1.
Bingley
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Bingley is a market town in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, the town has a population of 19,884 according to the 2001 Census, reducing to 18,294 at the 2011 Census. Local travel links include Bingley railway station in the centre and Leeds Bradford International Airport. The B6265, connecting Bingley to Keighley, runs through the town centre, historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Bingley appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Bingheleia. Bingley was probably founded about the time of the Saxons, certainly its name is Saxon in origin, Bingley was founded by a ford on the River Aire. This crossing gave access to Harden, Cullingworth and Wilsden on the side of the river. In the Domesday Book of 1086, Bingley is listed as Bingheleia, with the following entry, Gospatric iiij car tra e ad gld. tra ad ii car Ernegis de burun ht. Silva past ii leu lg & i lat, tot m e iiij leu lg & ii lat Which roughly translated reads, In Bingheleia, Gospatric has a manor of four carucate of land to be taxed, land for two ploughs. Ernegis de Burun has it and it is waste, in the time of King Edward the Confessor it was valued at four pounds. Woodland pasture two leagues long and one broad, All the manor is four long and two broad. The ford was superseded by Ireland Bridge, in medieval times Bingley was a manor which extended several miles up and down the Aire valley, extending upstream to Marley on the outskirts of Keighley and downstream to Cottingley. Bingley became a town with the grant of a Market Charter in 1212 by King John. According to the tax returns of 1379, Bingley had 130 households. The nearby towns of Bradford, Leeds and Halifax had about half this population, at this time Bingley was the largest town in the area. No records tell of how Bingley fared in the Black Death that swept Europe in the 14th century, approximately one third of all the people in Europe died of this plague, sometimes wiping out whole towns and villages. According to the 1379 Poll tax records, the town of Boulton had no survivors worth taxing. It seems Bingley may have got off relatively lightly, in 1592 Bingley was shown on a map by Yorkshire map-maker Christopher Saxton as a single street with about 20 houses on each side. The church sits at the west end of the street opposite a large house
2.
West Yorkshire
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West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in England. It is an inland and in relative terms upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in moors of the Pennines and has a population of 2.2 million, West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. West Yorkshire consists of five boroughs and shares borders with the counties of Derbyshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire. In the heart of the county is Leeds Bradford International Airport, West Yorkshire County Council was abolished in 1986 so its five districts became effectively unitary authorities. However, the county, which covers an area of 2,029 square kilometres, continues to exist in law. West Yorkshire includes the West Yorkshire Urban Area, which is the most built-up, West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council inherited the use of West Riding County Hall at Wakefield, opened in 1898, from the West Riding County Council in 1974. Since 1987 it has been the headquarters of Wakefield City Council, the county initially had a two-tier structure of local government with a strategic-level county council and five districts providing most services. In 1986, throughout England the metropolitan county councils were abolished, the functions of the county council were devolved to the boroughs, joint-boards covering fire, police and public transport, and to other special joint arrangements. Organisations such as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive continue to operate on this basis, although the county council was abolished, West Yorkshire continues to form a metropolitan and ceremonial county with a Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire and a High Sheriff. Wakefields Parish Church was raised to cathedral status in 1888 and after the elevation of Wakefield to diocese, Wakefield Council immediately sought city status and this was granted in July 1888. However the industrial revolution, which changed West and South Yorkshire significantly, led to the growth of Leeds and Bradford, Leeds was granted city status in 1893 and Bradford in 1897. The name of Leeds Town Hall reflects the fact that at its opening in 1858 Leeds was not yet a city, the county borders, going anticlockwise from the west, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, South Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. It lies almost entirely on rocks of carboniferous age which form the southern Pennine fringes in the west, in the extreme east of the metropolitan county there are younger deposits of magnesian limestone. The Bradford and Calderdale areas are dominated by the scenery of the slopes of the Pennines, dropping from upland in the west down to the east. There is a conjunction of large scale industry, urban areas. The dense network of roads, canals and railways and urban development, the carboniferous rocks of the Yorkshire coalfield further east have produced a rolling landscape with hills, escarpments and broad valleys. In this landscape there is evidence of both current and former industrial activity. There are numerous derelict or converted mine buildings and recently landscaped former spoil heaps, the scenery is a mixture of built up areas, industrial land with some dereliction, and farmed open country
3.
Northern Rock
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Northern Rock, formerly the Northern Rock Building Society, was a British bank. It was based at Regent Centre in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, having failed to find a commercial buyer, it was taken into public ownership in 2008, and was then bought by Virgin Money in 2012. During 2012 the Northern Rock brand was phased out and replaced by Virgin, Northern Rock Building Society became Northern Rock bank in 1997 when the society floated on the London Stock Exchange. Northern Rock Building Society was formed in 1965 as a result of the merger of two North East Building Societies, the Northern Counties Permanent Building Society and the Rock Building Society. During the 30 years that followed, Northern Rock expanded by acquiring 53 smaller building societies, along with many other UK building societies in the 1990s, Northern Rock chose to demutualise as a building society and float on the stock exchange as a bank. Northern Rock chose to address concerns by founding the Northern Rock Foundation. At its Stock Exchange flotation Northern Rock distributed shares to members with savings accounts and mortgage loans and it joined the stock exchange as a minor bank and was expected to be taken over by one of its larger rivals, but it remained independent. In 2000 Northern Rock gained promotion to the FTSE100 Index, the bank was more exposed than others to restrictions in the supply of credit because of the way it had funded its expansion. The bank was nationalised at 00,01 on 22 February 2008 following two unsuccessful bids to take over the bank, neither being able to commit to repayment of taxpayers money. In doing so the Government effectively took ownership of the insolvent institution away from its shareholders, the media reported cases where some shareholders had their life savings in the shares, which were taken from them. The shares had already lost over 90% of their value prior to nationalization and this would later form part of shareholders action to seek compensation as, at that point, the aid was certain and the company had never stopped operating as a going concern. On 1 January 2010 the bank was split into two parts, assets and banking, the sale went through on 1 January 2012. The government said it had no plans to sell Northern Rock, there would be no further job losses, except for the ones already announced. Virgin also pledged to keep the headquarters of the bank in Newcastle upon Tyne, the combined business now operates under the Virgin Money brand. On 12 October 2012 Northern Rock plc was renamed Virgin Money plc, by this time the Northern Rock website had effectively become a soft redirect to Virgin Moneys website. This problem had been anticipated by the markets, which drew greater attention to it. On 14 September 2007, the bank sought and received a liquidity support facility from the Bank of England and this led to panic among individual depositors, who feared that their savings might not be available should Northern Rock go into receivership. The bank is managed at arms length by the government through UK Financial Investments, the bank planned to repay the government debt within three to four years, primarily by encouraging mortgage customers to take their mortgage to another lender
4.
Gosforth
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Gosforth is an affluent, well established area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, situated to the north of the city centre. Gosforth constituted an urban district from 1895 to 1974, when it became part of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne and it has a population of 23,620. There are two wards that bear the Gosforth name, East Gosforth and West Gosforth, and modern-day Gosforth includes other wards such as Parklands. Richard Welford notes that the names of North and South Gosforth come from the north and south of the River Ouse, in 1777, Gosforth contained 7 townships of North Gosforth, South Gosforth, Coxlodge, Kenton, Fawdon, East Brunton and West Brunton. By order of the Local Government Board on 20 September 1872, after the 1894 Local Government Act, it became the South Gosforth Urban District Council. A year later, by a Northumberland County Council order dated 14 March 1895, on 9 September 1903, an inquiry was held into the Gosforth Scheme, but the proposal was refused. The parishes of Coxlodge and South Gosforth were amalgamated into the parish of Gosforth in 1908, Gosforth then extended its boundaries after the County of Northumberland Review Order 1935, to include part of Castle Ward Rural District. This comprised parts of East Brunton, Fawdon and North Gosforth civil parishes, the Gosforth Urban District Council was finally abolished on 1 April 1974 to become part of the City of Newcastle Metropolitan Borough Council. In the 19th century, Gosforth was the location of a number of collieries, including Gosforth, Gosforth Colliery was located in South Gosforth, while Coxlodge Colliery was west of the Great North Road. Coxlodge Colliery comprised three pits, the Bower Pit, the Regent or Engine Pit, where the Regent Centre now stands, the modern-day centre of Gosforth, straddling the Great North Road, originated in 1826 as a settlement known for several decades as Bulman Village. A stone bearing the name Bulman Village survives and was incorporated in the façade of a later building, the Blacksmiths Arms public house on Gosforth High Street stands on the site of the original blacksmiths forge. At the 2001 census there were 23,620 people living in Gosforth, in the 19th century Gosforths population was largely deemed by the coal trade. In 1801 there were 1,385 inhabitants, most of whom lived in Kenton, in 1831 the population had risen to 3,546, partly due to the opening of the Fawdon and Coxlodge collieries. Between 1831 and 1871 the population grew by a very small amount to 3,723. There have been a number of finds in Gosforth, with the earliest piece being a prehistoric flint flake that was found in 1959. In 1863 a 2nd-century Greek Colonial coin was found in a garden in Bulman Village, a Roman altar was found in North Gosforth. It has a business complex called the Regent Centre, which houses organisations including HM Revenue & Customs. Gosforths main high school is Gosforth Academy, and some of the schools in Gosforth are Westfield School
5.
Newcastle upon Tyne
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Newcastle is the most populous city in the North East and forms the core of the Tyneside conurbation, the eighth most populous urban area in the United Kingdom. Newcastle is a member of the English Core Cities Group and is a member of the Eurocities network of European cities. Newcastle was part of the county of Northumberland until 1400, when it became a county of itself, the regional nickname and dialect for people from Newcastle and the surrounding area is Geordie. Newcastle also houses Newcastle University, a member of the Russell Group, the city developed around the Roman settlement Pons Aelius and was named after the castle built in 1080 by Robert Curthose, William the Conquerors eldest son. The city grew as an important centre for the trade in the 14th century. The port developed in the 16th century and, along with the lower down the River Tyne, was amongst the worlds largest shipbuilding and ship-repairing centres. Newcastles economy includes corporate headquarters, learning, digital technology, retail, tourism and cultural centres, among its icons are Newcastle United football club and the Tyne Bridge. Since 1981 the city has hosted the Great North Run, a marathon which attracts over 57,000 runners each year. The first recorded settlement in what is now Newcastle was Pons Aelius and it was given the family name of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, who founded it in the 2nd century AD. This rare honour suggests Hadrian may have visited the site and instituted the bridge on his tour of Britain, Pons Aelius population at this period was estimated at 2,000. Fragments of Hadrians Wall are visible in parts of Newcastle, particularly along the West Road, the course of the Roman Wall can be traced eastwards to the Segedunum Roman fort in Wallsend—the walls end—and to the supply fort Arbeia in South Shields. After the Roman departure from Britain, completed in 410, Newcastle became part of the powerful Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria, conflicts with the Danes in 876 left the river Tyne and its settlements in ruin. After the conflicts with the Danes, and following the 1088 rebellion against the Normans, Monkchester was all, because of its strategic position, Robert Curthose, son of William the Conqueror, erected a wooden castle there in the year 1080. The town was known as Novum Castellum or New Castle. The wooden structure was replaced by a castle in 1087. The castle was again in 1172 during the reign of Henry II. Much of the keep which can be seen in the city dates from this period. Throughout the Middle Ages, Newcastle was Englands northern fortress, incorporated first by Henry II, the city had a new charter granted by Elizabeth in 1589
6.
BBC News
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BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the worlds largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, the service maintains 50 foreign news bureaux with more than 250 correspondents around the world. James Harding has been Director of News and Current Affairs since April 2013, the departments annual budget is in excess of £350 million, it has 3,500 staff,2,000 of whom are journalists. BBC News domestic, global and online news divisions are housed within the largest live newsroom in Europe, parliamentary coverage is produced and broadcast from studios in Millbank in London. Through the BBC English Regions, the BBC also has regional centres across England, as well as national news centres in Northern Ireland, Scotland, all nations and English regions produce their own local news programmes and other current affairs and sport programmes. As with all media outlets, though, it has been accused of political bias from across the political spectrum. The British Broadcasting Company broadcast its first radio bulletin from radio station 2LO on 14 November 1922, on Easter weekend in 1930, this reliance on newspaper wire services left the radio news service with no information to report. The BBC gradually gained the right to edit the copy and, in 1934, however, it could not broadcast news before 6 PM until World War II. Gaumont British and Movietone cinema newsreels had been broadcast on the TV service since 1936, a weekly Childrens Newsreel was inaugurated on 23 April 1950, to around 350,000 receivers. The network began simulcasting its radio news on television in 1946, televised bulletins began on 5 July 1954, broadcast from leased studios within Alexandra Palace in London. The publics interest in television and live events was stimulated by Elizabeth IIs coronation in 1953 and it is estimated that up to 27 million people viewed the programme in the UK, overtaking radios audience of 12 million for the first time. Those live pictures were fed from 21 cameras in central London to Alexandra Palace for transmission and that year, there were around two million TV Licences held in the UK, rising to over three million the following year, and four and a half million by 1955. This was then followed by the customary Television Newsreel with a commentary by John Snagge. It was revealed that this had been due to producers fearing a newsreader with visible facial movements would distract the viewer from the story. On-screen newsreaders were finally introduced a year later in 1955 – Kenneth Kendall, Robert Dougall, mainstream television production had started to move out of Alexandra Palace in 1950 to larger premises – mainly at Lime Grove Studios in Shepherds Bush, west London – taking Current Affairs with it. It was from here that the first Panorama, a new programme, was transmitted on 11 November 1953. On 28 October 1957, the Today programme, a radio programme, was launched in central London on the Home Service. In 1958, Hugh Carleton Greene became head of News and Current Affairs and he set up a BBC study group whose findings, published in 1959, were critical of what the television news operation had become under his predecessor, Tahu Hole
