From this newspaper 150 years ago
An extraordinary meeting of the Darlington Board of Health was held in the Board of Guardians’ room, on Thursday, to accept (or refuse) an offer made by Messrs J Backhouse and Co., to occupy the offices erected in connection with the New Market. There were present: Messrs Jos Pease (chairman), Jon Pease, Kay, Harris, Russell, Wrightson, Benson, Stephenson, Backhouse and Buckton.

The chairman informed the meeting that it was the intention of Messrs Backhouse and Co to pull down their present banking premises, on the High Row, in order to build new ones, and they sought to occupy, while the work was being carried out, the new offices into which the Board had themselves expected shortly to remove.

They made a most liberal offer, to pay 12 guineas rent per month for 18 months, and to put in all the requisite fittings.

When this communication was made to the chairman, he called the General Purposes Committee together, and after full consideration of the matter, the committee decided to recommend the Board to accommodate Messrs Backhouse and Co. Mr Kay asked the amount of the rental of the offices of the Board in the Central Buildings? The secretary replied £29 10s, but that the Messrs.

Thompson, when applied to regarding an extension of the tenancy, made an advance of £7.10s. Mr Benson: Does that include the rent of this room? The secretary: No, there has been no arrangement made for this room, but it was understood that something should be paid. After a little further discussion, it was agreed to let the new offices to Messrs. Backhouse and Co at the rate of 12 guineas per month on the understanding that the premises be vacated on or before the 23rd of November, 1865, and if vacated before that time Messrs Backhouse and Co to pay the rent of the present offices of the Board from such time until November, 1865.

Darlington and Stockton Times: Twelve guineas a month was the rent

From this newspaper 100 years ago
Attempted suicide near Thirsk. At Thirsk Police Court yesterday (before Major Bell and Mr T J Foggitt) a Dalton labourer named Ernest Willian Guyll was charged with attempting to commit suicide. Inspector Welford said that on the 3rd inst., shortly after 9am, prisoner was found in the back kitchen of his house with a large wound in his throat and a razor in his hand. Mr Percy Freeman, who lives near, was called, and conveyed him to Dr Mitchell’s surgery at Topcliffe, and he was subsequently removed to Thirsk Lambert Memorial Hospital. He had been in the hospital until that morning.

When charged, he replied: “Yes, I am very sorry.” Remanded until Monday.

Darlington and Stockton Times:

From this newspaper 50 years ago
The interior refurbishing of Darlington Civic Theatre will cost about £6,000, about twice the amount of the Arts Council’s grant, and if Darlington wants to have a flourishing theatre public money must be spent to keep it running. These two points were made at a public meeting in the Town Hall on Friday by Mr E A Tornbohm, borough architect, and Mr Alexander Dunbar, arts officer for the North East Association of Arts. Mr Tornbohm spoke of the structural alterations the building would need and Mr Dunbar dealt with the cultural and financial aspects of running the theatre.

The meeting was chaired by Ald Fred Thompson and was called by the Association.

Mr Dunbar said: “Local authorities run libraries and art galleries as a social service but when it comes to the theatre, people think it is a commercial undertaking and people are in it to get money out of it. This is a strange idea and it is not true. When I say that no less than £6m has been made out of the Beatles, you will realise that certain sections of entertainment are very profitable.

Other parts such as live theatre, opera, ballet, and orchestral concerts are no longer completely profitable, and since they are not profitable and unless they get some subsidy, they will cease It is one thing to have a theatre and it is another thing to use it.

Darlington and Stockton Times:

There seems to be some notion that if you buy a theatre and buy it cheaply and do it up a bit, that is enough. That is not true.”