Berwick

Berwick
Heritage
Heritage
Open
Open
Days
Days

8th11th Sept, 2016

8th1th Sept, 2016

For more details go to

www.berwicktimelines.com/berwickhods

Berwick
Civic Society

For more details go to

www.berwicktimelines.com/berwickhods
SUPPORTED BY

Supported by

AS

TO BE PROUD

PASTRY TO BE PROUD OF

1.

A hint of history
at Spittal Point
Tour
Carr Rock, Dock Road, Spittal,
Berwick-upon-Tweed

A 1 hour guided walk led by

volunteers from Spittal Improvement
Trust will take you through 900 years
of the history of the village, from the
founding of its medieval hospital to its
Victorian heyday and the growth of a
seaside resort.

Opening Times
Saturday: 1300
Sunday: 1300

Access Information
The route is along public paths. No
steep slopes involved.

Directions
Carr Rock is a small riverside quay
on Dock Road that is home to the
Berwick RNLI between Tweedmouth
and Spittal.

2. Archaeology and
Artichokes
Lions House Allotments,
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Often seen by walkers around
Berwicks walls, theres a wealth of
history and vegetables waiting to
be unearthed in the Lions House
allotments! Spend some time
with local historian Jim Herbert
discovering a forgotten 16th-century
fort and the original south wall of
the Elizabethan defences, a bowling
green, ropery and icehouses. Oh,
and how you can become a budding
archaeologist in your own back
garden.

Opening Times
Sunday: Tours at 1300, 1430 &
1600

Access Information
Uneven ground and steps on site
which may limit access to some areas
for some members of the public.

Directions
Meet on the Elizabethan walls
near the Gunpowder Magazine
and Lions House. From
Ravensdowne / Woolmarket
junction go up the steps to the
right of the Indian restaurant
and along the path.

3.

Berwick Baptist
Church
Golden Square,
Berwick-upon-Tweed,TD15 1BG

Berwick Baptist Church has a long and

fascinating history. The building now
occupied by the church was rebuilt
as the Grammar School in the 1820s.
Discover it and the surrounding area
in an exhibition about the schools
and churches of Golden Square and
the Royal Tweed Bridge (the New
Bridge) of 1928, the building of which
destroyed the square. Interesting
features remain including the Grammar
School plaque, the School House
plaque, scrolled kneelers on gables and
the grooved window sills.

Opening Times
Saturday: 100016003.

4. Berwick Castle Tour

Railway Street,
Berwick-upon-Tweed,TD15 1NF
Berwick Castle was one of the most
important fortresses during the AngloScottish Wars. Probably built by the
Scottish King David about 1124, it held
his royal mint and was the scene of a
decision made by Edward I that would
make legends. Discover a forgotten
Jacobean palace and find out if the
railway really demolished the castle.
Not much remains but theres more
than you think. Jim Herbert of Berwick
Time Lines takes you on a tour
pointing out the many tantalising clues
that can be found and pieces its story
together. Each tour is followed shortly
by a further tour exploring Berwicks
northern defences:
From Ditch To
Bastion (see separate entry).

Opening Times
Saturday: Tours 0930 & 1330

Access
Information
Long flights of steps and fairly steep
slopes involved. Some uneven paths.

Directions
Meet on Railway Street at the top of
Berwick railway station approach road.

5. Church of St
Bartholomew
and St Boisil
Church Road,Tweedmouth,
Berwick-upon-Tweed,TD15 2AJ
The Church of St. Bartholomew and
St Boisil was originally named after
Boisil, the mid-7th century Abbot
of the monastic community near
Melrose in the Scottish Borders, now
called St Boswells, a corruption of
his name. The first written reference
to Tweedmouth Parish Church is
in a confirmatory papal document
dated 1145 concerning the Church
of Bosilius at Tweedmouth which
suggests the church had been there
some time. However, in the Victorian
period, Tweedmouth Church became
known as St. Bartholomews after an
early monastic leper hospital in Spittal.
One of the apostles would be far more
respectable than an obscure Celtic
saint. The present building was built
in 1783 and enlarged in 1866. John
Mackay Wilson who wrote the original
the Tales Of The Borders stories is
buried here. An exhibition about his
life and work will be on display.

Opening Times
Saturday: 10001100, 1300600

6.

From Ditch to
Bastion

Northumberland Avenue,

Berwick-upon-Tweed,TD15 1LY
I must admit the new wall is
marvellous beautiful, was an opinion
voiced to Queen Elizabeth about the
bastioned fortifications in 1568, before
condemning them as badly designed
and a waste of money! In this, the
most northerly Heritage Open Days
event, historian Jim Herbert takes you
on a journey amongst the northern
mediaeval defences of Berwick that
actually saw some action in the AngloScottish wars and bear witness to the
changes in technology from the earliest
ditch defence to the 16th century
bastions. The tour takes in Spades
Mire, Bell Tower and Lords Mount.
Follows on from the Berwick Castle
tour.

Opening Times
Saturday: 1130, 1530

Access Information
Uneven ground, slopes and steps
involved.

Additional information
Park at railway station car park and
walk to Berwick Holiday Camp
entrance along Northumberland
Avenue.

Directions
Meet at entrance to Berwick Holiday
Camp. From Castlegate, turn east
along Northumberland Avenue.

7. Georgian Berwick
Meet at Parade car park near
Ravensdowne,
Berwick-upon-Tweed,TD15 1DF
What was once called Rotten Row was
transformed into Ravensdowne in the
18th century. Many of the houses here
were populated by Berwicks wealthier
citizens.
This walk will take you down this quiet
back street and then to the magnificent
Georgian Quay Walls which were built
by merchants but also were home to
the artist Thomas Sword Good (1789
1872).
Discover more family histories and
architectural gems with local Archivist
Linda Bankier. The tour lasts from 1-1.5
hours.

Opening Times
Friday: 1430
Saturday: 1430

Access Information
Limited access. The tour finishes with
an exploration of a house which entails
stairs.

Pre-booking required
Berwick Tourist Information Centre
Tel: 01670 622155
Email: berwick.tic@
activenorthumberland.org.uk

8. Greenses Arabs
and Fish Tales
Meet at corner of High Greens
and Bell Tower Place, Berwickupon-Tweed,TD15 1JXF
The Greenses is so called because
until the 19th century, although located
within the towns medieval walls, much
of the land was still open field. From
the 18th century, herring fishing was
the main occupation for the men of
The Greenses during the summer
months. In the winter, the fishermen
turned to catching cod and haddock
with long lines. Every day, each line
with up to 720 hooks were baited with
mussels and limpets collected and put
on the hooks by the womenfolk. Crabs
and lobsters were also caught, using
pots known locally as creeves.
The locals were called Greenses Arabs
on account of the mens beards and
swarthy complexions acquired from
putting to sea in all weathers.
Join local Archivist Linda Bankier as
she leads you on a short walk to
discover the stories of the families that
lived and worked in the cottages and
smokehouses of the Greenses. The
tour lasts from 1-1.5 hours.

Opening Times
Saturday: 1030

Pre-booking required
Berwick Tourist Information Centre
Tel: 01670 622155
Email: berwick.tic@
activenorthumberland.org.uk

9. Gunpowder
Magazine
Berwick-upon-Tweed,TD15 1JG
This purpose-built ammunition store
was constructed in 1751 to provide
safe storage of explosives required by
the garrison at the nearby Barracks.
There had been a previous magazine
on this site as early as 1682. The
new magazine incorporated features
designed to ensure protection against
damp and potential explosion. The
main internal safety feature is the total
absence of iron. All catches, hinges,
bolts, etc are made of copper and the
woodwork is joined by wooden plugs
instead of nails to avoid any possibility
of a spark igniting the gunpowder.
Among the interesting internal
features are the original wooden racks,
furnished with facsimile 18th century
gunpowder casks. Also still in place
is the wooden hoist, which runs the
length of the ceiling and was used to
raise barrels from carts outside the
building to the hatch above the rear
door and lower them into place on
the storage racks.

Opening Times
Saturday: 10001600
Sunday: 10001600

Access Information
Some steps and uneven ground.

Directions
The Gunpowder Magazine is on
the Elizabethan walls near the
Lions House allotments. From
Ravensdowne, go up the steps opposite
the Woolmarket junction.

10. Holy Trinity

Church
Wallace Green, Berwick-uponTweed,TD5 1ED
Holy Trinity Church is a building
of exceptional historic importance
because it is a very rare example of a
church built during the Commonwealth
period. When George Fenwick was
Governor of Berwick in the 17th
century, funds were raised to build the
church using stone and timber from
the disused castle and was completed
in 1652. It has no tower or steeple,
reputedly at the express orders of
Oliver Cromwell. Alterations that have
taken place over the years have been
sympathetic and the building is full of
historical and architectural interest. In
recent years a Millennium window has
been installed and the organ has been
restored.

Opening Times
Saturday: 10001600

11. Main Guard

Palace Street,
Berwick-upon-Tweed,TD15 1HN

12. Masonic Hall

Church Street,
Berwick-upon-Tweed,TD15 1ET

In 1682, a Main Guard building stood

in front of the Town Hall. By 1725,
it had been moved up Marygate to a
site opposite West Street. However,
complaints about its location led
to a new Main Guard being built in
1743. It has long been believed that
in 1815 this building was dismantled
and rebuilt in its present position but
recent research has shown it to be
a new construction. There are two
main rooms in the building, one for the
officer of the guard and the other for
the soldiers. Between them is a prison
cell or black hole where drunks and
vagrants could be locked up. Each
night, patrols would set out to enforce
the curfew. The Main Guard is now
the headquarters of Berwick Civic
Society. It contains two exhibitions,
the recently revised The Story of a
Border Garrison Town and Welfare,
Beveridge and Berwick.

The Masonic Hall was built in 1872 by

the towns St Davids Masonic Lodge
at a cost of 1300 and is still in their
possession today and is also used by
other Masonic lodges and orders. It is
one of very few purpose built Masonic
halls in the country and is an extremely
rare example of Victorian Masonic
architecture. The Temple is renowned
for its beauty and is one of the hidden
treasures of Berwick. In particular
the huge pipe organ dating from
1895 is well worth a look. The Hall
contains many fascinating examples of
artefacts and documents concerning
Freemasonry in the town which can be
traced back to its origins in1641.

Opening Times
Saturday: 10001600
Sunday: 11001700

Access Information
A wheelchair ramp is used to access a
couple of steps to the entrance.

Directions
The Main Guard is located just off the
town walls at the south end of the
Quay Walls and behind Wellington
Terrace.

Opening Times
Saturday: 10001600

Access Information
The Temple is upstairs so help may
be needed for those with walking
difficulties.

Directions
Opposite the Parade car park.

13. Old Coastguard

Station
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Commanding superlative views of
the beautiful north Northumberland
coast, the Old Coastguard Tower was
built in 1964 but four years later, was
closed down and became derelict.
In 2002, Coastwatch UK, a national
organisation took over the building.
Local volunteers now man the station
every weekend and act as extra eyes
for HM Coastguard, HM Customs and
Excise and the Police. Over the years
they have reported 367 incidents.
Members of the public are invited
into this small building to talk to the
volunteers about the work they do and
see the local wildlife.

Opening Times

Thursday 10001600
Friday: 10001600
Saturday: 10001600
Sunday: 10001600

Access Information
Access to the tower is along a short
clifftop path. Access to the upper floor
of the tower is by a steep ladder.

Directions
The Old Coastguard Station is located
on the cliffs near Magdalene Fields
Golf Course clubhouse (TD15 1NE).
Drivers; to the north of the clubhouse,
park in the small clifftop car park.
Walkers approaching from the town
centre should walk through Cow Gate
in the town walls and walk towards the
cliffs.

14. Palace Green

Pavilion
Palace Green,
Berwick-upon-Tweed
This charming 19th century building
was built as a Subscription Reading
Room. The exact date that building
commenced is not known but the
central building is thought to date to
about 1830. The Bowling Green and
News Room is listed in the Berwickupon-Tweed Corporation Act of 1843.
At this time the property was owned
by the Corporation and would have
been leased or rented to the users. A
billiard room was added in the 1850s.
For the last 100 years it has been used
by the local Scout Movement. Join the
5th Berwick Scouts as they celebrate
their centenary with exhibitions of the
building and Scouting. Refreshments
available.

Opening Times
Saturday: 10001600
Sunday: 10001600

15. St Andrews
Church
Wallace Green, Berwick-uponTweed,TD15 1EB

16. Spittal Fishing

Shiel
Sandstell Road, Spittal,
Berwick-upon-Tweed

The foundation stone for this building

was laid on 1858 and the church
opened in 1859. This was the result
of a group of worshippers getting
permission from the Secession Church
in Edinburgh to open a chapel in the
town in 1770, at first in a granary
on Bankhill and then a year later
in Golden Square. This eventually
proved too small and in 1854 a new
building, Wallace Green Church,
was proposed. A second Church of
Scotland came into being in 1879 with
the amalgamation of the Low and High
Meeting Houses. This became known
as St Andrews Church of Scotland
which moved into a new building
(now demolished) in Greenside
Avenue in 1897. In December 1972
the congregation of Tweedmouth
Presbyterian Church of Scotland
joined them. The two churches were
eventually joined together to form the
present congregation of St Andrews,
Wallace Green in 1987.

The word shiel refers to the seasonal

accommodation used by fishermen or
herdsmen and can be found in place
names such as Galashiels and North
Shields. The salmon fishing season lasts
from 1st February until 30 November.
The shiels were equipped with bunks
and fireplaces and were also used as
storage for the fishing gear. Sandstell
shiel is a Grade II listed building.
Records of its existence go back
to 1735 and it is the only surviving
unmodernised example of this type
of building on the Tweed. It contains
an exhibition on the history of Tweed
salmon fishing.

Opening Times
Saturday: 1000 1100 & 13001600

Access Information
Wheelchair access via side ramp.

Opening Times
Saturday: 10001500
Sunday: 10001500

17. Tales Of
NORTHUMBERLAND
ART EXHIBITION
56 Degrees North Studio,
23 Castlegate,
Berwick-upon-Tweed,
Local and national artists, both
emerging and established, respond to
the stories, myths and historical events
that have shaped Northumberland
over the ages. Pieces include fine
art, textiles and 3D objects, plus an
interactive art piece. Lino printing
demonstrations throughout the
weekend and open studios to look
round. Family friendly, everyone
welcome. There will be a chance for
public to vote for their favourite art
piece for the artist to win a prize.

Opening Times
:Friday 11001500
Saturday: 11001500

Access Information
Stairs throughout building

18. The Tower Tour

Ness Gate, Pier Road,
Berwick-upon-Tweed
500 years in 500 yards! Discover the
archaeology, history and secrets of
Berwicks medieval walls on this shortdistance guided tour overlooking the
River Tweed. Includes entrance to
Coxons Tower and New Tower.

Opening Times
Sunday: Tours 1000, 1130

Access Information
Walk is along surfaced paths but access
to towers via some steps and uneven
ground.

Directions
Meet above the Ness Gate at Pier
Road on the town walls overlooking
the river.

19. The Trewe Description of her Majesties

Towne of Barwick
The Louvre, Bank Hill
(off Marygate),
Berwick-upon-Tweed
The Trewe Description is a 16th century topographic map of Berwick.
Berwicks Elizabethan walls are well-known, but much less has been written about
the town they enclosed and re-shaped. This walk by architectural historian,
Catherine Kent, will explore Elizabethan Berwick from the point of view of its
residents, following street plans produced between 1560-1580 and incorporating
information from Catherines recent research on housing in the town during the
period. The emphasis will be on 16th-century (and earlier) townscape features
which have survived Berwicks 19th20th century rebuilding.

Opening Times
Saturday: 1430
Sunday: 1430

Access Information
Walk is along surfaced paths but access to towers via some steps and uneven
ground.

Directions
Meet at the Louvre ice cream parlour at he top of Bank Hill, off Marygate.

6
8

E
H I GH G R E

NS

13

CA ST

BRU

CE GA T E

BERWICK

Berwick
Heritage
Open Days

L EG

15 10

AT

E
WA

12

TWEEDMOUTH

ST

SAN
DG
ATE

GE

N S DO
WN E

P
ID

E
PARAD

R AV E

3
BR

CH U R CH ST

19

AT

RG

E
LK

H I DE H
IL

17

SILV
ERS
T

18

11 14

1. A Hint Of History at
Spittal Point Tour
2. Archaeology and
Artichokes
3. Berwick Baptist
Church
4. Berwick Castle Tour
5. Church of St
Bartholomew and St
Boisil
6. From Ditch ToPBastion
7. Georgian Berwick
8. Greenses Arabs and
Fish Tales
9. Gunpowder Magazine
10. Holy Trinity Church
11. Main Guard
12. Masonic Hall
13. Old Coastguard
Station
14. Palace Green Pavilion
15. St Andrews Church
16. Spittal Fishing Shiel
17. Tales of
Northumberland Art
Exhibition
18. The Tower Tour
19. The Trewe
Description of Her
Majesties Towne of
Barwick

SPITTAL
P

16