CONSIDER, if you will, a time when Newcastle was not a-buzz with the neon trade of Bigg Market ale houses, the streets did not bustle with shoppers holding bags with names like “Fenwick” and “John Lewis” emblazoned across them and Saturdays did not consist of a pilgrimage to worship at the alter of St James' Park, writes John G Clarke, first president of NECC. 

There has been much talk of late, of creating a “Northern Powerhouse”, but in my day, the North-East truly was a powerhouse of industry – with Newcastle providing its heartbeat.

Like much of the North-East, Tyneside housed the kings of industry, with shipyards and heavy engineering central to growing prosperity in the city as the Industrial Revolution underpinned a thriving national economy.

Culturally, we were at the forefront of the print industry, fourth only behind London, Oxford and Cambridge and the Lit and Phil (Literary and Philosophical Society) or 1793 boasted manuscripts and books the envy of the UK, with its establishment predating the London Library by half a century.

Glass, coal, wool – the city was a mass producer and successful exporter of many goods and with the establishment of Fenham Barracks in 1806; we had a strong permanent military presence too.

However, we still had our issues and, just like today, the good merchants and tradesman of the city realised that we were stronger acting collectively than we were acting as individuals.

It was with this in mind that the very first meeting of the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce took place on the 5th January 1815 at the Guildhall in Newcastle.

Our aims were entirely practical, with the only goal being the protection of the interests of local trade and commerce.

The backdrop, though, was very interesting. 1815 was a year of great change globally, and we very quickly realised that Newcastle could play a role at the forefront of the creation of a new world.

1815 saw the end of the Napoleonic wars, the Battle of Waterloo took place in June that year and the country had seen the end of the Continental blockade which had supressed European trade.

Relieved of the burden of war, Britain was free to concentrate on developing empire and trade. Now, while Newcastle had all the assets required to be a major port for that trade, it was clear the city was not developed enough and losing ground to other ports.

We had no City Councils to turn to for help so it was often left to the landowners, aristocracy and merchants to organise development.

Our founding members were drawn mostly from merchants and industrialists of the City from a wide range of industries with many also City Aldermen or part of the merchant adventurers.

The first Chairman was my good friend Robert Clayton a merchant and three-time mayor of Newcastle, and he was joined by fine upstanding pillars of the business community: Benjamin Sorsbie (merchant), Anthony Esterby (lead and soap manufacturer), Joseph Hawkes (ironfounder), William Chapman (merchant), Joseph Lamb (glass manufacture) and William Armstrong (corn and maritime merchant).

I was appointed President and, as a plantation owner and sugar merchant, making our city more accessible for ships was a particular priority.

By January 1916 we had amassed 59 members and joined by landowners such as Lord Lambton and Lord Joicey, who were most representative of mine owners and coal producers.

The world was very different than today, but throughout the last 200 years there has been at least one constant – businesses are stronger when we work together and should be Chamber of Commerce members.