Tea at the Turks Head

TWW and I considerably lowered the average age today on a "Deeds not Words" Suffragette walking tour around Newcastle, as part of the Emily Inspires series of events.

Newcastle had the third most active branch of the WSPU in the early 1900s, and was home to some of the most militant - deeds not words - members. The tour took us from the Lit and Phil Society (an amazing building, oh how I wish I had had a proper camera and some time to try and take some shots in there) up to the Haymarket, with a fair few stops on the way. The Lit and Phil society was established in the 1700s and was fairly progressive, admitting women as full members from 1804.

From there we went:
*To the station hotel, where politicians were regularly accosted, including pre 1st World War, Winston Churchill. Looking past the station to where the Centre for Life now stands, the old cattle market, where many rallies started in the early 1900s.
*To Coopers on Westgate Road, where there was a cart store/factory, including a lift capable of raising Carts up to the second floor and a practice track to try before you buy. Another branch of Coopers also produced a bike especially for the suffragettes, in their colours of white, purple and green.
*To the Moot Hall, which was allegedly (they never claimed responsibility) bombed by the suffragettes.
*The (Old) Post Office which had stones thrown through the windows, although they had gone inside first to check that there wasn't anybody near the windows (a level of sweetness in their vandalism).
*The Cathedral, where Newcastle Suffragettes started the tactic of standing up during church services and shouting "God Save Emmiline Pankhurst"
*The old Liberal Club, which had its windows broken.
*The street where Emily Davisons Grandfather had one of his gun shops.
*Fenwicks, where they met for tea and socialising
*And finally on to the Haymarket, where there is now an Oxfam shop but where there was a theatre. The actions of the women in October 1909 protesting at a Lloyd George speech, and their hunger strikes during their time in custody prompted the introduction of the Cat and Mouse Act. One of the protestors was Lady Constance Lytton, she was almost immediately released from that prison sentence, due to her social standing. After that she dressed as working class woman and called herself Jane Warton so that she wasn't treated differently from other suffragettes.

TWW was a little star, he only shrieked occasionally and it was generally when the tour guide had just announced we were moving on...phew. Even when we were waiting in the library to start, I thought he might test the echo there, but thankfully he chose not to. And a mention for Francis too, who spotted it was my first visit to the Lit and Phil and was really lovely in filling me in with bits of history and reassuring me that bringing a 7 month old was a good thing to do.

I have decided to that I walk around with my eyes shut. So many places I walk past on a regular basis and I have never even noticed them. Shameful.

And the title - Tea at the Turks Head. The Turks Head was a pub, opposite the Theatre Royal. It did seem that every anecdote, whether it was meeting returning hunger strikers, bombers retreating from their crimes, those attending rallies etc ended with them meeting and mulling it all over in the Turks Head over a cup of tea.

Apologies for the shite lame picture. Had to blip so I remembered today, but couldn't quite juggle a bag full of stuff on my back, TWW strapped to my front and the camera

Also discovered today that 2 hours is plenty for carrying TWW in his sling...we had a lazy afternoon when we got back!