DURHAM Magazine
Photo By - Alex Liivet
December / January 2018 - Issue 18
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Editorial - December / January 2018
Welcome
Merry Christmas Durham, Welcome to another free edition of the Durham Magazine this December! We’ve got numerous stories and news to share with you in this edition.
Take a look at some giant icicles that are forming up in the hills of County Durham, head to the Escape Rooms in Durham for a truly unique and fun activity over the festive period (book now and mention Durham Magazine when you call or visit, there is some local history from Brian Harrison on page six, the Station House, on North Road, Durham receives funding from Durham County Council through its Targeted Business Improvement scheme, and Beamish gets festive with some early Christmas presents. We’d like to thank Alex Livet for contributing this month’s front Cover photograph of Durham Cathedral in the Snow. Great shot Alex, keep them coming. If you’d like to see your photograph or story published on the front
cover of next month’s magazine, simply email editor@durhammagazine.com with a high quality image and/or your story - We’ll give you full credit and you’ll share your work with a whole new audience. Warmest regards, Barry Kirkham and Marco Elsy and best wishes during the festive period from everyone here at Durham Magazine and the entire Firefly New Media team
PS - Got a business located in County Durham? Looking to expand your reach locally? Durham Magazine is published each month by Firefly New Media UK based right here in County Durham. We’re able to help you market your products and/or services to people in your area (we now publish 6 online & print magazines throughout the North East, provide web and design services, and much more. Simply call Marco on 0800 955 122 on how to increase your sales and boost your business in 2018.
How do I submit news, stories, events, or photographs?
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Email us at:
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Disclaimer: Durham Magazine and durhammagazine.co.uk make sure to only use reliable sources and we try to verify all content as much as possible. We cannot accept any responsibility for any errors or omissions. All details are believed to be correct at the time of printing. We recommend that readers check information with any venue about times and dates of events in advance. Readers are welcome to send photographs, letters and other content to Durham Magazine and Firefly New Media UK but we cannot guarantee they will be featured in the publication. Firefly New Media UK reserves the right to neither use submitted material in print and online publications nor return it. The views and opinions expressed in advertisements and content do not reflect that of Durham Magazine and Firefly New Media UK. No part of this publication/website may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from Firefly New Media UK. Permission is only deemed valid if approval is in writing.
To reduce environmental impact, once finished with please recycle this magazine or pass it on to friends and family. Firefly New Media UK - All Rights Reserved
Contributors Brian Harrison Audrey Rogan Neil Collins David Sunderland Alex Nelson Glenn Maltman Roger Langley Andy Potts Alex Livet
Content and advertising team Barry Kirkham Marco Elsy Firefly New Media UK
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4
Killhope Icicles
Your Free December / January 2018 Durham Magazine
The North East might have escaped the most extreme weather this winter but there were still some wonderful snowy sights across the county. Huge icicles formed at Killhope Lead Mining Museum while a frozen waterfall appeared from the water coming out of the mine. Maria McArdle, Museum Operations Officer at Killhope, said: “Killhope is beautiful at all times of the year but on days like today it is even more spectacular and although we are closed to visitors during winter it is nice to be able to share some of these festive images.� To see a video of the icicles visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/durhamcouncil
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6
The Hirings at Shotley Bridge - By Brian Harrison
Your Free December / January 2018 Durham Magazine
The Hirings at Shotley Bridge The mid 1800's was a time of hardship for many, especially with the strict division's of the social classes. Our area had just started to boom as part of the Industrial advancements taking place and the general workforce had just began to find their voices. It was also about this time that the Shotley Bridge Hirings began. Although Consett is very much the main area now it was Shotley Bridge which was still the epicentre of the area for trade and commerce in the 1840's -50's. The Hirings were a place were servants/workers could meet up with prospective employers/masters and come to an arrangement on wages for the coming half year. The more experienced and able workers obviously got the best rates of pay. Most area's had Hiring Fairs of some kind, especially in the rural communities. It was
almost a human market only were the people for sale could set their own price. In the 1860's a good male hand could realise between £12 -£16 for 6 months, whereas a youngster would be £8 -£12 and Females £4 -£8. The Hirings were held twice a year at Shotley Bridge on the nearest Monday to 13 May and 11 November respectively which was set in 1851 and were seen as a very effective way to hire and meet prospective employees. It was also a way for workers to have a say in what effectively was the setting of a minimum wage. Everyone met on Front Street, Shotley Bridge and the day started quite early, most of the business side of the event being over by mid day. The Hirings became a big event and people would come from all over the area not just to find
work, but also for the celebration which would ensue. They became like a fête with market stalls, mobile theatre companies and music and lots of alcohol. In a report of the 1870's it was noted that the police presence was doubled on these events due to crime and frivolity which would lead to sometimes unwanted nuisance and trouble. The Hirings lasted all the way until the 1890's at which point there seems to be no more information about them. Maybe the new employment laws and legislation's of the land made them unnecessary or maybe they just became obsolete. Whatever the reason it was a fascinating part of our history which helped lay the foundation's of a working wage and help cement the rights of the working classes.
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8
Micropub raises a glass to business support scheme Your Free December / January 2018 Durham Magazine
A micropub has become the first business on a city centre street to benefit from a scheme to support small enterprises.
Susannah Mansfield, director and landlady of The Station House said: “The funding from the council has enabled us to make some important improvements to the building.
The Station House, on North Road, Durham, has received funding from Durham County Council through its Targeted Business Improvement scheme.
“Having our sign painted on the gable end is something we have wanted to do since we took over the premises. It makes the business far more visible, and thanks to the traditional sign writing techniques we used looks great and in keeping with the historic building.
The initiative aims to support businesses, bring derelict or underused retail space back into use and encourage business growth.
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The Station House, the city’s first micropub, was awarded the cash for a range of internal improvements, including replacing an old concrete floor and upgrading the cold room. The money has also been used to add new signage to the building.
“Similarly, when we originally opened we used domestic units to fit out the cold room to save costs. As the business has expanded, they had become unfit for purpose and in desperate need of replacement.” The Targeted Business Improvement scheme aims to improve economic activity across the county’s retail centres; generate investment,
employment and training opportunities; and improve the design and appearance of business premises. Cllr Carl Marshall, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for economic regeneration, said: “We have already helped dozens of businesses improve their prospects in many ways through our Targeted Business Improvement scheme. “Now businesses on North Road have the chance to benefit from our support and I would encourage people to make the most of the opportunity.” The Targeted Business Improvement scheme is open to businesses operating in a number of locations across County Durham. For more information, contact the economic development team on 03000 267 967
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11
Early Christmas Presents from Beamish #ThanksToYou
Beamish is offered visitors who are National Lottery players the chance take their pick from festive boxes filled with a whole host of mystery prizes – from Afternoon Tea for two to Beamish Unlimited Passes.
Beamish is one of 350 participating National Lottery funded visitor attractions across the UK saying ‘thanks’ to people who have raised
Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: “December is a wonderful time to experience the UK’s rich, diverse and exciting heritage, which has been transformed by more than £7billion National Lottery funding since 1994. “This is a small gesture of
thanks and a way of giving something back to the people who buy tickets. ” The idea is simple: any visitor who presented a National Lottery ticket or valid online ticket in the museum’s Entrance building on 13th December was given the chance to choose an envelope from boxes labelled for each of the new exhibits in Remaking Beamish. Every envelope contained a fantastic prize, ranging from jigsaws and stationery to Traditional Experience vouchers. Richard Evans, Director of Beamish, said: “Thanks To You gave us the opportunity to show our appreciation to National Lottery players who have made Remaking Beamish possible. I hope that they will enjoy seeing the new exhibits which are being created through their support.”
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Players who visited the museum on 13th December who had a lottery ticket for draws between 11th and 17th December (either paper or digital) tried their luck to pick out a special prize envelope.
money for good causes by buying a lottery ticket. The museum has been awarded £10.9million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The money is being used in the Remaking Beamish project - an £18million expansion which features a 1950s Town, including cinema, shops, houses and cafe, and a 1950s Farm. An extension to the Georgian area includes a coaching inn where visitors can stay overnight. This is the largest single development in the museum’s 46-year history.
Your Free December / January 2018 Durham Magazine
On Wednesday, 13th December 2017, Beamish, The Living Museum of the North said “Thanks to You” to National Lottery players.
12
Your Free December / January 2018 Durham Magazine
Places to Go: Buxton, Derbyshire Buxton was developed as a spa town to rival Bath in the south, in one of the highest market towns in England. Indeed, it’s a toss-up between Alston in Cumbria and Buxton as to which is the higher, both being about 1,000 feet above sea level. But you can no longer reach Alston by rail, whilst Buxton is linked to Manchester by a regular diesel service. I arrived in Buxton for a one night stay, and I cannot recall a visit researching for these articles where it rained so much. It rained when I arrived, all evening, and all morning until I went home. The Pavilion Gardens looked very impressive, but it was all very damp.
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Don’t let me put you off, though. The architecture is stunning and the Crescent is being redeveloped at the moment into a new five star hotel which will update this fashionable Georgian spa town into, arguably, the finest in England. William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire was responsible for the original spa buildings between 1780 and 1789, well before the railway arrived in 1863. Two railway lines serving the town opened within two weeks of each other and had their opening ceremonies on the same day. A few years later in 1868, the Palace Hotel opened
adjacent to the station to cater for visitors. It has recently changed hands and is now in the control of Britannia Hotels, whose company motto might as well be “caveat emptor” – let the buyer beware. I walked down a rarely used footpath down to the back of the hotel and had a poke about at the back before emerging into a service yard with, thankfully, an open gate to get out. The public areas looked inviting and attractive, but it’s up in the 122 rooms that some of the bad experiences occur. I had chosen to stay in the Old Hall Hotel (opposite the exquisite Opera House designed by Frank Matcham), which was excellent, and not much more expensive. The Old Hall was occupied several times by Mary, Queen of Scots, from 1573 onwards until 1584 who (not being a well lady), came to take the waters. The thermal mineral water comes out at a spring at a constant temperature of 28°C and is piped to St Anne’s Well in the town, sometimes known as the Tuscany of the North. Also worth seeing is Poole’s Cavern, a limestone show cavern a mile from the town centre. You are invited to take a Journey beneath the earth with expert guides, to explore
the vast limestone caverns and see how crystal stalactites have lined the chambers over millions of years. Thereafter, stroll though beautiful woodland trails to a panoramic Peak District hilltop viewpoint. I was pleased to see the attraction was open through the winter 10am-4pm, with tours at weekends every 20 minutes, and during the week at 10:30, 12:30 & 2:30. More, of course, in the summer. Outside the Opera House is a pick-up point for the little red “Victorian” tram which carries eight tourists at a time around the town centre and nearby attractions. If it looks rather like a milk float, that’s because it is. On the north side is the huge Devonshire Dome, bigger than St. Paul’s Cathedral dome, which is now used by the University of Derby as part of their campus in the town. It is both massive and unsupported, and its café would be a good place to stop for a coffee. Buxton has a compact town centre, with the railway station to the north, with an hourly service to Manchester and trains home to the north east. Alex Nelson Stationmaster
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Free internet access reminder as roll-out of Universal Credit continues
Universal Credit, which is already in place for some claimants in the Seaham and Peterlee areas, is being rolled out to Bishop Auckland, Crook, Consett, Stanley and some parts of Barnard Castle this week for new claimants and those on existing benefits who have had a change in their circumstances. In preparation for the roll-out, Durham County Council is reminding residents that its libraries and Customer Access Points all offer free internet access, which they can use to submit and update their claim form. Staff are also on hand at Customer Access Points to help if needed.
“We understand that some people may not have access to a computer, tablet or smart phone at home, so we want to remind them that they can use the self-service PCs at our libraries and Customer Access Points to submit and manage their claim.”
Administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Universal Credit merges six benefits, including housing benefit and tax credits, into a single payment.
“The council’s website also includes details of other buildings where residents can access the internet in their local area.”
It is paid every four weeks, but due to the initial waiting period, and depending on when the first claim is made, the first payment may not be made for six weeks. Claimants can make a request for an advance payment, currently up to 50 per cent of their entitlement, which would be paid more quickly. Cllr Joy Allen, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for transformation, said: “Online access is crucial for submitting an application for Universal Credit and keeping it up to date.
If residents need help with paying their council tax, the council continues to support and encourage claims through its Council Tax Reduction Scheme. In addition, anyone visiting a council building can take advantage of free wi-fi in order to access their application via a smartphone or tablet. Residents can also apply for short-term awards to help with daily living expenses through the authority’s Welfare Assistance Scheme.
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Cllr Jane Brown, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for social inclusion, said: “The latest phase of the roll-out of Universal Credit in County Durham will mean a number of people will be submitting a claim over the coming weeks.
“We’ve been working closely with the DWP and other organisations, including the Advice in County Durham Partnership, to ensure people understand the changes to the benefit system and how these changes may affect them.
Your Free December / January 2018 Durham Magazine
People preparing to claim Universal Credit are being advised that they can set up and access their online application by visiting their local library.
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