Fence Houses » Life Style http://www.fence-houses.co.uk The Local Point Of View Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:47:32 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Fence Houses Sreetz Project ? http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2012/01/25/fence-houses-sreetz-project/ http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2012/01/25/fence-houses-sreetz-project/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:40:37 +0000 tech http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/?p=1845

Come along for FREE cup of Tea or Coffee


Fence Houses Sreetz Project

Open Community Drop In

Tuesday 7th February, 2012

1:00 PM -4:00 PM

At St Johns Methodist Church (Tin Chapel)

Pop along for a FREE cup of tea or coffee and cake to hear about the exciting new changes in Fence Houses to be part of developing some new ideas for the area


For more information please contact Sam Gallilee on 0191 385 2822 or 07885210159 or speak to the detached youth workers on Tuesday Wednesday or Friday evenings on 07512687203


Project funded by Fence Houses YMCA

]]> http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2012/01/25/fence-houses-sreetz-project/feed/ 0 Derby Game, Football Match Burnside 4 Dubmire 2 http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/10/07/derby-game-football-match/ http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/10/07/derby-game-football-match/#comments Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:16:44 +0000 tech http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/?p=1778 Burnside V Dubmire

Believed to be the first time they have played each other

9th October 2011

K.O 10.30am

Result Burnside 4 Dubmire 2

Burnside football ground

Come one come all support your local lads top of theVillage verses the bottom

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]]> http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/10/07/derby-game-football-match/feed/ 2 Green-fingered Jack springs a mighty leek http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/09/14/green-fingered-jack-springs-a-mighty-leek/ http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/09/14/green-fingered-jack-springs-a-mighty-leek/#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2011 21:00:09 +0000 tech http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/?p=1763 Jack McKitten with his massive leeks at Burnside WM Club, Fence Houses.

Published on Wednesday 14 September 2011 12:43

A GREEN-FINGERED wagon driver has reclaimed his champion spot at a leek show, setting a village record.

Jack McKitten, of Fence Houses, took the first place ribbon at the Burnside Workingmen’s Club Leek Show.

This is the third time in four years that the 42-year-old has claimed the first prize, after growing two leeks measuring 300.33 cubic inches, the equivalent to almost five litres, and the biggest ever grown by anyone in the village.

He said: “I’m over the moon to have won. I’m chuffed to bits. Growing leeks like this takes a lot of hard work.

“You get 10 months of growing time leading up to the competition and you have to tend to them every day, so it’s a lot of hard work.

“I won the first two years I took part then came second last year, so it’s great to reclaim my title. I’ll definitely be coming back next year to defend it. I’m the one to beat now.”

Trevor Chapman, steward of the Fence Houses club which hosts the show every year, said: “The leeks are the size of tree trunks, it’s no wonder it’s a village record.

“Jack is in our show so we’re really happy that he’s won and set the record. We’re Very pleased
www.sunderlandecho.com

]]> http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/09/14/green-fingered-jack-springs-a-mighty-leek/feed/ 1 Goodbye Alf http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/07/13/goodbye-alf/ http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/07/13/goodbye-alf/#comments Wed, 13 Jul 2011 00:47:23 +0000 admin http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/?p=1674 What sad news, the demon barber of Fence Houses has passed away. The stories that can be told?
I,ll start with what a lovely fella, Alf was. He cut my hair, my fathers hair and my grandfathers hair. (same style) the man was a legend in Fence Houses. He is affectionally talked about, in all of the pubs and clubs constantly. I am sure all the lads who have shuffled off this mortal coil are over the moon Alf is back to cut their hair, more talking going on than cutting. I hope there is a betting shop next door. God bless Alf and don,t work too hard.

]]> http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/07/13/goodbye-alf/feed/ 2 Dylan & Toby mascots for the day @ Durham County Cricket Club http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/07/04/dylan-toby-mascots-for-the-day-durham-county-cricket-club/ http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/07/04/dylan-toby-mascots-for-the-day-durham-county-cricket-club/#comments Mon, 04 Jul 2011 08:30:46 +0000 tech http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/?p=1661 Spot the proud Granddad?

]]> http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/07/04/dylan-toby-mascots-for-the-day-durham-county-cricket-club/feed/ 0 Sir Trevor Brooking opens £1.8m football centre http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/04/27/sir-trevor-brooking-opens-1-8m-football-centre/ http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/04/27/sir-trevor-brooking-opens-1-8m-football-centre/#comments Tue, 26 Apr 2011 23:47:16 +0000 tech http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/?p=1634 FOOTBALL legend Sir Trevor Brooking was in the region to open a £1.8m football centre.

The former England and West Ham midfielder opened the Russell Foster Football Centre, in Staddon Way, Newbottle, near Houghton-le-Spring.

Sir Trevor said: “This is a wonderful facility and one that The Russell Foster Tyne and Wear Youth League and the local community should be very proud of.

“It is essential that communities are able to access facilities where they can be safe and enjoy quality coaching. Playing sport can teach people – especially young people – essential life skills, such as communication and teamwork.

“These facilities are for everyone to enjoy, irrespective of the level at which they play. However for a talented few, they may well be where the next generation of elite players will initially hone their skills.”

The centre will be the headquarters of the Russell Foster Tyne and Wear Youth League, and provides 21 grass pitches, office space, classrooms and changing rooms.

The league, founded in 1975, has produced many famous professional players, including Andy Carroll and Michael Carrick, and has about 14,000 active members, making it the largest youth league anywhere in the country.

The Football Foundation provided a £988,869 grant towards the centre.

Mick Clark, secretary at the Russell Foster Football Centre, said: “I am absolutely delighted to be part of the first purposebuilt mini-soccer centre in the country. I would like to thank the Football Foundation for all their support and expertise and also Sir Trevor for officially opening our new home.”

www.thenorthernecho.co.uk


]]> http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/04/27/sir-trevor-brooking-opens-1-8m-football-centre/feed/ 0 DUBMIRE CLUB 1993 WHEN PUBS AND CLUBS WERE FULL PART 2 http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/04/06/dubmire-club-1993-when-pubs-and-clubs-were-full-part-2/ http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/04/06/dubmire-club-1993-when-pubs-and-clubs-were-full-part-2/#comments Wed, 06 Apr 2011 10:03:49 +0000 tech http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/?p=1623 Another piece of history, but its nice to see the Dubmire club can still pack them in even in 2011

]]> http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/04/06/dubmire-club-1993-when-pubs-and-clubs-were-full-part-2/feed/ 1 Grammer School Sports day 1964? http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/04/02/grammer-school-sports-day-1964-3/ http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/04/02/grammer-school-sports-day-1964-3/#comments Sat, 02 Apr 2011 00:22:51 +0000 tech http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/?p=1610 Thanks Barry Jones

Come on anyone know who is in this picture?

Thanks Barry any more gems in the wardrobe? At least this is one photo saved for posterity

]]> http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/04/02/grammer-school-sports-day-1964-3/feed/ 0 Who looks in at Fence Houses Site http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/04/01/who-looks-in-at-fence-houses-site/ http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/04/01/who-looks-in-at-fence-houses-site/#comments Thu, 31 Mar 2011 23:35:13 +0000 tech http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/?p=1601 Todays visitors you can see when, where and what they looked at.

Who      Visits      Last Visit      IP Address      Location      Last URL      Referer

Active Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 07:06 pm UTC             United Kingdom Sunderland, GB /2010/01/03/lambton-coke-works/       Yes
Active Guest      Guest       2      04-02-2011 07:04 pm UTC              United States Los Angeles, CA /2008/10/25/high-quality-homes-in-prime-locations-ic-newcastlecouk/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 06:51 pm UTC            Ireland Ballycullen, IE /2009/11/05/tv-spot-makes-singer-shaun-the-toast-of-benidorm/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 06:29 pm UTC              United Kingdom ~ United Kingdom /2008/09/16/sunderland-echo-of-prizewinners-at-the-speech-day-in-1973-of-class-5t1/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       30      04-02-2011 06:25 pm UTC             Netherlands ~ Netherlands /2008/07/12/colin-veitch-paving/comment-page-1/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       24      04-02-2011 05:53 pm UTC              United Kingdom Hartlepool, GB /2011/03/31/a-diamond-day-they-almost-didn%e2%80%99t-reach/wp-includes/js/thickbox/loadingAnimation.gif       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 05:44 pm UTC             Poland Tarnów, PL /2009/09/25/houghton-feast-2009/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 05:44 pm UTC             Mexico Boca Del Río, MX /2009/11/26/pictures-submited-from-geoff-robinson/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 05:43 pm UTC              China Beijing, CN /2009/08/02/the-good-old-days/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 05:40 pm UTC            Lebanon Beirut, LB /       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 05:31 pm UTC             United States San Francisco, CA /2010/10/27/origins-of-kings-and-coal-newcastle-v-sunderland/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 05:26 pm UTC              United States Scranton, PA /2011/03/19/from-pit-to-palace-kates-coal-mining-ancestry/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       60      04-02-2011 05:25 pm UTC            Germany ~ Germany /2008/07/12/colin-veitch-paving/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 05:07 pm UTC              United Kingdom Workington, GB /2011/03/16/lambton-castle-to-become-wedding-venue/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 04:39 pm UTC              United Kingdom Hartlepool, GB /2010/01/19/photos-wanted-of-lumley-brickworks/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 04:28 pm UTC              China Beijing, CN /2008/11/14/neo-the-north-eastern-optical/comment-page-1/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 04:26 pm UTC              United Kingdom Bath, GB /2008/09/16/sunderland-echo-of-prizewinners-at-the-speech-day-in-1973-of-class-5t1/       Yes
Guest       1      04-02-2011 04:26 pm UTC                    United Kingdom Bath, GB /2008/09/16/sunderland-echo-of-prizewinners-at-the-speech-day-in-1973-of-class-5t1/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 04:04 pm UTC           United States ~ United States /2008/07/15/councillor-geoffrey-armstrong/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       3      04-02-2011 03:47 pm UTC               United Kingdom Wakefield, GB /2011/04/02/grammer-school-sports-day-1964-3/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       2      04-02-2011 03:32 pm UTC             India Delhi, IN /2010/04/28/new-flower-shop-for-fence-houses/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 03:28 pm UTC             United States Dallas, TX /2010/01/03/sixth-pit/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 03:21 pm UTC              United Kingdom London, GB /category/history/places/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 03:17 pm UTC            United States Denver, CO /2009/09/25/houghton-feast-2009/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 03:17 pm UTC             United Kingdom Sunderland, GB /tag/lambton-park/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 02:59 pm UTC             United States Phoenix, AZ /2009/08/02/the-good-old-days/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 02:53 pm UTC              United Kingdom ~ United Kingdom /2011/03/05/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 02:43 pm UTC             Russian Federation ~ Russian Federation /2010/01/08/national-coal-board-philadelphia-yard-1980s/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 02:37 pm UTC              Brazil ~ Brazil /2011/04/01/who-looks-in-at-fence-houses-site/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 02:32 pm UTC              United Kingdom Wakefield, GB /2008/08/24/the-royal-british-legion-clubs/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       2      04-02-2011 02:19 pm UTC              United States Los Angeles, CA /2009/09/02/search-for-your-friends-family/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 02:19 pm UTC              United States New York, NY /2010/10/27/origins-of-kings-and-coal-newcastle-v-sunderland/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 02:18 pm UTC              United States Roseville, CA /2010/01/08/national-coal-board-philadelphia-yard-1980s/comment-page-1/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 02:08 pm UTC              Netherlands ~ Netherlands /2008/07/12/colin-veitch-paving/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       4      04-02-2011 01:54 pm UTC              United States Demorest, GA /2010/01/03/sixth-pit/comment-page-1/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 01:52 pm UTC             Poland Swidnik, PL /2010/01/28/fence-houses-railway-line/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 01:40 pm UTC              United Kingdom Newcastle Upon Tyne, GB /2009/06/10/fence-houses-truss-company-ltd/       Yes
Who      Visits      Last Visit      IP Address      Location      Last URL      Referer
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 01:12 pm UTC             United States Dallas, TX /2008/08/14/dubmire-primary-school/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 01:12 pm UTC             United States Kirkland, WA /2010/10/06/former-colliery-transformed-into-country-park/http:/www.fence-houses.co.uk/wp-comments-post.php       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 01:10 pm UTC             Russian Federation Pervouralsk, RU /       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       2      04-02-2011 01:02 pm UTC              Brazil Belo Horizonte, BR /2010/01/03/lambto-d-pit/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 12:48 pm UTC             United Kingdom Southend-on-sea, GB /2010/01/19/photos-wanted-of-lumley-brickworks/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 12:16 pm UTC             Russian Federation Smolensk, RU /2011/04/01/who-looks-in-at-fence-houses-site/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       2      04-02-2011 12:13 pm UTC              United States Los Angeles, CA /2010/01/19/alfred-bloomfield-world-war-1/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       2      04-02-2011 11:57 am UTC              Germany ~ Germany /2008/07/12/colin-veitch-paving/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 11:47 am UTC              United Kingdom London, GB /2010/04/28/new-flower-shop-for-fence-houses/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 11:44 am UTC            United Kingdom East Boldon, GB /2011/03/05/houghton-le-spring-secondary-modern-school-running-track/comment-page-1/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 11:43 am UTC             Indonesia Cilacap, ID /2008/09/07/fencehouses-station/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 11:42 am UTC              Ukraine Odessa, UA /2008/11/14/neo-the-north-eastern-optical/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 11:28 am UTC             United Kingdom London, GB /2008/08/24/the-tongue-of-big-ben-made-in-fence-houses/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 11:17 am UTC              United States ~ United States /2008/07/15/120/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 11:17 am UTC              China Putian, CN /2009/11/05/tv-spot-makes-singer-shaun-the-toast-of-benidorm/       Yes
Who      Visits      Last Visit      IP Address      Location      Last URL      Referer
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 11:00 am UTC              United States ~ United States /2009/10/23/connor-solutions-scoops-major-new-contract/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 10:52 am UTC              Tunisia ~ Tunisia /       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 10:49 am UTC              Ireland Dublin, IE /category/music/page/2/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       3      04-02-2011 10:44 am UTC              United States ~ United States /2008/07/14/fence-houses-mot-centre/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       2      04-02-2011 10:24 am UTC              United States ~ United States /our-gallery/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       2      04-02-2011 09:56 am UTC              United Kingdom Glasgow, GB /tag/hair/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       2      04-02-2011 09:54 am UTC            United States ~ United States /tag/fencehouses/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 09:49 am UTC            Belgium Liège, BE /2010/11/13/fencehouses-station-c-1960/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 09:16 am UTC              United States Atlanta, GA /2008/09/18/donald-mcbride-our-famous-actor/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 09:16 am UTC             United States Atlanta, GA /2008/07/26/fence-houses-youth-theatre-february-1974/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 09:12 am UTC             Indonesia Malang, ID /2009/09/02/search-for-your-friends-family/       Yes
Who      Visits      Last Visit      IP Address      Location      Last URL      Referer
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 08:41 am UTC            India Mumbai, IN /2009/08/02/the-good-old-days/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 08:37 am UTC             United Kingdom Newtownards, GB /2011/03/16/lambton-castle-to-become-wedding-venue/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 07:50 am UTC             Germany ~ Germany /2008/07/12/colin-veitch-paving/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 07:48 am UTC             United Kingdom London, GB /2010/01/19/photos-wanted-of-lumley-brickworks/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 07:18 am UTC              United States Cary, IL /2009/08/02/the-good-old-days/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 07:11 am UTC            United Kingdom ~ United Kingdom /2010/04/28/new-flower-shop-for-fence-houses/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 07:10 am UTC              United Kingdom London, GB /business/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 07:10 am UTC              United Kingdom Birmingham, GB /2009/06/10/fence-houses-truss-company-ltd/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 07:09 am UTC              United Kingdom London, GB /2009/06/10/fence-houses-truss-company-ltd/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 06:08 am UTC              Serbia ~ Serbia /2010/01/08/national-coal-board-philadelphia-yard-1980s/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 05:42 am UTC             Australia Perth, AU /category/history/page/8/       Yes
Who      Visits      Last Visit      IP Address      Location      Last URL      Referer
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 05:41 am UTC             United States Dallas, TX /2008/07/22/the-floaters-mill/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 05:37 am UTC             China Beijing, CN /2009/11/05/tv-spot-makes-singer-shaun-the-toast-of-benidorm/comment-page-1/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 05:33 am UTC              Russian Federation ~ Russian Federation /2008/07/13/the-good-old-days/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 05:04 am UTC              United States Atlanta, GA /2008/09/05/life-in-lambton/       No
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 04:09 am UTC             United States Los Angeles, CA /2010/10/06/former-colliery-transformed-into-country-park/comment-page-1/       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 04:09 am UTC              United States Los Angeles, CA /2009/02/22/shaftmen-lambton-d-colliery/http:/www.fence-houses.co.uk/wp-comments-post.php       Yes
Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 03:52 am UTC             Ukraine ~ Ukraine /2008/08/24/the-tongue-of-big-ben-made-in-fence-houses/http:/www.fence-houses.co.uk/wp-comments-post.php       No
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Inactive Guest      Guest       1      04-02-2011 03:04 am UTC              China Guangzhou, CN /2010/10/06/houghton-feast-2010-literature-festival/       No
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]]> http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/04/01/who-looks-in-at-fence-houses-site/feed/ 0 From pit to palace: Kate’s coal mining ancestry http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/03/19/from-pit-to-palace-kates-coal-mining-ancestry/ http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/2011/03/19/from-pit-to-palace-kates-coal-mining-ancestry/#comments Sat, 19 Mar 2011 20:58:29 +0000 tech http://www.fence-houses.co.uk/?p=1582 She’s not exactly a coal miner’s daughter, but Kate Middleton has deep family roots in the grim coal pits of northern England.

Middleton has already captivated the world’s imagination with her Cinderella story of going from middle-class girl-next-door to queen-in-waiting, but until recently few knew of her family’s connection to coal mining, once a prime source of Britain’s prosperity that has now fallen on hard times.

Her great-grandfather left coal country nearly a century ago in pursuit of a safer way of life in the London area, but his siblings stayed behind and spent their working lives in the coal pits. She still has relatives in the area who expect her to bring a practical, no-nonsense approach to royal life once she and Prince William tie the knot at Westminster Abbey on April 29.

John Harrison, a cousin who still lives in Hetton-Le-Hole — once a bustling mining center now down on its luck — doesn’t expect Middleton to act all high and mighty when she officially becomes a princess.

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Harrison believes she still has a bit of the coal country in her, a head-screwed-on-straight practicality more common to the grit of northeast England than the gilded parlors of Buckingham Palace, with its priceless art collection and stifling protocol.

“I think she’s going to stamp her northeast way of life on William,” said Harrison, who has lost touch with Middleton’s side of the family but still plans to celebrate the royal wedding with his family’s own party-of-the-year. “She’s told him they’re going to be more normal, more down to earth.”

The fact that the offspring of a coal mining family will soon be a princess — and a likely future queen — is taken by some as proof that Britain’s once-rigid social system has become more malleable.

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“They certainly wouldn’t have done that in the hundred years before that. They went from the bottom to the top.”
The upward mobility — tabloids are calling it “From Pit to Palace” — began when Middleton’s great-grandfather Thomas Harrison, fed up with the grim prospects of life in a coal town, packed up and took his family to the London area, not with any grand plans, but simply to get cleaner, safer work.

Harrison, using his carpentry skills to avoid the coal pits, left behind most of his brothers and sisters, including his brother George, who became John Harrison’s father. Thomas Harrison moved first to Ealing, a suburb west of London, and his granddaughter Carole eventually married Michael Middleton, who came from a successful family of lawyers and businessmen.

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That was a distinct step up in the world. Their daughter Kate Middleton went to the best schools, and met a prince. They had an eight-year, on-again-off-again courtship that — finally — led to an engagement in November.

It was not unusual for men to leave the coal regions if they could, said Kate Reeder, a curator at the Beamish Museum that documents the region’s history. She said coal mines in the Hetton area reached their peak in 1913 — when miners were relatively well paid — but then went into a sharp decline that prompted some men to abandon the mines in search of better jobs.

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“It was a really, really unhealthy activity,” she said. “Just being underground for most of your life is not a healthy thing to do, plus there’s the dust and the noise and the repetition of their work, and a lot of dangers from the machinery, and from explosions and gas incidents. So it’s not unusual for people to leave.”

Many who left did well for themselves, but the Harrison story is unprecedented.

“I suppose it’s a bit like winning the lottery,” said John Harrison. “You’re not going to get any money out of it, but at least you’ll have memories. We’ll still be working class, but it’s a nice feeling to know there’s something there in the family, that we’re going to be related to royalty.”

Read the full story by going to this link  http://www.today.com

 

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