In 1973, Bellingham newsagent Frank Mattinson found a calvatia maxima - otherwise known

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In 1973, Bellingham newsagent Frank Mattinson found a calvatia maxima - otherwise known

In 1973, Bellingham newsagent Frank Mattinson found a calvatia maxima - otherwise known as a giant puffball.
Frank, above right, said in an interview at the time: " I spotted it at the edge of Hareshaw Lynn Burn from the window of my home. I m surprised I d never seen it before then."
When Frank bought the puffball into the village it caused a bit of a stir, with locals believing it was the biggest ever found in the county.
Butcher Henry Walton, above left, had " never seen anything like it" and displayed the puffball on his counter, where it was examined and handled by locals.
The puffball was put in a guess-the-weight competition and the proceeds were donated to Hexham Hospital

NCJ
NCJ Archive
Mirrorpix

Media ID 21390193

© Mirrorpix

Core53 Heavy Rural 1973 Puffball

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EDITORS COMMENTS
In 1973, Bellingham newsagent Frank Mattinson made an extraordinary discovery - a calvatia maxima, also known as a giant puffball. Pictured above right, Frank recalled his surprise when he spotted the enormous fungus at the edge of Hareshaw Lynn Burn from his home window. He wondered how he had never seen it before. Word quickly spread throughout the village about Frank's find, causing quite a commotion among locals who believed it to be the largest puffball ever found in the county. Butcher Henry Walton (pictured above left) was particularly astonished and proudly displayed the massive puffball on his counter for everyone to see and handle. The excitement grew even further when villagers decided to hold a guess-the-weight competition with the puffball as its centerpiece. The proceeds from this unique event were generously donated to Hexham Hospital, benefiting their noble cause. This photograph captures not only the remarkable size of this rare specimen but also reflects the close-knit rural community that rallied around such an unusual occurrence. It serves as a testament to both nature's wonders and human curiosity. Preserved by Memory Lane Prints, this image offers us a glimpse into life in Bellingham during the 1970s - where even something as simple as finding an oversized mushroom could bring people together in awe and wonder.

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