Despite the weather, two dozen people enjoyed the HOD walks in Shotley Bridge this weekend.
Thank you to the members of the Village Trust Heritage Group who led the guided walks.
Copies of the Trust’s History booklet can be purchased from Harrington Brown Estate Agents, in Shotley Bridge, or on-line from eBay.
For the third year the Trust is giving guided walks during the “Heritage Open Days” festival, on 9th & 10th September.
The walks are based on the Trust’s Shotley Bridge History booklet that was published last year.
There will be a choice of 4 walks, guided by the Trust members who researched and wrote the publication.
The 32 page booklet will be on sale for £3 at the end of each tour. Shotley Bridge pin badges will also be available for £2.
Self guided walks will also be available, based on the Trust’s publication ‘Shotley Bridge Heritage Trail’.
Have a look at the other places to visit during the 4 day Heritage Open Days festival
The Trust’s AGM is to be held on Tuesday 20th June at 7pm followed at 7.45 by an Open Meeting for members and residents, with a talk from the charity AgeUK.
The next exhibition organised by the Consett & District Heritage Initiative is being held in a months time. The Trust will be putting on a display of old photographs of Shotley Bridge at the event.
The next meeting of the Shotley Bridge Village Trust is on 21st March. Please invite your relatives, friends & neighbours to come along.
Kath Marshall-Ivens, Community Engagement Officer, from Groundwork will be giving a presentation about the ‘Land of Oak & Iron’ Landscape Partnership. This 4 year project, hosted by Groundwork NE & Cumbria, is supported by a £2.2 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Working with local communities and partners it aims to conserve, enhance and celebrate the natural, industrial and cultural heritage of the Derwent Valley. There are now 14 projects being delivered until 2020, with many opportunities for local people, groups and organisations to get involved through a range of different activities.
For more information about the Partnership and opportunities to get involved go to their website.
The Trust’s latest publication on the history of Shotley Bridge is still on sale at Harrington Brown Estate Agents, in the village centre.
There are 10 chapters in the 36 page booklet with a map and photographs of sites and buildings referred to.
It is also possible to buy the booklet on-line from eBay with PayPal …
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291978953083
This year the Village Trust will again be raising funds for ‘Blooming’ Shotley Bridge at The Snods Christmas Fayre on Saturday 19th November.
There will be a ‘Bottle Tombola’ where every winning ticket is a bottle bag with a surprise inside, which could be Whiskey, Wine, Water or a bottle of something else!
We still need a few more bottles and bags if you would like to donate items for the tombola … please give to Sue Shaw at Shotley Villa West, on The Terrace.
There will also be a raffle for a limited edition print by Mildred Sheeran, ‘The Charms of Shotley Bridge’. Tickets are on sale before the event at Harrington Brown Estate Agents, where the framed artwork can be seen until Friday 18th November.
Consett & District Heritage Initiative are holding another exhibition in October. The Village Trust will have a display of old photographs of Shotley Bridge and the Shotley Bridge History booklet will be on sale.
The next meeting of the Shotley Bridge Village Trust is on 4th October.
Fiona Jane Carvell and Joan Murray, local artists who live in the village, will be giving an illustrated talk about how the village and area have influenced their artwork. There will be a selection of limited edition prints if you wish to buy any of their paintings.
Please invite your relatives, friends & neighbours to come along.
For the second year the Trust is giving guided walks during the “Heritage Open Days” festival, in September.
This time the walks are based on the Trust’s Shotley Bridge History booklet that was published in June.
There will be a choice of 4 walks, guided by the Trust members who researched and wrote the publication.
The 32 page booklet will be on sale for £3 at the end of each tour. Shotley Bridge pin badges will also be available for £2.
Let’s hope the weather conditions are more favourable than last year!
Follow this link for information about other places to visit during the Heritage Open Days festival
The Trust’s latest publication on the history of Shotley Bridge is now on sale at Harrington Brown Estate Agents, in the village centre.
They are normally open 9-5 every day except Friday [9-4.30], Saturday [9.30-1.30] and closed Sunday.
There are 10 chapters in the 32 page booklet with a map and photographs of sites and buildings referred to.
Later this year we hope to be able to sell the booklet on-line.
Thirty two members and local residents attended the AGM & Open Meeting held on 21 June. As the Trust’s Chairman was away on holiday a summary of his report was given by Garth Johnson, acting Chairman. Have a read of the Chairman’s Annual Report to find to what the Trust was involved in during the last year.
As Garth had decided not to stand for re-election as Treasurer, but remain on the Executive Committee, Andrew Thompson was elected to fill the post. The other committee members were also re-elected.
Unfortunately, the guest speaker Grace McCombie was unable to attend. Instead, Jeff Singleton [Secretary] gave an illustrated talk based on “The History of Shotley Bridge”, a 32 page booklet that had been researched and recently published by the Trust’s Heritage Working Group. Copies were available for Trust members to purchase.
The next meeting of the Shotley Bridge Village Trust is on 21 June. All welcome.
The Consett & District Heritage Initiative exhibition is now on at the Methodist Church, Station Road, Consett. It will be open tomorrow from 10am until 8pm and on Saturday from 10pm until 4.30pm. There are three rooms full of photos and paintings.
The Village Trust has a couple of exhibition boards devoted to the Origins and Growth of Shotley Bridge. [Click on an image to enlarge.]
Look out for the illustrated booklet about the History of Shotley Bridge that has been researched, is being printed and will be available to buy and view on-line later this year.
This lunchtime the replica of the Pant that originally stood at the corner of Front Street and Snows Green Road was “officially” unveiled by Durham County Council. Representatives from Storey Homes, Classic Masonry, Beamish Museum, the Stakeholder Group, the BBB&SB Partnership, Durham Police and the Village Trust were invited to the ceremony.
It was the culmination of over four years commitment by the Village Trust, working in partnership with the Shotley Bridge Stakeholder Group, local councillors and officers from Durham County Council to bring to fruition a range of environmental improvement projects in the centre of the Shotley Bridge Conservation Area:
These projects were prioritised by the Stakeholder Group, supported by Local Councillors Stephen Robinson and Peter Oliver and paid for with Section 106 funding from the Storey Homes Housing Development on the hospital site, with a contribution from the Public Transport budget and help from the Benfieldside, Blackhill, Bridgehill & Shotley Bridge Partnership.
See also the press report in the Northern Echo.
The Trust’s next Open Meeting is to be held on Tuesday 21st June, after its AGM.
Grace McCombie, Buildings Historian, will be giving a talk on ‘The Buildings of Shotley Bridge’.
She is a researcher, lecturer and writer about sites and buildings and the development of settlements in the North East. She has contributed to many architectural-historical conferences, books and journals, especially the Pevsner series.
The meeting is open to both members and residents.
Next week, the Consett & District Heritage Initiative is holding a 3 day exhibition at the Methodist Church Hall in Consett. There will be displays of old photos of the local area, including Shotley Bridge.
If you are in Consett at the end of next week, come and find out about the history of the area. The exhibition is also open on Friday evening, if you cannot attend during the day. There is ample parking nearby in the Sherburn Road car park.
Today a new replica pant was erected near the Crown & Crossed Swords PH, to commemorate the bringing of a piped water supply to the village 130 years ago, in 1886.
The original is at Beamish Museum, following its removal in the 1950s to allow for improvements to the junction of Front Street and Snows Green Road.
Funding for the replica has come via the Story Homes housing development near Shotley Bridge Hospital. It is part of the S106 project for ‘urban realm’ improvements in the village centre.
Durham County Council are organising an ‘unveiling’ event after lunch on Thursday 12 May, which will mark the completion of the project.
There was a good turnout at the open meeting on Tuesday evening. Although there were technical issues with the projector communicating with the laptop, Andrew Thompson’s talk about the Shotley Bridge Swordmakers was very interesting and informative.
He is one of the five Trust members on the Heritage Group who are writing about the History of Shotley Bridge. His chapter on the Swordmakers is one of ten in the 36 page booklet which is to be published in time for the Trust’s AGM on 21 June.
After the AGM, Grace McCombie, buildings historian will be giving an illustrated talk about the historic buildings of Shotley Bridge.
Shotley Bridge Village Trust 