Yesterday in Fit For A Princess I wrote of a moored ex-ferry that in the 1980’s was revamped into a floating nightclub on the Gateshead side of the River Tyne. It’s location close to where the Sage arena now sits. Also located only a stones throw from where the Sage resides stood the now demolished Hawks Road…
Tag: gateshead
Fit For A Princess
In 1987, after taking voluntary redundancy from British Coal, I followed fragrant Tory Trade & Industry Minister Norman Tebbit’s advice to get on my bike to find employment. Consequently leading to me moving away from my childhood home of Gateshead. GJ Strachan’s new employer a banking clearing house based in Edgware, London. His home address…
Re-Acquainting With The Past
As much as social media can unearth the ill-thought out rantings of the negative, confrontational, uninformed and those bereft of humanity (and that’s just me!!), there’s numerous examples of it also forming a platform for good. A greatly uplifting medium that provides a catalyst to situations manifesting positive user benefits. For instance, over the past 2-3…
Dorchester Gardens Street Party – 1977
June 1977 – Two months before Elvis passed, Red Rum had just won the Grand National for the third time, Star Wars was breaking all box-office records and the UK’s populous held street parties celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s silver jubilee. One such street party took place in Dorchester Gardens, Low Fell. The south Gateshead cul-de-sac…
Scoop Horsley
On several occasions I’ve penned about my teenage/early 20’s cricketing days while playing at Gateshead Fell cricket club (GFCC). Examples of which can be read in the narratives GFCC Juniors – Class of ’80, Unreliable Tales From The Pavilion, The Crowd Went Wild! Among these literary recollections I wrote fondly of the treble-winning GFCC under-18 team of 1980,…
Classic Memories
A 1970’s trip to the Low Fell Classic cinema always produced a few childhood hours to savour. Situated about 50 yards from Cranstons jewellery shop and Reeds confectioners on the western side of Durham Road, this small three screened movie theatre wasn’t as sartorially impressive as, say, the Newcastle Odeon or the Newcastle Theatre Royal….
Say Cheese!
In the last couple of weeks I’ve posted a number of my narratives onto two Facebook groups whose members have links to my childhood home, Low Fell in Gateshead. These pieces of prose a selection of newly penned and previously written recollections from childhood. Partly factually/partly fictional, their publication was driven by my desire to…
Balaclava Days in NE9
In numerous previous literary offerings I’ve written whimsically of northern English summers past. In particular the mid to late 1970’s, years when meteorological gods bequeathed us Brits almost unbroken sunshine during the warm season. Helius and Zeus working in conjunction with Karma to recompense the UK proletariat for 1974’s power cuts and 1976’s Great Spangle…
Mr Davidson’s Surgery
Recollections of 1970’s dental appointments bring to mind thoughts of oral torture chambers infused with odours of stale gas anaesthesia and the flatulence of nervous patients. Visits in which you’d open your mouth for treatment which’d be closely followed by a pain induced “Aaaaarrrrggghhh” – As opposed to the much calmer “Ah” associated with GP…