What made headlines in Hexham up to 150 years ago?

10 years ago

A69 UPGRADE: The dream of a dual carriageway running from Newcastle to Carlisle edged a step closer. Chancellor George Osborne called for a feasibility study into dualling the North's premier east-west trunk road west of Hexham as part of his Autumn Statement. 

PARKING ROW: Parking times at Hexham's Wentworth car park were to be slashed dramatically to boost trade in the town centre. Hexham Town Council proposed 220 spaces at Wentworth, which were available for all-day parking, were reduced to four-hour parking spaces only.

SCALED BACK: Ambulances were to become a thing of the past at Hexham General Hospital when the new 'super' emergency hospital opened in Cramlington. The £75m emergency hospital was due to open in June 2015.

STORE SANTA: Santa swapped his sleigh for a Tesco van, shattering the dreams of hundreds of Hexham children. Santa's elves also sported badges bearing Tesco's 'Every Little Helps' slogan at the switch-on of the town's Christmas lights, which further eroded the magic according to councillors. 

25 years ago

RAF CRASH: Two airmen were killed when an RAF jet crashed in flames in a field near Matfen. The Tornado GR One, from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, went down in a field near Tongues Farm between Kirkeaton and Ingoe. The plane was on a training flight and was not armed. The names of the airmen had not been released at the time of going to press.

BIG CATS: A Blanchland man was shocked when he caught sight of what he believed was a black panther in the glare of his headlights as it ran across the road in front of his car near Derwent Reservoir. It added to mounting evidence one or more big cats were roaming the Tynedale countryside.

Racing brothers Andy (L) and Ian Feeley (Image: David Hewitson)

RECORD BROTHERS: Motorbike-mad brothers Andy and Ian Feeley zoomed into the Guinness Book of World Records after setting a top speed on their mini-moto - a kind of miniature motorbike.

CONTRACT LOSS: Jobs were safe at Haltwhistle's largest employer, despite the fact the firm had lost a major order. Bosses at paint firm Akzo Nobel stressed staffing levels would not be immediately affected by the loss of a contract to supply own-brand paint to home improvement chain Homebase.

TOWN REVAMP: A major study got underway looking at how to put the heart back into Prudhoe town centre. The £15,000 study was investigating ways of developing and improving Front Street to breathe new life into the town. 

50 years ago

FARM FIRE: The biggest farm blaze in decades caused £30,000 worth of damage and destroyed 300 tonnes of hay and straw when the fire burned for nearly three days at Short Moor Farm near Wark. 

ELECTION WIN: Hexham MP Geoffrey Rippon was re-elected to Parliament for the fourth time, confirming Hexham's status as a safe seat for the Tories.

75 years ago

CLOSING TIME: Thirty-seven years after opening its doors for the first time, The Forum Theatre brought the curtain down on its last-ever show, The Great Gatsby. 

BIRTHDAY BLUES: Hexham Abbey should have celebrated its 1,275th anniversary that week with the start of restoration work on the Chapter House vestibule, but it was announced repairs would have to be delayed until an extra £1,000 was added to the restoration fund.

MAKE WAY: A new car park in Loosing Hill, Hexham was opened to reduce congestion on Beaumont Street during market days.

100 years ago

TRAIN CRASH: A guard was taken to hospital with head injuries after a train crash in heavy fog at Corbridge station. 

NEW INCUMBENT: Parishioners at St Cuthbert's Church in Haydon Bridge were introduced to their new vicar, the Rev. William Woolett at his induction ceremony conducted by the Bishop of Newcastle. 

125 years ago

FRUIT FOOL: A labourer was fined 10s for stealing apples from a garden in Prudhoe after he had been drinking in a local pub. 

END OF ERA: The flag on the tower of Hexham Abbey was flying at half-mast because of the death of the former Rector of Hexham, the Rev. Henry Barker who died aged 81 after 42 years at the church. 

CATTLE CRIME: A Whittonstall farmer was fined 1s for letting his cattle stray on to the highway at night.

150 years ago

CROP DAMAGE: A man was fined £1 at Morpeth County Court for letting his chickens damage nearly half an acre of crops on a neighbouring farm.

MORALS UPHELD: More than 150 people signed a petition to stop pubs being allowed to open until 11pm in Haltwhistle because they thought the move would damage the morals of the town.