Ward’s Directory Durham 1912
What is a Trade Directory?
Directories, like Ward’s, are a combination of guide books, history books and lists of local people, originally used as a guide for businessmen to sell their goods. Today they help historians find out about people and places in the past.
Around 1914 Windy Nook was a bustling village with some thriving local shops and businesses.
What does the Trade Directory tell us about Windy Nook just before World War One?
How far was Windy Nook from Gateshead?
What does it mean that W Pratt was ‘master’ of the school?
What was a fever hospital?
What was a ‘Mechanics Institute’?
What other ‘facilities’ does the village of Windy Nook have?
Who Did What in Windy Nook?
1914 was over one hundred years ago and some of the jobs done by Windy Nook residents have old-fashioned names. Use the internet to find out what they were.
Geo(rge) Armstrong – Cabinet Maker
John Bertram T – Carter
Arthur Bradley – Provision Merchant
Martha Ramsden – Dremkr (what does the abbreviation stand for?)
John Southerner – Confectioner
Joseph Thew – Undertaker
How many people do particular jobs in Windy Nook? Would this be a full list of people who did particular types of jobs in Windy Nook? (Would everybody who lived in the village appear in the Trade directory? Remember it was meant to be of use to businessmen selling their goods).
No of Miners – What does this tell us about the main occupations of people in the village of Windy Nook?
No of Quarrymen – What does this tell us about the other main occupation of people in the village of Windy Nook?
No of Grocers – Why do you think there are so many grocers in the village? (Think why you would need to visit the grocers almost every day).
Are there any slightly surprising jobs in the village? Why are they surprising to you?
Running Errands
Children were often sent on errands (tasks) to local shops and tradesmen. Imagine your mother wanted you to help her, to whom would you go to in the village to get the items on this list?
Buy a cabbage for dinner
Buy a bottle of beer for Dad
Mum said you could get some sweets for going on the errands
Repair a bent garden shovel
Get a quart (2 pints) of milk for the baby
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