‘We may rejoice, as we ought, in the advantage of our
own day, but it is worse than folly to forget to respect, and even revere,
times and people that have passed away.’
North Country Lore and Legend, by J.R. Boyle, 1891
Newbiggin has a history which links up this district with kings and princes
and old wars. It is unlike its near neighbour Ashington, a product of the
industrial era, which has completely outgrown and overshadowed several of
its older communities. Ashington’s was a mushroom growth, but the village
of Newbiggin by the Sea has grown slowly and its roots go deep. The exact
depth to which these roots have attained may never be accurately known.
Although the records of the ‘great and good’ may have been religiously
preserved, the recognition of the necessity for recording the activities of
what were considered the less important groups of people, did not come so
quickly. Mike Kirkup’s well-illustrated book examines the origins out
of which this strange blending of fishing community, colliery village and
one-time holiday resort has grown.
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