and staff will be working from home. We're sorry for any inconvience this may cause.
Extract of a document. NRO 00452/D/8/1/1 Journal of wind and weather conditions and daily activities, relating to wrecks, 1772. Part of the Lord Crewe collection. https://northumberlandarchives.com/exhibitions/crewe/1.html
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
Announcing two new learning resources on our website: KS2 - Animating the Manor northumberlandarchives.com/learn/animat... Lifelong Learners - All Manor of Things northumberlandarchives.com/learn/all-ma... Developed as part of our Heritage Lottery project "Everyday Life in a Northumbrian Manor"
northumberlandarchives.com
Animating the Manor – Learning Resources
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
Buzzing with ideas! We just hosted students @northumbriauni.bsky.social studying computer games. We showed them around the archives and asked them to come up with an idea based around what they saw. We just want to make all of their ideas now! Archivist simulator - yes please! #archives
Zoe and Shaun, PhD students, holding up their brainstorm and sketches for an archives computer game. They went for an immersive AR game that could be used in the archives to learn more about what we hold, guided by a friendly barn own!
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
As part of our Heritage Lottery funded project "Everyday Life in a Northumbrian Manor" we offered a small grant to our volunteer groups. Our group in Hexham used their grant to organise a family history morning at the Abbey this Satuday. See poster for details. #archives #history #familyhistory
Poster for event at Hexham Abbey on Saturday 18th January 2025.

The text reads:
Is your family from Hexham?
An exhibition at Hexham Abbey North Transept
Saturday 18th January 2025
10am-1pm
The Manorial Project
Local and Family History Research from Manorial Court Records
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
Escape room project update 🗝️ Our group of young people in Hexham started work on the narrative of their escape room - plotting characters, themes and jeopardy! They then created a treasure hunt for each other with clues leading to random objects around the room. #archives #taskmasterUK #NHLF
Joe Hufton leading a session with young people at Queen's Hall Studio, Hexham.

Joe is stood in the middle of the picture surrounded by young people sat on bright yellow chairs. They are grouped around tables. The brick wall at the back is painted black and has a sign saying "Q H Studio" in white. Theatre lights can be seen overhead.The  bare concrete floor of the studio. On the floor is a 1960s knitting pattern and a brass lamp.A group of young people gathered around a table. They have some pieces of yellow paper on the table and two of the group are holding pens. They look like they are thinking hard and involved in intense discussion.A group of young people looking intently at Joe (who is out of shot) as he gives them instructions on how to set up their treasure hunts using the random objects that he brought along for them.
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
Free online talk introducting manors and their documents. All Manor of Things 30 Jan 2025 7pm Update on Everyday Life in a Northumbrian Manor project and resources created. Also findings from the documents to inspire your manorial research. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1142741062... #archives #NLHF
eventbrite.co.uk
All Manor of Things
This talk will tell you about Northumbrian manorial records and our 3-year archive project to make them more accessible.
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
New deposit bought with a grant from The Friends of the Nations' Libraries. 10 volumes of minutes of The Merchants and Taylors Company of Morpeth 1608-1708. The Company was one of seven guilds that formed the town council. They were responsible for making decisions affecting the town. #archives
Detail of a page from the minute book of the Merchants and Taylors [Tailors] Company of Morpeth. The pages of this volume are a bit crumpled and slightly torn at the edge. The writing is in secretary hand and the text dates this entry to 29th December 1615.
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
Woodhorn Museum will be closed in the new year for restoration works: 6 Jan 2025 - 21 Jan 2025 We will still be open as usual during that period. (See website for opening hours.) If you are coming to vist us, please be extra careful when walking from the main gates to the #archives entrance.
Traditional Christmas card with a small rotund man dressed in red with white hair, a bald pate and a beard drinking an outsized tankard of beer. He has an oversize corkscrew on his belt. The cartoon is surrounded by stylized foliage on all four sides. The text at the top right of the card reads "Wishing you a Merry Christmas". There is some further righting on the left of the card "YE SILVER KING", possibly hand-written.

We do not endorse imbibing a vessel of alcohol larger than your own body. Please drink responsibly (obvs).
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
🥳🥳🥳🎉🎉🎉🎊🎊🎊 Thank you so much to everyone that's followed us over the last few weeks! We've just hit 1.9k followers! (Pro tip: you can get exact follower numbers by using this site: bluesky-live-follower-count.glitch.me) We ❤️ @bsky.app #archives #history #historians #localhistory
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Sunday 15th December marks the official opening of passenger services along the Northumberland Line. 🎊 To celebrate here are a few pictures from the #archives of the train stations as they were: Bedlington, Ashington and Seaton Delaval #history #trains #northumberland #northumberlandline
Black and white photograph of Bedlington train station.Hand tinted postcard of Ashington train station.Black and white photogrph of Seaton Delaval train station.
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Last chance to sign up for tomorrow's free online talk: George Tate: Draper's apprentice to geologist and historian 12 Dec 2024, 7pm www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/976125526727 #archives #history #alnwick #northumberland
eventbrite.co.uk
George Tate: From draper’s apprentice to eminent geologist and historian
A talk by Alison Tymon about Alnwick's nineteenth-century chronicler
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Looking for something to keep you occupied over Christmas?🎄 Why not try your hand at some palaeography (reading old handwriting)? 📜 If you are a complete beginniner, you could always have a go at an online tutorial: northumberlandarchives.com/learn/decoding-manuscripts
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
Our latest blog about buildings for agricultural workers in Northumberland during World War 2. northumberlandarchives.com/2024/12/04/w... #archives #history #ww2 🗃️
northumberlandarchives.com
War Agricultural Housing in Acklington
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 ...
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
Christmas opening at Northumberland Archives, Woodhorn. 🎁🎄🎅 We’ll be open through December with our last day of opening on Friday 20th. We will then re-open on Thursday 2nd January 2025 for the New Year. 🌟 #archives #northumberland 🗃️
Sunny but snowy scene. Photo taken looking out from the entrance to the archives at Woodhorn. Cartoonish shelves which are decorated for Christmas are superimposed over the image (bottom middle). A cartoon strand of holly with red berries is above this and further above is Northumberland Archives written in dark blue letters. The N of Northumberland seems to be wearing a Santa hat.
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
We've really enjoyed hosting 6th formers from Bede Academy this morning. Their research will then make the basis of a Wikithon!
Northumberland Archives search room with groups of young people doing research.
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Northumberland Archives @nlandarchives.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
#NationalTreeWeek #Northumberland is known for its brilliant landscape and tree, #SycamoreGap. From our archive, for National Tree Week, here is an image of an impressive Chestnut tree at Hulne Park, Alnwick. 🌳 'Conkers' from the trees, are well-known in British culture with conker games popular.
Stereoscopic photograph of a chestnut tree at Hulne Park, Alnwick, 1899. NRO 9703/9

Stereoscopic photographs always appear in pairs, like this. When they are put into a special viewer, the two images combine to look 3D.
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