Story of a Tyneside town told from A-Z
NEW BOOK RECALLS JARROW’S HISTORY
ANEW book, A-Z of Jarrow: Places, People, History, does what it says on the tin.
Written by photographer and historian Paul Perry, it provides an accessible and highly entertaining take on the Tyneside town’s long and colourful story.
From the ‘A’ of the town’s Allotment Society to the ‘Z’ of Zephaniah Harris who owned the house that became the Alberta social club, the book is perfect for dipping in and out of.
Paul was born and bred in Jarrow and is a leading authority on the town’s history.
He has written 20 books on Jarrow and other North Eastern historical subjects, while his personal photographic archive numbers an astonishing 70,000. His images vividly illustrate the new book.
Paul said: “It was an enjoyable challenge putting the book together. I started with the ‘hard’ letters Z, X and Q, and took it from there.
“As the book title states, I took a wide-ranging look at the town’s history, places and people, including everybody from former MP Don Dixon, to a well-known homeless man nicknamed Dinky Derrick, who older townsfolk will remember. I’ve tried to inject some humour in there too.”
For a relatively small town, Jarrow has a rich history.
It’s perhaps best known for the Jarrow Crusade. Flickering film footage and monochrome photographs of the 1936 march for work are among the 20th century Britain’s most seminal images.
But way back in the mists of time, in the 8th century, the monastery of Saint Paul in Jarrow was home to the Venerable Bede, still regarded as the greatest Anglo-Saxon scholar and the father of English history.
The Victorian age witnessed the introduction of heavy industries like coal mining and shipbuilding.
Charles Mark Palmer established a giant works – Palmer’s Shipbuilding and Iron Company – in 1852. It employed 80% of the town’s working population. The works’ closure in 1933 was the catalyst for the historic march to London three years later.
All of this and much more is covered in Paul Perry’s new book. And he’s been busy. He has another offering on the way. Jarrow At Work is due out in the autumn. ■■A-Z of Jarrow: Places, People, History by Paul Perry is on sale in bookshops now. Amberley Publishing. £14.99. ■■You can contact Paul Perry: Telephone 0191 4221131, or email paulperry64@hotmail.com