Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'

Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'
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Hebburn Park Memories

Posted by AJG on 5/2/2026, 5:58 pm

I haven't written a Hebburn-related post on my blog for a while, but here is one with some of my memories of Hebburn Park.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of myself at the park, or really any from the era of my childhood, so all the photos are other people's. I have tried to credit them as accurately as I could.

I hope you like reading my memories of the park.

Link: Hebburn Park Memories

Re: Hebburn Park Memories

Posted by Malcolm on 5/2/2026, 6:15 pm, in reply to "Hebburn Park Memories"

That was a lovely read, Andrew. Much as I remember it, in the early 1960's, particularly the "Banana Slide".
My main memories are the wonderful flower beds, that seemed to stretch forever!

Re: Hebburn Park Memories

Posted by AJG on 5/2/2026, 6:27 pm, in reply to "Re: Hebburn Park Memories"

Yes, those flower beds were absolutely beautiful, weren't they?

Re: Hebburn Park Memories

Posted by Malcolm on 5/2/2026, 11:24 pm, in reply to "Re: Hebburn Park Memories"

And I will be back to "Jolly old Hebburn" (A song we used to sing as kids, on return from a holiday) in the Spring.... maybe one last look at the park..

And a walk along South Shields beach that I promised to share with GeordieboyNS....RIP

Re: Hebburn Park Memories

Posted by Norman on 5/2/2026, 6:33 pm, in reply to "Hebburn Park Memories"

Well remembered and written Andrew. Here is some extra history incase you find it useful to add it sometime. Did you know that the Dene is where the sandstone was excavated to build Hebburn Hall, hundreds and hundreds of years ago & that St John's Church was created from a Wing of the Hall late 1800s. Also the 4 'ponds' (that we've always called Lakes) were created by the Ellisons for their garden (which later became our Park) just like people today have a garden pond as a feature. They knew there was a ready supply of free water coming from Wardley area so all they had to do was form embankments to act like dams strengthened by rocks from a Hebburn Quarry and then allow the Bede Burn to fill them. The Lakes were created on agricultural pasture land (not worked out quarries like someone wrote in a book years ago). After filling the lakes, the overflow continued as a burn under Campbell Park Rd into the valley between Cambridge Ave & Windermere Cres toward Bedes Well then into a culvert and on towards Jarrow under the slag heap emerging at Pig Sty ave in Jarrow & then on to the river Don..

Re: Hebburn Park Memories

Posted by AJG on 5/2/2026, 7:40 pm, in reply to "Re: Hebburn Park Memories"

Thanks for that information, Norman. I did not know that the Dene was formed by digging out the stone for Hebburn Hall.

One of the things I remember from growing up in Hebburn was all the big blocks of sandstone that were dotted around the town, and remember being told that they originally were from the Lakes, so I suppose they were originally part of the embankments.

Re: Hebburn Park Memories

Posted by Stan Wears on 7/2/2026, 2:19 pm, in reply to "Re: Hebburn Park Memories"

Hunters and Hendees waxed bread paper! Best polish on the brass banana slide! Straight off the end!!!Why lock the steps at night when ypu could climb up the slide ?
And the parkie Mr.O Rourke, the best shot at bicycle spokes if you rode in the park!

Re: Hebburn Park Memories

Posted by Malcolm on 7/2/2026, 8:41 pm, in reply to "Re: Hebburn Park Memories"

Nah, Stan. We used the wrapper from a "jubilee" iced drink. A triangular shaped thing, ripped open, and used the inside, to polish the banana slide....

You'd come off the end doing Mach II... or so it seemed!!

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