1861 - a Year to Remember

Geoff Watkins mugs up some facts in the garden
of his Saltburn home ready for his historic lecture.

Geoff Watkins, of Teesside University, is to give a lecture on the year 1861 when Saltburn was founded.
It will be held at the town's community theatre on Tuesday May 3 at 7.30pm with free admission.
First, Mr Watkins apologised for nearly 50 people turning up for the lecture on April 12, a month early.
"I put up a poster on the theatre notice board apologising after I learned the lecture had been fixed on out of date information," he said.
"The lecture will be about the world in 1861 when a lot happened. Events included the founding of Saltburn by Darlington industrialist Henry Pease when the railway line was extended from Redcar to Saltburn.
The British Empire was in its heyday and Prince Albert died, causing Queen Victoria to go into mourning."
The hour-long lecture, which will be free of charge, will be called 1861, The Big Picture. Quesions are welcome. Mr Watkins has been a history lecturer since1973.