Westend residents become graveyard tour guides as part of National Cemeteries and Love your Burial Ground Week
Stories of the Stones group members, Ian and Pam Royal took their love of local history to the next level by trying their hand as tour guides at a community open day at St. John’s Cemetery in Benwell.
The event, held on the 14th of June was part of a ‘National Cemeteries and Love your Burial Ground Week’ which encourages people to visit and appreciate the fascinating resting greenspaces found on their doorsteps. In this instance, Stories of the Stones also set out to engage the community to tell them more about the project and its plans to restore the two Victorian Cemeteries in Elswick.
Ian and Pam recently benefitted from undertaking tour guide training at a Stories of the Stones session which upskilled them in the techniques used to lead tours. On the open day, they did an amazing job of shadowing veteran city guide, Tony Stephenson as he took members of the public around the site. The apprentice guides grabbed the opportunity to take the reins and regale the fascinating histories of people they have researched as part of the Stories of the Stones project.
This included the tale of circus tent erector, Reuben Finn Wilson, who worked for the big top company, Sangers Circus in the late 1800’s. Wilson bravely rescued a boy from a crocodile that escaped from his cage. The circus itself employed one of the world’s first female lion tamers, Nellie Sanger. Whilst in Newcastle, the eldest lion Albert, attacked the youngest lion, Havelock, killing him instantly. The body of this lion was donated to the Hancock Museum which can still be seen today in The Great North Museum in Newcastle City Centre.
The rest of the Stories of the Stones group supported the project artists in running activities during the rare public opening of St John’s Cemetery’s chapels. An exhibition of poems and cyanotype prints was on display commemorating a hundred years of the Montagu Pit Disaster, the memorial of which is located on the cemetery site.
If you are interested in joining Stories of the Stones and would like to find our more, please email kari@twbpt.org.uk for more info. The group meet most Mondays at 2.45pm-4.45pm at Westend Library, Condercum Road, NE49JH