Introduction
Sunniside White Elephant School
By 1923 the number of children attending Marley Hill school was so great that it was decided to open a Temporary Infant School.
It is recorded in Marley Hill School Log Book:-
20th April 1923
Hannah Armstrong, Head Teacher, Lesley Cuthbert C.A. and Ethel Smith P.T. finish duty today and will commence on the 23rd at Sunnisice Temporary Council School. The Sunniside children have been transferred to the Temporary School, and the other children remain as an Infant class or in the Mixed Department.
Consequently the temporary school opened, with 62 children on roll, on April 23rd 1923 in the Sunniside Church Hall of St. Cuthbert's Church, Marley Hill, which was situated on Gateshead Road.
The hall, which had been built in 1914, was of pebbledash construction, consisting of a T-shaped hall with a stage. It was rented to Durham Authority at a 'pepper corn' rent of 1/- per annum. A temporary action to fulfil a need, which lasted 40 years!
In the beginning the school was heated by a coke stove, which appeared to have caused major problems. Many references are made to this.
7th December 1925
The temperature at 9 a.m.was 34º. The essential subjects were taken and the rest of the morning was spent in marching and exercises to warm the children. Mrs. Jobling sent over a large milk-can ful of cocoa. This we dispensed to the children who were exceedingly cold by 10.30 a.m.
23rd February 1931
A new boiler was installed.
Even in 1945 low temperatures forced the Head Teacher to close the school.
February 1962
At 9 o'clock the school was filled with smoke fumes. the boiler registered 90º and the temperature in school was 34º.
14th January 1963
School supplied with two oil heaters as water system was out of commission.
This building, being a church hall, was also used for various activities in the evening, namely Church Lad's Brigade, Youth club, Sunday School Meetings, etc. Several incidents of damage to equipment are recorded.
In 1955 an H.M.I. report reads:- (41 on roll)
"Recently various alerations have rendered the premises more suitable for school purposes. These have includede the paving of the playground, the repainting of the interior of the building in light colors, the installation of extra heating apparatus, the partitiioning of an alcove to form a staff room and the removal of material unconnected with the school, which has given better facilities for the storage of equipment. The two teaching spaces in the hall are separated by a curtain. There is a scullery for use with the school meals, which is prepared at a central kitchen (Burnopfield) and served in the hall to about 12 children each day. Cloakroom and sanitary provision are adequate in amount, but there is no constant supply of hot water to any of the pupils' washbasins.This is a very pleasant school in which the children rapidly acquire confidence and a keen interest in their work."
The school enjoyed a stable staff there being only three Head Teachers, during its lifetime. Namely:- Miss Hannah Armstrong 1923 - 1948, Miss Lesley Cuthbert 1949 - 1951, Miss
Mabel Davison 1951 - 1962. Finally Mrs.A Grant saw the school closed 31st May 1963 with only 15 pupils on roll.
What happened to the building afterwards? For a while it stood idle and then it was sold by the church on the 25th November 1965 to the Dumigan brothers. They tried to develop it but were refused planning permission. It was then sold to Mr. McClennan, a Heating Engineer, who used it as a depot/warehouse. It was burnt to the ground in a spectacular fire on 7th March 1975. Eventually Mr. H. Brown bought the site and built a bungalow 'High Trees' in 1984.
Why the 'White Elephant School'? Who knows? Perhaps it was because so many varied activites took place there, one being a "temproary" school.
Fellside
Fellside Road runs southwest from Whickham towards Burnopfield, descending the hill to Whickham Golf Club and climbing again to the Woodman's Arms from where it winds along the side of the hill to reach Burnopfield at the Pack Horse pub.
Looking southwest towards
the Woodman's Arms at
the top of the hill.
The road commands extensive views over the Derwent Valley to the north and west and passes two farms, the Fellside and the Byermoor. Clockburn Lane runs down from the golf club to the River Derwent and the Derwent Walk. This is an old road which continued up the north side of the Derwent valley to the River Tyne at Newburn. Another track, Woodhouse Lane runs down to Swalwell and another towards Old Hollinside and Snipes Dene Wood.
Clockburn Lane from Winlaton Mill
under the Derwent Valley Railway bridge.
In the 1950s open-cast mining took place at Cut Thorn on the north side of Fellside Road. Gibside Hall and Estate lies to the north.
View of Gibside Estate
Unsolved Crime at Marley Hill
Missing Money Still A Mystery. (from an old article).
Miners' wages to the amount of £12,000 were stolen from Marley Hill Colliery Offices on Thursday, 15th September, 1949. The money, made up into wage packets, was put into the strong room on Thursday night, and when it was opened on the Friday morning at 8.0 a.m. by the cashier, Mr. J. Bell and Mr. D. Dormerhill, clerk, the money was missing. No force was used to gain entry into the colliery office or strongroom itself, and the supposition was that a duplicate key had been used. When Thursday became the day for collecting the money from the bank it was necessary to guard it overnight at the colliery itself. A night watchman's rota was instituted comprising colliery officials. Mr. Ralph Shield, foreman drainer, was the night guard on duty in a room. Thursday was his usual night on duty and during his period on guard he was visited at regular intervals by colliery firemen from a nearby building.
Mr. W. Welsh, N.C.B. area general manager, stated that all the men affected by the robbery would be paid on Satruday. Fourteen men and girls worked all over again to remake the miners' wage packets and the paying out proceeded smoothly on the Saturday morning. The money was in soiled pound and ten shilling notes and £1,000 in silver and copper and the thief left nothing. He even struggled away with a hundredweight of copper and silver.
The N.C.B. offered a reward of £500 for any information which would lead to the arrest of the thieves and the recovery of the stolen money. Now 18 years have passed since the robbery. Not a single clue has been found that would help the police in their investigations and today the North East's perfect crime still remains unsolved.