Regional objects are part of History of the World project
Jan 19 2010 by Tony Henderson, The Journal
A NISSAN Bluebird made history 24 years ago as the first car to roll off the production line at the company's Sunderland plant.
Yesterday it was still making history when it was voted one of the top man-made objects which sum up the North East, its past and its impact on the world.
The regional objects are part of the History of the World project between the BBC, the British Museum and a further 350 museums and institutions across the country.
BBC project manager Seamus Boyd said: “A truly fascinating range of objects has been chosen for each list across the English regions.
“Some may have great monetary value, others little or none, but they are priceless in how they bring to life moments from history.”
The Bluebird, which is part of Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens’ collections, represents a key time for the region as traditional industries such as shipbuilding and coal mining were vanishing and new ventures like car manufacturing were starting.
The Nissan 2.0SGX Bluebird was the debut model produced at Sunderland and JOB 1 was the first vehicle off the production line in 1986.
Another of the chosen objects is a poignant six-inch toy rocking horse., which is also on show at Sunderland Museum. This was one of the toys handed out as prizes at the end of Mr Fay’s magic show at the Victoria Hall in Sunderland in June 1883, which led to the deaths of 183 children.
The rocking horse was given to Emily Steel of Gray Road, Sunderland. A boy grabbed it and got away with the front legs and rockers.
The disaster came about because at the end of the event prizes were thrown out to the audience.
The children in the upstairs gallery, anxious not miss out, ran down the stairs only to be stopped at an inward opening door bolted a few inches open.
A few of the first children down squeezed through the gap but those following became crushed against the door which could not be opened from the other side.
Also included is a recording of the speech by King George V when he opened the Tyne Bridge in 1928 as the Depression loomed. The King remarks: “I pray that with God’s blessing more prosperous times may soon return and that your trade may reap the benefit of these improved communications.”
Also from Tyneside is the tombstone at Arbeia Roman fort in South Shields set up 1,800 years ago to Regina, aged 30, a freed slave.
The regional lists complement a series A History Of The World In 100 Objects, which began yesterday on BBC Radio 4.
The series dips into the British Museum’s world collection. Ten objects have been chosen from each of Wearside and County Durham, Tyneside and Northumberland, the Tees and Cumbria.
Page 2: Northumberland and Tyneside
