Fraggle Report~ Tynemouth Murder Mystery Tour~part 1~ August 2016

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Back in August Sophie got given a Murder Mystery leaflet about Tynemouth.  It involved following clues that would give you a persons name, or something that could be used as a weapon, eliminating the ones we found to be left with the name of the murderer and weapon used.  We had to walk all around Tynemouth to find the clues, took pictures along the way and solved the mystery.  It took us all day and we learned some history too.

Tynemouth’s history dates back to an Iron Age settlement and its strategic position on a headland over-looking the mouth of the Tyne continued to be important through to the Second World War. Its historic buildings, dramatic views and award-winning beaches attract visitors from around the world. The heart of the town, known by residents as “The village”, has popular coffee-shops, pubs and restaurants. It is a prosperous area with comparatively expensive housing stock, ranging from Georgian terraces to Victorian ship-owners’ houses to 1960s “executive homes”.

The clues

We took the metro to get to Tynemouth and there’s always a flea market there on a Sunday, but decided to defer shopping until we’d finished the mystery. We set off looking for our first clue but I couldn’t resist a shot of these pampered pooches on the way out of the station.

then on to our clues..

The former King’s School was named in reference to the three ancient kings buried at Tynemouth Priory: Oswin, Osred and Malcolm III. Its most famous old boy is Stan Laurel, one half of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. Hollywood film director Sir Ridley Scott, and racing driver Jason Plato also attended the school.

also I took incidental shots as we trogged along

The clock tower and drinking fountain was built in 1861 by Oliver and Lamb. Made from polychrome brick and ashlar with lead roofs in the venetian Gothic style. It’s a Grade 2 listed building.

The headland towering over the mouth of the Tyne has been settled since the Iron Age. The Romans occupied it. In the 7th century a monastery was built there and later fortified. The headland was known as PEN BAL CRAG, the place where now stands the Monastery of Tynemouth was anciently called Benebalcrag by the Saxons.
The monastery was sacked by the Danes in 800, rebuilt, and destroyed again in 875, but by 1083 it was again operational.       Three kings are reputed to have been buried within the monastery: Oswin, King of Deira (651); Osred II, King of Northumbria (792); and, for a time, Malcolm III, King of Scots (1093). Three crowns still adorn the North Tyneside coat of arms.   The queens of Edward I and Edward II stayed in the Castle and Priory while their husbands were campaigning in Scotland. King Edward III considered it to be one of the strongest castles in the Northern Marches. After the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, Edward II fled from Tynemouth by ship.

A few more ‘parts’ yet to come for this report, stay tooned 🙂

(info from wiki)

30 thoughts on “Fraggle Report~ Tynemouth Murder Mystery Tour~part 1~ August 2016”

      1. He loves it! We haven’t gotten to use it much, so he hasn’t been on a real walk, just some pushes up and down the driveway. He has sat outside with us, and he just looks around like he can’t believe (1) how awesome it is, and (2) how terrifying it is. He really doesn’t know what to make of the great outdoors yet.

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  6. oh Fraggy, how am I ever going to visit all of these wonderful places.. we’d have to stay a month at least.. getting worried the American tourist will never leave:)))
    seriously ..I love that you started this in mono.. and I adore all of these, I wanna b there now!!!!!

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  7. Pingback: Tynemouth Murder Mystery Tour ~Part 2 – fragglerocking~across the universe
  8. Pingback: Tynemouth Murder Mystery Tour~ Part 3 – fragglerocking~across the universe

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