On 1 September, the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War, a group of women evacuated to Wallington in Northumberland during the war were brought together for a reunion in the Hall.

The event provided an opportunity for these former evacuees to meet, several for the first time after many years, to share memories of their experiences at the Hall.

Harriet Goudie, Assistant Outreach Officer for Northumberland (North East Regional Museums Hub), and Cath Walshaw, Assistant Outreach Officer for Culture Shock, facilitated reminiscence with the support of Lloyd Langley from the National Trust.

The women also enjoyed a buffet lunch in Wallington’s restaurant.

As a result of this event, former evacuees will be meeting again to take part in a Culture Shock project. Culture Shock is a region-wide project aiming to collect 1,000 digital stories by individuals in the North East inspired in some way by museum collections.

Former evacuees will take part to create stories inspired by their experiences as evacuees at Wallington.

For further information please visit the project website, Culture Shock