Low Fell, Durham Road, Raven's Hill

HER Number:
17327

District:
Gateshead

Site Name:
Low Fell, Durham Road, Raven's Hill

Place:
Low Fell

Map Sheet:
NZ26SE

Class:
Domestic

Site Type: Broad:
House

Site Type: Specific:
Detached House

General Period:
Early Modern

Specific Period:
C19-C20

Form of Evidence:
Extant Building

Description:
Red brick villa with slate roof. Shown on OS third edition of 1919. Now called Park View Lodge. The childhood home of Katherine Githa Sowerby (1876-1970), playwright, poet and children's author. She was the daughter of Gateshead glassmaker, John G. Sowerby. Her penname was K.G. Sowerby. She was a feminist and member of the Fabian Society. She married John Kendall. Her play 'Rutherford and Son' (1912) was a huge success. It ran for 133 performances in London and 63 in New York. It was revived in 1980 and again in 1994. Her other plays were less successful. The last one was 'Direct Action'. Sowerby also wrote books of poetry and short stories for children, illustrated by her sister Millicent. Her papers and memorabilia are in the collections at the Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums.

Easting:
2562

Northing:
6095

Grid Reference:
NZ25626095

Lats/Lons:

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Githa_Sowerby; Patricia Riley, 2009, Looking for Githa; Barbara Hodgson, "Author Is Brought Back to Life", The Journal, 17 September 2009; Mark Brown, "Githa Sowerby, the forgotten playwright, returns to the stage", Guardian, 14 August 2009; BBC, "Tyneside honours forgotten writer" (26 August 2009); Barrett Harper Clark (1915). "Githa Sowerby". The British and American Drama of To-day: Outlines for Their Study. H. Holt. pp. 154–155; Rose Drew, "Patricia Riley on Playwright Githa Sowerby", One&Other: York, 11 December 2011