Prudhoe & District Local History Society
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    • 1. Places >
      • 1.1 Eltringham
      • 1.2 High Prudhoe
      • 1.3 Low Prudhoe
      • 1.4 West Wylam
      • 1.5 Mickley
      • 1.6 Hexham
      • 1.7 Stocksfield
      • 1.8 Ovingham/Ovington
      • 1.9 West Prudhoe
      • 1.10 Road Ends, Front Street and Stonyflat Bank
      • 1.11 Castle Road and Western Avenue
    • 2. Activities >
      • 2.1 Entertainment
      • 2.2 Football
      • 2.3 Cricket
      • 2.4 Bowls
      • 2.5 Athletics
      • 2.6 Cycling
      • 2.7 Swimming
      • 2.8 Golf
      • 2.9 Other Sports
    • 3. Public Services and Occasions >
      • 3.1 Public Services
      • 3.2 Fire Service
      • 3.3 Post Boxes
      • 3.4 Public Occasions
      • 3.5 Wars and Victory
      • 3.6 War Memorials
      • 3.7 Maps
      • 3.8 Wells of Prudhoe
      • 3.9 End of the Penny Toll
      • 3.10 Prudhoe By-Pass Construction
    • 4. Church and School >
      • 4.1 Church and Chapel
      • 4.2 Schools
    • 5. Commerce and Industry >
      • 5.1 Shops
      • 5.2 Industry
      • 5.3 Mining
      • 5.4 Public Houses
      • 5.5 Agriculture/Horticulture
      • 5.6 Other Commerce
      • 5.7 Coking in Prudhoe
    • 6. Travel >
      • 6.1 Crossing the Tyne
      • 6.2 Transport
    • 7. Castle/Hall/Hospital >
      • 7.1 Prudhoe Castle
      • 7.2 Prudhoe Hall
      • 7.3 Prudhoe Hospital
      • 7.4 Prudhoe Hospital Walled Garden
    • 8. People >
      • 8.1 Social Groups
    • 9 General >
      • 9.1 Now and Then
      • 9.2 Other
    • Liddle family photographs
    • Guest Area - North Tyne
  • Poss Sticks Book Launch 2012
  • St Mary Magdalene Cemetery/1
  • Extracts from 'A Prudhoe Likeness'
    • Section 1 >
      • PROUD HEIGHTS OR PRUDHA’S HILL
      • FROM VILLAGE TO TOWN
      • OUT OF OVINGHAM AND MICKLEY
      • IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO FELL
      • RAIDS AND RATIONING
      • JOHN WESLEY SPARKS A FLAME
      • STARTED BY EIGHT MEN FROM WYLAM!
      • FROM FAMILY SEAT TO HOSPITAL & PLACE OF WORSHIP
      • PALACE OR POLLUTED ‘RAA’?
      • WATER FOR MAN AND BEAST
    • Section 2 >
      • END OF THE PENNY TOLL
      • “THE LITTLE VILLAGE DOWN THE BANK”
      • INDUSTRIAL EXPANSION
      • FROM LIME TO DEMOLITION
      • TRAGEDY FOR PRUDHOE
      • FIRE! STOKE THE BOILER!
      • A CANNY PINT AND MORE BESIDES
      • THE COAL BOOM BRINGS SCHOOLS
      • “FALCONER’S ACADEMY”
      • PRUDHOE NATIONAL SCHOOL
    • Section 3 >
      • FOUNDED BY THE LIDDELLS
      • A TRANSIENT POPULATION, SCHOOL FEES & EPIDEMICS
      • THE NEW SCHOOLS
      • EDUCATION FOR YOUNG AND OLD
      • LET THERE BE LIGHT
      • THE EDGE WELL
      • A NEW USE FOR THE CASTLE?
      • ALONG THE FRONT STREET
      • FAMILY ENTERPRISES
      • UP “THE TOON”
    • Section 4 >
      • HIGHLIGHT OF THE YEAR
      • THE WIDER WORLD OPENS UP
      • STATION GATE Eltringham
      • THE POINTS
      • A PROUD SPORTING TRADITION
      • MEN OF SPORTING TALENT
      • THE MEN IN WHITES
      • ON THE GREEN
      • IT BEGAN BESIDE ‘THE SUEY
      • FROM THE REX TO WATERWORLD
    • Section 5 >
      • OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY
      • FANCIERS OF FEATHER
      • A SLAP-UP TEA AND A GOSSIP
  • Personal Memories
    • Margaret Hepworth
    • Nancy Snaith
    • Marian Smailes
    • Jim and Anne Standish
    • Marcus Gatenby
    • Bill Hunter
    • Norman Roberts
    • Peggy Ballantyne
    • Ronnie Howson
    • Bernard Stewart (West Wylam)
    • Joe Wallis
    • John Currey
    • Dr Donald Golightly
    • Interviews with woman from Heddon
Photographs relating to this article, including those in this extract, may be found in Galleries 2.1.2 and 5.5
Flower Show Day was the highlight of Prudhoe’s year. It was held at Highfield (where Highfield Estate now stands) and South Road would be lined on both sides with stalls. The man on the front stall would be crying out “Calabash pears — 2d a pound”. Having paid for entry to the show field you got a stamp on the back of your hand to verify that you had paid and also could come and go as you pleased. Houses in the neighbourhood would be re-painted and decorated for the occasion and garden produce and home cooking would be taken with great pride up to the marquees for judging. Races took place, as did Cumberland style wrestling contests. In the evening a dance would be held in the big tent. A Carnival Day procession would take place through the town with every firm which owned a horse and cart decorating it for the parade.
Picture
Prudhoe Carnival procession turns up South Road c. 1930
People would make fancy dress outfits and this would add colour to an eagerly awaited day, particularly in the difficult days of unemployment of the 1920’s. The day ended with the ‘king and queen’ (usually local dignitaries) presenting prizes to the winners of the day’s events.
Picture
The 'Court' at Prudhoe Flower show c. 1927
With the Carnival King and Queen
Another special day was the Sunday School outing. Children and parents in their ‘Sunday best’ would travel by special train to Newcastle and then on to Whitley Bay. The children would vie with one another to be the first to smell the sea.

During the “Big Strike” of the 1920’s, which lasted for 26 weeks, various events were organised as a means of entertainment and passing the time. Jazz bands were formed using ‘submarines’ (kazoos) and kettledrums, if they could be found. The participants dressed up and competitions were held in surrounding villages. The bands went under names such as ‘Dipton Chinks” and ‘Hexham Jews’. At Prudhoe sugar bags, with holes cut in them for eyes and mouth were used. The groups were then appropriately named the Prudhoe Pokes (Poke being a dialect words for bag or sack).