Shopping and Leisure : Step into Another World

The Galleries Shopping Centre opened in 1974 and many Washington New Town residents have memories of shopping and working  there. People were able to shop indoors once the roof was built and they stepped into another world of supermarkets such as the SavaCentre store for the first time.

People in in the new town were doing all sorts of hobbies – who knew that the 2003 and 2004 world champion in constructing slot car racing chassis came from the town?

Of course going to pubs and clubs were integral to most adults’ leisure time (and some younger folks); and Washington has seen quite a few iconic clubs, bars and pubs come and go, including (most) Working Men’s Clubs transformed into affordable, inclusive and family friendly venues for every occasion.

Football is of course a major obssession  for many Washies - what team you support is said to be dependent on which hospital you were born in … or family loyalties… We hope to look at this area in a future podcast!

Step Into Another World

(song by David Brewis)

Step into another world

A square world, oh so clean

Coq au vin served by machine

Through the walls of the galleries

Peer beady eyes from the aviary

Step into another world

Such convenience, so fancy free

Grab a greenhouse, or a cup of tea

The conveyor brings a bite to eat

And the motorway brings a white heat

And a new age

Oh, a new way to be

Decanted from

Or built upon

Or ferried in

On a Bluebird’s wing

Step into another world

You’ve been listening to: Ian Murray, Mandy MacDonald,  Claire Turnbill, Tracy Mallan , Mike and Linda Laws, Richard Robinson, George Kimber, John and Jackie Murray, Lesley Stephenson, Ged Parker, Bill Elliot, Kathy Simmons,  George Simmons, Eron and Daniel Hall,  Carol Heddon and  Claire Short

Step into Another World was written and performed by David Brewis

About the Project

This episode was developed in collaboration with:

• Washington Heritage Partnership
• Sunderland City Council’s Washington Area Committee
• Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington
• Baseline Shift
• We Make Culture

Supported by:

• The University of Sunderland
• The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for making this project possible.

A Fresh Start… women’s education and training

In the 60’s and 70’s many people moved to Washington New Town with few friends or family to support them when they started a family. Adult education programmes provided by organizations such as the Workers Educational Association -the WEA - and more recently celebrated by Never Stop Learning were very important in the lives of local residents and many benefited from the childcare that these courses provided. The 1919 report on adult education emphasized the importance of universal and lifelong access to adult education, viewing it as a necessity for building a democratic and tolerant society. It recognized the importance of lifelong learning – not just looking at vocational needs but also intellectual ,aesthetic and spiritual needs of communities. For some, adult education was a liberation from boredom of daily domestic taks. For others it was literally a lifeline – finding support and resources for escaping a violent relationship.

The Bridge women’s Education and training project was set up in 1985 by a group of Washington women led by Sheila Davidson. Funded by regional and European grants it ran until  2012 providing jobs for hundreds and opportunities for thousands of women from using power tools to courses in forensic sciences.   Many women went onto college and University from Bridge and gained an enormous amount of support from others whilst their children were looked after in purpose built creches and nurseries. On International Women’s Day  2000 The Bridge became a radio station broadcasting to Washington and staffed entirely by women.

A Fresh Start

(song by Lydia and Leighton)

New wooden floors in an empty house

Stack us in, don’t kick us out

Three-storey house with a bath inside

On a different path to a quiet life

Hit seventy-four at the start of the year

Left everything that I thought was dear

It doesn’t matter now, I’m starting my new life

I can call this my fresh start

To my quiet life

Whimsical and new

Where to begin?

Log cabin house in a little park

Leave the bairns to play in the neighbour’s yard

Walk through the underpass down to the village hall

Problem families started moving in

Joining the districts that we live in

Trying to make a life, we’re neighbours of the year

I can call this my fresh start

To my quiet life

Whimsical and new

Where to begin?

I can call this my fresh start

To my quiet life

Whimsical and new

Where to begin?

More about educational organisations past and present can be found on the following sites:

Never Stop Learning and ‘The Time of Our Lives -Women’s Education in Washington New Town’ report   Never Stop Learning -Platform 60

University of the 3rd Age (u3a)  

Working Lass Project featuring Bridge Women’s Training Project and its founder Sheila Davidson  

Thanks to Joan Molloy, Gloria Finnigan, Karen Sukora, Caroline

Mitchell,  Maureen Marsden, Sheila

Davidson,  Rosemary Muncaster, Marylyn

Charlton, Anne Staines, Linda Williams, Keith Hodgson and  members of the Pink Collar Gallery, Working Lass Project

A Fresh Start was composed and performed by Lydia Harvey and Leighton...]]>Episode 9 

A Fresh Start… women’s education and training

In the 60’s and 70’s many people moved to Washington New Town with few friends or family to support them when they started a family. Adult education programmes provided by organizations such as the Workers Educational Association -the WEA - and more recently celebrated by Never Stop Learning were very important in the lives of local residents and many benefited from the childcare that these courses provided. The 1919 report on adult education emphasized the importance of universal and lifelong access to adult education, viewing it as a necessity for building a democratic and tolerant society. It recognized the importance of lifelong learning – not just looking at vocational needs but also intellectual ,aesthetic and spiritual needs of communities. For some, adult education was a liberation from boredom of daily domestic taks. For others it was literally a lifeline – finding support and resources for escaping a violent relationship.

The Bridge women’s Education and training project was set up in 1985 by a group of Washington women led by Sheila Davidson. Funded by regional and European grants it ran until  2012 providing jobs for hundreds and opportunities for thousands of women from using power tools to courses in forensic sciences.   Many women went onto college and University from Bridge and gained an enormous amount of support from others whilst their children were looked after in purpose built creches and nurseries. On International Women’s Day  2000 The Bridge became a radio station broadcasting to Washington and staffed entirely by women.

A Fresh Start

(song by Lydia and Leighton)

New wooden floors in an empty house

Stack us in, don’t kick us out

Three-storey house with a bath inside

On a different path to a quiet life

Hit seventy-four at the start of the year

Left everything that I thought was dear

It doesn’t matter now, I’m starting my new life

I can call this my fresh start

To my quiet life

Whimsical and new

Where to begin?

Log cabin house in a little park

Leave the bairns to play in the neighbour’s yard

Walk through the underpass down to the village hall

Problem families started moving in

Joining the districts that we live in

Trying to make a life, we’re neighbours of the year

I can call this my fresh start

To my quiet life

Whimsical and new

Where to begin?

I can call this my fresh start

To my quiet life

Whimsical and new

Where to begin?

More about educational organisations past and present can be found on the following sites:

Never Stop Learning and ‘The Time of Our Lives -Women’s Education in Washington New Town’ report   Never Stop Learning -Platform 60

University of the 3rd Age (u3a)  

Working Lass Project featuring Bridge Women’s Training Project and its founder Sheila Davidson  

Thanks to Joan Molloy, Gloria Finnigan, Karen Sukora, Caroline

Mitchell,  Maureen Marsden, Sheila

Davidson,  Rosemary Muncaster, Marylyn

Charlton, Anne Staines, Linda Williams, Keith Hodgson and  members of the Pink Collar Gallery, Working Lass Project

A Fresh Start was composed and performed by Lydia Harvey and Leighton Hepburn.

About the Project

This episode was developed in collaboration with:

• Washington Heritage Partnership
• Sunderland City Council’s Washington Area Committee
• Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington
• Baseline Shift
• We Make Culture

Supported by:

• The University of Sunderland
• The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for making this project possible.

Mesothelioma is growing in my grandpa’s greenhouse

Nasim Rebecca Asl

Magnesia and some asbestos products were manufactured for decades at Washington Chemical Works. Hundreds died from illnesses caused by the material.

We plant seeds together in your greenhouse on a Monday after school.

Your weathered hands unwrap germinated sprouts

from kitchen roll, pointing out their tiny roots to me.

They’re new. All we can do is bury these treasures

in black plastic pots and water the soil with our sweat. Wait.

One Tuesday we transplant the shoots

to a flower patch right by the fence.

My tiny hands wear yours like gardening gloves

as you guide the plants from box to ground.

We give them space to breathe.

After tea, your fingers envelop mine

and help me control my sprawling letters,

show me how to build words, how to read.

We don’t yet know what’s taken root in you - 

there’s a shadow blossoming in the greenhouse

of your body, its cancerous petals unfurling in your lungs.

We water. We laugh. We monitor.

The saplings shoot up. It’s Wednesday when we bind

their fragile spines to bamboo poles,

and twine their bodies to the stakes. They can’t yet

bear their own weight, but I hope they grow

in your image. One small flower, one large support:

our shadows match theirs.

On Thursday, we’re side by side outside

admiring the sunflowers as they swivel

with the earth to find their god.

They’ve outgrown me. I look up to both of you.

You tell me they seek the sun but I think

they’re always searching for your face.

Grandma calls us in for tea. She wipes mud

from my knees, the way she’d brush powder

from your overalls when you came home

from the chemical works. Her tummy rumbles.

I turn to ask you a question, but you’re doubled over,

clawing for breath. 

It’s Friday. You’re gone.

The flowers have rotted too, returned to mulch

with you. I don’t know who uprooted them in the end.

Your bungalow, where I learned to tie my laces and

how to live outside myself, is sold, but

sometimes I take the bus back through my childhood

because it passes by your fence, now painted blue.

I can’t help but crane my neck to stare

back down Coach Road, to see the sunflowers still haloing the fence,

their sunlight crowning your head.

Guests:

Washington Community Podcasting Group, with Chas Ferguson, Ged Parker, Nick Jobson, Kim Hunter, Gloria Finnigan, Thomas Finnigan, David Duffy, Sheila Oxley, Irene Ridley, Jim Metcalf, Olive Metcalf and Ian Murray

Music and Production

• Produced by: Grace Stubbings & the Washington Community Podcasting Group
• Music by: David Brewis
• Poem by Nasim Rebecca Asl
• Executive Producers: Caroline Mitchell & Jude Murphy

About the Project

This episode was developed in collaboration with:

• Washington Heritage Partnership
• Sunderland City Council’s Washington Area Committee
• Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington
• Baseline...]]>In this episode we explore the ways in which the new town development worked alongside the natural world with, for example, tree planting and daffodil days built into the planning. We hear about the value of nature reserves and parks such as James Steel Park and the Wetlands Centre as well as the ongoing appeal of allotments and 'council gardens'. Sixty years on, Washington has a legacy of woodlands and wildlife such as otters and kingfishers. As Nasim Rebecca Asl's poem portrays there's a darker side to the heritage on which the new town was built.

  Mesothelioma is growing in my grandpa’s greenhouse

  Nasim Rebecca Asl

   

  Magnesia and some asbestos products were manufactured for decades at Washington Chemical Works. Hundreds died from illnesses caused by the material.

   

  We plant seeds together in your greenhouse on a Monday after school.

  Your weathered hands unwrap germinated sprouts

  from kitchen roll, pointing out their tiny roots to me.

  They’re new. All we can do is bury these treasures

  in black plastic pots and water the soil with our sweat. Wait.

   

  One Tuesday we transplant the shoots

  to a flower patch right by the fence.

  My tiny hands wear yours like gardening gloves

  as you guide the plants from box to ground.

  We give them space to breathe.

  After tea, your fingers envelop mine

  and help me control my sprawling letters,

  show me how to build words, how to read.

  We don’t yet know what’s taken root in you - 

  there’s a shadow blossoming in the greenhouse

  of your body, its cancerous petals unfurling in your lungs.

   

  We water. We laugh. We monitor.

  The saplings shoot up. It’s Wednesday when we bind

  their fragile spines to bamboo poles,

  and twine their bodies to the stakes. They can’t yet

  bear their own weight, but I hope they grow

  in your image. One small flower, one large support:

  our shadows match theirs.

   

  On Thursday, we’re side by side outside

  admiring the sunflowers as they swivel

  with the earth to find their god.

  They’ve outgrown me. I look up to both of you.

  You tell me they seek the sun but I think

  they’re always searching for your face.

  Grandma calls us in for tea. She wipes mud

  from my knees, the way she’d brush powder

  from your overalls when you came home

  from the chemical works. Her tummy rumbles.

  I turn to ask you a question, but you’re doubled over,

  clawing for breath. 

   

  It’s Friday. You’re gone.

  The flowers have rotted too, returned to mulch

  with you. I don’t know who uprooted them in the end.

  Your bungalow, where I learned to tie my laces and

  how to live outside myself, is sold, but

  sometimes I take the bus back through my childhood

  because it passes by your fence, now painted blue.

  I can’t help but crane my neck to stare

  back down Coach Road, to see the sunflowers still haloing the fence,

  their sunlight crowning your head.

   

  Guests:

  Washington Community Podcasting Group, with Chas Ferguson, Ged Parker, Nick Jobson, Kim Hunter, Gloria Finnigan, Thomas Finnigan, David Duffy, Sheila Oxley, Irene Ridley, Jim Metcalf, Olive Metcalf and Ian Murray

  Music and Production

  • Produced by: Grace Stubbings & the Washington Community Podcasting Group
  • Music by: David Brewis
  • Poem by Nasim Rebecca Asl
  • Executive Producers: Caroline Mitchell & Jude Murphy
  
  

  About the Project

  This episode was developed in collaboration with:

  • Washington Heritage Partnership
  • Sunderland City Council’s Washington Area Committee
  • Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington
  • Baseline Shift
  • We Make Culture
  
  

  Supported by:

  • The University of Sunderland
  • The National Lottery Heritage Fund
  
  ]]>2e7c8b27-75f4-4bda-ac28-5c142b15fe85Tue, 11 Mar 2025 14:15:00 +010021:35falsefull16161Washington Heritage Partnership Art and MusicIn this episode we look at some examples of how music and arts developed in the new town. Since 1972, Arts Centre Washington has been the place where many music, theatre and arts activities and performances have taken place, including radio ballad pioneer Peggy Seeger's concert at the Davey Lamp Folk Club.

  Washington has also been the birthplace of many well-known artists and performers: musicians Brian Ferry and Alan Price and the painter Paul Stangroom. Listen on for a story about the young Dave Stewart stowing away with a band at the Black Bush Folk Club!

  David Brewis' song highlights how the RCA record plant in Washington contributed to the global music industry in the 1970’s. Thirteen years of vinyl record production! We wonder, now vinyl is resurgent, whether there will ever be another record pressing plant in Washington?

  Thirteen Years

  David Brewis

  Thirteen years, thirteen years

  From Armstrong’s future vision eyes

  The modernist’s flyby archetype 

  To a victim of changing styles

  ‘Til Presley’s on sale again

  Thirteen years, thirteen years

  Truly different from anywhere

  Neatly laid in mile-wide squares

  From the A19 to the A1(M)

  So mediterranean

  We’ve got thirteen years, thirteen years

  To stay up to the minute

  To say new town new

  Thirteen years, thirteen years

  A million square feet of factories

  How many more of welded steel?

  Black PVC needle-ready

  But the king’s already left

  
  

  We had thirteen years, thirteen years

  To stay up to the minute

  To stay new town new

  To stay up to the minute

  To stay new town new

  
  

  Guests:

  Washington Community Podcasting Group, David Robson, Doug Walker, Bill Elliot, Martin Stephenson, Peter McAdam, Barbara Fiddy, David Young, Mike Laws, Linda Laws, Tony Erskine, Rosanna Erskine, Paul Stangroom, Bob Hope, Neil Armstrong, Harry Hindess and Catherine Taylor. With thanks to Von Fox Promotions for the Davy Lamp excerpts and to Centre Stage for the Paul Stangroom interview.

  Music and Production

  • Produced by: Grace Stubbings & the Washington Community Podcasting Group
  • Music by: David Brewis & Paige Temperley
  • Executive Producers: Caroline Mitchell & Jude Murphy
  
  

  About the Project

  This episode was developed in collaboration with:

  • Washington Heritage Partnership
  • Sunderland City Council’s Washington Area Committee
  • Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington
  • Baseline Shift
  • We Make Culture
  
  

  Supported by:

  • The University of Sunderland
  • The National Lottery Heritage Fund
  
  

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for making this project possible.

  ]]>In this episode we look at some examples of how music and arts developed in the new town. Since 1972, Arts Centre Washington has been the place where many music, theatre and arts activities and performances have taken place, including radio ballad pioneer Peggy Seeger's concert at the Davey Lamp Folk Club.

  Washington has also been the birthplace of many well-known artists and performers: musicians Brian Ferry and Alan Price and the painter Paul Stangroom. Listen on for a story about the young Dave Stewart stowing away with a band at the Black Bush Folk Club!

  David Brewis' song highlights how the RCA record plant in Washington contributed to the global music industry in the 1970’s. Thirteen years of vinyl record production! We wonder, now vinyl is resurgent, whether there will ever be another record pressing plant in Washington?

  Thirteen Years

  David Brewis

  Thirteen years, thirteen years

  From Armstrong’s future vision eyes

  The modernist’s flyby archetype 

  To a victim of changing styles

  ‘Til Presley’s on sale again

  Thirteen years, thirteen years

  Truly different from anywhere

  Neatly laid in mile-wide squares

  From the A19 to the A1(M)

  So mediterranean

  We’ve got thirteen years, thirteen years

  To stay up to the minute

  To say new town new

  Thirteen years, thirteen years

  A million square feet of factories

  How many more of welded steel?

  Black PVC needle-ready

  But the king’s already left

  
  

  We had thirteen years, thirteen years

  To stay up to the minute

  To stay new town new

  To stay up to the minute

  To stay new town new

  
  

  Guests:

  Washington Community Podcasting Group, David Robson, Doug Walker, Bill Elliot, Martin Stephenson, Peter McAdam, Barbara Fiddy, David Young, Mike Laws, Linda Laws, Tony Erskine, Rosanna Erskine, Paul Stangroom, Bob Hope, Neil Armstrong, Harry Hindess and Catherine Taylor. With thanks to Von Fox Promotions for the Davy Lamp excerpts and to Centre Stage for the Paul Stangroom interview.

  Music and Production

  • Produced by: Grace Stubbings & the Washington Community Podcasting Group
  • Music by: David Brewis & Paige Temperley
  • Executive Producers: Caroline Mitchell & Jude Murphy
  
  

  About the Project

  This episode was developed in collaboration with:

  • Washington Heritage Partnership
  • Sunderland City Council’s Washington Area Committee
  • Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington
  • Baseline Shift
  • We Make Culture
  
  

  Supported by:

  • The University of Sunderland
  • The National Lottery Heritage Fund
  
  

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for making this project possible.

  ]]>3df224b3-82fd-45bd-9a0c-93abe13fd6bdTue, 11 Mar 2025 09:00:00 +010024:08falsefull18181Washington Heritage Partnership Mining and IndustryWashington was heavily involved in the coal industry – men working in the dirty and dangerous pits and women supporting them in many ways above the ground. The new town development coincided with the gradual closing of the mines.

  New industries followed: some ex-pitmen went to work at the RCA record pressing plant which opened in 1970 and until 1980 Timex was also an employer. Major employers BAE systems and Rolls Royce added to Washington’s industrial success story.

  The Nissan car manufacturing plant started in 1984. Within 20 years Washington’s industries were transformed.

  A Miner’s Town

  Written by Paige Temperley

  Rattle of the cage on the ropes

  Just a young apprentice full of hope 

  In a town where everything was coal

  Mother waits at home

  A fiery furnace now awaits

  Noise that no-one can escape

  Boys lean on each other or you’ll break

  When darkness calls

  If I’d known then what I know now

  I’m not so sure that I’d go down

  Bound together underground

  A Miner’s town

  
  

  Man Rider leads you to the pit

  For another dark day in the abyss

  Morale’s for keeping up remember kids

  ‘Til we reach the surface

  
  

  Heat it hits you in the face

  Whatever was up there has been replaced

  Danger becomes just another day

  A constant service

  
  

  If I’d known then what I know now

  I’m not so sure that I’d go down

  Bound together underground

  A Miner’s town

  
  

  Dash through the showers lads

  There’s a pint to be had

  Last orders half ten

  Home, bed and go again

  
  

  Maybe soon we’ll see the light

  Until then we’ll sell our time

  Same risks keep us tight

  Think we’re due another strike

  
  

  If I’d known then what I know now

  I’m not so sure that I’d go down

  Bound together underground

  A Miner’s town

  
  

  Guests:

  Washington Community Podcasting Group and Mac Stephenson, Ged Parker, Jim Metcalf, Brenda Naisby, Irene McAdam, Mike Laws, Harry Hindess, Linda Chapman and Martin Chapman

  Music and Production

  • Produced by: Grace Stubbings & the Washington Community Podcasting Group
  • Music by: David Brewis & Paige Temperley
  • Executive Producers: Caroline Mitchell & Jude Murphy
  
  

  About the Project

  This episode was developed in collaboration with:

  • Washington Heritage Partnership
  • Sunderland City Council’s Washington Area Committee
  • Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington
  • Baseline Shift
  • We Make Culture
  
  

  Supported by:

  • The University of Sunderland
  • The National Lottery Heritage Fund
  
  

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for making this project possible.

  ]]>Washington was heavily involved in the coal industry – men working in the dirty and dangerous pits and women supporting them in many ways above the ground. The new town development coincided with the gradual closing of the mines.

  New industries followed: some ex-pitmen went to work at the RCA record pressing plant which opened in 1970 and until 1980 Timex was also an employer. Major employers BAE systems and Rolls Royce added to Washington’s industrial success story.

  The Nissan car manufacturing plant started in 1984. Within 20 years Washington’s industries were transformed.

  A Miner’s Town

  Written by Paige Temperley

  Rattle of the cage on the ropes

  Just a young apprentice full of hope 

  In a town where everything was coal

  Mother waits at home

  A fiery furnace now awaits

  Noise that no-one can escape

  Boys lean on each other or you’ll break

  When darkness calls

  If I’d known then what I know now

  I’m not so sure that I’d go down

  Bound together underground

  A Miner’s town

  
  

  Man Rider leads you to the pit

  For another dark day in the abyss

  Morale’s for keeping up remember kids

  ‘Til we reach the surface

  
  

  Heat it hits you in the face

  Whatever was up there has been replaced

  Danger becomes just another day

  A constant service

  
  

  If I’d known then what I know now

  I’m not so sure that I’d go down

  Bound together underground

  A Miner’s town

  
  

  Dash through the showers lads

  There’s a pint to be had

  Last orders half ten

  Home, bed and go again

  
  

  Maybe soon we’ll see the light

  Until then we’ll sell our time

  Same risks keep us tight

  Think we’re due another strike

  
  

  If I’d known then what I know now

  I’m not so sure that I’d go down

  Bound together underground

  A Miner’s town

  
  

  Guests:

  Washington Community Podcasting Group and Mac Stephenson, Ged Parker, Jim Metcalf, Brenda Naisby, Irene McAdam, Mike Laws, Harry Hindess, Linda Chapman and Martin Chapman

  Music and Production

  • Produced by: Grace Stubbings & the Washington Community Podcasting Group
  • Music by: David Brewis & Paige Temperley
  • Executive Producers: Caroline Mitchell & Jude Murphy
  
  

  About the Project

  This episode was developed in collaboration with:

  • Washington Heritage Partnership
  • Sunderland City Council’s Washington Area Committee
  • Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington
  • Baseline Shift
  • We Make Culture
  
  

  Supported by:

  • The University of Sunderland
  • The National Lottery Heritage Fund
  
  

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for making this project possible.

  ]]>30f1df0e-bccd-4200-a8ee-6355dec631faTue, 11 Mar 2025 09:00:00 +010020:48falsefull17171Washington Heritage Partnership The Curly Wurly BridgeIn this episode, we explore the story of the iconic Curly Wurly Bridge and its role in shaping the transformation of Fatfield. Featuring A Spanish Village, written and performed by David Brewis, this episode captures the historical and cultural significance of this beloved landmark.

  A Spanish Village / Its Own Kind of Paradise

  David Brewis

  

  Out of the dust

  A garden will grow

  Vines intertwined

  Kept safe from the roads

  By the road

  The children can play

  Away from the smoke

  And wait for the sun

  Square pegs in round holes

  So beautiful

  
  

  Ah, who needs the sun?

  The hills will do us right

  The sea breeze can reach

  Right along the river

  Its own kind of paradise

  
  

  Guests:

  Washington Community Podcasting Group, Roger Morris (Fatfield Resident), Mike Laws, Linda Laws, Ged Parker (Washington Development Corporation), Washington Newtown Architects, David Robson, Ricard Robinson, Ursula Robson, Martin Stephenson, Peter McAdam, Liz Greener, April Welby.

  Music and Production

  • Produced by: Grace Stubbings & the Washington Community Podcasting Group
  • Music by: David Brewis & Paige Temperley
  • Executive Producers: Caroline Mitchell & Jude Murphy
  
  

  About the Project

  This episode was developed in collaboration with:

  • Washington Heritage Partnership
  • Sunderland City Council’s Washington Area Committee
  • Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington
  • Baseline Shift
  • We Make Culture
  
  

  Supported by:

  • The University of Sunderland
  • The National Lottery Heritage Fund
  
  

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for making this project possible.

  ]]>In this episode, we explore the story of the iconic Curly Wurly Bridge and its role in shaping the transformation of Fatfield. Featuring A Spanish Village, written and performed by David Brewis, this episode captures the historical and cultural significance of this beloved landmark.

  A Spanish Village / Its Own Kind of Paradise

  David Brewis

  

  Out of the dust

  A garden will grow

  Vines intertwined

  Kept safe from the roads

  By the road

  The children can play

  Away from the smoke

  And wait for the sun

  Square pegs in round holes

  So beautiful

  
  

  Ah, who needs the sun?

  The hills will do us right

  The sea breeze can reach

  Right along the river

  Its own kind of paradise

  
  

  Guests:

  Washington Community Podcasting Group, Roger Morris (Fatfield Resident), Mike Laws, Linda Laws, Ged Parker (Washington Development Corporation), Washington Newtown Architects, David Robson, Ricard Robinson, Ursula Robson, Martin Stephenson, Peter McAdam, Liz Greener, April Welby.

  Music and Production

  • Produced by: Grace Stubbings & the Washington Community Podcasting Group
  • Music by: David Brewis & Paige Temperley
  • Executive Producers: Caroline Mitchell & Jude Murphy
  
  

  About the Project

  This episode was developed in collaboration with:

  • Washington Heritage Partnership
  • Sunderland City Council’s Washington Area Committee
  • Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington
  • Baseline Shift
  • We Make Culture
  
  

  Supported by:

  • The University of Sunderland
  • The National Lottery Heritage Fund
  
  

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for making this project possible.

  ]]>b8440d9d-f5b2-40d2-a03d-41b0425e5b2aMon, 18 Nov 2024 09:00:00 +010017:58falsefull15151Washington Heritage Partnership Ghosts and WitchesIn this episode, we delve into local legends, spine-chilling ghost stories, and the haunting tales of women accused of witchcraft in Washington’s history. Featuring Lady of the Biddick House, written and performed by Paige Temperley, this episode brings the past to life with captivating stories and performances.

  Lady of the Biddick House

  Paige Temperley

  

  Lady of the Biddick House had her little heart ripped out

  Love forbidden, so profound, she was upstairs he was down

  You see, it can’t be, if there status in-between

  But believe, she’d a need for a man with thumbs of green

  Lady of the Biddick House, slow and surely she snuck out

  Love forbidden, so profound, only rose bushes surrounded

  Them as they fell, deeper under true loves spell

   In society’s cell he was the Beast and she was Belle

  
  

  A story she knew all too well

  Wouldn’t let it die with them 

  
  

  Lady of the Biddick House decided to stick around

  Holding onto love once found, she would show them ‘not allowed’

  Obsess and digress, trapped in a lifetime’s distress

  Many centuries guest, draws a spirit of unrest

  
  

  Lady of the Biddick House learned her home would be knocked down

  Mr Ferry’s garden now, must make way for a new town

  The roses he grew, with his hands he would remove

  But the Lady refused, threw them back to what she knew

  
  

  Lady of the Biddick House, heart forever bleeding out…

   

  Guests:

  Washington Community Podcasting Group, Roseanna Erskine, Paige Temperley, Gloria Finnigan, Jim Metcalfe, Liz Greener, Anderson.

  Music and Production

  • Produced by: Grace Stubbings & the Washington Community Podcasting Group
  • Music by: David Brewis & Paige Temperley
  • Executive Producers: Caroline Mitchell & Jude Murphy
  
  

  About the Project

  This episode was developed in collaboration with:

  • Washington Heritage Partnership
  • Sunderland City Council’s Washington Area Committee
  • Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington
  • Baseline Shift
  • We Make Culture
  
  

  Supported by:

  • The University of Sunderland
  • The National Lottery Heritage Fund
  
  

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for making this project possible.

  ]]>In this episode, we delve into local legends, spine-chilling ghost stories, and the haunting tales of women accused of witchcraft in Washington’s history. Featuring Lady of the Biddick House, written and performed by Paige Temperley, this episode brings the past to life with captivating stories and performances.

  Lady of the Biddick House

  Paige Temperley

  

  Lady of the Biddick House had her little heart ripped out

  Love forbidden, so profound, she was upstairs he was down

  You see, it can’t be, if there status in-between

  But believe, she’d a need for a man with thumbs of green

  Lady of the Biddick House, slow and surely she snuck out

  Love forbidden, so profound, only rose bushes surrounded

  Them as they fell, deeper under true loves spell

   In society’s cell he was the Beast and she was Belle

  
  

  A story she knew all too well

  Wouldn’t let it die with them 

  
  

  Lady of the Biddick House decided to stick around

  Holding onto love once found, she would show them ‘not allowed’

  Obsess and digress, trapped in a lifetime’s distress

  Many centuries guest, draws a spirit of unrest

  
  

  Lady of the Biddick House learned her home would be knocked down

  Mr Ferry’s garden now, must make way for a new town

  The roses he grew, with his hands he would remove

  But the Lady refused, threw them back to what she knew

  
  

  Lady of the Biddick House, heart forever bleeding out…

   

  Guests:

  Washington Community Podcasting Group, Roseanna Erskine, Paige Temperley, Gloria Finnigan, Jim Metcalfe, Liz Greener, Anderson.

  Music and Production

  • Produced by: Grace Stubbings & the Washington Community Podcasting Group
  • Music by: David Brewis & Paige Temperley
  • Executive Producers: Caroline Mitchell & Jude Murphy
  
  

  About the Project

  This episode was developed in collaboration with:

  • Washington Heritage Partnership
  • Sunderland City Council’s Washington Area Committee
  • Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington
  • Baseline Shift
  • We Make Culture
  
  

  Supported by:

  • The University of Sunderland
  • The National Lottery Heritage Fund
  
  

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for making this project possible.

  ]]>ef730b0f-e862-4e93-9ac7-316fff412cf3Mon, 18 Nov 2024 09:00:00 +010014:16falsefull14141Washington Heritage Partnership Howay JimmyIn this episode, we take a nostalgic journey back to 1977, when US President Jimmy Carter visited Washington Village. Howay Jimmy is a heartfelt reflection on this historic event, written and performed by Paige Temperley, with stories and insights from members of the Washington community.

  Hoaway Jimmy  

  Written by Paige Temperley

  Hoaway Jimmy come on down

  And look at our new town

  The streets are lined 

  And soon you’ll find 

  There’re full of roaring crowds

  Hoaway Jimmy come on down

  And give our hands a shake 

  We’re dressed up to the nines

  And we’ve asked the band to play 

  ‘Cause things like this don’t happen every day…

  
  

  Flags at the ready

  Lets wave those stars and stripes

  A striking combination of red, blue, and white

  Hello Mr President

  With one we share a name

  And here you are on your first trip of Presidential fame 

  
  

  Pedal to the floor he arrives our doorstep

  Like that of those before and so the story goes

  
  

  Hoaway Jimmy come on down

  And look at our new town

  The streets are lined 

  And soon you’ll find 

  There’re full of roaring crowds

  Hoaway Jimmy come on down

  And give our hands a shake 

  We’re dressed up to the nines

  And we’ve asked the band to play 

  ‘Cause things like this don’t happen every day…

  
  

  Green thumbs at the ready

  Let’s head down to the green

  We all know what happened to that poor tulip tree

  Hello Mr President

  For you we have a gift 

  A miners flame safety lamp used in colliery F

  
  

  Pedal to the floor he arrives our doorstep

  Like that of those before and so the story goes

  
  

  Hoaway Jimmy come on down

  And look at our new town

  The streets are lined 

  And soon you’ll find 

  There’re full of roaring crowds

  Hoaway Jimmy come on down

  And give our hands a shake 

  We’re dressed up to the nines

  And we’ve asked the band to play 

  
  

  ‘Cause things like this don’t happen every day…

  
  

  Hoaway Jimmy, Hoaway Jimmy, Hoaway Jimmy, Hoaway Jimmy x2  (whoas in background)

  
  

  Hoaway Jimmy come on down

  And look at our new town

  The streets are lined 

  And soon you’ll find 

  There’re full of roaring crowds

  Hoaway Jimmy come on down

  And give our hands a shake 

  We’re dressed up to the nines

  And we’ve asked the band to play 

  
  

  ‘Cause things like this don’t happen every day…

  ‘Cause things like this don’t happen round our way…

  ‘Cause things like this don’t happen Mmmmm…

  
  

  Guests:

  Washington Community Podcasting Group, Laurie Endean-Olsen, David Warden, Olive Metcalfe, Jim Metcalfe, City Swing, April Welby, Mike Laws, Barbara Fiddy, Shaun Hair.

  Music and Production

  • Produced by: Grace Stubbings & the Washington Community Podcasting Group
  • Music by: David Brewis & Paige Temperley
  • Executive Producers: Caroline Mitchell & Jude Murphy
  
  

  About the Project

  This episode was developed in collaboration with:

  • Washington Heritage Partnership
  • Sunderland City Council’s Washington Area Committee
  • Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington
  • Baseline Shift
  • We Make Culture
  
  

  Supported by:

  • The University of Sunderland
  • The National Lottery Heritage Fund
  
  

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National...]]>In this episode, we take a nostalgic journey back to 1977, when US President Jimmy Carter visited Washington Village. Howay Jimmy is a heartfelt reflection on this historic event, written and performed by Paige Temperley, with stories and insights from members of the Washington community.

  Hoaway Jimmy  

  Written by Paige Temperley

  Hoaway Jimmy come on down

  And look at our new town

  The streets are lined 

  And soon you’ll find 

  There’re full of roaring crowds

  Hoaway Jimmy come on down

  And give our hands a shake 

  We’re dressed up to the nines

  And we’ve asked the band to play 

  ‘Cause things like this don’t happen every day…

  
  

  Flags at the ready

  Lets wave those stars and stripes

  A striking combination of red, blue, and white

  Hello Mr President

  With one we share a name

  And here you are on your first trip of Presidential fame 

  
  

  Pedal to the floor he arrives our doorstep

  Like that of those before and so the story goes

  
  

  Hoaway Jimmy come on down

  And look at our new town

  The streets are lined 

  And soon you’ll find 

  There’re full of roaring crowds

  Hoaway Jimmy come on down

  And give our hands a shake 

  We’re dressed up to the nines

  And we’ve asked the band to play 

  ‘Cause things like this don’t happen every day…

  
  

  Green thumbs at the ready

  Let’s head down to the green

  We all know what happened to that poor tulip tree

  Hello Mr President

  For you we have a gift 

  A miners flame safety lamp used in colliery F

  
  

  Pedal to the floor he arrives our doorstep

  Like that of those before and so the story goes

  
  

  Hoaway Jimmy come on down

  And look at our new town

  The streets are lined 

  And soon you’ll find 

  There’re full of roaring crowds

  Hoaway Jimmy come on down

  And give our hands a shake 

  We’re dressed up to the nines

  And we’ve asked the band to play 

  
  

  ‘Cause things like this don’t happen every day…

  
  

  Hoaway Jimmy, Hoaway Jimmy, Hoaway Jimmy, Hoaway Jimmy x2  (whoas in background)

  
  

  Hoaway Jimmy come on down

  And look at our new town

  The streets are lined 

  And soon you’ll find 

  There’re full of roaring crowds

  Hoaway Jimmy come on down

  And give our hands a shake 

  We’re dressed up to the nines

  And we’ve asked the band to play 

  
  

  ‘Cause things like this don’t happen every day…

  ‘Cause things like this don’t happen round our way…

  ‘Cause things like this don’t happen Mmmmm…

  
  

  Guests:

  Washington Community Podcasting Group, Laurie Endean-Olsen, David Warden, Olive Metcalfe, Jim Metcalfe, City Swing, April Welby, Mike Laws, Barbara Fiddy, Shaun Hair.

  Music and Production

  • Produced by: Grace Stubbings & the Washington Community Podcasting Group
  • Music by: David Brewis & Paige Temperley
  • Executive Producers: Caroline Mitchell & Jude Murphy
  
  

  About the Project

  This episode was developed in collaboration with:

  • Washington Heritage Partnership
  • Sunderland City Council’s Washington Area Committee
  • Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington
  • Baseline Shift
  • We Make Culture
  
  

  Supported by:

  • The University of Sunderland
  • The National Lottery Heritage Fund
  
  

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for making this project possible.

  ]]>c10c64e1-70df-4e7e-b744-01f788008b76Mon, 18 Nov 2024 09:00:00 +010015:33falsefull13131Washington Heritage Partnership The UnderpassesIn this episode, we explore The Underpasses—examining the ideal of safe routes to school and the reality of 'betwixt and between' spaces. This episode brings together fascinating stories and creative expressions from Washington, brought to life by the community and special guests. It featurse Underpass, a ballad written and performed by David Brewis.

  Underpass (after Jake)

  David Brewis

  
  

  When I was just a bairn

  Barely bar-stool high

  I’d nestle in the club

  To see what stories might pass by

  And every now and then

  I’d hear the most alluring lass

  Tell a handsome washy chap

  She’d show him round her underpass

  
  

  Underpass

  Take a tour around my underpass

  A three-dimensional, architectural

  Oh, so peculiar wonder

  It’s my underpass

  It could be your underpass

  And though it may sound crass

  I love you so

  
  

  I’d cycled through a few

  On my evening paper round

  I’d never thought to wonder

  What enchantments might abound

  Within their lustrous concrete walls

  Such prefabricated class

  No troglodyte could tarnish

  Her exemplary underpass

  
  

  Underpass

  Take a tour around my underpass

  A three-dimensional, architectural

  Oh, so peculiar wonder

  It’s my underpass

  It could be your underpass

  And though it may sound crass

  I’d ask you, dear, to dash

  The romance may not last

  I love you… now

  
  

  Guests:

  Washington Community Podcasting Group, Dr. Ian Cook, Northumbria University, Professor Caroline Mitchell, University of Sunderland, Jude Murphy, Tommy Anderson, Chris Morland, Claire Kingston, Jamie Murray, Ged Parker (Washington History Society), Roger Morris, Jennifer Tindall, Mike Clay.

  Music and Production

  • Produced by: Grace Stubbings & the Washington Community Podcasting Group
  • Music by: David Brewis & Paige Temperley
  • Executive Producers: Caroline Mitchell & Jude Murphy
  
  

  About the Project

  This episode was developed in collaboration with:

  • Washington Heritage Partnership
  • Sunderland City Council’s Washington Area Committee
  • Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington
  • Baseline Shift
  • We Make Culture
  
  

  Supported by:

  • The University of Sunderland
  • The National Lottery Heritage Fund
  
  

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for making this project possible.

  ]]>In this episode, we explore The Underpasses—examining the ideal of safe routes to school and the reality of 'betwixt and between' spaces. This episode brings together fascinating stories and creative expressions from Washington, brought to life by the community and special guests. It featurse Underpass, a ballad written and performed by David Brewis.

  Underpass (after Jake)

  David Brewis

  
  

  When I was just a bairn

  Barely bar-stool high

  I’d nestle in the club

  To see what stories might pass by

  And every now and then

  I’d hear the most alluring lass

  Tell a handsome washy chap

  She’d show him round her underpass

  
  

  Underpass

  Take a tour around my underpass

  A three-dimensional, architectural

  Oh, so peculiar wonder

  It’s my underpass

  It could be your underpass

  And though it may sound crass

  I love you so

  
  

  I’d cycled through a few

  On my evening paper round

  I’d never thought to wonder

  What enchantments might abound

  Within their lustrous concrete walls

  Such prefabricated class

  No troglodyte could tarnish

  Her exemplary underpass

  
  

  Underpass

  Take a tour around my underpass

  A three-dimensional, architectural

  Oh, so peculiar wonder

  It’s my underpass

  It could be your underpass

  And though it may sound crass

  I’d ask you, dear, to dash

  The romance may not last

  I love you… now

  
  

  Guests:

  Washington Community Podcasting Group, Dr. Ian Cook, Northumbria University, Professor Caroline Mitchell, University of Sunderland, Jude Murphy, Tommy Anderson, Chris Morland, Claire Kingston, Jamie Murray, Ged Parker (Washington History Society), Roger Morris, Jennifer Tindall, Mike Clay.

  Music and Production

  • Produced by: Grace Stubbings & the Washington Community Podcasting Group
  • Music by: David Brewis & Paige Temperley
  • Executive Producers: Caroline Mitchell & Jude Murphy
  
  

  About the Project

  This episode was developed in collaboration with:

  • Washington Heritage Partnership
  • Sunderland City Council’s Washington Area Committee
  • Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington
  • Baseline Shift
  • We Make Culture
  
  

  Supported by:

  • The University of Sunderland
  • The National Lottery Heritage Fund
  
  

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for making this project possible.

  ]]>88d6b304-3ece-4e09-9232-2a5ad15b7fd0Mon, 18 Nov 2024 09:00:00 +010014:32falsefull12121Washington Heritage Partnership The Town of RoundaboutsIn this episode, we dive into Washington's fascinating roads, roundabouts, and its controversial district numbering system. We also explore the community stories and creativity behind Town of Roundabouts, written and performed by Paige Temperley.

  The Town of Roundabouts

  Paige Temperley

  
  

  Photographs I took

  So many shades of colour

  Stapled in a book 

  Suppose I never looked around

  The corners of this town

  Until I wrote it down 

  
  

  Amenities and folk

  Shops and village pubs

  Don’t fix what isn’t broken

  They were right there on the door

  And now we long for more

  Reminiscent of before

  
  

  60 Years we’ve seen of this new town

  But it feels like it’s always been around

  Through these roads we’ve been lost and we’ve been found

  In the town of roundabouts 

  
  

  Districts they stood tall         

  Set apart by numbers

  Wasn’t long before they’d fall

  People just wanted a name

  A village they could claim

  A place to call home

  
  

  60 Years we’ve seen of this new town

  But it feels like it’s always been around

  Through these roads we’ve been lost and we’ve been found

  In the town of roundabouts

  
  

  Fields of grass

  Pictures taken on a Kodac 

  Memories to last 

  Rumoured Crocodiles

  Beautiful wildlife 

  Time it goes so fast 

  
  

  60 Years we’ve seen of this new town

  But it feels like it’s always been around

  Through these roads we’ve been lost and we’ve been found

  In the town of roundabouts

  In the town of roundabouts

  In the town of roundabouts

  
  

  Guests:

  Washington Community Podcasting Group, Brenda Naisby, Tony Erskine (Artist for Washington Development Corporation), Ian Murray, Roseanna Erskine, Sarah Murray, Doug Walker, Bob Hope, Kim Hunter, Gloria Finnigan, Thomas Finnigan, Olive Metcalfe, Ellaine Davidson.

  Music and Production

  • Produced by: Grace Stubbings & the Washington Community Podcasting Group
  • Music by: David Brewis & Paige Temperley
  • Excutive producers: Caroline Mitchell and Jude Murphy
  
  

  This episode was developed in collaboration with:

  • Washington Heritage Partnership
  • Sunderland City Council’s Washington Area Committee
  • Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington
  • Baseline Shift
  • We Make Culture
  
  

  Supported by:

  • The University of Sunderland
  • The National Lottery Heritage Fund
  
  

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for making this project possible.

  ]]>In this episode, we dive into Washington's fascinating roads, roundabouts, and its controversial district numbering system. We also explore the community stories and creativity behind Town of Roundabouts, written and performed by Paige Temperley.

  The Town of Roundabouts

  Paige Temperley

  
  

  Photographs I took

  So many shades of colour

  Stapled in a book 

  Suppose I never looked around

  The corners of this town

  Until I wrote it down 

  
  

  Amenities and folk

  Shops and village pubs

  Don’t fix what isn’t broken

  They were right there on the door

  And now we long for more

  Reminiscent of before

  
  

  60 Years we’ve seen of this new town

  But it feels like it’s always been around

  Through these roads we’ve been lost and we’ve been found

  In the town of roundabouts 

  
  

  Districts they stood tall         

  Set apart by numbers

  Wasn’t long before they’d fall

  People just wanted a name

  A village they could claim

  A place to call home

  
  

  60 Years we’ve seen of this new town

  But it feels like it’s always been around

  Through these roads we’ve been lost and we’ve been found

  In the town of roundabouts

  
  

  Fields of grass

  Pictures taken on a Kodac 

  Memories to last 

  Rumoured Crocodiles

  Beautiful wildlife 

  Time it goes so fast 

  
  

  60 Years we’ve seen of this new town

  But it feels like it’s always been around

  Through these roads we’ve been lost and we’ve been found

  In the town of roundabouts

  In the town of roundabouts

  In the town of roundabouts

  
  

  Guests:

  Washington Community Podcasting Group, Brenda Naisby, Tony Erskine (Artist for Washington Development Corporation), Ian Murray, Roseanna Erskine, Sarah Murray, Doug Walker, Bob Hope, Kim Hunter, Gloria Finnigan, Thomas Finnigan, Olive Metcalfe, Ellaine Davidson.

  Music and Production

  • Produced by: Grace Stubbings & the Washington Community Podcasting Group
  • Music by: David Brewis & Paige Temperley
  • Excutive producers: Caroline Mitchell and Jude Murphy
  
  

  This episode was developed in collaboration with:

  • Washington Heritage Partnership
  • Sunderland City Council’s Washington Area Committee
  • Sunderland Culture at The Arts Centre Washington
  • Baseline Shift
  • We Make Culture
  
  

  Supported by:

  • The University of Sunderland
  • The National Lottery Heritage Fund
  
  

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for making this project possible.

  ]]>8278b57e-9bbb-4a71-a82d-b2dadb142dd9Thu, 31 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +010017:38falsefull11111Washington Heritage Partnership TrailerListen to our trailer to get a feel for our new podcast.

  ‘The Ballad of the Crocodile and the Underpass' - Stories of Washington New Town’, is a podcast ballad partnership between Washington Heritage Partnership, We Make Culture, University of Sunderland, Baseline Shift and Arts Centre Washington. Since April 2024 this partnership, podcaster and musician Grace Stubbings and the Washington community podcasting group have been working with people and organisations in Washington to collect and share experiences of life in a new town.

  Musicians Paige Temperley and David Brewis (Field Music) have been working with community members and young people at Arts Centre Washington to turn stories of Washington into songs.

  The songs, interviews, sounds and archive recordings have been woven together to create unique ballad podcasts. The group have been influenced by the radio ballad work of Charles Parker, Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger who made radio ballads about working class stories in the 1950s and '60s for the BBC.

  You can listen to Episode 1 immediately after this trailer.

  Subscribe now to hear episodes 2-5, which will be released in November 2024.

  ]]>Listen to our trailer to get a feel for our new podcast.

  ‘The Ballad of the Crocodile and the Underpass' - Stories of Washington New Town’, is a podcast ballad partnership between Washington Heritage Partnership, We Make Culture, University of Sunderland, Baseline Shift and Arts Centre Washington. Since April 2024 this partnership, podcaster and musician Grace Stubbings and the Washington community podcasting group have been working with people and organisations in Washington to collect and share experiences of life in a new town.

  Musicians Paige Temperley and David Brewis (Field Music) have been working with community members and young people at Arts Centre Washington to turn stories of Washington into songs.

  The songs, interviews, sounds and archive recordings have been woven together to create unique ballad podcasts. The group have been influenced by the radio ballad work of Charles Parker, Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger who made radio ballads about working class stories in the 1950s and '60s for the BBC.

  You can listen to Episode 1 immediately after this trailer.

  Subscribe now to hear episodes 2-5, which will be released in November 2024.

  ]]>1092ea3e-de08-4f46-8486-8e5e4c645b8fThu, 31 Oct 2024 09:00:00 +010005:59falsetrailerWashington Heritage Partnership