Berwick Record Office Award Vote Closes on 31 August

Two Northumberland places are among just 24 sites shortlisted across the whole of England for the Everyday History Heroes award, and the public vote closes on 31 August.

They are Berwick Record Office and Cragend Farm at Rothbury. The award is run by Heritage Open Days with the family history site Findmypast, and it was launched on 4 August by the historian and broadcaster David Olusoga (Heritage Open Days).

What the award is for

The award celebrates places that tell the stories of ordinary people rather than famous ones: nurses, miners, teachers, soldiers and the communities that built modern Britain. Seven regional winners and one national winner will be announced on 10 September. The overall winner receives £1,000 towards future heritage activities and events, according to Northumberland County Council (Northumberland County Council).

Why Berwick Record Office is on the list

The nomination is for the Record Office’s work on Heritage Open Days in Berwick. The council says the team coordinates more than 100 events across the town this year, alongside its own guided walks and exhibitions.

Linda Bankier, senior archivist at Berwick Record Office, said the office is “passionate about helping people find out about their family history”.

“People make history,” she said. “Through our archives, exhibitions and events, we are proud to help people discover the everyday stories that have shaped Berwick and its unique heritage.”

The council describes the Record Office’s subject matter as the town’s fishermen, policemen, criminals and everyday townspeople.

The other Northumberland entry: Cragend Farm

Cragend Farm sits above Rothbury, next door to Cragside. Its hydraulic silo is listed at Grade II*, the second highest grade, and has been on the National Heritage List for England since 25 August 1987. The list entry describes it as the hydraulic silo building 45 metres east of Cragend Farmhouse (Historic England, list entry 1153196).

The farm’s own account is that Lord Armstrong of Cragside designed and built it in the 1880s to make silage for his prize cattle, powered by water piped from Cragside. It still holds the Victorian machinery, including two Thomson turbines made by Gilkes and a hydraulic hoist (Cragend Farm).

Two of the North East’s three shortlisted entries are therefore in Northumberland. The third is the Friends of Jesmond Old Cemetery in Newcastle.

What it means for you

If you want either of them to win, you have to vote before the deadline. The council’s own link for Berwick is nland.uk/VoteForBerwick, and the full shortlist and voting pages are on the Heritage Open Days award page.

The dates to keep:

• 31 August: public voting closes
• 10 September: the national winner and seven regional winners are announced
• 11 to 20 September: Heritage Open Days 2026 runs, with the Northumberland programme at nland.uk/HeritageOpenDays2026

Heritage Open Days events are free, and many of the Berwick walks and building openings are one-off, so it is worth checking the programme rather than turning up. Our things to do in Northumberland page has the wider picture on days out across the county.

Sources

• Heritage Open Days: vote for your Everyday History Heroes for the 24-site shortlist, the 31 August voting deadline, the 10 September announcement, the seven regional winners and the North East entries.
• Northumberland County Council: Berwick Record Office shortlisted for national ‘Everyday History Heroes’ award (11 August 2026) for the £1,000 prize, the 100-plus Berwick events, and the quotes from Linda Bankier and Cllr Wendy Pattison.
• Historic England, list entry 1153196: Cragend Farm Hydraulic Silo for the Grade II* designation and the 25 August 1987 listing date.
• Cragend Farm: tours for the Armstrong connection, the turbines and the hydraulic hoist.