Learning & Enlightenment

Appendix 1 of the 1996 book Northumbrian Panorama indicates how learning spread in northern England in the 1800s:

The table shows Mechanics Institutes springing up across towns & cities. 

The general population of NE England had very limited formal education before the late 1940s, but from the 1600s basic literacy spread through chapbooks, broadsheets & political pamphlets - Newcastle could be seen as second only to London.   Lit & Phils were subscription-based private clubs & libraries for the up & coming merchant class and their leading engineers - expanding scientific & engineering knowledge alongside classics, languages, literature, etc.   From the early 1800s self-funded Mechanics Institutes brought interchange of theoretical & practical learning to many developing engineers.

The earliest Institutes would have been established to spread knowledge of geology, mining, chemistry & metals, later railways, shipbuilding & shipping.   It's easy to see that Middlesbrough (Ironopolis) developed massively alongside its Institute; South Shields' Marine School followed its Institute (while its public library took over the Institute building), Gateshead developed railway knowledge, while Newcastle covered every aspect of commerce & industry.   I imagine that the other towns listed developed similarly, although I'm unsure why the Carlisle Institute was established so early compared to its railway centre (canals?).

Further reading:

Blaydon Mechanics' Hall & Institute 

North Shields' Mechanics' Institute 

Scottish Mechanics' Institutes 

Shildon Railway Institute 

The Mechanics' Institute Movement (Wiki)

Bruce's School

In 1806 John Bruce from Alnwick opened a school on Percy Street in Newcastle.   Day (as opposed to boarding) schools were very unlike those today - they were male only, likely to have a religious base, mainly stressed literacy & numeracy, and fee paying (ragged schools came later).   By all accounts, Bruce's School was very much better than the norm at educating boys - which had a major affect on industry in the region.

Bruce's School (aka Percy Street Academy) in the 19th century

NEIMME Lectures

The North of England Mining & Mechanical Institute (aka NEIMME or the Mining Institute) has recently handed over its building (Neville Hall on Westgate Road NE1) & resources to The Common Room, which led to a large HLF grant to update the building & provide more public access to science & technology, past, present & future.   The number & scope of public lectures has grown, even during Covid, and lectures are both live in person & live streamed.   Shared resources from other providers are presented through the Common Room web site, incorporating feeds from NEIMME and other partners.   Some examples of NEIMME lectures on YouTube are:

Mine Water Heating - 15 mins

Jobs Continued .....

Dennis cutting a manhole extension, assisted by Cameron

Free Short Online Courses

Free online courses from the University of Strathclyde - 4 weeks of 3 hours, join now:

Working Lives on Britain's Railways:
Railway History and Heritage 1840-1914 

Good Firemanship Booklet

Cover of "Good Firemanship"

Andrew Beevers recently sent me a copy of the booklet "Good Firemanship" published in 1956 by the British Transport Commission (BTC).   The 32 page A6 size booklet was intended to assist BR steam locomotive firemen in getting the most heat from coal with least waste.

The ideas & directions contained therein seem to apply to larger locomotives on faster, heavier, longer runs, so don't transfer directly for TR use.   However, many of the facts & arguments are interesting, may be useful, & are worth discussion.

The booklet is crown copyright, a copy being held in the National Archives, but as far as I understand may be published if acknowledgement of this copyright is given.   It is available for download from https://archive.org/details/GoodFiremanship 

University Theses

One of the advantages of the Internet is wider & convenient access to research material.   Like most universities, Durham publishes theses, some of which cover local industrial, social & economic history.   Try Durham's search with the title John Bowes & Partners to access Mountford's 1967 work.

For those who would like to read a book, try Tomlinson's North Eastern Railway of 1915 from the University of California.

Marley Hill & East Tanfield

Dave milling a suspension push rod for Horden, and removing burrs

EHSI Placements 2014

The North East Civic Trust is again offering bursary placements for one year starting February 2014 at several locations including Tanfield.   This is an educational opportunity aimed primarily at those wishing to enter heritage engineering.   Note that the bursary is tax free; and many previous trainees are now in paid employment.

***  Closing date for all placements is 9 January 2014  ***.

Thursday at Tanfield Railway

Happy birthday Vic!
(He had the day off - here on his Fergie last August)

Our Past and Our Region

About 10 years ago, the University of Newcastle completed the Structural Images of the North East SINE project.   This provides an excellent educational resource which is catalogued, indexed and mapped.   It spans several local photographic collections, including those of Grace McCombie, Stafford Linsley, Norman McCord and Thomas Harrison Hair.

Kibblesworth Crossing on the Bowes Railway, 1974
(copyright Stafford Linsley & University of Newcastle)

There are many ways to access the project.   You may find it interesting to approach via a map of structures in your favourite locality, eg around Tanfield Railway.    This shows houses at Marley Hill pit, the old bridge at Houghwell Burn, etc.   Get used to the zoom in/out and cross hairs.

These links and many others are provided on this blog - click  under the heading picture.

EHSI Ceremony

Today saw the second annual North of England Civic Trust's Engineering Heritage Skill Initiative (EHSI) award ceremony, held at the Discovery Museum.   Among others, Ryan (2012/3) and Richard (2013/4) from Tanfield Railway were there.

Richard (centre) and Ryan (top right)
listen to John Grundy .....

EHSI Placement 2013

The North East Civic Trust is again offering bursary placements for one year starting March 2013 at several locations including Tanfield.   This is an educational opportunity aimed primarily at those wishing to enter heritage engineering.   Note that the bursary is tax free; and most of the 2011-12 trainees are now in paid employment.

***  Closing date for all placements is Thursday  ***

Please see the specification for the placement at Tanfield Railway then request an application form, to be completed and returned by Thursday 17 January 2013.

(EHSI 2013 under this blog's title also links to the Tanfield Railway placement specification.)

Mainly Work at Causey

John completing Ryan's assessment

Tuesday at TR

Ryan having his work photographed by John .....

Sunday Work

Owen gives his morning youth team talk .....

Various

John Earl introducing staff and pupils from
St Augustine's RC Primary School at Marley Hill

Various

John Earl introducing children & staff from
Swalwell Primary School to the railway

Various

Loading more ballast at East Tanfield for Boyd's

EHSI Engineering Bursary Opportunities 2012/3

Last Chance!  Deadline tomorrow!  If in doubt, do it now!

In 2011/2, the North of England Civic Trust's HLF-funded Engineering Heritage Skills Initiative (EHSI) provided one year bursary placements, including at Tanfield Railway.   People concerned have featured on this blog, and the scheme is providing positive results.

Recognize any of the 2011/2 engineers?
(photo courtesy of  NECT)

Applications for bursary placements in 2012/3 are now invited, with a deadline of 26 January.   Please see  http://www.nect.org.uk/engineering-hsi/ehsi-bursary-placements  for details and an application form.    Note that previous recipients of EHSI bursaries are ineligible - the scheme is trying to assist and develop heritage skills with different engineers each year.

If you are considering this, act now and download the application form.   Read about the placements, which are at various locations in the North East, on the web site.   Take a look at the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/groups/146740965394085/#!/groups/146740965394085/   Discuss the idea with others, eg at the railway.   If you have questions, ask others, including getting in touch with North of England Civic Trust (NECT).   If you want to develop your skills, and you have something to offer, don't hesitate, apply straight away.