Annitsford

Last updated

Annitsford
Tyne and Wear UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Annitsford
Location within Tyne and Wear
OS grid reference NZ2674
Metropolitan borough
Unitary authority
Metropolitan county
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Police Northumbria
Fire Tyne and Wear
Ambulance North East
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Tyne and Wear
55°03′36″N1°34′44″W / 55.060°N 1.579°W / 55.060; -1.579

Annitsford is a semi-rural village located in North Tyneside (formerly South East Northumberland), on the border between Tyne and Wear and Northumberland. The main conurbation of the village falls under the jurisdiction of the Borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear. The village is known locally as 'The Ford'.

Contents

History

The name of the village is the modern-day version of Annet's Ford, which was a crossing place over the Seaton Burn which flows eastward through the village. Annitsford borders the villages of Dudley and Fordley, the former taking its name from the son of the mine owner, the latter taking its name from the last part of the village names for Annitsford and Dudley.

During the First World War, men from Annitsford primarily enlisted into the 6th Battalion, The Rifles, of the Northumberland Fusiliers; the battalion formed part of the Northumberland Brigade, Northumbria Division. The Battalion saw action at: the Second Battle of Ypres; Battle of the Somme (1916); Battle of Arras (1917); Third Battle of Ypres; First Battle of the Somme (1918); and the Battle of the Lys (1918). Photographs of some of the men have been made available by Newcastle City Library's "Annitsford at War" project, with the original photographs from the Illustrated Chronicle. [1]

During the Second World War, some men from Annitsford again enlisted into the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, and saw action during the Nazi blitzkrieg in France and the Low Countries, as well as the miracle of Dunkirk. [2]

There is one public house in the village, The Bridge (formerly The Bridge Inn) and it is over 140 years old. It is shown on maps of the village dated 1864, together with the Annitsford Brewery (Annetsford Brewery). This was resited further along the village in later years, and which in later life was a soft drink factory (Dickmans), turning into a transport café circa early 1970s. The premises is now shared by an Indian takeaway (Annitsford Tandoori) and a Fish & Chip shop (K&L Fisheries). The Bridge Inn was for many years in the custodianship of the Swinhoe family, culminating in its massive popularity as a Steak House with a reputation regionwide, throughout the seventies and eighties until the retirement of Gladys & Bill Swinhoe. The fortunes of the pub have not hit those heights since. There are two (CIU) Working Men's Social Clubs in the village, The Pioneer & the United Irish League (The Ranch). Annitsford Social Club, formed in 1898, was the first to take advantage of the Friendly Societies Act which allowed for the creation of social clubs. [3]

Religion

The village school, Annitsford First School was closed and demolished, eventually making way for a housing development. The same fate fell a number of years earlier to the village's Catholic school and chapel (Annitsford RC Primary), which was built in 1871. The village has a history of strong Irish Catholic links formed by the immigrant workers who came over in the late 19th century to find work in the nearby mines of Dudley and Weetslade.

An early mention of Annitsford was made by the son of atheist Liberal MP Charles Bradlaugh (who founded the National Secular Society), writing of his father's experiences in travelling through Northern England in the late 19th Century:

"I should like also to note here the open-mindedness shown about this time by a Catholic priest at Seghill. Mr Bradlaugh was to lecture in the colliery schoolroom on "The Land, the People, and the Coming Struggle," but almost at the last moment the authorities would have none of such a wicked man. Upon hearing this a Catholic priest named Father O'Dyer allowed the lecture to take place in his chapel at Annitsford, and he himself took the chair. Mr Bradlaugh, of course, greatly appreciated this unlooked-for kindness on the part of Father O'Dyer, though in his surprise at such unwonted conduct he might humorously comment "the age of miracles has recommenced". [4]

The Annitsford Roman Catholic Church, St John The Baptist R.C. Church still stands on the northern edge of the village, but with boundary and road changes, the modern-day person would regard this as being part of the southern edge of Cramlington. In the grounds of the church is buried one of Annitsford's most famous sons, the world-renowned opera singer Owen Brannigan. Brannigan was prevalent in "the post-war era: principal bass at Covent Garden Opera House, the supreme police sergeant in ‘Pirates of Penzance’, as well as a noted performer of Geordie songs". [5] Descendants of Brannigan's family still live in the village and a street is named after him, in nearby Fordley, Owen Brannigan Drive. Not to be outdone, the Methodists also had their own smaller chapel which stood at the entrance to the Annitsford Welfare, home for many years to Annitsford Football Club. There is now a local football team called "New Fordley Juniors".

Expansion

Annitsford was a small village until it grew considerably circa 1969 when the old terraced streets of Jubilee Terrace, Jackson Street and Lee Street were demolished, and the residents moved into new local authority built houses comprising Wardle Drive, Annitsford Drive and Hudson Avenue. In doing so the natural green field boundary keeping Annitsford and Fordley apart disappeared. More housing was built on the land formerly occupied by the terraces and was called Harrison Court, together with the sheltered accommodation development of Jubilee Court. Further housing developments have been built on the west edge of the village (The Wyndings) and the east edge (The Spinney), increasing the overall size of the village considerably.

Politically, Annitsford is located at the northernmost part of North Tyneside Constituency, held by Labour MP Mary Glindon since 2010. Within North Tyneside Council, the village is located within Camperdown and Weetslade Wards, with both electing three councillors each; all six are Labour. Muriel Green, councillor for Weetslade Ward since 1983, received an MBE in 2021.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prudhoe</span> Town in Northumberland, England

Prudhoe is a town in south Northumberland, England, about 11 miles (18 km) west of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and just south of the River Tyne. Situated on a steep, north-facing hill in the Tyne valley, Prudhoe had a population of 11,675 at the 2011 census. It has largely become a commuter town for nearby Newcastle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">29th Division (United Kingdom)</span> Military unit

The 29th Division, known as the Incomparable Division, was an infantry division of the British Army, formed in early 1915 by combining various Regular Army units that had been acting as garrisons around the British Empire. Under the command of Major-General Aylmer Hunter-Weston, the division fought throughout the Gallipoli Campaign, including the original landing at Cape Helles. From 1916 to the end of the war the division fought on the Western Front in Belgium and France.

The 36th (Ulster) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, part of Lord Kitchener's New Army, formed in September 1914. Originally called the Ulster Division, it was made up of mainly members of the Ulster Volunteer Force, who formed thirteen additional battalions for three existing regiments: the Royal Irish Fusiliers, the Royal Irish Rifles and the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. The division served from October 1915 on Western Front as a formation of the British Army during the Great War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">16th (Irish) Division</span> WWI British infantry division

The 16th (Irish) Division was an infantry division of the British Army, raised for service during World War I. The division was a voluntary 'Service' formation of Lord Kitchener's New Armies, created in Ireland from the 'National Volunteers', initially in September 1914, after the outbreak of the Great War. In December 1915, the division moved to France, joining the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), under the command of Irish Major General William Hickie, and spent the duration of the war in action on the Western Front. Following enormous losses at the Somme, Passchendaele and Ypres, the 16th (Irish) Division required a substantial refit in England between June and August 1918, which involved the introduction of many non-Irish battalions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Regiment of Fusiliers</span> Infantry regiment of the British Army

The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division. Currently, the regiment has two battalions: the 1st Battalion, part of the Regular Army, is an armoured infantry battalion based in Tidworth, Wiltshire, and the 5th Battalion, part of the Army Reserve, recruits in the traditional fusilier recruiting areas across England. The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers was largely unaffected by the infantry reforms that were announced in December 2004, but under the Army 2020 reduction in the size of the Army, the 2nd Battalion was merged into the first in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Fusiliers</span> Line infantry regiment of the British Army

The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">34th Division (United Kingdom)</span> Infantry division of the British Army during the First World War

The 34th Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was raised in 1914, during the First World War. The division was raised from volunteers for Lord Kitchener's New Armies, that was originally made up of infantry battalions raised by public subscription or private patronage. The division was taken over by the War Office in September 1915. It served in France and Belgium in the trenches of the Western Front for the duration of the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">103rd (Tyneside Irish) Brigade</span> Military unit

The Tyneside Irish Brigade was a British First World War infantry brigade of Kitchener's Army, raised in 1914. Officially numbered the 103rd Brigade, it contained four Pals battalions from Newcastle upon Tyne, largely made up of men of Irish extraction..

The Tyneside Scottish Brigade was raised in 1914 as part of Kitchener's Army. Officially named the 102nd Brigade, it contained four Pals battalions from Newcastle-on-Tyne.

Tyneside Scottish is an honour title which has been held by a variety of British Army units since 1914. The Regiments which have held the title are the Northumberland Fusiliers, Durham Light Infantry, Black Watch and Royal Artillery. The Tyneside Scottish title is currently maintained by 204 Battery Royal Artillery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">23rd Division (United Kingdom)</span> Military unit

The 23rd Division was an infantry division of the British Army raised in 1914 in the Great War as part of Kitchener's Army. The division was sent to France in August 1915 under the command of Major-General Sir James Melville Babington C.B. C.M.G. During the war the division fought on the Western Front until October 1917 when it moved to the Italian Front. It remained in Italy and was disbanded by March 1919.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">50th (Northumbrian) Division</span> Military unit

The Northumbrian Division was an infantry division of the British Army, formed in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force with units drawn from the north-east of England, notably Northumberland, Durham and the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire. The division was numbered as 50th (Northumbrian) Division in 1915 and served on the Western Front throughout the First World War. Due to losses suffered in the Ludendorf Offensive in March 1918 it had to be comprehensively reorganized. It was once again reformed in the Territorial Army as the Northumbrian Division in 1920.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Northumberland Fusiliers</span> Military unit

The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Raised in 1674 as one of three 'English' units in the Dutch Anglo-Scots Brigade, it accompanied William III to England in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution and became part of the English establishment in 1689.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Contalmaison</span> Commune in Hauts-de-France, France

Contalmaison is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.

The Northumberland Brigade was formed in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force of the British Army with four battalions of the Northumberland Fusiliers. The brigade was numbered as 149th (Northumberland) Brigade in 1915 and served with the 50th (Northumbrian) Division on the Western Front throughout World War I. Due to losses suffered in the Ludendorf Offensive in 1918, it had to be comprehensively reorganized. Reformed as the Northumberland Brigade post-war, it was broken up before the outbreak of World War II.

The Durham Light Infantry Brigade was formed in 1902 to command the part-time Volunteer battalions of the Durham Light Infantry (DLI). Previously these had been in a combined Tyne and Tees Brigade with battalions of the Northumberland Fusiliers. It consisted of the 1st–4th Volunteer Battalions of the DLI, which were renumbered as the 5th–8th Battalions when the Volunteers were subsumed into the Territorial Force (TF) under the Haldane Reforms of 1908. Consisting of 6th–9th Battalions, it became part of the TF's Northumbrian Division. During World War I it was numbered as the 151st Brigade on 14 May 1915, when the division became the 50th (Northumbrian) Division. The TF also raised 2nd Line units and formations, and the 190th Brigade was formed in 63rd Division. The 1st Line battalions adopted the prefix '1/'

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dudley, Tyne and Wear</span> Human settlement in England

Dudley is a large village in North Tyneside, in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. A former mining village and formerly part of Northumberland, it was the site of Annitsford railway station, originally named Dudley. Dudley Colliery was situated in the village from 1856 until its closure in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers</span> Reserve unit of the British Army

The 2nd Northumberland Rifle Volunteer Corps, also referred to as the Tynemouth Rifles, was an infantry unit of Britain's part-time force, the Territorial Army. The corps was raised during the expansion of the Volunteer movement in the 1850s and then served with the Territorial Force during the First World War. It converted to an anti-aircraft role just prior to Second World War, and continued to serve until it was amalgamated in 1950.

The 17th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers was one of the numerous Pals Battalions formed in the North East of England on Kitchener's call for men during the early parts of the First World War. The battalion was raised by the North Eastern Railway (NER) and was the only pals battalions to be raised by a single company.

References

  1. "Annitsford at War | Co-Curate". co-curate.ncl.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  2. Armstrong, Craig (2019). South East Northumberland at War. Pen and Sword. p. 176.
  3. Metcalfe, Alan (2006). Leisure and Recreation in a Victorian Mining Community: The Social Economy of Leisure in North-East England, 1820-1914. Routledge. p. 26. ISBN   0203002962.
  4. Bradlaugh Bonner, Hypatia; Robertson, John Mackinnon (14 March 2014). "Charles Bradlaugh: a Record of His Life and Work, Volume I (of 2)" . Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  5. Charlton, Bruce (1999). "The Back Pages". British Journal of General Practice. 49 (439): 168. PMC   1313364 .
  1. The Project Gutenberg eBook, Charles Bradlaugh: a Record of His Life and Work, Volume I (of 2), by Hypatia Bradlaugh Bonner and J. M. (John Mackinnon) Robertson (2014). Available at: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/45130/45130-h/45130-h.htm