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.

Stories from the University Archives: Universities at War Project – May 2017

Posted on 12 April, 2017 by nspeccoll

Over the last two years, a team of volunteers have been using the University Archives to tell the stories of the staff and students from Newcastle University who fought and died in the First World War.

Searching through class lists, course handbooks, registration documents, graduation lists and student magazines, they have slowly pieced together the lives of those who appeared simply as a list of names on our campus war memorials.

These books and ledgers, with plain covers, and lists of information, perhaps wouldn’t normally appear in our Treasures of the Month feature. But the power of archive documents often lies in seemingly uninspiring lists. Those lists of names or numbers which can, once you start looking, shine a light on a moment in history, solve a mystery, start a new mystery, be really funny, or heartbreakingly sad.

You can see all of the data gathered so far on the project’s website: www.universitiesatwar.org.uk

And from next week one of our student volunteers, Jake Wall, will be sending us guest blog posts about the stories he uncovers as part of his placement with us.

But for now, this is just a little tribute to those books of lists!

Roll of Service Book: Newcastle University Archive, held at Newcastle University Library, Ref: nua-15-1-roll-of-service

This is the place where all our volunteers start – the Roll of Service. This small and unassuming book lists all those who fought in the First World War, and marks the fallen with a black cross, together with brief military details. From this basic information our volunteers start to follow the leads and try to piece together the story of a fallen serviceman.

College Calendars: Newcastle University Archive, held at Newcastle University Library, Ref: nua-1-4-1-armstrong-calendar-p485

The Armstrong and Medical Calendars hold a wealth of information about a serviceman’s life whilst he was a student (or member of staff) at the University. Containing student lists, staff lists, course notes, teaching schedules, exam schedules, building maps, and so many other things, they were intended to hold everything a student would need to know for the year.

Of course, for our volunteers, finding out exactly which years a serviceman studied with us is the hard bit. Much painstaking reading of class lists can sometimes be necessary until finally the name you are looking for magically appears.

This list however shows one other impact of the war. Although both Armstrong College and the Medical College already offered places to women before the war, the list here shows how high a proportion of places were taken by women once the War had started.

Newcastle University Archive, at Newcastle University Library, Ref: nua13-1-gazette-p139

An obituary in the student Gazette: Newcastle University Archive,s at Newcastle University Library, Ref: nua13-1-gazette-p139

Often the most heart breaking pieces of the story to read will be the serviceman’s obituary. These obituaries, published in the student journals of the time, were often written by fellow students who had known them during their time at the University.

They are of course desperately sad, but the desire of these men’s fellow students to honour their memory is obvious, and we hope that one hundred years later we are continuing this work.

Special Guest Blog: Courier 1955-62, Changing Directions

Posted on 31 March, 2017 by nspeccoll

This is the second instalment in our Courier Special Collections Guest blog series. You can see the first, ‘1948-55 the early years’ here.

1955-62 Changing Directions

‘Kings to Leave N.U.S’, 12th May 1955

In 1955 the handover between editors was brought forward from summer to Easter, so that the outgoing editor could concentrate on their exams. It was also around this time that Monica Doughty joined the Courier as a permanent secretary, helping to provide stability to the paper during the frequent changes to the editorial team. Doughty organised the day-to-day running of the paper, while each editor shifted the overall tone and style of the paper to suit their own tastes. Brian Lloyd Davies, editor 1955-56, attracted controversy by his frequent use of the paper to publicise his own, left-wing, views.

Brian Lloyd as Courier editor, 27th October 1955

His successor, Ramsey Rutherford, returned King’s Courier to a neutral position, being more interested in the arts and music than politics; he was described in the paper as a fan of “traditional jazz, modern jazz, classical music, opera, folk songs of all types, and modern ‘pops’.” The changeover of editors was a big event in the late 1950s, with each editor’s final issue including multiple tributes to their time with the Courier from other members of the team. Rutherford was followed by John McCormack, who continued the arts focus and non-confrontational tone.

‘Courier-A Policy Statement’ reviewing John McCormack, 8th May 1958

In 1958, however, his successor, Brian Shallcross, shifted the focus to news. He redesigned the paper, introducing a new colour masthead, significantly more photographs, and large, tabloid-style headlines.

The King's Courier with the new colour masthead, 15th May 1958

The King’s Courier with the new colour masthead and tabloid style headlines, 15th May 1958

The stories were similarly daring, including a survey that revealed very few students knew who their elected student representatives were, and close scrutiny of a poorly-organised Rag Week.

‘The End of Rag’, 5th February 1959

Most of these changes were reversed once Shallcross left the paper, when it became known simply as Courier. As the new decade dawned the paper became a weekly publication, coming out every Wednesday during term time. The extra issues placed a greater demand on the editor, and at the end of 1960 it was agreed that editors should only serve half the year, with changeovers in December and at Easter.

The Courier‘s main competition during this period was the Wall News, posted on noticeboards in the Union and often a vehicle for gossip and scandal. The Wall News predated the Courier and survived well into the 1960s, with the relationship between the two publications occasionally descending into one or the other printing derogatory comments about their competitor.

Wall News complaint about the gossip, 8th May 1958

The other significant publication at King’s College was the Northerner, a literary magazine founded in 1901 and published once or twice a year. Whilst never especially successful, the introduction of a 6d cover price in 1958 marked the beginning of the Northerner‘s decline, and by the early 1960s the publication faced major financial problems. A revamp in 1963 saw the Northerner printed on glossy paper and with a greater focus on design, but this was not enough to save the magazine and staff shortages and printing problems contributed to its decline in the mid 60s. Numerous attempts were made to revive it, as Package in 1968, Ashes in 1970, the New Northerner in 1972 and Five Seconds in 1973. None of these, nor more recent arts magazines such as Alliterati, established in 2006, lasted more than a few years.

Front cover of the first issue of the Northerner, 1st December 1916

The above content is taken from Courier alumni, Mark Sleightholm’s Courier History site and is interspersed with images from the Courier Archive online website. Mark has begun documenting the history of Newcastle University’s Courier student newspaper, which gives a fascinating insight into reporting trends, recurrent stories and issues, and profiles of the different sections through the ages.

You can read the next instalment in this series, ‘Special Guest Blog: Courier 1962-69, The Golden Years’ here.