Friends of Yarm Heritage

01/05/2026

19/04/2026

EASTER HERITAGE TRAIL - More Chocolate Eggs to Claim !

Well done to everyone who found the bright plastic eggs and traded them in at Strickland and Holt for a chocolate one ! Just a reminder….we’ve refreshed the trail for the last weekend of the Easter Holidays and there’s another 10 eggs to be found. Have a walk around the High Street and West Street area and see what you can find. If you find one, answer the heritage question inside about where you’ve found it (doesn’t matter if you get it wrong !) and take it to Strickland and Holt (Monday to Saturday) and claim your chocolate egg. Good luck and enjoy exploring our lovely historic town !

04/04/2026

04/04/2026

YARM EASTER HERITAGE TRAIL
STARTING FROM 10am, Easter Sunday, 5th April 2026

We’re back from our break and the Friends of Yarm Heritage have lots of plans for walks, talks and events this year……….
Starting with our Easter Heritage Trail.
By 10am tomorrow we will have hidden our first batch of coloured plastic Easter eggs at heritage sites around the town e.g. at venues in the High Street and West Street - outside a famous landmark, church, pub, house, street or walkway ? Find one, open it, answer the question and bring it to Strickland and Holt next week (open from Tuesday 7th April, 9-5pm) to claim your chocolate Easter egg. You don’t have to get the question right to claim your egg, just have a go !
If you can’t join in tomorrow, don’t worry - we will be hiding more eggs later in the Easter Holidays so watch this space !
SAFETY: you are responsible for your own safety - be careful when moving around the High Street and crossing the road.
STAY SAFE NEAR WATER: no eggs are hidden on riverbanks.

22/11/2025

A plan of the River Tees showing the industries and Transporter Bridge, 1913 (Teesside Archives)

FREE TRANSPORTER BRIDGE CALENDAR with the purchase of The Tees Newport Bridge: The Untold Story of a Steel River Landmark book by Tosh Warwick. Only available via this link: https://www.heritageunlocked.com/shop/teesbridges

14/11/2025

14/11/2025

THE GREAT FLOOD of 1771: Who Was The Hero Swimmer ?
(NB video is of highwater-February 2020)

This Sunday marks the anniversary of Yarm’s 1771 flood. On the night of the 16th /17th November 1771, the river Tees burst its banks, Yarm being one of the areas worst affected. At some stretches, the High Street was submerged in 20 feet of water!

The floods were caused by a sudden thaw of the ice in upper Teesdale, and a cloud burst over the Pennines. The rain began in the early hours of Saturday morning and continued throughout that night.
The people of Yarm at first made no attempt to save their property or evacuate the town, despite the rapid river rise and a warning from Reverend Bramwell up stream in Hurworth. Once the flood waters reached Yarm, the river rose so quickly that many were forced to evacuate immediately. A report at the time stated:
‘They abandoned the goods in their shops and the possessions in their homes to save their own lives'.
Every building was affected and, by Sunday morning, the whole of Yarm was underwater. On Main St (West Street) 6 houses were destroyed, many were rendered uninhabitable, The Shambles was washed away and the church was severely damaged.
9 people lost their lives and in one house, where two had drowned, a third resident survived by hanging from the top of a window for 19hours with floodwater up to his chin.
One man, a weaver from the south end of the town, was a strong swimmer and distinguished himself by saving the lives of many. On hearing the screams of people in the dwellings around his shop, in the early hours of Sunday morning he dived from his bedroom window and swam to the windows of those around him, bringing as many people as he could to safety.
As the flood receded many were brought to safety from rooftops and upper windows, where they’d fled to avoid the force of the water.
In the aftermath of the flood, people in towns around did whatever they could to help: Leonard Robinson of Stockton provided cartloads of bread, butter and hundreds of bushels of coal; Richmond, Guisborough and Ayton also offered aid; 2 unknown ladies in Darlington gave £50 (Over £3,000 today) towards the aid effort.
For some reason, the marker on the Town Hall mistakenly records the date of the flood as Sept 17th instead of November.
But the mystery remains - who was the hero swimmer ? It’s a bit far back (pre census) but anyone got any family ancestry records that might point the way ?

Today, we are happily protected by flood defenses and the Tees Barrage.

CREDIT: Heritage Stockton. Video recorded February 2020.

11/11/2025

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW THE 2 MINUTES SILENCE ORIGINATED ? In Britain, at 11 OClock on 11th November 1919, the first two minutes silence was used to mark the first anniversary of the Armistice. The idea came from Sir Percy Fitzpatrick who had served as High Commissioner in South Africa during the First World War. He modeled it on a practice he had observed over there known as ‘the three minutes pause’. “At work each day all work, all talk, all movement suspended for three minutes that we might concentrate as one in thinking of those - the living and the dead - who had pledged and given themselves for all that we believe in”. It seemed an ideal way to honor the dead, console the bereaved and recognise the sacrifices of service men and women. However, 3 minutes was deemed too long and on 7 November plans for two minutes silence, to mark the armistice, were officially announced by King George V. Almost everyone was keen to observe it - In the hustle and bustle of towns and cities the silence was deafening. From one report..... “As the hour struck a great silence swept of the town . People halted in their walks, chatter ceased as if by magic, traffic stopped and the rumbling note of industry stayed”. From 1945, after World War II, in recognition of the sacrifice of a new generation, it was decided a day to remember the dead that wasn’t so strongly associated with WW I would be appropriate and the Sunday before Armistice day was identified. The British Legion successfully campaigned to reintroduce the 2 minute silence on both days and on 11th November 1995 it was re-introduced, proof of the enduring legacy of WW I. CREDIT: From an article by Annika Mombauer for the OU.

04/11/2025

Due to decisions taken by Yarm Town Council, the group of volunteers who have been running/staffing the Heritage Centre are no longer able to do so. Any questions relating to the Town Hall should be directed to YTC.
We are disappointed. After managing to keep things ticking over during some very difficult and uncertain times, we had hoped to be able to move forwards with the many exciting plans that had been on hold.
There are still volunteers available and our skilled and knowledgeable Friends group is still very much alive, having campaigned for so many years for a centre to celebrate Yarm heritage, identity and our unique and vibrant town - quite an achievement and we’d only just begun. Not least, ensuring that the building held in trust by YTC ‘for the people of Yarm’ could be used and admired - workshops, talks, displays, just taking in the beautiful High Street views or sitting quietly to read or chat about life in Yarm.
We’re having a little rest but our passion and enthusiasm for the history and community of our lovely town is not diminished! We hope to continue telling the stories of Yarm and, most importantly, doing this with it's people in some slightly different ways, so please do keep on following if you are interested 🙂