Month: July 2026

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Heritage Open Days 2026 at Ballast Hills

Saturday, 19 September 2026
Brinkburn St Brewery and Ballast Hills Burial Ground

Join us for a full day of free events exploring the everyday histories of Ballast Hills Burial Ground. Used from about 1640 to 1853, Ballast Hills became the resting place of more than 40,000 people from varied religious and social backgrounds.

Our Heritage Open Days programme will bring some of their stories into view through archives, activities, brewing history, self-guided exploration, music, poetry, and an atmospheric twilight visit. Visitors are welcome to attend one event or combine several across the day. Download A5 Flyer here.

Everyday Histories at Ballast Hills

10.30 am to 2.00 pm
Brinkburn St Brewery
Drop in, no booking required

Explore maps, burial records, gravestone inscriptions, family-history activities, learning resources, and local stories. We will be available to answer questions and introduce some of the people and communities connected with Ballast Hills.

Brinkburn Brewery Tours

11.00 am, 12.00 noon, and 1.00 pm
Brinkburn St Brewery
Advance booking required

Tour the working brewery and discover local brewing history alongside a small display about brewing-related occupations represented among the people buried at Ballast Hills. Each tour lasts 45 minutes, places are limited, and participants must be aged 18 or over.

Explore Ballast Hills

2.30 to 4.00 pm
Ballast Hills Burial Ground
Drop in, no booking required

Try the redeveloped Ballast Hills Explorer’s Guide, follow the trail at your own pace, or speak with guides stationed around the site. This session offers a relaxed way to explore the gravestone pathway, hear stories, and ask questions.

Beneath This Ground

4.00 to 5.00 pm
Ballast Hills Burial Ground
No booking required

Experience original poetry and fiddle music by Marina Dodgson, Maurice Condie, and Harry Gallagher. This site-specific performance draws on the lives, losses, working experiences, and memories of people buried at Ballast Hills. Visitors may wish to bring a portable chair or blanket.

Twilight at Ballast Hills

6.30 to 7.30 pm
Ballast Hills Burial Ground
Drop in, no booking required

Return at dusk for an informal exploration of the burial ground. Guides will share stories along the gravestone pathway while visitors move through the site at their own pace.

Plan Your Visit

All events are free. Only the brewery tours require advance booking.

The burial ground events take place outdoors, and some areas are uneven. Please wear suitable footwear, dress for the weather, and remember that all visitors under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Please also explore the wider Heritage Open Days programme and discover the many other free events taking place across Newcastle and the surrounding area.

We look forward to welcoming you for a day of discovery, creativity, conversation, and everyday histories.

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Gravestone Recording Reaches Its Next Stage

The circular pathway at Ballast Hills Burial Ground is made from gravestones that were removed from their original positions and reused when the site was redesigned as a public open space. The pathway now forms one of the most visible surviving features of the burial ground and preserves evidence for many of the people once buried there.

All 273 pathway segments were recorded in full during summer 2025. Volunteers documented the location, measurements, condition, visible inscriptions, and other features of each segment. As many people contributed to the survey, the project also planned a validation exercise to check the consistency and accuracy of the completed records.

Myra Giesen and Gary Taylorson recorded a random sample of 35 pathway segments for a second time, with additional help from Lynn Taylor. This represents just over 10% of the total. The repeat recording allowed the project to compare independently completed forms and assess the consistency and accuracy of the original survey, including locations, measurements, condition descriptions, and inscription details.

The completed survey provides an important baseline condition assessment of the gravestones that survive today. Many stones are worn, damaged, incomplete, or difficult to read. A reliable record of their present condition will support future monitoring, conservation planning, and research.

The survey will also allow comparisons with earlier inscription lists from 1817, 1904, and 1929. These records capture the gravestones at different points in the burial ground’s history. Comparing them with the current survey may help us to trace changes in condition, identify stones that have been moved or lost, and recover information from inscriptions that can no longer be read.

We are now ready to begin transcribing all 273 recording forms. This next stage will turn the handwritten field records into structured digital data that can be searched, checked, and compared with the historic inscription lists.

No specialist knowledge is required, and guidance will be provided. Anyone interested in helping with the transcription can contact Myra at ballast.hills@newcastle.ac.uk.

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Green Days Continue at Ballast Hills

Volunteers have continued to meet at Ballast Hills Burial Ground for Green Days, helping to keep the site tidy, welcoming, and respectful. Recent sessions have included litter picking, light vegetation work, and general site care.

Wild Intrigue also provided an update on the birds using the burial ground, helping us to understand Ballast Hills as both a historic landscape and a living urban green space.

The remaining scheduled Green Days for 2026 are:

  • Tuesday, 4 August
  • Tuesday, 1 September

Sessions run from 6.30 to 8.00 pm. Volunteers can meet at the painted shipping container behind The Ship Inn at 6.30 pm, or at Ballast Hills at approximately 6.45 pm. Equipment will be provided, but please wear suitable outdoor clothing and bring your preferred gloves, if you have them.

Everyone is welcome, whether you can join regularly or attend only occasionally. Please contact us at ballast.hills@newcastle.ac.uk with any questions, or to let us know whether we can expect you.

We may arrange a few additional Green Days in the lead-up to our Heritage Open Days programme on 19 September. Please stay tuned for further details.