Yesterday i went to visit family...my lovely brother Tommy and myself decided to walk to the hall grounds to collect some fresh herbs. The hall grounds was one of our childhood playgrounds,its next to the local park! so off we set with a plastic bag and a pair of scissors from our mams kitchen drawer! I didn't realise what a trip down memory lane it would be....When i manage to get through to see family i don't really have a lot of time to visit friends or do the things id like to do as were so busy with my lovely family and all the children but this time i stayed over!
The first place we passed was THE BUDDLE ART CENTRE. I was so very sad to see it in such a state of disrepair!!!I worked as a tutor here for a number of years teaching art and craft workshops for children...running Wallsend camera club and helping every summer run numerous workshops for children,i even worked in the bar with my sis.
This is where i met Seans dad and many good friends. Watched theatre company's ,taught children,the happy times wed have in this courtyard year in and year out!! The building inside was beautiful!!
I stood there and i wanted to cry! .........I have heard a rumour that North Tyneside are going to develop the site and I'm sure its a listed building as it would have been pulled down by now! My good friend Marion worked here and the memory's of the fun we had with my sister and lots of other special friends are priceless
We made our way to the park where i spent so much time nearly thirty year ago walking my two beautiful rescue greyhounds Lynn and Tracy...the beautiful lake is so different it was open ,with no island in the middle.Two swans lived on this lake and i have so many stunning pictures of it, what a mess!!!hopefully the council will do something about this as they are developing the rest of the park which is looking beautiful.....the play area is stunning a cafe is underway and the bandstand is being renovated...so please put the lake back to the wonderful sight it was ,why cant things be left alone,why fix something that's not broke. The island is full of rats and my bro who is well into wildlife loves this.
he even pointed a rat out !!sitting on a log on the island!!id rather have the swans !!!
The plant life around the lake was amazing and i spent ages trying to catch pictures of beautiful furry bees buzzing among the Flowers collecting their pollen
the stunning walk ways in Wallsend park!
Up the steps to the Hall grounds i don't know how many times Ive climbed these in my life!
The beautiful hall grounds ,this is a walled garden,when we were little and spent so much time here playing there used to be a Victorian fern grotto behind the middle tree.It was always locked but we would peer through the wrought iron gates and i would look for fairy's...today its wrecked!! i was so sad and my trip down memory lane seemed to be tinged with this sadness...things change but i feel things have changed for the worse....
I'm so pleased the council is ploughing money back into the park......Wallsend s name came from the fact that it was here the Roman wall ended and we are really proud of that...i spent many hours playing on the original huge stones that were in the hall grounds.A beautiful brass plaque stood next to them for many years and the sadness that was felt just before i moved to teeside 16 year ago when this was stolen!! The stones were removed for safe keeping and i wonder where they are now
Off we headed back to town passed where the end of the wall used to stand...you can just see the empty plinth on the left of the picture that held the stunning brass plaque explaining all about the stones!
Back into town
We passed this old decrepit door ...this is the flat i lived in for a number of years this is where i brought Thomas up......the party's we had in this flat were famous another place that holds so many memory's both good and bad!
The stunning flowers!
Id almost forgot about this old girl hiding amongst the plants!
She stands in what is known locally as the forum an old roman name!!this is the shopping centre. I remember the hue and cry when she was erected as most people found her hideous!!her blank face with her basket of chickens perched on top of her expressionless head! I loved her from day one and thought she was an amazing work of art,when i lived here she stood tall and proud but now shes fenced off and seems to camouflaged with various large plants!!It was lovely to see her again...i go to the forum every time I'm in blighty but have never noticed her!!
Well what mixed feelings as i walked around with my brother ,it was lovely to spend quality time with him and reminisce on our childhood, this was tainted with sadness at the things that have been neglected and changed for the worse but i also saw some amazing changes ...a thriving community cafe and centre at the mem buildings which made me proud as i was a founder member of the group Wallsend community action group that made this centre possible...the thriving cats protection shop doing its amazing work fund raising to help stay cats ..me and my sister were founder members of that group too working endlessly for years! i so love my hometown and miss living there!
I love reading your blog Fiffy its amazing you put your heart and soul into it and the pics are amazing huggles xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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