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Last modified:
March 29, 2007
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Ron Wright - Cullercoats & North Shields
The
author, Ron Wright is a retired UK Detective Chief Inspector who served in
Northumberland County Constabulary, Northumberland Constabulary and Northumbria
Police. As a career detective he was ideally suited to "ferret out the facts"
for his first book but he did not expect that it would take 8 years to produce a
book to a standard that he was satisfied with.
Ron has an insatiable appetite for local history. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne in
1946 he quickly discovered the magic of Cullercoats and the North Shields Fish
Quay.
He has lived in Cullercoats for the past 30 years with his wife Margaret, a
North Shields girl, and has two grown up children, Christopher and Jacqueline. |
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His past life as a career detective has equipped him well to for research and
writing. Now in his retirement he concentrates and recording and documenting for
posterity life in North Shields and Cullercoats, now much of it gone as the
"developers" continue to destroy rather preserve our local heritage.
He believes that old photographs, stories and experiences are there to be shared
for all our benefit and this enriches our lives.
Beyond the Piers
Beyond the Piers now published and is a tribute to the fishermen of North
Shields.
The book charts the origins of North Shields and the application of steam to
the fishing industry, life ashore in the 19th and 20th centuries,
superstitions and the famous Wooden Dollies.
Then there are the first hand tales of the fishermen themselves which are a
vivid account of life at sea. Tragedy was never very far away from the life
of a trawlerman and this is illustrated in the mysterious loss of the
Jeanie Stewart. Further hardships were suffered by fishermen in the
two world wars and who lost their lives in the conflicts.
Finally an extensive chapter catalogues all of the steam trawlers
registered at North Shields between 1875 and 1967.
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History of
Cullercoats
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The village of
Cullercoats sits high on the cliffs overlooking the North Sea about two
miles north of Tynemouth and one mile south of Whitley Bay.
Cullercoats has always felt as if it was being pushed into the cold grey
North Sea, clinging as it does to the cliff tops like a barnacle on the hull
of a ship. The planners and redevelopers of the 1960's may have tried to rob
the village of its heritage, its quaint fishermen's cottages, narrow streets
and alleyways but the village and the people living in it have preserved a
record of its way of life.
This book seeks to give the reader an insight into a unique village, its
customs and personalities. Chapters include the historical origins of
Cullercoats, a chronicle of events over two centuries, the Cullercoats
fishwives, fishermen, Cullercoats lifeboat, the history of the coble, Cliff
House, Winslow Homers the artists stay in Cullercoats and plans for the
total destruction of the area.
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A third book on tales of life
ashore and at sea with the North Shields fishing boats is under research, Ron
would welcome any stories or photographs which are humorous, tragic or detail
the hard life endured by the brave souls who bring fish to our tables.
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