Photographs relating to this article, including those in this extract, may be found in Gallery 2.7
The north-east, particularly the mining community, has always been renowned for its interest in the keeping of birds, especially caged birds and racing pigeons.
The earliest record which we have found on this subject in Prudhoe was an account of I884 when a singing match between linnets took place in the Locomotive Inn. Wagers of £1 were set up between R Richley and T Orwin. Mr Richley’s bird is recorded as being an easy winner.
The town’s Cage Bird Society was formed some time prior to the Second World War. Sam Elliott can remember winning a canteen of cutlery with one of his border canaries in 1936. The club lapsed during the war years. When re-formed the meetings and shows were held in the Dr Syntax Inn, then for a while the show moved to the Parish Hall. The club went dormant between 1966 and 1977 and upon its re-formation the meetings were held in the British Legion Club with the show being staged in Mickley Parish Hall. The society at this time was known as Prudhoe & Kimberly-Clark Cage Bird Society and Mr J W Gibson, the current secretary, was appointed to this post in 1979. Due to the increase in exhibits the show moved from Mickley to Prudhoe Youth Centre in 1986 and then to Highfield Middle School. When Kimberly-Clark withdrew from the paper mill, its connection with the society was severed and the society became the Prudhoe & District Cage Bird Society.
In 1997 a record of 869 birds were exhibited at the Club’s show with entrants travelling from Kelso and Galashiels in the north to Rotherham in the south. In 1996 seventy-three lovebirds were exhibited at the show - the second highest number of this species ever exhibited in the UK. At present, the society has a membership of 97 with members travelling from a thirty mile radius. At present border canaries are the most popular entry in the show.
The Prudhoe & District Homing Society was founded in the 1920’s. The headquarters then was a hut at Low Prudhoe next to the railway line on the land occupied by Pointings. This was then moved to the Dr Syntax public house and then to the Working Men’s Club.
During the Second World War all pigeon racing was stopped as pigeons were used to carry messages.
Until the mid-1960’s all pigeons were transported by rail but with the rail closures under Dr Beeching, this method of transportation was stopped and specialised pigeon transporter vehicles came into use. In 1968 due to a boundary dispute, the Prudhoe and District Homing Society divided into two clubs, one retaining the name of the original society and the new club becoming the Tyne Valley Homing Society with its headquarters at the Halfway House public house. The boundary line was taken as the latitude north line through Prudhoe with the parish church forming the east boundary and the west boundary being open.
When the book was published, the secretaries of these societies were Mr Outerside for the Prudhoe & District and Mr Grigg for the Tyne Valley. Unfortunately both secretaries reported a decline in membership due mainly to the interest that young people have in modem technological pursuits such as computers, video games, etc. However, modern technology has also benefited pigeon racing. Mr Outerside recalls working out racing calculations by hand which took some time, whereas now computers produce the results almost immediately.
While pigeon fancying rarely produces anything of a dramatic nature, it, like all pursuits, has its “characters”. Mr Grigg remembers one fancier (who shall remain nameless) who was not above taking his air rifle and shooting down any of his pigeons who were reluctant to land after a race!
The earliest record which we have found on this subject in Prudhoe was an account of I884 when a singing match between linnets took place in the Locomotive Inn. Wagers of £1 were set up between R Richley and T Orwin. Mr Richley’s bird is recorded as being an easy winner.
The town’s Cage Bird Society was formed some time prior to the Second World War. Sam Elliott can remember winning a canteen of cutlery with one of his border canaries in 1936. The club lapsed during the war years. When re-formed the meetings and shows were held in the Dr Syntax Inn, then for a while the show moved to the Parish Hall. The club went dormant between 1966 and 1977 and upon its re-formation the meetings were held in the British Legion Club with the show being staged in Mickley Parish Hall. The society at this time was known as Prudhoe & Kimberly-Clark Cage Bird Society and Mr J W Gibson, the current secretary, was appointed to this post in 1979. Due to the increase in exhibits the show moved from Mickley to Prudhoe Youth Centre in 1986 and then to Highfield Middle School. When Kimberly-Clark withdrew from the paper mill, its connection with the society was severed and the society became the Prudhoe & District Cage Bird Society.
In 1997 a record of 869 birds were exhibited at the Club’s show with entrants travelling from Kelso and Galashiels in the north to Rotherham in the south. In 1996 seventy-three lovebirds were exhibited at the show - the second highest number of this species ever exhibited in the UK. At present, the society has a membership of 97 with members travelling from a thirty mile radius. At present border canaries are the most popular entry in the show.
The Prudhoe & District Homing Society was founded in the 1920’s. The headquarters then was a hut at Low Prudhoe next to the railway line on the land occupied by Pointings. This was then moved to the Dr Syntax public house and then to the Working Men’s Club.
During the Second World War all pigeon racing was stopped as pigeons were used to carry messages.
Until the mid-1960’s all pigeons were transported by rail but with the rail closures under Dr Beeching, this method of transportation was stopped and specialised pigeon transporter vehicles came into use. In 1968 due to a boundary dispute, the Prudhoe and District Homing Society divided into two clubs, one retaining the name of the original society and the new club becoming the Tyne Valley Homing Society with its headquarters at the Halfway House public house. The boundary line was taken as the latitude north line through Prudhoe with the parish church forming the east boundary and the west boundary being open.
When the book was published, the secretaries of these societies were Mr Outerside for the Prudhoe & District and Mr Grigg for the Tyne Valley. Unfortunately both secretaries reported a decline in membership due mainly to the interest that young people have in modem technological pursuits such as computers, video games, etc. However, modern technology has also benefited pigeon racing. Mr Outerside recalls working out racing calculations by hand which took some time, whereas now computers produce the results almost immediately.
While pigeon fancying rarely produces anything of a dramatic nature, it, like all pursuits, has its “characters”. Mr Grigg remembers one fancier (who shall remain nameless) who was not above taking his air rifle and shooting down any of his pigeons who were reluctant to land after a race!