Fashion in 1866: The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine

Posted on 14 January, 2026 by nspeccoll

The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine was a pioneering monthly publication aimed at young, middle-class women in the mid-Nineteenth Century. From 1852 to 1865, it had been edited by Isabella Mary Beeton and her husband, Samuel Orchart Beeton. When Isabella died, her friend Matilda Brown stepped in as co-editor and publication continued until 1879.

The periodical had sections including domestic management, embroidery, serialised fiction, translations of French novels, and unusually, it featured dress-making patterns. A boom in the sewing machine industry in the late 1850s and 1860s gave rise to the first ready-to-wear clothes, and the development of sewing machine models for the domestic market. In the 1860s, sewing machines were not uncommon in middle-class homes.

The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine was also ahead of its time because it solicited correspondence and contributions from its readers, which were responded to in a section called ‘The Englishwoman’s Conversazione’. Here, were laid out wide-ranging anxieties, from the “over-stocked” governess market to how to make a curry, and from romantic entanglements (reply to‘A Well-wisher’:“Marriage with a deceased husband’s brother is illegal.”, July 1866, p.224) to membership of The Society for Promoting the Employment of Women. Some of the women that wrote in gave their names; others gave only their initials; and yet others wrote under a pseudonym.

There is evidence in the conversazione of women taking an interest in textiles and fashion. A reply to ‘Queechy’ suggests ways in which scraps of material may be utilised:

“Your fragments might be made up into pincushions or similar articles for the toilet-table; they might serve as ribbons to boot-makers, etc. There are endless ways of using up such material into little articles saleable at a bazaar” (January 1866, p.32).

‘An Old Subscriber’ wanted to know why men complain about hoops and crinolines and verse from a newspaper was transcribed by way of a response (March 1866, p.96):

“When men deride the ladies’ dress
And say they’re like balloons,
But think not of their bearded selves,
Their likeness to baboons –
If I a lady might advise
(Although it should amaze her),
I’d say, ‘If we put down our hoops,
Will you take up the razor?’”

Jessamy Bride asked, “is it right for bridesmaids to go to church with bonnets on, as they did at Kew?” (August 1866, p.256). The editors thought it entirely appropriate, being “simpler and much more natural”. (On 12^th June 1866, Princess Adelaide Hanover had married Francis Teck at St. Anne’s Church, Kew.) And in December 1866 (p.384), Clara sought advice on the best way to style her hair and clothe herself based on the description that she is “tall, having rather a round face, and not very good nose”.

From 1860, the Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine featured high-quality hand-coloured fashion plates, imported from Paris, making it a valuable resource for fashionably dressed ladies. The purposes of the fashion plates then were the same as today: to communicate information about the current trends and to create a receptive audience for incoming styles. In The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine, elegant figures are presented in colour against simple black and white environments, such as a railway station or drawing room.

June 1866 women's fashion — June 1866 page from The Fashions, expressly designed and prepared for the *Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine* (19th Century Collection, 19th C. Coll. 640.5 ENG)

Fashion is aspirational and symbolic of real or perceived status. The women depicted on these fashion plates attend balls, carry parasols, go to the beach for leisure, go riding or hunting, and wear silks and bonnets trimmed with ribbons and feathers. To paraphrase Doris Langley Moore, they inhabit a charmed world where neither human, beast or fowl suffers pain or cruelty for fashion. [i]

In 1866, crinolines were changing and would be phased out by the end of the year, being superseded by the bustle. Having ballooned beyond all practicality, the front became flatter whilst the back became more voluminous. The shape of the skirts can clearly be seen in the illustration below.

April 1866 women's fashion — April 1866 page from The Fashions, Expressly designed and prepared for the *Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine* (19th Century Collection, 19th C. Coll. 640.5 ENG)

At the same time, there was a transition from pointed bodices to belted dresses. Dresses had double skirts and straight sleeves. Instead of floral decorations, there was a move towards ribbon trimmings.

World events influenced fashion too. The 1860s were a tumultuous decade during which nations and societies were reshaped by wars, including the American Civil War (1861-1865) and the Prussian-Austrian Seven Weeks’ War (1866). Fashion responded to these conflicts with military-style jackets. An example may be seen in the detailing of the girl’s costume in the fashion plate for May 1866: high boots and a silk jacket and skirt trimmed with braid.

The fashion plates sit within a regular section called ‘The Fashions’, which begins with a long description of the season and current looks. January is all about “wrapping oneself up in the soft warm materials suitable to the inclement season”: velvets, silks, and furs. Come February, “glitter is the fureur of the day”: on bonnets, coiffures [i.e. hairstyles], walking and evening dresses, “glitter on every part of a lady’s toilet, from the head-gear to the slipper”. Lingerie is the focus for March for “details often tell more in the tout ensemble of a dress than the dress itself”.

Heading into Spring, the fashionable lady of 1866 was wearing linos [flax] or mohair dresses in grey, dun and fawn. In May, the editors turned attention to the “numerous modifications” that bonnets were subjected to:

“Some of the patterns exhibited this spring in the windows of some of our first modistes are so strange that crowds of curious persons of both sexes are continually seen stopping to examine them”.

Fashion being cyclical, there is then a return to “the fashions of the time of the Empress Josephine” [ii]: a plain, gored [flared, flowing] skirt with low, short-waisted bodice, square neckline and a wide sash tied around the waist and finished in a large bow at the side – what we know as an empire line dress.

The expansion of rail travel affected fashion as people could holiday at the coast, thus thoughts turned to travelling and seaside costumes in July and the colours to be seen in, whether they were suited to the wearer’s complexion or not, were yellow and bright rose. There was little change in Summer but hemlines rose and crinolines were “altogether given up” in favour of “short scant dresses” that didn’t reach beyond the ankle, as seen in the ‘seaside toilet’ worn by the figure on the left in the plate below.

August 1866 women's fashion — August 1866 page from The Fashions. Expressly designed and prepared for the *Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine* (19th Century Collection, 19th C. Coll. 640.5 ENG)

The rise of train travel had also contributed to an increase of environment-specific clothing, for example the shooting season having begun, all concerns in October were for “pretty country costumes, fanciful hats and demi-toilettes for the evening”. Velvet and satin were “profusely employed” by couturiers and “a great deal of taste” was required when it came to matching colours in November. December’s fashion section was dedicated to children.

Included in ‘The Fashions’ was a short sub-section headed ‘India and the colonies’ which spoke to the magazine’s subscribers in India, Canada and other occupied parts of the world. The text is reprinted without any changes each month and is essentially an advertisement for the services of Madame Goubaud who seems to have been based in Europe and able to fulfil requests for dresses, bonnets, hats trimmings and more. Through the column, we learn that the English colonisers continued to be consumers of Parisian and London fashion. Advice given in later issues of The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine and other ladies’ periodicals was to adapt fabrics to the climate, and to favour taking haberdashery items rather than fully made-up clothes when relocating abroad.[iii]

[i] Moore, Doris Langley. Fashion through fashion plates 1771-1970 (New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 1971), p.9.

[ii] Josephine Bonaparte (1763-1814) was the first wife of Napoleon.

[iii] Bhamburkar, Tarini. ‘”Crushed Flounces and Broken Feathers”: British Women’s Fashions and their Indian Servants in Victorian India’ in Journal of Victorian Culture Online (November 18, 2021) https://jvc.oup.com/2021/11/18/british-womens-fashions-and-their-indian-servants/, accessed 22/12/2025.

Christmas by Candlelight: Victorian Reflections from Thomas Sopwith’s Diaries

Posted on 22 December, 2025 by nspeccoll

Photograph of Thomas Sopwith, 1891. Wikimedia Commons.

Thomas Sopwith (1803 – 1879) was an English mining engineer, land surveyor and philanthropist. His diaries cover the period from 1828 to 1879 and detail his work, projects, and travels.

In his own words, Sopwith often “spent a leisure hour very pleasantly in writing down a few memoranda which should serve in future years to recall the scenes of the past with greater clearness than the memory unassisted could do”. It was with this intention that he chose to describe, in exacting detail, the contents of his Writing Room, “in which so many of my hours are passed with a degree of enjoyment which it would be difficult to surpass”.

Inside Sopwith’s Writing Room

In an entry dated 25 December 1838, Sopwith meticulously records the contents of his Writing Room. To his left, a warm fire glows, the mantle above it crowded with geological specimens, fossils, and inkstands. Above the mantle hangs a “very pretty” looking glass and a gilt-framed watercolour of Greta Bridge in Keswick.

The remaining walls are adorned with engravings, watercolours and oil paintings, including a portrait of William M. Pitt esq, purchased by Sopwith on a ‘very delightful excursion’ with Pitt at his seaside house in Swanwick.

The contents of Sopwith’s closets and bookcases are itemised with immense care; each one seemingly overflowing with books, prints, and neatly arranged mineral collections.

Beside the window sits a piano belonging to Sopwith’s wife, Annie, whom he fondly refers to as his “better half”. He notes that in amongst these treasures “are some things apparently trifling but which I highly value” including a portrait and a “handsome gold purse” given to Sopwith by his wife.

Christmas at the Sopwith’s

From the 1860s onward, Sopwith begins to offer richly detailed, almost hour-by-hour accounts of Christmas Day in his diaries. These entries provide a vivid account of a privileged Victorian household at the height of the festive season.

Like most mornings in the Sopwith household, the day began with breakfast:

“At the breakfast table this morning there was much giving and receiving of presents and Compliments of the season – all of them acceptable – some very handsome & others of considerable value. My dear Annie is most generous in her bestowal of such gifts to me and my family as well as to her own friends, who all know by very agreeable experience the good taste and liberality thus shown and the specimen of which was, in my own case – an extremely elegant and well made Quarto book for receiving photographs — a great many of which were inserted in a regular arrangement, rendering the whole as agreeable & handsome a Christmas Gift as I could possibly desire.”

Page 73, 25 December 1868 (Sopwith (Thomas) Diaries, TS/115).

After breakfast, the family would attend the Christmas Day service at the Foundling Hospital in Bloomsbury, where Sopwith found the music “deeply impressive” and “remarkably well performed”. When possible, he would also visit Westminster Abbey for afternoon prayers, though once noted it was “so densely crowded” that he had to stand for the entire service.

Inside of the Chapel of the Foundling Hospital, John Sanders (1768-1826), Engraving, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection.

The remainder of the day typically involved visiting friends and acquaintances, followed by luncheon with a Mr and Mrs Routledge in Russell Square. Candlelit Christmas evenings, unless “spent quietly at home” as in 1870, were filled with dinners, dancing, and “other amusements”. In 1868, for instance, Sopwith dined and “spent a most lively and pleasant evening at Mr T. M. Smith’s, No. 1 Chapel Place”. He describes it as “a most hospitable entertainment,” where guests danced and sang “Canny Newcastel,” “Auld Lang Syne,” and concluded, naturally, with “God Save the Queen”.

A Portrait of Victorian Private Life

These warm and detailed descriptions offer a glimpse into Sopwith’s private world. Though he is remembered today for his contributions to science and engineering, his diaries reveal the quieter moments of his everyday life. A breakfast table covered in cards and parcels, a thoughtful gift from a beloved wife, gatherings of friends and loved ones. Together, these gentle details depict a portrait of Victorian private life, and connect us, across the centuries, to the familiar rhythms of home, family and friendship at Christmas.

Rendezvous – Plays and Poems in loving memory of Poet and Playwright Julia Darling.

Posted on 11 November, 2025 by nspeccoll

Rendezvous was a Live Theatre production from 28^th of May to the 6^th of June 2015 which marked the 10^th anniversary of the death of poet and playwright Julia Darling.

Julia started her writing career in the 1980s in Newcastle before forming with a performance poetry group called The Poetry Virgins with four other female writers: Ellen Phethean, Charlie Hardwick, Kay Hepplewhite and Fiona MacPherson. The group would go on to publish poetry collections such as Sauce and Modern Goddess and perform their poems live.

Julia and Ellen would then go on to co-found Diamond Twig Press in 1992, a small publishing press for publishing works of female authors in the north of England that closed in 2018.

Julia published her first novel, Crocodile Soup in 1998 followed by The Taxi Driver’s Daughter in 2003. She was a writer in residence at the Live Theatre from 2001 to 2003 where she wrote five works: Attachments, The Last Post, Sudden Collapses in Public Places, Venetia Love goes Netting and Personal Belongings. She sadly passed away on the 13^th of April 2005 due to breast cancer at the age of 48.

Advertising poster for The Poetry Virgins live performance of 'Sauce' (DT/9) — Advertising poster for The Poetry Virgins live performance of ‘Sauce’ (DT/9)

The production had five plays and many events in which many former colleagues, friends and associates participated including performances from The Poetry Virgins and Diamond Twig. Many performed poems written for the event, previous poems authored by Julia or popular poems that had been played on stage previously. For example, The Poetry Virgins poetry performances of the Stages of Drunkenness and at the Rendezvous Cabaret Nights where they performed their poems as solos, duos or all together. Notes on the running order of Cabaret Nights reveal hidden details of their performance with each performer drinking wine with ‘the poem mapping out Julia’s life through her refreshments’.

We also see after Julia’s death personal letters and poems being written by close colleagues of Julia reflecting on how much she meant to them.

Back of a postcard with the poem 'Recovery' by Julia Darling on the back (DT/11). — Back of a postcard with the poem ‘Recovery’ by Julia Darling on the back (DT/11).

Postcard describing the first time a colleague first saw Julia in Jesmond (DT/11). — Postcard describing the first time Julia and Ellen first saw Julia in Jesmond (DT/11).

In these letters we learn more about Julia’s personality as a leader, a lovely individual, a teacher/mentor, a friend and a brilliant writer. She is described in the postcard as ‘so energetic and sweet’. We see her important contributions to cultivating creative writing in women around the north of England through her dedication of teaching many creative writing courses and classes for women.

June Portlock first met Julia on one of these writing courses. In a letter reflecting on their first meeting, June stated that ‘Julia ran the session so orderly that it felt everyone was having fun with words, but we also accomplished a lot’. In the same letter she attached a poem named ‘After Billy Elliot’ which, Portlock stated, ‘without Julia’s course would not have existed’.

Sylvia Forrest also first met Julia through her courses. In a letter to Ellen Phethean, she talks about her re-read of Julia’s poem ‘Disrespectful to Lakes’ saying ‘I adore the poem from the beginning stanza and her illustrations in the poem’ which allow her to enjoy ‘being in a world with Julia’s purposeful and stinging remarks’. She also, like many, was positively impacted and inspired from Julia’s creative writing classes. Like June, she also attached a poem to her letter to Ellen titled ‘Remembering Julia’ in which she recounts when she first met Julia through a screen-printing class which she partook in.

All these letters reveal both Julia’s brilliant personality and the massive impact she had on female writers in the north of England, many of whom she inspired through her classes.

These classes by Julia would help inspire and cultivate new talents in female writing as seen with June Portlock and Sylvia Forrest. From these courses June and Sylvia would become a part of Diamond Twig’s ‘Branch Lines’ series and both become published authors in 1997 with their publications of Broken Biscuits and Waltzing off from Hand-Me Downs both published by Diamond Twig Press respectively.

June Portlock and Sylvia Forrest both holding their respective published works of Broken Biscuits and Waltzing off from Hand-Me Downs. (DT/13)

The images included in this blog are part of the Diamond Twig archive which was donated to the library by Ellen Phethean.

The Aerial Photographs of Professor Norman McCord

Posted on 1 October, 2025 by nspeccoll

Former Newcastle University Professor of History, Norman McCord passed away one year ago, at the age of 94 in October 2024. McCord had a long academic at Newcastle University, his research focussed on modern history, particularly focussing on the northeast of England. His legacy includes several published works focussing particularly on the northeast of England, the pioneering use of aerial photography in the Northeast, and the McCord Centre for Landscape which was named in his honour. This interdisciplinary centre, based in the University’s Armstrong Building, specialises on landscape based historical research which cuts across academic disciplines.

McCord’s interest in aerial photography developed in the late 1950s. Through various small grants in the 1960s McCord was able to begin a series of flights capturing aerial photographs of many parts of the regionⁱ. He was assisted by the Newcastle and Sunderland Flying Clubs and the University’s Audio-Visual Centre who provided the photographic processing for his endeavours.Prints from these photographs formed part of a Department of Archaeology collection which was accessible to researchers, and the negatives remained part of the Audio-Visual Centre’s archive. When the Audio-Visual Centre ceased to operate the negatives were transferred to the University Library and into the care of the Special Collections and Archives team.

These negatives, just a very small part of the larger Audio-Visual Centre’s archive, captured the history of the northeast from a unique perspective at a time of industrial and cultural change and development during the 1960s, 70s and 80s. In 1970 McCord collaborated with the Durham Local History Society to publish a selection of the photographs covering the county, whose then boundary was the south side of the River Tyne. This was followed by Northumberland History from the Air, published in 1971. A further book covering the whole of the North East was published in the early 1990s. From these books we have been able to identify the negatives in our collection and begin to understand the coverage of McCord’s work.

Some of the earliest changes to landscape included in the archive are the remains of archaeological sites and earthworks. Roman sites, including those along Hadrian’s Wall were photographed, as well as many of the north’s ruined castles, including Brougham Castle near Penrith, photographed on one of McCords more westward forays.

Brougham Castle, near Penrith and surrounding country. University Archives, NUA/034534/67

The development of urban areas and housing was also captured by McCord. The early development of the new town of Killingworth captures the layout of the ‘new town’ residential development including the Killingworth Towers development of multi-storey, brutalist, blocks of flats. These were demolished in the late 1980s and replaced with more typical suburban style houses.

Multi-storey blocks of flats at Killingworth new town development. University Archives, NUA/090827/15

Other residential areas photographed by McCord include areas of North Tyneside and Newcastle. McCord also ventured further afield into County Durham, Northumberland and even Cumbria, capturing the rural landscape, towns and villages during his photography trips.

Alongside residential and urban areas, McCord also captured the industrial landscape of 1960s and 70s North East, capturing images of many facets of our industrial heritage at their peak which are no longer present and fading from memory. In the 1970s McCord captured many of the shipbuilders on the River Tyne, an industry in which the North East was once a global powerhouse, but has long since gone, the land now repurposed for offshore engineering, or other industrial or residential uses.

Aerial photograph of Swan Hunter shipyard on the River Tyne. University Archives, NUA/090827/09

Other aspects of now-gone industry and activity captured by McCord on his flights include the heavy industry associated with coal. As well as capturing many of docks on the Tyne from where coal was exported, users of coal were captured such as the large Alcan site, and the former power stations at Blyth and Stella. The sources of coal were also captured, such as the former colliery at Nedderton near Bedlington, where the land has now reverted back to agriculture.

Aerial photograph of Nedderton Colliery. University Archives, NUA/062679/05

Taken together the photographs provide a fascinating snapshot of north-eastern history, providing us with a unique insight into the shape of our towns, cities, industry and history in the 1960s and 70s. Over 100 of the photographs taken by Norman McCord have now been digitised and can be browsed on our CollectionsCaptured platform here: https://cdm21051.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p21051coll2/search/searchterm/aerial%20photograph

Norman McCord’s Northumberland History From the Air is part of our Edwin Clarke (Local) Collection.

The ‘Demon Binder’ and the ‘Dragon Binder’

Posted on 21 July, 2025 by nspeccoll

Bookbinding in the Fifteenth Century

The primary purpose of book bindings is to protect the text block, but bindings can also transform books into beautiful objects that tell us about social status, changing fashions, and craftsmanship. In the Fifteenth Century, bookbinders commonly covered books in leather, usually calf because it is durable, smooth, lightweight and has a surface that lends itself to decoration. The leather could be dampened and decorated by directly applying heated brass tools. Those tools embossed the leather with a design and this process is described as blind tooling. (Gold tooling was introduced to Europe in the Fifteenth Century but really took off in the Sixteenth Century. This is the process whereby the tools are applied through gold leaf.)

Bookbinding was a professional book trade activity. Although we can rarely identify the person or workshop that bound the books, the comparison of bindings has enabled scholars to sometimes recognise the repeated use of particular stamps and other tools, such as metal rolls which have continuous designs engraved around a wheel to quickly create repeated friezes.

The ‘Demon Binder’

The ‘Demon Binder’ is so called after use of a binding tool that resembles a horned devil within a lozenge. We can see an example of the Demon Binder’s work on a copy of Reporta Parisiensia (reports or transcriptions of lectures given by the Scottish Catholic priest John Duns Scotus in Paris) that was printed in 1478 and is bound with manuscript printer’s waste and a work by the Italian theologian Peter Lombard (c.1096-1160). The book has wooden (oak) boards that have been covered in mid-brown calf and blind-tooled. A tool called a fillet has been used to create a border of triple lines and the same triple lines divide a central panel into lozenges. There is evidence of the book once having two clasps to hold the book shut; now absent.

Front cover of: Duns Scotus, John. Reportata Parisiensia: liber I — Front cover of: Duns Scotus, John. *Reportata Parisiensia: liber I*
(Bononiae Italy: Johann Schreiber for Johannes de Annunciata de Augusta, 1478)
Bainbrigg Library, BAI 1478 DUN Quarto

Each lozenge features a stamp, including one that can be said to look like a devil.

On this occasion, we think we know who the binder was: the ‘Demon Binder’ has been identified as Gerard Wake, based in Cambridge. During the hand-press era (roughly 1450-1850), Cambridge, alongside Oxford and London, was a major centre for bookbinding with the university creating demand for books. Indeed, the Demon Binder’s work can be found on registers at Pembroke College.

It is reasonable to assume that the first owner of this book also lived in Cambridge. There are copious Latin annotations in an unknown Fifteenth Century hand. Later, it was owned by Reginald Bainbrigg (1545-1606) who was born in Westmoreland (now Cumbria) but was an undergraduate student at Peterhouse, Cambridge University. He graduated in 1577 and went on to become Headmaster at Appleby Grammar School, Cumbria. The historic library of Appleby Grammar School was deposited with Newcastle University Library in 1966, and this book is found within the Bainbrigg Library/Appleby Grammar School Collection.

The ‘Dragon Binder’

Also working in the Fifteenth Century was the ‘Dragon Binder’, thought to have been Thomas Bedford (fl. 1486-1506). Bedford was a book binder at Magdalen College, Oxford and then stationer at the university. We can see an example of the Dragon Binder’s work on a copy of Summa Angelica . . . (a work of moral theology and guide on matters of conscience by Antonio Carletti)that was printed in 1498. The binding was repaired at the Bodleian Library in 1952: the front, or upper, board has been re-covered, resulting in total loss of the original covering material but the back, or lower, board retains the original blind-tooled calf. According to J. Basil Oldham in English Blind-stamped Bindings (1952), the dragon tool was damaged in 1504/1505 but its use continued, albeit with a nick under the dragon’s tail (p.5).

Back cover of: Carletti, Angelo. Summa Angelica de casibus conscientie cum additionib[us] nouiter additis (Nurenberge: Impressa per Antonium Koberger, 1498) — Back cover of: Carletti, Angelo. *Summa Angelica de casibus conscientie cum additionib[us] nouiter additis* (Nurenberge: Impressa per Antonium Koberger, 1498)
Sandes Library, Sandes 259

The Dragon Binder’s two distinctive stamps, a dragon inside a lozenge and a Tudor rose within a circle, are visible.

Detail showing the dragon and Tudor rose stamps, placed sideways on the binding.

We don’t know anything about the book’s history before the Seventeenth Century, when a wealthy wool merchant, Thomas Sandes (1606-1681) of Kendal in Cumbria donated books to the school he founded. The Sandes Library of Kendal Grammar School was donated to Newcastle University in the 1960s.

Other Fifteenth Century bookbinders

There are several other early binders that have been assigned nicknames. Oldham references the Lattice Binder (named after his use of a lattice stamp); the Unicorn Binder who used a small lozenge stamp depicting a unicorn looking over its shoulder; the Fruit and Flower Binder; the Monster Binder, named for his strange beast with a head at the end of its tail; the Greyhound Binder who used a triangular greyhound stamp; the Fishtail Binder, named after a stamp depicting a creature whose only recognisable feature is its fish-tail and several more.

Ascribing book bindings to specific binders based on the use of consistent tools comes with the caveat that binding workshops might have had multiple staff so we can’t be certain that it was always the same individual that created the bindings. It is also possible that tools passed to other book binders.

Pride in the Making: art, music and culture in the early days of Tyneside CHE

Posted on 30 June, 2025 by nspeccoll

The Tyneside Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) was formed in 1972 as a local branch of the national Campaign for Homosexual Equality. The Tyneside CHE Archive held in Special Collections and Archives at Newcastle University is one of the most complete records of CHE in the UK.

As Pride Month draws to a close, we reflect on the importance of art, music and culture in the early days of Tyneside CHE through extracts from the archive.

In the early days of the LGBTQ+ movement in the UK, criminalisation, discrimination, social exclusion and stigmatisation were widespread for its members.

Against this backdrop, art, music and culture, and the social bonds which both created and resulted from them, became powerful tools of resistance and self-expression for the LGBTQ+ community, forming the cultural backbone of a growing movement. Nationally, and internationally, artists, musicians and cultural spaces became lifelines for members of the LGBTQ+ community, and through the Tyneside CHE archive we can see the same unfolding at a local level.

In the early Tyneside CHE newsletters, regular committee business and political matters are interspersed with cultural gatherings and events throughout. In June 1976, plans included a trip to watch the York Mystery Plays and an outing to the Tyneside Cinema to see the film A Bigger Splash, a film significant for its treatment of gay themes.

As well as organised trips, in-house events and productions formed a very significant part of Tyneside CHE’s activities too, from regular film nights and coffee mornings hosted in members’ own homes, to an organised street theatre group which made regular performances on Newcastle’s Northumberland Street. This production of Cinderfella in December 1980 was Tyneside CHE’s own take on a traditional festive pantomime.

Programme for Cinderfella by Tyneside CHE, 21 December 1980 (CHE/01/05)

Theatrical performances and arenas provided a relatively safe and creative space for LGBTQ+ individuals to express their identities, desires, and experiences. Tyneside CHE supported and hosted several touring productions of Gay Sweatshop, a London-based theatre company and the first gay theatre company, which was formed to counteract prevailing misconceptions about homosexuals and promote awareness of sexual oppression experienced by the gay community. This ticket relates to a performance of the play Indiscreet in Newcastle on 17 December 1976.

Ticket for performance of Indiscreet by Gay Sweatshop in Newcastle, 17 December 1976 — Ticket for performance of *Indiscreet* by *Gay Sweatshop* in Newcastle, 17 December 1976 (CHE/01/05)

There were also touring productions of another gay theatre collective from London, Consenting Adults in Public, founded by the British playwright, performer, director, and activist Eric Presland.

Ticket proofs for performance of All our Yester-Gays by the Consenting Adults in Public theatre company in Newcastle, 12 August [1976?] — Ticket proofs for performance of *All our Yester-Gays* by the *Consenting Adults in Public* theatre company in Newcastle, 12 August [1976?] (CHE/01/05)

Arts magazines played a crucial role in the early LGBTQ+ movement, by providing a space for expression, visibility, and community when mainstream media marginalized or ignored LGBTQ+ voices. Newcastle’s first gay arts magazine Slant was published in February 1977 by Newcastle University’s Gaysoc, with assistance from the Student’s Union. According to the Editorial in its first edition, it was formed “to be a magazine of new writings with a gay orientation” and “to provide a means by which gay writers and poets might speak out, from the heart of their gay sensibility to their heterosexual brothers and sisters”.

Front cover of Slant magazine, issue 1, February 1977 — Front cover of *Slant* magazine, issue 1, February 1977 (CHE/05/02)

Editorial, Slant magazine, issue 1, February 1977 — Editorial, *Slant* magazine, issue 1, February 1977 (CHE/05/02)

As Tyneside CHE arrived at its ten-year anniversary in 1982, celebrations included a barn dance featuring many traditional and well-known country dances and tunes, including Cumberland Square Eight, Lucky Seven, Winster Galop and the Blaydon Races, again demonstrating the continued importance of culture in unifying and strengthening the movement and its members, and of community gatherings that defied repression and laid the groundwork for LGBTQ+ visibility and activism.

Ticket for Tyneside CHE barn dance and disco, 18June 1982 (CHE/01/05)

Browse and search the Tyneside Campaign for Homosexual Equality (Tyneside CHE) Archive

Read our blog post on celebrating 50 years of Pride

See our Finding their Voices exhibition which celebrates the many diverse voices present within our collections.

See our exhibition on The North’s Forgotten Female Reformers which examines the role of women in Tyneside CHE

The Bridges of Newcastle

Posted on 23 April, 2025 by nspeccoll

While recently working through our University Archives, we discovered some interesting negatives of plans of our local bridges. The bridges of Newcastle that stretch across the Tyne are intrinsically linked to Newcastle University, from our wonderful collections of books and archives within Special Collections, our School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, to our events such as Pioneers of Change and the Discover Festival. Both the University and the city are steeped in rich heritage and some of the most famous landmarks, loved by Geordies and visitors alike, are the bridges over the River Tyne, with five of them squeezed into less than a mile! These bridges allow road, rail and pedestrians access to the city from Gateshead and the surrounding southern towns.

The earliest known bridge is thought to be the Pons Aelius, said to be built by the Emperor Hadrian in connection with the Roman wall that extends across the city. This bridge was destroyed in the city fires of 1248 and replaced by a mediaeval bridge called the Newcastle Bridge. The mediaeval bridge stood for five hundred years but was destroyed in the winter floods of 1771. Six people lost their lives, and multiple houses were washed down river.

*Newcastle Mediaeval Bridge* [Local Illustrations, ILL/B258]

In 1781 a new Georgian bridge was built, comprising of nine stone arches and designed by Robert Mylne, but by 1850 the Tyne Improvement Commission decided that this new bridge caused an obstruction to river traffic and the further industrial development on the Tyne.

*Georgian Bridge with the High-Level Bridge* [19th Century Collection , 19th C. Coll 914.282]

As such it was removed in 1865, with a temporary bridge in place while new plans were created. In 1873 the new design for a moving bridge was created and in 1876 the Swing Bridge was built. At the time of construction, it was the largest swing bridge to have been built. The Hydraulic accumulator used to rotate this bridge to allow for sea traffic, was designed by a local Newcastle engineer and industrialist named William Armstrong. In 1894, Armstrong’s company Elswick also built and installed the steam-driven pumping engines, hydraulic accumulators and hydraulic pumping engines that operate London’s Tower Bridge. The swing bridge in Newcastle was originally steam powered with controls over the roadway and two hydraulic pumps on the central pier. During its busiest year of operation, the bridge swung open 6,000 times. Although it is the same bridge that you can see and cross on the River Tyne today, due to mechanical failures after restoration work, the last time the bridge was in action was in August 2021.

*The opening of the High-Level Bridge* [Local Illustrations, ILL-/C592]

Prior to the Swing Bridge being constructed, work had begun on another famous Newcastle bridge. The High-Level Bridge. This bridge competed in 1849 and opened by Queen Victoria, is another feat of engineering. Showcasing a double-decker style of bridge that carries both road and rail traffic in and out of the city. Designed by Robert Stephenson (son of George Stephenson), it spans 1,350 feet and provided the much-needed links to Darlington and Berwick railway stations from Newcastle. The High-Level Bridge is a grade 1 listed structure with the main structural elements being cast iron (replaced by wrought Iron later), with timber rail decking (later replaced with steel). The High-Level Bridge is now the oldest bridge in Newcastle that still stands to this day.

*Construction plans of the High-Level Bridge* [G/046156-012, University Archives]

In 1925 construction started on a new bridge and in 1928 the (now) famous Northeast bridge The Tyne, was opened by King George V. This Grade II listed bridge was engineered with the new and fast changing world of motorised vehicles in mind. Made of British steel, at the time of its opening it was the world’s longest spanning bridge. On the design team for the bridge was the first woman to gain a membership to the Institute of Civil Engineers, Dorothy Buchanan. In March 2024, Dorothy was honoured by Newcastle Universities Centre for Heritage in partnership with The Common Room, and a commemorative plaque was installed at the Tyne Bridge.

*Construction plans for the Tyne Bridge* [G/046156-009, University Archives]

The Tyne Bridge has an impressive steel arch design and uses a method of construction called cantilevering; the same process as used on the Sydney Harbour Bridge but tested first in Newcastle. The Neoclassical and Art Deco towers point to the industrial pride of Tyneside and the architectural works by John Dobson that are seen around Newcastle to this day.

For more information on this history of Newcastle’s bridges:

For more information on Newcastle University Pioneers of Change

To get involved (and have a go at building a bridge)

For further reading, these books can be requested from Newcastle University Special collections:

‘Christie’s new plan of Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead’ by John Christie. 1864
‘The three bridges, Roman, mediaeval and modern, over the Tyne at Newcastle: a paper read before the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle’ by J. Collingwood. 1872
‘Visit to Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead of Their Majesties King George V. and Queen Mary: to open Tyne Bridge’. City Council. 1928

Town and gown on the Tyne

Posted on 23 April, 2025 by nspeccoll

A poster display concerned with improving student awareness of Jesmond, Newcastle and the North East, featuring material from Newcastle University’s Special Collections & Archives, on the evolution of data visualization for social improvement.

People often have a poor understanding of the demographic and social profile of the areas in which they live.

The posters displayed in this exhibition explore this problem in the context of so-called ‘town and gown’ tensions in Jesmond and other areas around Newcastle University.

Today the perceived divide between locals and students is often framed in the context of ‘studentification,’ (the growth of student populations within neighbourhoods around universities) which is thought to exacerbate a range of social problems.

That said, as the news stories from University’s student newspaper, The Courier displayed in cabinet 4 show, tensions between locals and students are far from a new problem here in Newcastle.

This exhibition seeks, in a modest sense, to address some of these problems particularly those concerned with perceptions and with communication, by making public data more engaging, and (hopefully) more memorable.

Data visualization is an increasingly familiar aspect of modern (online) media consumption.

But as the archival material in cabinets 1, 2 and 3 indicate, data visualization has a long history, particularly in terms of improving (expert) awareness around health matters.

It is a history that has its roots in the spread of diseases in Newcastle and the North East during the early 19^th century, to the localised public health initiatives of the late 19^th century, and eventually, to government’s growing dependence on statistics across a broad range of policy fields, through the twentieth, and into the twenty-first century.

Map of Newcastle upon Tyne, prevalent zymotic diseases, 1879

Map of Newcastle upon Tyne, prevalent zymotic diseases, 1882

That said, visualized data are not universally appreciated and are not always well-understood.

During the UK’s 2023 COVID Inquiry, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was said, by his then Chief Scientific Advisor, Sir Patrick Vallance, to have often been ‘bamboozled’ by the daily graphs produced to track the crisis.

Ideas about how data visualizations communicate are often based on a computational theory of cognition, that assumes that thought is enacted through activity in the brain.

But while this approach may be helpful in terms of helping explain comprehension and reasoning, it tells us little about what people find attractive, engaging, and appealing.

Alternatively, an embodied approach to cognition, based on the premise that knowledge is grounded in our bodies, and in our bodily, sensory and emotional interactions with the world, may yield new knowledge here.

In this view, what we find appealing in data visualizations is an important factor in better understand how and why we engage with them, and how potentially impactful they may be.

The method used in this poster display was initially developed during a pilot poster display study concerned with improving local awareness about civic data, in Jesmond during the summer of 2023.

This project was concerned with exploring a key empirical finding in the literature, namely that redundancy (or repetition) across different communicative modes seems to be an important factor in making data visualizations more memorable.

The pilot sought to broaden the scope for thinking about what ‘redundancy’ might include, beyond merely the charts and titles used, to incorporate a range of multimodal and structuring devices (including visual artefacts, typography, and dramaturgical devices), in such a way as to mutually re-enforce the message communicated; with a view to making these media more intuitive, more likely to spur conversation, and following discussion, more likely to impact its audience.

The present project takes an experimental, interdisciplinary approach, towards addressing the following problems:

How we think visually

The selection of background images in posters may be informed by principles in cognitive metaphor theory.

This assumes that metaphors used in everyday language represent structuring devices that sit within language, mapping meaning from one (well-understood) domain to another (less understood) one, that helps us to make sense of the world.

Recurring patterns of experience are manifest in ‘image schemas’ (or scripts) that help us to negotiate certain experiences, and situations, in the world.

So, for example, a poster asking Jesmond residents in Newcastle to reflect upon what they know about where they live may be reinforced by an image of The Angel of the North, as this statue visually represents a ‘balance’ image schema (the angel’s body represents a fulcrum between its two wings), which in turn, reinforces the idea of passing judgement on something, or making a decision.

How we reason visually

The choice of data visualizations used to communicate may be informed by diagram psychology.

This approach argues that the shapes we use to communicate abstract ideas are influenced by the shapes found in the structure of the built environment, that emerged as solutions to material problems.

So, lines represent paths; circles represent cycles, boxes (ie bars in bar charts) represent containers, arrows represent asymmetrical force, and so on.

To make optimal use of this vocabulary from a cognitive point of view, it may be possible to attach meanings to them, and so avoid (for example) the use of ‘empty containers.’

So for example, where a colour (say blue) is used to attribute an identity to a variable in a display (say a bar in a bar chart), this may be contrasted with ‘empty’ containers (greyed out bars).

This approach may also be seen to relate to empirical best practice in data visualization, that recommends ‘grouping cues’ along similar lines.

How we communicate visually

In the interdisciplinary field of multimodal analysis, the arrangement of visual communication may be said to follow a structure, or a ‘grammar.’

So for example, in terms of increasing the redundancy within a visual communicative message, it may be possible to extend the notion of ‘redundancy’ to reflecting the visual arrangement within a media.

So, for example, the title ‘What do you know about North Jesmond?’ may be mapped to visual cues, read left to right on a poster; with the subject (you) and object (Jesmond) of the statement represented as symbols, images, or icons; and with the verb represented as a vector (the wings of the Angel of the North may be associated with the verb ‘know’).

The extent to which redundancy may extend to the wider design of the posters, may also be considered; concerning captions, colour schemes, font types, the presence (and arrangement) of figures, and other structural and communicative components; in a multimodal approach.

How visual stories are effectively structured

To bring all the theoretical influences in these structuring devices together into a coherent framework, it is necessary to establish some common components associated with dramaturgy and storytelling, including; plot, setting, characters, a point of view, a point of conflict and a genre.

The aim of this project, which is to encourage a re-think about how we understand data visualization, and what purpose it should serve in public life), if not the approach taken, owes a debt to an earlier innovator in data visualization – namely Danny Dorling, who today is Professor of Human Geography at the University of Oxford.

Dorling, a social geographer, has been exploring social statistics, since the publication of his PhD thesis (available to view, in cabinet 5), Visualization of Spatial Social Structure, here at Newcastle (1991).

In this work, Dorling introduced an innovative way of exploring social data through cartograms.

These are maps that distort geographical size and layout to show differences in social structure.

His reasons for doing this relate to time scales.

For example, he asks why should we use constant geological shapes when we map statistical displays, when we are primarily concerned with (relatively) short-term changes in social structures.

The data produced in this project, and the iterative improvements to creative practice they underpin, are intended to lead to an improved, and a more consistent method for impactful data design, while the theory developed will help to firmly establish a broad framework for an emergent, embodied theory of data visualization.

Written and researched by Murray Dick, Senior Lecturer In Multimedia Journalism from the School of Arts and Cultures, as part of the Town and Gown on the Tyne exhibition.

Exploring the British North Greenland Expedition Archive (1952-1954)

Posted on 21 March, 2025 by nspeccoll

The British North Greenland Expedition (BNGE) of 1952-1954 stands as a remarkable chapter in the history of polar exploration. Led by Commander James Simpson, this ambitious expedition aimed to deepen our understanding of the Greenland Ice Sheet and its surrounding environment. The archive of this expedition, housed at Newcastle University Library, offers a fascinating glimpse into the daily lives and scientific endeavours of the team who undertook groundbreaking research into the glaciology, geology and environment of this previously understudied part of the world.

Members of the British North Greenland Expedition in 1952 © Major D.E.L. Homard

The Mission and Its Objectives

The BNGE was the first large-scale British-led expedition to Greenland, involving 30 men, primarily from the military, including the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, and Army, along with a few non-military scientists. The expedition had a broad range of scientific objectives, including geological mapping, meteorology, polar medicine, and logistics. The team established their main base at Britannia Lake and a field base at Northice, from where they conducted various scientific measurements and experiments.

Daily Life and Challenges

The archive contains over 700 message transcripts, detailing the day-to-day activities and challenges faced by the expedition members. These messages reveal the logistical hurdles, such as the breakdown of equipment and the need for resupply missions, often carried out by parachute drops from airplanes. One notable incident was the crash of an aircraft during an early resupply mission in September 1952, which resulted in the loss of the craft and injuries to the crew.

Scientific Contributions and Legacy

Despite the challenges, the BNGE made significant contributions to polar science. The team conducted extensive measurements of the ice sheet, gravimetry, and meteorology, using a combination of dog sleds and Weasel tracked military vehicles for transportation. The expedition also served as a test-bed for practices used in later polar expeditions, including the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1955-1958.

Extract from a message transcript reporting measurements taken from a glacier. Ref. GEX/3/3/13 06/03/1954

Notable Participants

Several members of the BNGE went on to have distinguished careers in exploration and academia. Captain Mike Banks, who later wrote a book about the expedition, and Peter John Whyllie, a geologist, are among the notable figures. Hal Lister and Stan Paterson, both glaciologists, also had successful academic careers following their participation in the expedition.

Archive and Catalogue Process

Before the archive was transferred to Special Collections it had lain in a cupboard of the University’s Geography Department for many years. Following its chance discovery in 2013, and subsequent transfer to the University Library, an award of external funding allowed the archive to be conserved, repackaged and fully digitised.

Following this, the diligent of a work of a Robinson Bequest student has allowed us to develop a catalogue of the collection and open access to researchers. This was a complex process as many of the transcripts did not contain a date and many were not in order. Therefore, an understanding of the key activities of the expedition and the day-to-day tasks detailed in the many books written by key members of the expedition was required to help the process. Each transcript was read and key details of the message senders and recipients, as well as their content was recorded. This information was then utilised to carefully place the records in the correct chronological sequence and form the basis of the comprehensive archival catalogue which is now online.

Extract from a message containing details of work being undertaken on glaciology at Brittania Lake. Ref. GEX/2/7/23, 25/10/1953.

Conclusion

The British North Greenland Expedition archive is a treasure trove of historical and scientific information. It not only documents the achievements and hardships of the expedition but also provides valuable insights into the early days of polar exploration. For anyone interested in the history of exploration or the science of the polar regions, this archive is an invaluable resource can be requested through the Special Collections and Archives at Newcastle University and can be found here: https://specialcollections.ncl.ac.uk/gex

Further Reading

Read more about the history of the archive and its conservation in this 2014 blog post here: https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/speccoll/2014/03/31/cold-calling-churchill-the-british-north-greenland-expedition-1952-1954-march-2014/

Find out more about some of the stories contained in the archive in this 2023 blog post: https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/speccoll/2023/01/10/science-and-stories-from-the-british-north-greenland-expedition-1952-1954/

Find a small selection of digitised images from the archive on CollectionsCaptured here: https://cdm21051.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p21051coll156/search

Bewick the Dog-Lover

Posted on 19 March, 2025 by nspeccoll

Thomas Bewick’s A General History of Quadrupeds, first published in 1790 in Newcastle upon Tyne [Bewick, T. (1791) A General History of Quadrupeds. 2^nd edition. Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Hodgson, S., Beilby, R. & Bewick, T. (Bradshaw-Bewick Collection, Bradshaw-Bewick 761 BEW)].

Thomas Bewick (1753-1828) was an English wood engraver and author of books on animals and the natural world. Born in Northumberland, he trained as an engraver in Newcastle-upon-Tyne under Ralph Beilby, first on metal plates and later on wood blocks.

Bewick’s work is recognised for his attention to nature and his ability to carve wood blocks in fine detail, a notoriously difficult skill to acquire. His works also showcased his sense of humour – many of his books include small vignettes, called tail-pieces, showcasing amusing scenes of rural or animal life.

A tail-piece from A General History of Quadrupeds, showing a print of a dog pooing behind some rocks — A tail-piece from *A General History of Quadrupeds*, displaying Bewick’s humorous side (1791), p.246 [Bradshaw-Bewick Collection, Bradshaw-Bewick 761 BEW]

In 1790 Bewick published A General History of Quadrupeds, an encyclopaedia of wild and domesticated mammals from all over the world with prints carved by Bewick. The History is particularly thorough in its exploration of domesticated animals including horses, cattle, sheep, and dogs. There are entries for 30 different breeds of dog alone.

Bewick’s writing clearly displays his admiration for dogs in all their variety:

“The services of this truly valuable creature have been so eminently useful to the domestic interests of men in all ages, that to give the history of the Dog would be little less than to trace mankind back to their original state of simplicity and freedom…in every age Dogs have been found possessed of qualities most admirably adapted for the various purposes to which they have been from time to time applied”
(Bewick, 1791, pG 296-298).

He also shows his compassion for animals, as in this entry for the Dalmatian:

“We do not, however, admire the cruel practice of depriving the poor animal of its ears, in order to encrease (sic) its beauty: A practice so general, that we do not remember ever to have seen one of these dogs unmutilated in this way”
(Bewick, 1791, PG 310)

For several breed entries, he gives specific credit to the owners of the dogs he studied for his drawings.

Bewick’s print of a ‘Large’ water spaniel, specifically referencing the dog who modelled for the portrait as “one of the finest of its kind, in the possession of J. E. Blackett, esq; of Newcastle upon Tyne,” [Bradshaw-Bewick Collection, Bradshaw-Bewick 761 BEW]

Among the 30 breeds of dog individually listed by Bewick, many of them are recognisable to the modern day. The ‘shepherd’s dog,’ dalmatian, greyhound, pug, and Newfoundland are among those breeds still well known and possibly virtually unchanged to today.

Page 314 of Bewick’s History of Quadrupeds, showing the entry for the lurcher — Page 314 of Bewick’s *History of Quadrupeds*, showing the entry for the lurcher [Bradshaw-Bewick Collection, Bradshaw-Bewick 761 BEW]

There are also some breeds featured which are less well-known or even extinct today. The ‘lyemmer,’ or limer dog, was a medieval hunting dog used mainly to chase down big game such as wild boar. After boar became extinct in Britain, this breed ceased to exist; as Bewick notes, “It is now unknown to us,” (Bewick, 1791, p.312). The turnspit dog, still existing at the time of Bewick’s writing, was a small, short-legged dog, used to run a wheel which turned meat on a spit over the fire for even cooking. By 1790, as Bewick says,

“its services seem but little attended to; a more certain method of doing the business of the spit having superseded the labours of this industrious animal”
(Bewick, 1791, p.333)

Turnspit dogs have now gone extinct, though perhaps some of their genes linger on in modern-day mutts.

Page 333 of Bewick’s History of Quadrupeds, showing the entry for the turnspit dog — Page 333 of Bewick’s *History of Quadrupeds*, showing the entry for the turnspit dog [Bradshaw-Bewick Collection, Bradshaw-Bewick 761 BEW]

Bewick’s closing remarks on the subject of dogs includes an interesting description of dogs trained to lead the blind, a task which we may be surprised to hear about from the 18^th century:

“There are few who have not seen [a blind man], led by his Dog, through the various passages of populous towns…”
(Bewick, 1791, p.334)

Multiple editions and copies of this book and others by Bewick are available to view in the Bradshaw-Bewick, Friends, Butler, and Clarke Local collections at Newcastle University Special Collections and Archives.