(? – 1708)
Little is known about Eleanor. From what we do know, she was a widow who ran a tobacconist business in the late 1600’s, bought a farm in Wallsend and, when sold, used the proceeds to establish a school. The school was named after her and opened a year after her death in 1709. Originally set up to provide education for ‘40 poor boys and 20 poor girls, the Dame Allan School now commands school fees of around £15k per year. Check out the current term fees and judge for yourself if perhaps the original intention may have deviated somewhat (bursaries and scholarships are available).
The figure of Eleanor stands high on the gable end wall of College House wearing a mediaeval cloak and holding a book. It is thought the statue was installed around the time the building was put up in 1882, when the school transferred there.
As with many historical figures of that time, Eleanor’s fortune had links with the slave trade with a large part of her wealth formed on the back of slave labour in American tobacco plantations. Newcastle’s only other woman statue is, you may have guessed, Queen Victoria, whose extravagant effigy stands proud outside the Cathedral.
I reach the statue at 9.30 on a November evening. The façade is covered in netting to deter those pesky pigeons but with such poor light it’s a miracle I got any exposure at all. Maybe visit it during the day.
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