The Consett Song

Old Photo Forum member Brian Clough has shared this excellent tribute video which includes a unique soundtrack about the town of Consett in the North East of England, which in the mid 19th century was considered the “Wild West” of the region, yet was (and still is) beloved by the people who live there.

Just to give you a taste of what Consett was like in the early days here’s an early written account from 1844 by Mr.John Calvert: “In passing the Highgate public house I witnessed a sight which was not uncommon in those days. In the lower rooms of the public house, there was not a table or chair but had its legs broken off, and these a number of mad, drunken fellows were wielding to some purpose on each other’s heads. The landlord, Mr.Moore, was in his shirt sleeves, and his arms, from his hands to his elbows, were just as though they had been dipped in blood. I have stood in my own doorway and counted a dozen fights all going on at the same time. The road in front of my house was, in winter, knee-deep in mud and in many places a horse was in danger of disappearing altogether.

“Parts of the houses in Puddlers’ Row were built; as were also one or two of the rows in the rear of what is now called Front Street. Two and three families were then living in each house. A railway, which had been laid along the side of the road, brought the stone from the common quarry to the houses. There was also a railway to the quarry at Carr House. A small engine was used for pumping the water out of it, and one night this was stolen, and it could never afterwards be found. Consett at that time was one of the wildest places to be found in the North of England.”

Consett grew to be the world centre for quality steel production until its sad (arguably politically orchestrated) demise in 1980.

Back in 1973 Brian, together with Sandy Brown, Jeff Walton and Bill Cheeseman, produced a rare single which until now had been lost. Brian has remastered the original and added visuals to create the video you see here.

Now over to Brian:

“Mention Consett to the world and the world relates to Consett Ironworks or Consett Iron Company.  A World leader in the art of iron and steel making.

“Along with its steel, the town of Consett and surrounding area has always been proud of the fact that when it comes to musical ability it can boast of many accolades on the entertainment front.

“The Consett Citizens Choir have recently just notched up a wonderful sixty years of entertaining, the first Salvation Army Brass Band was born in Consett and many of the members of the musical varieties offered, also worked at ‘The Works’.

“In the Sixties, as in many other towns the length and breadth of the country, ‘pop’ bands emerged and were wrapped up in the new musical revolution, with many band members moving on to the heights of mainstream show business.

“From this background of Consett’s musical history came four steelworkers who worked in various departments with the then called ‘Consett Iron Company’.

“Collectively they had an interest in ‘pop’, ‘folk’, and ‘country’ music. Jeff Walton (bass player/vocalist), Bill Cheeseman (Rhythm Guitar/vocalist), Sandy Brown (Vocalist/tambourine basher) and Brian Clough (lead guitar/vocalist) formed a band which they called ‘Country Life’.

“In total the band pioneered Consett’s musical attributes across the whole of the country between 1970 and 1983.

“In 1973 we recorded a song written by Sandy and myself of which only eight or ten copies were made as it was a self financing exercise and quite expensive at the time.

“The song initially called ‘The Consett Song’ (Sandy’s Poem) was originally in a poem type form written by Sandy and inspired by the place in which we all lived and worked.

“One of the ‘spare’ records (a 45rpm/ 7″inch single) became a regular feature on the jukebox in the Freemasons Arms public house in Consett Front Street.

“Almost forty years on, a copy has been found of the original record and with the help of modern technology, it has been remastered back to its original quality.

I’m proud to present it here, complimented by archive pictures of the halycon days of a great town with a remarkable industrial contribution to the world.”

Brian Clough.

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