Oxberry Family, Windy Nook

John Oxberry

John Oxberry 1857-1940
 wrote the book
"Windy Nook Village
Its Inhabitants and their Co-Operative Store"
In 1937 he became an Honorary Freeman of Gateshead for his lifetime in the field of local history

Let's go backaways. This, from Heslop's Advertiser in the 30s about his Ma and Pa and grandfolk

© Jon Bratton

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This History of Felling Blog is a satellite of www.gateshead-history.com

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The Felling-The Cinderella Town

In 1974 The Felling, along with Birtley, Whickham and Crawcrook et al became the expanded Gateshead Metropolitaln Borough Council, much to the chagrin of Fellingites who wanted to keep going it alone., even though Council's of that size were simply not efficient to the taxpayer. I was involved with  Local Government from the outside and I was well aware of those inefficiencies...

...for example the mayoral car being used to go to the chippie to get the employees' lunch.

Well, The Felling did manage to hang on for 40 years according to this article I read in Heslop's Advertiser from the mid 30s

Walter Scott the Book Publisher rightfully used to big up The Felling by calling it Felling on Tyne and linking it with London & New York. Robert Heslop also uses Felling on Tyne. It must be a publisher thing!

Indeed, here's local historian Joan Hewitt

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This History of The Felling Blog is a satellite of www.gateshead-history.com

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Derivation of Felling as Place Name

Chas C Taylor or Charles C Taylor locally famous for his books
Historical and Descriptive Notes on the Parish Church of St. Mary, Heworth and Historical and descriptive notes on the ancient boundaries of the parish of Heworth

wrote this article in Heslop's Advertiser back in the 1930s

Prior to seeing this I thought I was a lone voice in disputing what Prof Mawer and then Joan Hewitt and others have said..that the derivation of The Felling as a place name derives from the felling of trees. 

Here, Chas makes the point that place names describe the look of the area. Ordinary folk just say what they see..and walk. Try, as they did back when, walking up from, say Heworth shore, up to St Mary's church, up to High Heworth, up to Windy Nook then from Sheriff Hill, down to Low Fell, then down to the Team Valley.

Chas, as I do, reckons the name reflects this great huge lump of fell land, rising up 500 feet to the Q.E. then  500 feet down to the Team. The rise up is called Low Felling and High Felling and the fall down is called High Fell then Low Fell. Chas throws in "Black Fell", as well. Nothing more to be said. Q.E.D.

Go here to see the first time I made this point, in greater depth.

Here's what else Chas C Taylor is famous for, but only among Felling geeks and postmen.  T'was he who named all the streets on the Bog House Estate and the Leam Lane Estate. He worked for the Felling Council and he got the job

Longrigg, Rickgarth, Staneway, Redemarsh, Cotemede, Ell-Dene Cres and Swards Road to name just a few to come from his pen. Woodwynd is my favourite

© Jon Bratton

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This History of Felling Blog is a satellite of www.gateshead-history.com

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William Foster, Felling Brick Manufacturer

A Famous Felling Fella

William Foster hit the big time when the Co-op created the township of Pelaw. Before the Co-op, the name Pelaw only existed as a railway siding. They needed a lot of bricks and William Foster made them. He built himself a house Croxdale House..and the rest of Croxdale Tce, named for the place he originally hailed from

He was a Councillor and a J.P.

At this time he was Chairman of Felling Urban District Council

Click here for more on Foster bricks Trawl down the page til you see the brick wall, made, naturally, from Mr Foster's bricks

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This History of Felling Blog is a satellite of www.gateshead-history.com

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Listed Buildings in The Felling

Listed Buildings in The Felling

Listed buildings are those buildings of special architectural or historic interest included on a list prepared by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Reproduced below is a summary of this list.

Carlisle Street II Christ Church

Crowhall Lane II* Crow Hall

Crowhall Lane II 2 gate piers south of Crow Hall

Crowhall Lane II Crow Hall Cottage and garden wall

Davison Street II No. 35

High Street II Church of St. Patrick

High Street II Presbytery of Church of St. Patrick

Holly Hill II Ardallan

Holly Hill II Gate, gate piers and wall around Ardallan

Mulberry Street II Former Urban Studies Centre

Riverside Park II Engine House of former Tyne Main Colliery

Sunderland Road II Former Gateshead District Housing Offices

Sunderland Road II Piers and lamp-holders, Housing Office

Victoria Square II New Imperial Bingo Club

Victoria Terrace II Felling Post Office

This is Victoria Tce showing the shop that became the post office. Ardallan can be seen on the far right

This is a current view of the shop that was the post office. It is a hairdresser now but still has the pillar box outside

GRADE II* — Particularly important buildings of more than special interest (nationally some 4% of listed buildings)

GRADE II — Buildings of special interest (94%)

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This History of Felling Blog is a satellite of www.gateshead-history.com

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Felling Buildings on The Local List

These are special buildings or spaces in The Felling but are not "Listed".
They are of special local architectural and/or historic interest 
Suggested by the public and approved by a panel of independent specialists they are on Gateshead Council's Local List
This is the List

5 and 7 Coldwell Street Felling

93-99 High Street Felling

ABC Nursery (former Labour Exchange), Holly House Holly Hill Felling

Bay Horse Inn Coldwell Street Felling

Bethel (former Beeswing Hotel), 1 Gosforth Street Felling

Felling Park Holly Hill Felling

Ford House (St. Wilfrid's Presbytery) Sunderland Road Felling

Former St. Alban's Vicarage Coldwell Lane Felling

Heworth Burn Heworth

 Heworth war memorial The Drive Heworth

J.E.M. Snooker Club (Former Mechanics' Institute), 8 Coldwell Street Felling

Pear Tree Inn Sunderland Road Felling

Jewish Shool (former Police Station) Sunderland Road Felling

The Blue Bell Hotel Victoria Square Felling

The Green Mandolin public house St. John's Place Felling

The Portland Arms public house, 7 Split Crow Road Felling

The Wheatsheaf public house, 26 Carlisle Street Felling

Here's the pics

5 and 7 Coldwell Street, The Felling. Formerly the Co-op, it is now a pet shop and gym

Former Bay Horse Inn, Coldwell Street, The Felling

J.E.M. Snooker Club (Former Mechanics' Institute), 8 Coldwell Street, The Felling

Former St. Alban's Vicarage, Coldwell Lane, Windy Nook, The Felling

93-95 High Street, The Felling and The Blue Bell Hotel, Victoria Square. All that red bricked section on the photo

ABC Nursery

Holly House, Holly Hill, The Felling. Click the video to see why this utility building is special..it is very special, having this feature which is unique in the North East and is very rare in World terms

Edward VIII reigned for less than a year so very few buildings in the Commonwealth bore his Royal Cypher

Heworth Burn,(see the video) including Heworth war memorial

Nobody from The Felling needs convincing that Felling Park was special to the Felling Folk of old

This pic was taken just ahead of the parade to commemorate the commencement of WWI. See the video

The Beeswing Hotel

The Green Mandolin

The Pear Tree

The Pear Tree was around in 1812, the year of The Felling Pit Disaster

Listed Buildings in The Felling are here

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This History of Felling Blog is a satellite of www.gateshead-history.com

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