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Durham OnAir

Making History Tik...Tok


A Sunderland based venture, North East Nostalgic is causing quite a sensation online with its new quirky TikTok account which shares secret gems of history from across the North East in a creative and engaging way.


North East Nostalgic was started in August 2021 by Sunderland born Kathrine Taylor and the page has already racked up over 3 million views and nearly 90k likes in just under a year.


The TikTok page explores the historic, weird and wonderful with quick fired daily video clips which showcase the North East region.


Kathrine who studied at Sunderland College and the University of Sunderland is very passionate about the history of the North East, in particular her home city Sunderland.

Kathrine Taylor, Owner at North East Nostalgic said:


“I’ve always had an interest in history, I spent a lot of time growing up with my grandparents looking at photos and hearing their stories. Beamish has always been one of my favourite places to visit and my interest in history has grown even stronger over the years.

My first post was about Hylton Castle, and this was a building I’d walked past all my life and it’s just really grown from that first post. I’ve visited to some fabulous locations and spoken to amazing people and it’s so important to keep the stories alive and TikTok which is a relatively new platform is a great way to do this and reaches so many people.”


Kathrine is keen to gather content from her family who were all Sunderland born and bred and over the Jubilee weekend she saw followers jump by 500 following a post about her Nana Floras memories of the Coronation, with many followers flocking to praise the voiceover from Flora who grew up in the East End of Sunderland.


Top performing posts have included a post about a WW1 U-Boat which was shipwrecked at Roker Pier with over 194k plays and nearly 10k likes, a post about the Stadium of Light being the most haunted stadium with over 200k plays and 11k likes through to a clip on North East coal hatches with 82k views and 2.3k likes.


North East Nostalgic have also started collaborating with other venues and key historical partners to further develop themed regional content including Lumley Castle and bestselling author Glenda Young whose nostalgic sagas are set in Ryhope.

Kathrine added:


“It’s been great to link up and collaborate with other partners and there is even more great content in the pipeline for followers to come. It’s great to see there is such an interest in North East history with followers checking in from across the UK.


I’ve recently enjoyed an amazing visit and tour of Lumley Castle and found out they have secret underground tunnels in their dungeons, something I never knew! I’ve also recently had a walking tour of Ryhope with Glenda Young and it was amazing to find out about the places that feature in her bestselling books.”


Glenda Young, Author said:


"Kathrine has a passion for local history, combined with her unique ability to connect with her followers in such an immediate way. I can't recommend her enough. After I first met her, I was inspired to set up my own TikTok account. I now use it to celebrate my historical novels set in the North East.


I was honored that Kathrine joined me on a guided walk around Ryhope village where I showed her the locations from my novels which are set there at the end of WW1.”

Phil Reilly, Business Development Executive, Lumley Castle said:


"We are spoilt for choice on so many hidden treasures around the North East that we may even pass them by every day.  So, it is fantastic to watch Katherine on her wonderful TikTok travels, bringing back to life the historic gems we may have forgotten.  I'm lucky enough to work at Lumley Castle Hotel, a 633-year-old landmark in County Durham so it was a pleasure to welcome Katherine for a castle tour and afternoon tea.  I enjoyed walking Katherine through this historic building whilst revealing all the secrets of the past!”


The platform for the quickfire videos is providing an interpretation of the past in a creative and innovative way and appeals to followers across the UK with regular requests from followers for specific content or certain locations to be covered.


Kathrine added:


“It’s great that there is such interest in history on TikTok and I love the engagement with the

audience, each post triggers a memory for so many and it’s really heart-warming to read the

comments. It’s absolutely key to keep history and the stories alive for generations to come. Through utilising TikTok as a platform to showcase these snappy history facts I also really hope it will encourage a younger generation to engage with their local history more in a fun and interactive way too.”


To find out more check out: tiktok.com/@northeastnostalgic

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