The QT

Monday 21 October 2024
21/10/2024

The Storytellers

Youโ€™re doing alright, Jack

Itโ€™s not even Easter yet, but Iโ€™d wager that 2024 is already riding high at the top of Jack Robertsonโ€™s life league table. Truth be told, Iโ€™ve no idea if he โ€” or anyone else for that matter- has one. But if he did, this year would surely have to be up there for the …

Owner sought for spectacular historic home

Leading architect Ignatius Bonomi dotted the County Durham landscape with impressive works, ranging from mansions and a pioneering bridge to churches. Durham-based Bonomi worked on Lambton Castle, grand Durham country houses such as Eggleston Hall, Windlestone Hall and Blagdon Hall in Northumberland. Now another of Bonomiโ€™s projects, the Grade II-star listed Burn Hall, near Durham, …

Heaton repackaged: more grit than glamour?

โ€œSandwiched between edgy Byker and upmarket Jesmond, Heaton feeds from both in terms of attitude and what it offers. The result is a vibrant neighbourhood, centred around Chillingham Road, with just the right amount of grit and glamourโ€ โ€” The Sunday Times Best Places to Live in the UK, March 17, 2024 When it comes to …

Life changing power of storytelling

The North East has always been a cultural cradle for artists yet there remains challenges to overcome when it comes to turning creative dreams into reality. That is why writer and founding director of โ€˜Write on the Tyne,โ€™ Helen Aitchison, has made it her goal in life to help others tell their stories. โ€œWe all …

Life through a lens: Topher McGrillis

Travelling gave Topher McGrillis his first taste of the joys of digital photography, sowing the seeds for a passion which would become part of his professional career. Up until that point, his big passion had been film-making . โ€œI was always obsessed with playing with my friends’ camcorders growing up but didn’t get my first …

The past, present and future of Sacriston

Nathan Hopkins and his energetic dog Penny are welcoming hosts โ€” which is just as well. In February a leading academic invited a House of Lords committee to visit Nathanโ€™s village as part of its investigation into failing high streets in towns and villages. If committee members head to Sacriston in County Durham they need …

Potted history of life in Sunderland

The owners of Sunderlandโ€™s thriving 18th and 19th century pottery industry were no mugs. They produced vast numbers of jugs, mugs and wall plaques, many of which illustrated dominant occupations such as mining, maritime, farming and brewing. Pieces were relatively cheap and decorated local workersโ€™ homes and were also bought as keepsakes by visiting sailors. …

The Singing Politician

It could all have been so different. If the 2019 General Election hadnโ€™t been a Boris โ€œGet Brexit Doneโ€ landslide then Penny Grennan might have become Hexhamโ€™s Labour MP. Right now she would be gearing herself up to defend the seat, fighting to persuade her party to solve problems which still keep her awake at …

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