The first in the second series of ‘Grundy’s Wonders’ produced by Tyne Tees Television and written and presented by architectural historian and broadcaster John Grundy. In this first programme John travels across the Northeast to find interesting shacks and sheds as well as huts and cabins, the kind of buildings built by people when there are no architects around. An animation of a book with its pages turning revealing different buildings and architectural styles ending on presenter John...

The first in the second series of ‘Grundy’s Wonders’ produced by Tyne Tees Television and written and presented by architectural historian and broadcaster John Grundy. In this first programme John travels across the Northeast to find interesting shacks and sheds as well as huts and cabins, the kind of buildings built by people when there are no architects around. An animation of a book with its pages turning revealing different buildings and architectural styles ending on presenter John Grundy holding the programmes title card. Title: Grundy’s Wonders In a darkened room presenter John Grundy gives a slide presentation of photographs taken when he lived in America twenty years previous and explains that it was during this time that he first became interested in shacks and sheds. The final image of a wood cabin morphs into the real thing, the last remaining cabin built by navies during the construction of Catcleugh Reservoir in Northumberland. Over a mixture of views of both the exterior and interior of the cabin as well as the reservoir itself and a series of archive stills of the navies working on the reservoir in the 1890s John provide details on the development of the shanty towns known then as ‘Newcastle and Gateshead’. Sitting on a bench outside he provides details on what the programme is about; shacks and sheds as well as huts and cabins, the kind of buildings built by people when there are no architects around. A montage of various types of said buildings follows. Walking through an allotment at Corbridge in Northumberland, John talks about his time having a plot himself. Over a montage of views around the allotment site John talks about the effect of being able to ‘pretty much erect whatever the tenant wants… Some would call it a mess but look closer and the personality shows through’ with everyone having to work the same sized plots of land and building with the same basic materials of old wood, corrugated iron and glass. So much variety and creativity explain John. At Dormanstown near Redcar in the Tees Valley John speaks with the owner of a pigeon cree about some of the building features. Sitting outside he explains that to enjoy this or allotments you need to be a bit odd and excited to be able to enjoy things that tidy people would want to throw away. On the South Gare at the mouth of the River Tees a cargo ship heads upstream towards Teesport, on the other side of the Tees the Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station. Nearby the huts of the South Gare Fisherman’s Association with John walking past them believing himself back in American again with their stove-pipe chimneys, painted wood boarding and a perfect grid similar in style to the work camps of the 1930s set up by then President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In the distance smoke blowing into the air from the Teesside Steelworks. John knocks on the door of one of the shacks before heading inside to speak with a father and son about what they use the shack for over a cup of tea. Back outside over a montage of views John provides a history of the village’s development just after World War Two. Just across the roadway leading in and out of South Gare another little ‘hut-opolis’ that is very different in atmosphere to the huts of the South Gare Fisherman’s Association. Over views of both fishing boats and huts built along Paddy’s Hole John explains how exciting it all is in a picturesque and unplanned Dickensian way with amazing little shacks and cabins. Standing back up on the roadway John explains that developments like this could never be planned especially today, so this makes it a precious survival that he hopes no one will ever clean up. Title: Grundy’s Wonders End of Part One Part Two Standing in his own backyard in the Newcastle suburb of Gosforth, John provide details on the work done by his wife to turn the space into their own ‘little piece of history’. Walking over to the shed, his contribution to the garden, John gives two reasons why he has chosen himself to be crushed by ‘Grundy’s Great Boot of History’. The first reason is its small size with it always being full of rubbish meaning he can’t find anything. However, while looking out of the shed window his main reason for wanting to crush himself is his own lack of ability to make something with character. An animation follows of a giant boot coming crashing down onto the shed. Walking along a path between his house and a neighbours John comes across a charming little Gingerbread house in the woods. Inside a small girl wave at John as he passes. A montage of working shacks and huts built around the coast with John explaining that in this part of the programme he will be moving on from these not-so fancy but useful shacks to focus on huts that deal with pleasure and appearance. At Seahouses in Northumberland a series of colourful ticket office huts offering visitors pleasure cruises. John explains that as they need to attract custom and have been customised in the most charming way. Sitting on a deckchair on the veranda of a corrugated iron and wood framed seaside bungalow John hums ‘I do Like to Be Beside the Seaside.’ However, the bungalow is in fact on the Town Moor at Newcastle and was built for a visit by Queen Victoria. Over views of the bungalow with its rubberised roof John gives a history of its construction and the origins of both the words ‘bungalow’ and ‘veranda’ which come from India. John concludes the sequence by saying there are loads of wonderful examples of bungalows all over the Northeast. A couple walk their dogs along the beach at Embleton Bay in Northumberland with the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle in the distance. Walking through the bracken towards a collection of bungalows built near the beach at nearby Low Newton, John gives a history of the development of bungalow movement in Britain at the end of 19th century which provided the owner with a place to go beside the seaside, somewhere to escape to. As he wonders around the site John talk about why he likes these bungalows because no two are the same and have all been built with the owners needs and wants taken into consideration creating a wonderful variety. A montage of said bungalows follows. Standing in a field with a collection of bungalows behind him, John explains that this weeks ‘Grundy’s Wonder’ goes to this extraordinary collection of settlements in the Tyne Valley near the village of Ovingham described by John as being full of beauty, originality, individuality and sheer ‘splendid battiness.’ An animation of a fanfare of trumpets over the following title. Title: Grundy’s Wonders A montage of said colourful bungalows follows. Coming through the gate of one of the properties John speaks with its owners in his living room about what it is like to live in the bungalow. More general views both of inside the bungalow as well as other properties and their residents outside. Again, John speaks with another owner and takes a tour around inside his bungalow described by the proprietor as a ‘home from home.’ Outside he chats with the man again about where his water supply comes from. Telling a story about how his Aunty Bessie was able to own a bungalow, John provides details on how the bungalow movement developed in the 1920s from being the preserve of the middle-classes to become available to the working-classes. Again, John wonders around the site looking over more of the colourful bungalows changing to him standing beside one that started originally as a caravan with its wheels still visible and how over the years it has been added to. Standing beside another bungalow John ends the programme by explaining that while it is a good thing than planning for new houses is tightly controlled, the buildings here in the Tyne Valley have more imagination, originality and energy than 90% of modern housing estates being developed today. Over the closing credits a montage of some of the sheds and shacks featured in the programme. Credit: Written and Presented by John Grundy Camera Mike Parker, Dave Leeder Sound Paul Graham, Gail Westwood, Stuart Middleton Lighting John Mason, John Hayne, Ron Angus Production Assistants Margaret McKie, Eileen Brown Production Manager Christine Stewart-Tilling Graphics Dave Richardson Title Music and Dubbing John Cook Editor Mike Pounder Executive Producer Jane Bolesworth Producer & Director Steve Robins End title: A Tyne Tees Television production. © Tyne Tees Television MMI