Visit to Newcastle City Library

On Monday Feb 18^th we visited the Newcastle City Library where we toured the Local History and Family History Centre on the 6th floor. Sarah introduced us to the resources of the centre, a repository full of local newspapers, maps, materials...etc.

Their archives cover family history, architectural history, trades, cultural events, etc. which are cataloged by administrative districts. After touring the collections and facilities of the centre, we had our first look at a few resources relating to the history of Sandyford. 

At this stage we are considering dividing our research into several categories: 
1.beginnings + foundation 
2.business + trade
3.buildings + architecture
4.education + worship/social groups
5.crime + controversies
6.residents + demographics
7.present + future

….any thoughts on what we should include or remove?

On a side note, can you see what Phil is pointing out? We’ve come across a record that Charles Dickens had performed in a self-directed show at the Assembly Rooms, Newcastle. Not exactly related to our research but still interesting nonetheless.

Now here is a lovely picture of our team hard at work. Thank you Sarah for the suggestions on how to carry out our research, we took notes on several useful books and archives and will be back soon. 

First Consultation at Barney & Jude's

We managed our first consultation on 11 Feb from 7-8pm  at Barney & Jude's. It was conveniently scheduled after a bin meeting, so many of those lovely individuals were in attendance.  A special thank you to City Councilors David, Felicity, and Tom who helped get the word out beforehand and encourage participation throughout.  This flyer had been sent a week prior to all Sandyford residents to inform them of the meeting.  

Coffee, tea, and snacks were provided in an effort to make the atmosphere more casual and social.  Chip and Diane, who run Barney & Jude's, kept bringing out warm brownies for which our snacks were no match.  They were absolutely delicious, we should have taken a picture of them as well - ha! 

The consultation began with a 5 minute PowerPoint introduction about ourselves, our project, and our aims.  Afterwards we had a group discussion about ideas and themes for the exhibition.  We really appreciate all of the individuals who shared their contact information with us.  As of now, we hope to incorporate information gained from future interviews into the exhibit -- these contacts are a great help for achieving that goal.  We are still open to suggestions and will be researching for a few weeks, so feel free to comment or contact us.

On 13 Feb at 5pm the module is meeting to go over what was discussed during the consultation.

Vintage - The Thurday lunch club for seniors at Barney & Jude's

We attended Barney and Jude's Vintage lunch club on Thurday the 6th of Feburary 2014.   

Arrivals typically commence at 12pm and lunch is served at 12:30pm for a voluntary contribution of £3.  Our meal consisted of chicken pie with mash and vegetables, a brownie topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and the option of tea or coffee. All of quality and prepared on location. 

Thanks to an introduction by Diane and Chip, we received a warm welcome and met some lovely people. :)