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4 Episodes 2019 - 2019
Episode 1
59 mins
David Olusoga looks at the history of a terraced house at 5 Ravensworth Terrace, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and the people who lived there, from its construction in 1824 to the present day. This edition examines the lives and the fortunes of early residents William Roper (1824), Joshua Alder (1841) and newlyweds Mr and Mrs Nicholas Hardcastle (1858).
Episode 2
59 mins
The history of 5 Ravensworth Terrace continues and 1859 sees the arrival of grandmother Mary Colbeck. David Olusoga uncovers tales of scandal and tragedy that befell her family in later years. Around 1885 the house became part of a religious institution, the Diocesan home for girls, set up by Newcastle bishop Ernest Wilberforce. Two years later, in 1887, it was home to draper and spiritualist Bevan Harris and family, and in 1895 to merchant sea captain William Oram and family.
Episode 3
59 mins
It's 1910 and The Eagle family are now in residence. Grace Eagle has leased the house for £32 per annum and has created a boarding house for local music hall actors. Things are going well for Grace and her family until 1914 when the war and the Alien Restriction Act severely curtails the freedom of German and other foreign nationals. Grace's family are directly affected by this through marriage. By 1919, Rose McQueeney is the new owner of the lodging house. Most of her tenants are Irish as is Rose and her new husband Edward Kerrigan, and pro-Irish independence terrorist activities begin to surface in the area. David Olusoga discovers that number 5 Ravensworth Terrace is being used as a base for an IRA cell.
Episode 4
59 mins
Previous owners Rose and Edward Kerrigan have returned to their native Ireland and by the 1920s 5 Ravensworth Terrace is occupied by John Walter Smyth and wife Mary Jane, and later his second wife, divorcee Florence, who continue the lodging house tradition. David Olusoga focuses on John's and Florence's earlier lives from 1918 and uncovers a mystery girl in a photo, previous marriages, bigamy, divorce, and remarriage. John dies in 1959 and in 1963 widow Florence and daughter Myra move out and sell up. The new owner is the Salvation Army and in 1964 No. 5 becomes a Salvation Army Goodwill Centre. Following a 1970s recession and a business reorganisation, the Salvation Army decides to leave. The house is sold in 1982, and again in 1990, in 2001, in 2007, and lastly in 2015. An official memorial plaque is unveiled dedicated to a former resident Joshua Alder (1841), a pioneering marine biologist.