Classics in the North East: From the Penshaw Monument to Hadrian’s Wall
This Academic Film Production was shot during over three days in the February of 2024
In an old gallery in North Shields, a curious oil painting hangs—Greek temple builders, stripped to the waist, working under Mediterranean sun. But this isn’t Athens. It’s the work of local artist Victor Noble Rainbird, better known for painting the fishermen and women of the Tyne. This unexpected image of ancient labour in a northern setting became the starting point for a wider investigation: Why is there such a fascination with classical antiquity here in the North East of England?
My latest film, presented by Professor Edith Hall, one of the UK’s leading classicists, explores this question through a journey across Tyneside, Wearside, and County Durham. Together, we trace a series of surprising connections between Greek and Roman history, local identity, industrial heritage, and community creativity.
From a Temple on a Coal Mine to a Football Club Crest
Just outside Washington, on the site of an old colliery, stands the Penshaw Monument—a striking replica of a classical Greek temple. Built in the 1840s to honour politician and former Governor General of Canada Jack Lambton, its design deliberately echoes the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens. It’s a monument not just to a man, but to ideas of democracy, liberty, and enlightenment—expressed through classical architecture, right here in the coalfields of England.
It’s a structure that still resonates today. When Sunderland AFC designed their crest for the opening of the Stadium of Light in 1997, they placed Penshaw Monument prominently in the top corner, paired with the Latin motto Consectatio Excellentiae—“In pursuit of excellence.”
Miners, Museums, and Myth
The region’s mining communities also played a surprising role in preserving and engaging with the classical past. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, miners excavating around Lanchester and along Hadrian’s Wall uncovered Roman altars, artefacts, and inscriptions, many of which found their way into museum collections. The Great North Museum in Newcastle houses several of these finds, including a stunning bronze Corinthian helmet and altars from a Mithraeum.
These discoveries weren’t just accidental. Some pitmen were skilled amateur archaeologists. In one remarkable case, a miners’ union banner depicted a Roman soldier standing beside a modern miner—two labourers linked across time by shared strength and purpose.
Poetry, Paint, and Performance
The classical tradition didn’t just survive underground. It inspired the creative voices of the region. Poet Tony Harrison, long based in Newcastle, often drew on Greek myth and form in his writing. In one piece, he evokes Neptune looking down from the city’s old fish market—yet another neoclassical figure standing watch over a northern landscape.
A young Lee Hall, growing up in Newcastle, found inspiration in Greek vases housed in local museums. He went on to become an acclaimed playwright and screenwriter, with works that continue to explore myth, power, and working-class identity.
The People’s Theatre, founded in 1911 by working men including Newcastle United footballer Colin Veitch, embraced Greek drama early on. One of its earliest major productions was Euripides’ The Trojan Women, seen in rehearsal by JB Priestley during his tour for English Journey. Classical tragedy wasn’t a distant relic—it was community theatre.
Expanding Access to Classics Today
This cultural current continues into the present. Durham University’s Advocating Classics Education (ACE) project is working across the region to make classical studies accessible to more schools, particularly in communities where Latin and Greek haven’t traditionally been taught.
With a new PGCE in Classics, teacher training in the subject is once again becoming embedded in the educational landscape of the North East. Professor Edith Hall is a passionate advocate for breaking down elitist perceptions of the classical world. As she says in the film, “It’s really important to challenge the idea that classics are only for a select few. These stories—of love, war, gods, and democracy—belong to everyone.”
Temples and Tyneside: A Shared Legacy
What began with a painting of Greek workers became a journey through culture, coal, and community. From North Shields to Penshaw, from Hadrian’s Wall to the Lit & Phil, the North East reveals itself as a landscape where the classical world is not only remembered—but reimagined.
Whether through statues of Neptune, miners’ finds, school plays, or university outreach, the myths and monuments of ancient Greece and Rome remain alive and relevant here. They remind us that the past is not a distant country—it’s part of our streets, our schools, our art, and our identity.
📍 Filmed and directed by Alan Fentiman
🎙 Presented by Professor Edith Hall
🎓 In collaboration with Durham University and the Advocating Classics Education project