The sixth and final episode of ‘Grundy Goes’ produced by Tyne Tees Television and written and presented by architectural historian and broadcaster John Grundy about the building that people have constructed over the centuries to help themselves work, live and enjoy themselves. In this final programme a look at warfare and how this has affected the types of buildings and structures that were built around the region. Over a montage of John Grundy wearing various costumes and maps of the...

The sixth and final episode of ‘Grundy Goes’ produced by Tyne Tees Television and written and presented by architectural historian and broadcaster John Grundy about the building that people have constructed over the centuries to help themselves work, live and enjoy themselves. In this final programme a look at warfare and how this has affected the types of buildings and structures that were built around the region. Over a montage of John Grundy wearing various costumes and maps of the region the opening credits. Title: Grundy Goes… To War On a misty parade ground at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, Sergeant Major Grundy puts Private Grundy through his paces marching him up and down. As he continues to march Private Grundy travels back in time first into the redcoat uniform of 18th century solider marching on the parade ground of Berwick Barracks in Northumberland and then as an Anglo-Saxon warrior in helmet and cloak marching past Jarrow Hall farmhouse. Waves splashing on a beach. Title: Northumbria AD 793 In this year dire forewarnings came over the land of the Northumbrians and miserably terrified the people Views of the ruins of Lindisfarne Priory on Holy Island. Title: There were whirlwinds and lightnings and fiery dragons were seen flying in the air A great famine soon followed these omens and soon after that, in the same year, the havoc of heathen men miserably destroyed God’s church at Lindisfarne Back on the beach a group of men and women dressed as Viking warriors’ race past screaming and waving their swords, axes and shields in the air. At the rear Eric the Unhealthy, played by John Grundy, complains about the hard work pillaging and plundering before racing on to join the others. Sitting in the sand nearby presenter John Grundy talks of the first attacks by the Vikings on Lindisfarne and of others over the next few centuries on all the monasteries in Northern England. As he explains why the Vikings targeted monasteries, the men and women with swords, axes and shields now race back along the beach in the opposite direction carrying a large chest. Again, bringing up the rear is John as Eric the Unhealthy who after removing his helmet explains that as a child he enjoyed playing at war. He holds up an old photograph of himself as a child dressed as a solider, but explains he has never been in the military. He ends by saying that over the past 2000 years very few people in the Northeast have been lucky enough to say that. Dressed as a Celtic warrior John attacks a hill fort and explains in voiceover how they were in constant fear of inter-tribal war. Now dressed as a Roman solider John marching along a road changing to views of Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland described as one of the most formidable war-like structures ever built. Back on the beach a group of men and women re-creating a Viking raid marching past with their weapons while John explains in voiceover there is no finer place in the whole country that the Northeast to explore the architecture of war. A montage of the regions many castles and their fortifications changes to an ordinary suburban street in an unknown town with John asking the viewer to work out what is missing? Standing along a road John explains this is Catterick Garrison, the largest army camp in the country. Over an aerial of some of its 2000 acres, John explains that the needs of a 20th century professional army have had an impact on our surroundings. As several army lorries arrive at one of the barracks John provides a history and development of the camp. Standing beside a tank on display outside Baden-Powell House John talks about this Georgian style buildings, one of the first permanent buildings to be built at the camp. Views follow of a road sign and Garrison Laundrette, something John explains that reminds visitors that this is an army camp. The local police station follows which is both civilian and military, something not found anywhere else in the country. Standing beside a sign for ‘Radio Troop’ John explains that from an architectural point-of-view the most impressive part of Catterick is the Marne Barracks. With John providing a history of the site views of the barracks including the Georgian gate piers with art deco twists and the Guard room with its decorated highly polished shell casings outside. Following another aerial of Catterick Garrison the film changes to show the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland. Standing on the Elizabethan town walls John explains why for more than 500 years Berwick was the most dangerous place in Britian and how the walls were the most technically advanced in the country. Following the Jacobite uprisings in the early 18th century the government were scared into re-organising the army which led to the building of Berwick Barracks described by John as an absolutely superb design. Walking towards Berwick Barracks main gate John talks about its military façade and coat of arms above the entrance. Attempting to go inside John is stopped by himself wearing a soldier’s uniform of the 18th century pointing a musket at him. John asks the solider were all the buildings built at the same time. No, reply’s the soldier, the Clock Block was added later. The two men continue to talk about both the history and architectural features of the barracks and ends on them talking about the sleeping arrangements of the soldiers. Title: End of Part One Grundy Goes… Part Two As John wonders around Eden Camp, a large Second World War related museum near Malton in North Yorkshire, John explains that wars in the Northeast are just a memory, however the 20th century has seen two world wars that live as terribly real memories for a lot of people. Inside one of the barrack buildings a display relating to the Blitz and a bombed suburban street, with John saying that ordinary places created powerful wartime images. Over a montage of John’s parents-in-laws semi-detached house on Matthew Banks in Newcastle, he recounts a story of it nearly being bombed during the Second World War and their daughter almost being killed. John goes onto explain how memories of this near tragic event caused his mother-in-law to hate something very ordinary to do with her home. In a field the remains of a concrete pillbox, in the distance another with John describing both as souvenirs of an invasion that never came. A montage of other fragments to remind people of what wartime was like for those who lived through it including at Harrogate a wartime air-raid siren on a roof and along a Georgian street the stumps of iron railings removed to make into munitions. In the grounds near to Newcastle Civic Centre the entrance to the Victorian tunnel. Inside the camera travels along the darkened tunnel which during World War Two was used as an air-raid shelter. At the far end is a concrete baffle installed to help minimise bomb damage. At Bolam in Northumberland a small stained-glass window installed into the wall of St Andrews Church commemorates the night in 1942 when a German bomb was dropped into the church yard that then bounced into the church itself but didn’t explode. John walks around the remains of a Second World War airfield at Milfield near Wooler in Northumberland. As he walks through an unattractive concrete shed, he reminds the viewer that in the heat of war you need really quick solutions. Standing near the camps entrance he is impressed by the imposing and splendidly symbolic stone carved globes with RAF Eagles atop of them. A montage of the camp and globes follows over Vera Lynn singing ‘White Cliffs of Dover’. In the graveyard of the Church of St Gregory the Great at nearby Kirknewton the Commonwealth Graves for those men who were killed from the base. Over views of the graves John explains that all over the region there are memorials to individual soldiers from almost every war. Inside Hexham Abbey the tombstone to Flavinus, a Roman standard bearer who died in around 90AD aged only 18-years-old. On the wall of The Parish Church of St Bartholomew at Whittingham in Northumberland a large marble monument to Lieutenant Reginald Cyril Goodenough who was killed at the Battle of Sebastopol in the Crimean War, put up by his father the vicar of Whittingham Robert Goodenough. A metal plaque on a bench remembers Corporal Alan Bolam who was killed during the Gulf War, behind it the large stone monument to Vice Admiral Lord Cuthbert Collingwood, the hero of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and second in command to Admiral Lord Nelson erected at Tynemouth. Walking along a country lane near the village of Swarland in Northumberland, John gives a history of Nelson’s Obelisk which was erected nearby as a memorial to Horatio Nelson and his victory at the Battle of Trafalgar by a local man Alexander Davidson. Reading the inscription John is critical of the obelisk which he describes as ‘probably the most inglorious memorials to war ever erected.’ At Richmond Castle in North Yorkshire John talks about the conscientious objectors from two world wars who were held here. As he explains that English Heritage are currently preserving both the cellblocks and delicate graffiti produced by these men, he believes that as a nation we’ve not worked out what our attitude is to their particular brand of heroism. Over a montage of the personal and gentle graffiti, John asks what strength it must have taken to resist the forces of war. Walking towards the Gateshead Cenotaph on Durham Road in Gateshead John explains that most war memorials are quite certain about what they are celebrating, and that Tyneside has some the most impressive memorials in the country. Looking up at the World War One cenotaph he talks about its decorative idealised solider, totally unrealistic. Down the road at Low Fell another memorial this time to the South African Boer War that features a more realistic depiction of a solider atop of it, very different from the idealised images featured on the Newcastle South African memorial erected in the Haymarket with a splendid figure of winged victory atop of it. The figure of St George features in two World War One memorial, the first in the grounds of St Thomas the Martyr Church at Barras Bridge in Newcastle, part of the First World War memorial to the Tank Regiment while the second stands astride a horse atop the War and Peace Memorial in Old Eldon Square. Over views of ‘The Response 1914’ the monument of the Northumberland Fusiliers also in the grounds of St Thomas the Martyr Church, John sees it as bizarre that sculpture W. Goscombe John would choose the beginning of the war showing men heading off to the trenches as the subject, especially as it was produced in 1923 several years after the end of the war when the horrors of the trenches were known about. Over views of the seven-story Tynemouth Watchtower and the anti-tank concrete blocks on the beach at Alnmouth in Northumberland, John reminds the viewer that fortification such as these act as a powerful reminder that no one felt secure from invasion in the 20th century. As he walks around the complete World War One coastal fort of Fort Coulson or Link House Battery at Blyth he explains that the architecture of more recent wars is far less picturesque than those of the past, the closer you get to war the less pretty it becomes. As he explains that he would find it hard to believe that anyone would be interested in visiting a place like the Link House Battery, the film changes to him on a beach explaining that while he can’t understand why grown men and women would want to dress up and reenact the trench warfare of World War One, it is perfect reasonable that the same people would want to dress up as Vikings and play at ancient warfare. As he talks the group dressed as Vikings from earlier come up behind him with one of them stepping forward and pretends to strike John in the head with his sword. The programme ends with John getting up, taking off the fake sword and telling the audience ‘Its only television you know’ before walking away. Credit: Written and Presented by John Grundy Title With thanks to The Northumbria and Dunholm Herreds of The Vikings Credit: Photography Mike Parker, John McKeown Sound Paul Graham, Chris Corner Electricians Ken Hird Costume Cathy Beaney Title Music John Cook Graphics Alan Davidson Dubbing Mixer Charles Heath Editor Bernard Helm Director / Producer Roger Burgess Title: © Tyne Tees Television 1999 End title: A Tyne Tees Television Production. © Tyne Tees Television MCMXCIX