You can simply turn up for some events but many are shown as *PBE (this means that numbers are limited and pre-booking is essential). Please note, this year, this includes Shipley Art Gallery events. Unless otherwise stated, you can make your bookings at any library in Gateshead or by phoning the Central Library on 0191 433 8420.

• Sun 4 May 10.30am 'Stories behind the stones'
  A cholera memorial, a grave without a body and a sporting hero are just some of the memorials to be found in this walk around Gateshead East & St Edmund's cemeteries. Meet at the War Memorial, Wordsworth Street. *PBE

• Sun 4 May 2.30pm 'Hedgerows and headstones'
  A walk around Lamesley ending in a graveyard trail. Meet in car park at the Ravensworth Arms, Lamesley. *PBE

• Mon 5 May 2.00pm 'Plagues, coffins and burials walk'
  Discover who is buried in St Mary's Churchyard and episodes in Gateshead's murky past! Meet at West door of The Sage Gateshead. *PBE (This event is subject to change & an alternative walk will be offered if necessary)

• Tues 6 May 10.30am 'Town Hall tour'
  Walk around this lovely building. May include a visit to the police cells. Meet at main entrance, Town Hall. '*PBE

• Tues 6 May 2.00pm 'Rowlands Gill -The early years walk'
  Visit buildings and sites which illustrate the origins, development and early years of the village of Rowlands Gill. Meet at Rowlands Gill Library Car Park, junction of Norman Road and Smailes Lane. *PBE

• Tues 6 May 2.00pm 'History of Red Kites in the North East'
  Persecution to preservation, an illustrated talk by the Northern Kites Society at Learn Lane Library. *PBE

• Tues 6 May 2.30pm 'William Wailes, the man & his world'
  Celebrate the 200th anniversary of William Wailes' birth in this talk in the house which he designed. A talk by Roger Fern, Newcastle Association of City Guides, at Saltwell Towers, Saltwell Park. *PBE

• Tues 6 May 7.00pm 'Deaths, diseases & dastardly deeds'
  The perils of living in Gateshead! Talk by Anthea Lang, Local History & Heritage Manager, at the Shipley Art Gallery. *PBE

• Wed 7 May 10.30am 'Wrekenton heritage trail'
  Walk around Wrekenton'. Meet at the Old School Community Centre. Opportunity to view archive material before the walk. *PBE

• Wed 7 May 10.30am 'Kill or cure'
  Beamish Museum opens their medical chest, at Pelaw Library. *PBE Light refreshments available.

• Wed 7 May 1.30pm 'Wrekenton heritage trail'
  Walk around Wrekenton. Meet at the Old School Community Centre. Opportunity to view archive material before the walk. *PBE

• Wed 7 May 2.00pm 'The Turnpike Road'
  Talk. Francis Newman Sunniside Local History Society at Whickham Library. *PBE

• Wed 7 May 7.15pm 'Gateshead grand & grim'
  Walk around Central Gateshead comparing civic riches with areas of poverty. Association of Newcastle City Guides. Meet outside the old Town Hall, West St, Gateshead.

• Thurs 8 May 10.00am - 6.00pm 'Felling in photos'
  See how Felling used to look. Drop in session at Felling Library.

• Thurs 8 May 11.00am 'World War 11 reminiscences'
  Talk by Margaret Minns, Whickham U3A at Sunderland Road Library. *PBE

• Thurs 8 May 11.00am 'Sculptural tales'
  A walk discovering the stories behind some of Gateshead's public art works. Please note, this is a two hour walk and sensible footwear is recommended. Meet outside west door of The Sage Gateshead. *PBE

• Thurs 8 May 2.00pm 'Bygone Birtley'
  Take a stroll around the 'old village' of Birtley and discover some of its fascinating history. Walk leaves from Birtley Library. *PBE

• Thurs 8 May 2.30pm 'Transport - back to the future'
  A look at transport both manufactured and used throughout the north from the 17th century to the 20th century, Graeme Charlton at Crawcrook Library.*PBE

• Thurs 8 May 2.30pm 'Victorian panorama'
  Talk. The story behind buildings featured in John Storey's 1862 painting of Newcastle & Gateshead. Alan Morgan, Association of Newcastle City Guides at the Central Library.

• Fri 9 May 10.00am 'History of Mayoral regalia & Gateshead's civic traditions'
  A behind the scenes tour of the Mayor's parlour, Council Chamber, if available, displays & much more. Mayor & Mayor's of Gateshead. Meet at main Civic Centre reception. *PBE

• Fri 9 May 10.30am 'Who do you think you are?'
  How to find your ancestors on the internet. This is aimed at people who are internet proficient and have done some family history research. Chris Myhil, Area Library Manager, at Dunston Library. *PBE

• Fri 9 May 12.30pm 'Behind the scenes at the Shipley Art Gallery'
  Talk and tour of the stores with curator Amy Barker (note limited disabled access at the Shipley Art Gallery. *PBE

• Fri 9 May 2.30pm 'Ravensworth - Gateshead's secret garden rediscovered'
  Talk by Jules Brown of the Civic Trust at Low Fell Library. *PBE

• Sat 10 May 10.00am 'St Andrew's Church, Lamesley'
  Tour of this historic church followed by a graveyard trail. Meet in car park outside church. "*PBE

• Sat 10 May 10.00am 'The summerhouse, the soldiers and the stately home'
  Short walk looking at the local and natural history of Summerhouse Hill. includes children's activity trail. Meet at the lay-by next to Caroline Terrace, on B6317, just after the car show room. Please note: involves stile crossings and a climb up an incline. *PBE

• Sat 10 May 10.00am - 5.00 pm Pathhead Water Mill,
  Summerhill Road, Blaydon Take the opportunity to have a free visit to this historic mill.

• Sun 11 May 10.00am - 5.00 pm Pathhead Water Mill,
  Summerhill Road, Blaydon Take the opportunity to have a free visit to this historic mill.

• Sun 11 May 10.30am 'Along the river's edge'
  Walk. A look at the Quayside from both sides of the river. Meet outside the west door of The Sage Gateshead. *PBE

• Sun 11 May 2.00pm 'Chopwell Woods History & Heritage walk'
  Discover the history of Chopwell Woods & visit some of the industrial heritage sites. Friends of Chopwell Woods. Meet in the car park, Chopwell Woods. Booking essential & must be made on 01388 488312 or see www.forestry.gov.uk/northeastengland *PBE

• Mon 12 May 2.00pm 'Thomas Hepburn - his life and times'
  Talk about one of the most influential people in the history of coal mining. Anthea Lang, Local History & Heritage Manage, at Felling Library. *PBE

• Mon 12 May 2.30pm 'Tracing the history of your house'
  Talk. Ever wondered who used to live in your house or how old it might be? Alan Hayward, Tyne & Wear Archives, at Blaydon Library. *PBE

• Tues 13 May 10.30am 'Undiscovered Gateshead'
  walk around Carr Hill & Sheriff Hill. Meet opposite the Beaconsfield, Beaconsfield Road, Low Fell. Please note there will be an amount of uphill walking. *PBE

• Tues 13 May 2.00pm 'River Tyne from source to sea'
  Enjoy a fascinating film showing historical sites en-route from the source of the Tyne to the sea. Francis Newman Sunniside Local History Society at Lobley Hill Community Centre. *PBE

• Tues 13 May 2.00pm 'Saltwell sonnets'
  Walk. Poetry and history meet in this beautiful park. Dot Cameron, Reader Development Librarian &Anthea Lang, Local History & Heritage Manager. Meet at the main gates, Saltwell Park (opposite the Little Theatre) *PBE

• Tues 13 May 7.00pm 'Life on the dark side'
  A look at the seedy side of life in Victorian Tyneside. Dr Malcolm Grady, tutor in Victorian history, at the Shipley Art Gallery *PBE

• Wed 14 May 10.30am 'Wrekenton heritage trail'
  Walk around Wrekenton. Meet at the Old School Community Centre. Opportunity to view archive material before the walk. *PBE

• Wed 14 May 1.30pm 'Wrekenton heritage trail'
  Walk around Wrekenton. Meet at the Old School Community Centre. Opportunity to view archive material before the walk. *PBE

• Wed 14 May 2.00pm 'Blaydon Burn walk'
  Find out about Blaydon Burn's fascinating past; mills, mines and much more! Walk starts at Black Bull car park. Some rough ground so stout footwear is necessary. *PBE

• Wed 14 May 7.15pm 'Old Marley Hill & Marley Hill Colliery'
  Walk. Meet outside St Cuthbert's Church. Sensible footwear required.

• Thurs 15 May 10.30am 'Return of the red kite'
  Find out more about these amazing birds in this talk by Noel Adamson at Dunston Library. *PBE

• Thurs 15 May 11.00am 'Transport - back to the future'
  A look at transport both manufactured and used throughout the north from the 17th century to the 20th century, Graeme Charlton at Sunderland Road Library. *PBE

• Thurs 15 May 2.00pm 'Stella Hall & the Cowen family'
  Talk about the history of the house & the family who lived there. John Oliver at Crawcrook Library. *PBE

• Thurs 15 May 2.30pm 'Alexander McDonnell - gentleman engineer'
  Discover more about this NER superintendent in this talk by author Andrew Everett. at the Central Library. *PBE

• Fri 16 May 10.30am 'Who do you think you are?'
  How to find your ancestors on the internet. This is aimed at people who are internet proficient and have done some family history research. Chris Myhill, Area Library Manager, at Birtley Library. *PBE

• Fri 16 May 12.30pm 'Thomas Reed - a life'
  Talk. Thomas Reed was a notable benefactor to Gateshead and other Tyneside towns. Find out more about him in this talk by Angus McDonald of Tyne & Wear Museums, at the Shipley Art Gallery. *PBE

• Fri 16 May 2.00pm 'Kill or cure'
  Beamish Museum opens their medical chest at Felling Library. *PBE Light refreshments available.

• Fri 16 May 2.30pm 'History of the Little Theatre Gateshead'
  Find out more about the only theatre in England to be opened during the Second World War. Talk by Don Walker of the Little Theatre, at Low Fell Library *PBE

• Fri 16 May 4.30pm 'Quirky Quakers tea party'
  Talk about the Spence Watsons of Bensham Grove, followed by a tour of the house & refreshments. Bensham & Saltwell Heritage Group, at Bensham Grove Community Centre. *PBE

• Fri 16 May 7.00pm 'Lepers, leeches & Lucozade'
  Medicine on Tyneside through the ages. Talk by Jo Bath of Beamish Museum, at the Central Library.

• Sat 17 May 9.30am -12.30pm 'Local and Family History Fair'
  Discover more about your ancestors and the area in which they lived. Buy bargain local history books and ask questions of the experts. Exhibitors include Tyne &Wear Archives, Northumberland & Durham Family History Society, North East War Memorials Project, Beamish Museum, Local History Societies from around Gateshead, Newcastle City Guides and of course, ourselves at the Central Library.

• Sun 18 May 2.30pm 'Old Ryton Village'
  Walk. Discover the history of this picturesque village. Meet at Holy Cross. *PBE

• Mon 19 May 2.00pm 'Poetry People'
  Join Low Fell's poetry reading group for some local prose and poetry at Low Fell Library. *PBE

• Mon 19 May 2.00pm 'History of Red Kites in the North East'
  Persecution to preservation, an illustrated talk at Felling Library. *PBE

• Mon 19 May 2.00pm 'Nails, chain & revolution - the Crowley connection to Tyneside'
  Discover the importance of this family to the area in this talk by Susan Lynn, at Blaydon Library. *PBE

• Mon 19 May 7.00pm 'Stories behind the stones'
  A cholera memorial, a grave without a body and a sporting hero are just some of the memorials to be found in this walk around Gateshead East & St Edmund's cemeteries. Meet at the War Memorial, Wordsworth Street. *PBE

• Tues 20 May 2.00pm 'Deaths, diseases & dastardly deeds'
  The perils of living in Gateshead! Talk by Anthea Lang, Local History & Heritage Manager, at Birtley Library. *PBE

• Tues 20 May 7.00pm 'The Victorian Polis'
  Talk. How the Victorians dealt with crime. Harry Wynne, North Eastern Police History Society, at the Shipley Art Gallery. *PBE

• Wed 21 May 10.30am 'Kill or cure'
  Beamish Museum opens their medical chest, at Leam Lane Library. *PBE Light refreshments available.

• Wed 21 May 2.00pm 'Lotties Wood & the Bell Pit'
  Talk. How an early coal mine was discovered. Francis Newman, Sunniside Local History Society, at Whickham Library. *PBE

• Wed 21 May 5.30pm - 7.30pm 'Bars, beerhouses & breweries'
  A drop in evening looking at the history of public houses in central Gateshead. Your chance to look at old photographs, directories etc, at the Central Library.

• Wed 21 May 7.15pm 'A walk around Bygone Bill Quay'
  Learn more about Bill Quay's past with Newcastle City Guide Jean Taylor. Meet outside Bill Quay Methodist Church. *PBE

• Thurs 22 May 11.00am 'St Mary's Church - past, present & future'
  The importance to Gateshead of this historic church. Talk by Anthea Lang, Local History & Heritage Manager, at Sunderland Road Library. *PBE

• Thurs 22 May 2.00pm 'Stargate - quarries, coals & communities'
  The story of a Ryton Colliery Village. Talk by John Boothroyd, Ryton LHS, at Crawcrook Library. *PBE

• Thurs 22 May 2.30pm 'Vagrants & Victorian visionaries'
  Talk A glimpse of the high-life and the low-life of Saltwell by Shirley Brown, at the Central Library.

• Thurs 22 May 7.00pm 'Rowing - when the Tyne led the world'
  Talk. Rowing was to 19th century Tyneside was what football is today. Ian Whitehead, Maritime Curator, Tyne &Wear Museums, at Pelaw Library. *PBE

• Fri 23 May 11.00am 'Kill or cure'
  Beamish Museum opens their medical chest, at Wrekenton Library. *PBE Light refreshments available

• Fri 23 May 12.30pm 'Time gentleman please!'
  Talk about old Gateshead public houses. John Boothroyd from Gateshead Libraries, at the Shipley Art Gallery. *PBE

• Fri 23 May 2.15pm 'Crowley's ironworks'
  Talk. Discover more about Sir Ambrose Crowley's ironworks, one of the largest and most important in Europe, based in Winlaton from 1690. Shirley Lenderyou, at Winlaton Library. *PBE

• Fri 23 May 2.30pm 'Tracing the history of your house'
  Talk. Ever wondered who used to live in your house or how old it might be? Alan Hayward, Tyne & Wear Archives., at Low Fell Library. *PBE

• Fri 23 May 7.00pm 'The History of Pickford's heavy haulage - or how to move Turbinia!'
  Find out more about this branch of Pickfords. George Nairn, at the Central Library.

• Sat 24 May 11.00am-4.00pm 'Ryton Hirings revisited'
  A tradititional village fayre with craft stalls, live music, dancing, children's activities and local history display. Village Green, Ryton.

• Sun 25 May 10.45am 'Mr Wailes invites'
  Join the original owner of Saltwell Towers and some of his friends on a stroll through Saltwell Park. Meet at main entrance to Saltwell Towers. *PBE

• Sun 25 May 2.00pm 'Walk around Whickham'
  Discover more about the history of this village. Meet at war memorial outside the Council offices. *PBE

• Mon 26 May 10.30am 'Shipcote to Saltwell'
  Walk. Discover how this area changed from 1850 to 1950. Meet outside old entrance, Central Library, Prince Consort Road. *PBE

• Tues 27 May 2.00pm 'Of Arms and the Heroes'
  The story of the Birtley Belgians. On European Neighbours Day, learn about the first world war Belgian colony in Birtley. John Bygate, historian & author, at Birtley Library. *PBE

• Tues 27 May 2.00pm 'From Quakers to Salvationists & what's in between'
  Walk covering the history of the Quakers & Bensham Grove, the Salvation Army & other religious snippets. Meet at rear Bensham Grove Community Centre. -*PBE

• Tues 27 May 7.00pm 'Ghostly & grisly tales'
  Talk. Local stories to make your hair stand on end! Pat Lowery, Newcastle Association of City Guides, at the Shipley Art Gallery. *PBE

• Wed 28 May 7.15pm 'Lovely Low Fell'
  Walk. Discover how this Victorian suburb came about and some of the people who used to live here. Meet at the rear of Low Fell Library.

• Thurs 29 May 10.00am- 12.00pm; 2.00pm-4.00pm 'Winlaton Forge open day'
  An opportunity to visit this historic forge last used in the 1950s. Contact Winlaton Library on 0191 433 6418 for further information.

• Thurs 29 May 10.00am-6.00pm 'War memorials'
  Come and talk to Mick Hardy from the Ryton & District War Memorial Project at Crawcrook Library.

• Thurs 29 May 10.30am 'First 900 years of St Mary's Church, Whickham'
  Talk by Noel Adamson at Whickham Library. *PBE

• Thurs 29 May 11.00am 'History mysteries'
  Come and have coffee and try to identify some mystery objects from Beamish Museum, at Sunderland Road Library. *PBE

• Thurs 29 May 2.30pm 'History mysteries'
  Come and have coffee and try to identify some mystery objects from Beamish Museum at the Central Library. *PBE

• Fri 30 May 10.30am 'Who do you think you are?'
  How to find your ancestors on the internet. This is aimed at people who are internet proficient and have done some family history research. Chris Myhill, Area Library Manager, at Low Fell Library. *PBE

• Fri 30 May 12.30pm 'Flower shows and festivals'
  Talk. The beginnings from auricula shows, through to the Gateshead Garden Festival and Gateshead Flower Show. Tom Yellowley at the Shipley Art Gallery. *PBE

• Fri 30 May 2.00pm 'Memories of Old Blaydon'
  Talk by John Oliver at Blaydon Library. *PBE

• Fri 30 May 2.30pm 'St Mary's Church - past, present & future'
  The importance to Gateshead of this historic church. Talk by Anthea Lang, Local History & Heritage Manager, at Low Fell Library. *PBE

• Fri 30 May 7.00pm 'Architectural Follies'
  Talk. Discover, the stories of some strange British buildings and their builders, some local, some further afield. Richard Pears, Whickham Local History Society at the Central Library.

• Sat 31 May 10.30am 'St Columba's Travels'
  Gateshead book & dvd launch for this heritage project involving Bensham Asian Women's Group at the Central Library. *PBE

For further information about any of these events or if you have a local history enquiry, contact Anthea Lang, Local History & Heritage Manager on 0191 433 8400 or email: anthealang@gateshead.gov.uk

Front cover image: Poor bairns outing, Burns Street 1894.

© Gateshead Council March 2008.

Local Studies