TWO major exhibitions are planned in Evenwood during the national Heritage Open Days this weekend.
Organised by Evenwood, Ramshaw and District History Group the displays at the village’s parish hall and St Paul’s Church will feature information panels, photographs and memorabilia from the area’s rich past.
Prominent among the display, which will be on show from September 13 to 15, will be the history behind the two venues. The parish hall, which started off as a Primitive Methodist Hall, will host a varied exhibition including a feature on the Clark family.
Brian Carter, of the history group, said: “They have been in the village since the year dot. They were part and parcel of the village.”
Kath, a matriarch of the family and formerly a Gardiner before marrying into the Clarks, always dressed up at the village carnival, appeared in pantos and was actively involved in any street parties organised in the village.
Her 11 children are now spread around the world, with some as close by as Crook, Butterknowle and Darlington, while others have moved to Jersey, Northern Ireland and Australia. There is also talk that in the past a family member went off to join Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Circus. Kevin Richardson, also of the history group, said: “Whether it is true or not, we don’t know. It’s a family legend.”
Some old photographs of the Gardiners will form part of the exhibition. Another feature of the parish hall display is a reflection on 2018 by group member Jackie Dodds.
She said: “It is because 2018 was such a big year. There was the Beast From The East, it was 100 years since the end of the First World War and 75 years of the NHS and there was the football World Cup. 2018 was a significant year.”
Another significant event that year was a fire that gutted a depot in the village and forced several families to be moved out of their homes.
Memorabilia on display will include trophies collected over the years, including some donated by former Bishop Auckland MP and chancellor of the exchequer Hugh Dalton. Mr Carter said: “He had close friends in Evenwood, so he would come here quite often.”
Although small in number, the group has taken on the additional challenge of putting on a second exhibition at St Paul’s at the same time. This will largely cover the history of the church and will feature historic bibles that have been donated over the years as well as a number of banners and standards from organisations, such as from the Boys Brigade which no longer exist in the village.
Anyone who can help the history group can visit the society’s Facebook page. Search for “I came from Evenwood and Ramshaw” .
