- published: 15 Sep 2014
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Coordinates: 55°32′46″N 2°01′00″W / 55.5461°N 2.0166°W / 55.5461; -2.0166
Wooler ( /ˈwʊlər/ WUUL-ər) is a small town in Northumberland, England. It lies on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, by the Cheviot Hills and so is a popular base for walkers and is referred to as the "Gateway to the Cheviots". As well as many shops and pubs, the town boasts a youth hostel, many hotels and campsites. It lies on the St. Cuthbert's Way long distance trail between Melrose Abbey and Lindisfarne.
The main A697 runs by the town linking Morpeth to Coldstream on the Scottish Border. Wooler contains two schools; Wooler First School and Glendale Middle School. Noel Hodgson, the author of Below Flodden and Dancing Over Cheviot, two Northumbrian poem books, lived and taught at Glendale Middle School.
Close by is Yeavering Bell crowned by a large iron-age fort, a stronghold of the Votadini.
Wooler was not recorded in the Domesday Book, because when the book was written in 1086, northern Northumbria was not under Norman control. However, by 1107, at the time of the creation of the 1st Baron of Wooler, the settlement was described as "situated in an ill-cultivated country under the influence of vast mountains, from whence it is subject to impetuous rains". Wooler subsequently enjoyed a period of prosperity and with its expansion it was granted a licence in 1199 to hold a market every Thursday. The St. Mary Magdalene Hospital was established around 1288.
Bob Wooler (born Frederick James Wooler, 19 January 1926, Liverpool — died 8 February 2002, Liverpool) was most notable for being instrumental in introducing The Beatles to their manager, Brian Epstein, and as the DJ at The Cavern Club.
While he was living in Garston, he became involved in managing a skiffle group called The Kingstrums. He entered them into a talent contest at the Gateacre Labour Club. The competition was won by a group called The Mars Bars, who later became Gerry & The Pacemakers. The Kingstrums disbanded in 1958, but his experience of the music scene convinced Wooler that he was more suited to being a compère for the shows put on at local jive hives. As a compère/disc jockey he worked, part-time, for promoters such as Wally Hill of Peak Promotions.
Wooler's encyclopaedic knowledge of the local scene soon made him a sought-after figure by promoters and his advice was regularly heeded. Allan Williams offered him a job at the Top Ten Club, but it burned down shortly after opening. Always of smart attire, Wooler then started full time employment, in his most notable role, as compère at the Cavern Club. Whilst Williams was sorting out his finances, due to his former club burning down, he recommended that Wooler become The Beatles' manager, an offer that he declined. Wooler himself was subsequently instrumental in introducing the Beatles to their future manager, Brian Epstein. His voice was captured on a live EP by the Big Three at the Cavern, saying "We've got the hi-fi high & the lights down low, so here we go, with the Big Three Show!" Wooler became one of the major figures on the Mersey Scene and did much to help the various groups, remaining at the Cavern until 1967.
John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founder members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Together with Paul McCartney, he formed one of the most celebrated songwriting partnerships of the 20th century.
Born and raised in Liverpool, Lennon became involved as a teenager in the skiffle craze; his first band, The Quarrymen, evolved into The Beatles in 1960. As the group disintegrated towards the end of the decade, Lennon embarked on a solo career that produced the critically acclaimed albums John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Imagine, and iconic songs such as "Give Peace a Chance" and "Imagine". After his marriage to Yoko Ono in 1969, he changed his name to John Ono Lennon. Lennon disengaged himself from the music business in 1975 to devote time to raising his infant son Sean, but re-emerged with Ono in 1980 with the new album Double Fantasy. He was murdered three weeks after its release.