ELOPEMENT

Weather was not so good this morning - rainy and windy.  But as the day went on the rain stopped and we had some sunny spells.

Another walk this afternoon organised by the City Guides.  About 60 people turned up at the meeting point - Haymarket Metro Station.  We split up into four groups.   The walk was called Wonderful Newcastle Women.

So we wandered around town and at regular intervals our guide stopped and told us about women with connections to the city.  Some of the connections were rather tenuous.  Lots of facts, figures and dates. Great information but unfortunately nothing to photograph.  No buildings left connected to the women mentioned and certainly no monuments or statues.

However our last stop was down on the Quayside where we saw the building in my blip shot.  Bessie Surtees House.  There is a romantic story attached to this house.  Bessie Surtees was the young daughter of the household and her father - a wealthy banker - wanted her to marry a much older man.  But Bessie had fallen in love with John Scott who lived nearby.  Whilst John was from a well off family he was not on the same social level as Bessie.  Anyway in 1772 Bessie eloped with John by escaping from a window - there is a plaque near the window - see my extra shot.  Bessie and John went to Scotland and got married - and lived happily ever after.  John Scott later became Lord Eldon and was Lord Chancellor of England.  The boy did good.

The walk lasted around 2 hours and afterwards I got the bus back up to the centre of town.  Quicky popped into Tesco before coming home.

Steps today - 10,120