There
is a steep drop from the centre of Newcastle to the riverside area. This means there are lots of steep roads and
steep stairs. In fact, there seem to be
an endless number of stairs taking you up or down. There is even a set of stairs that starts in
the middle of nowhere and ends suddenly, having gone nowhere. So, if you ever fancy going on a keep fit
weekend, don’t waste your money on a gym or spa break, just come to Newcastle
and run up and down the stairs.
Dog
Leap Stairs are one of the most well known in Newcastle and lead from the Side,
near the Quayside, to the Castle Garth, an open area by the Black Gate, which was
part of Newcastle Castle. Though the
name of the stairs conjures up images of dogs leaping and made me think there
had to be some exciting story of bravery and courage by some scrawny mutt, it
appears the origin of the name is not that exciting. It probably came from the term ‘dog-loup’ which
referred to the way the stairs curve around, making them resemble the shape of a
dog’s hind leg.
Dog
Leap Stairs was once the scene of a dramatic chase. In the late eighteenth century, Bessie
Surtees, the daughter of a wealthy Newcastle banker, met and fell in love with
a young trainee cleric called John Scott.
However, Bessie’s father didn’t think much of John, or his prospects, so
forbade them from meeting in an effort to kill off their romance. But of course, love doesn’t work like that, and
Bessie and John secretly planned to run off together. On the night of November 18, 1772, Bessie
climbed out of her bedroom window and met John, who was waiting outside. As they made their escape on horseback,
legend has it that they were spotted, and chase was given. With a bit of encouragement, John managed to
persuade their horse that a gallop up Dog Leap Stairs was just what it needed,
and up it went, leaving their pursuers behind.
The couple then made their way to Scotland, where they were
married. They later reconciled with
Bessie’s family and had a long and happy marriage. Despite Bessie’s father’s doubts about John
and his prospects, John proved him wrong by going on to become the Lord High
Chancellor of Great Britain and the Earl of Eldon.
Unlike
John Scott’s horse, I didn’t gallop up the steps, rather, with my old and somewhat
knackered knees, I managed to stumble my way up to the top of the stairs. Then I stumbled my way back down again. On my way back down, I left a Skulferatu in a
conveniently sized hole in the brick wall running up by the steps.
The
coordinates for the location of the Skulferatu are –
Latitude
54.969343
Longitude
-1.610039
what3words:
gallons.shins.worker
I
used the following sources for information on Dog Leap Stairs –
Sunniside Local History
Society - Newcastle Place Names
Sitelines - Dog Leap Stairs, Newcastle
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