Wednesday 28 January 2026 7.30pm THIS TALK REPLACES THE PREVIOUSLY ADVERTISED ‘The Big Freeze’
The North East is justly proclaimed as the cradle of the railways; they’ve been around for over 400 years. This talk explores the history of the railways on the north bank of the Tyne, from their origins in the 1830s, including one of the first railways in the world built just to carry passengers, through the years of innovation and prosperity before the First World War, then the gradual decline until the 1970s saw thebuilding of the Metro system and, then, very recently, the opening of the Northumberland Line, restoring services between Newcastle and Ashington after a gap of sixty years.
Our Speaker
Iain Kitt has an MA in Railways Studies from the University of York and is currently writing a book, ‘From Blyth and Tyne to the Northumberland Line’, on which this talk is based.
Venue
This event will take place at St George’s United Reformed Church on Newton Road, High Heaton NE7 7HP. It is on the corner with Boundary Gardens, the same block as Heaton Stannington’s football ground, Willow (formerly Grounsell) Park.
There are excellent public transport links including bus numbers 18, 38, 52 and 553, which stop right by the church.
There is car parking on the surrounding streets.
Booking
The event is free to Heaton History Group members and costs £2.50 for non-members. There’s no need to book. Just turn up on the night.
