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THE L.N.E.R. (GOSFORTH GARDEN VILLAGE) LTD HISTORY OF THE VILLAGE
In essence, any railwayman or retired railwayman could become a member of this Society by purchasing a minimum share of 1 which entitled him to buy a house in the Village with money advanced to him by the Railway, repayable through the Company pay bills over 20 years.
Sadly the ambitious scheme envisaged was never fully developed. Mr. Dunlop invented the pneumatic tyre in 1921 and the internal combustion engine was being continually improved. Much of the freight therefore, which had been carried by rail, was steadily moved over to road. At the same time because of the Depression, that everybody must have heard of, there was less freight to be moved. Taking only these three factors into consideration the future of the railways as a profit-making machine from the Twenties was very much in doubt.
The Gosforth Garden Village Ltd. was finally wound up on 18th April 1959 after the surrender of all the shares. All outstanding railway "mortgages" had also long been paid up. Before winding up however, the Society accomplished two things of interest to all current residents of the Village:-
a) It appointed six trustees of the Gosforth Garden Village Association - all retired railwaymen. (The first appointed after the six (now all deceased) was the undersigned later in 1959 - which is why he has been lumbered by the Association Chairman to write this).
b) In a conveyance and trust deed dated 10th April 1959 between the LNER (Gosforth) Garden Village Ltd. and the trustees of the Gosforth Garden Village Association all the "parcels of ground, buildings and
other erections thereon" now occupied on and around the pavilion,
tennis courts and bowling green was given "upon trust" to you and the residents of Garden Village. The trustees (never more than six in number) have no power to sell the land unless it ceases to be used for recreational purposes.
Incidentally the Gosforth Garden Village Association itself was the result of an earlier marriage between the original Gosforth Garden Village Recreation Association and a later but separate Gosforth Garden Village Residents Association.
So - there you go folks!- In addition to your own homes you own some very valuable land and property. More of you should be making use of the facilities they provide!
Copyright - Don Mcqueen 1988
Reproduced from Gosforth Garden Village Gazettes 1988
Last updated by: ukpets99
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