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ONE of the key figures in the development of Hexham’s Queen’s Hall as a premier arts centre, Mylee Hall (pictured), has died at the age of 65.
She had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for some years, but her death on Friday at such a relatively early age has shocked her family.
As marketing officer at the Queen’s Hall in the 1980s and 90s, Mylee promoted some big names.
But in the Swinging Sixties, she was centre stage herself, with the biggest names of them all.
For the young Mylee Pyper was the girlfriend of none other than Paul McCartney, in the early days of Beatlemania.
She used to go to Liverpool to see her cousin Margo and they were both regulars at the legendary Cavern Club.
They became friendly with all the Beatles and she and Paul began dating.
While still at school, she started work in the make-up department of Fenwick’s in Newcastle, and became a model in the French Salon.
She would regale her family with tales of her times with the Fab Four, including the whole band turning up to see her in Fenwick’s!
She was also escorted by the police through mobs of hysterical girls.
Paul McCartney told her he wrote the song PS I Love You – the B-side of their first record Love Me Do – for her.
Whether that was true or not, when the Beatles performed at the City Hall in Newcastle, he arranged for her to have front row seats – and sat on the edge of the stage with his famous Hofner violin bass guitar and sang it to her.
However, it wasn’t the most desirable member of the biggest band in the world who stole her heart – it was local estate agent Philip Hall, partner in the local firm of Daglish and Hall. They were married for 44 years.
Mylee swapped the glamorous world of the Mersey Beat for Hexham Amateur Stage Society, where she and Philip met, and were involved in 24 productions together.
During the last five years there, she was the choreographer.
Born in Berwick, Mylee moved to Corbridge as a young girl, when her father, James Pyper, was appointed head gardener at builder Laurie Barratt’s Byethorne estate.
A gifted ballerina, at the age of 12 she was offered a place at the Royal School of Ballet in London, but turned it down, and joined Hexham Stage Society instead, where she met Philip.
As well as the stage society, the couple joined the Queen’s Hall Theatre Club, with Philip the actor and she the general factotum
She loved being the props lady and paid amazing attention to detail. For one performance she had newspapers sent from the famous Raffles Hotel in Singapore, and once wrote to a champagne company to ask for particular labels, so she could steam the labels off cheap champagne bottles and stick the posh ones on.
She joined the staff at the Queen’s Hall in 1985 and for the next 20 years was involved in numerous events and attractions.
Philip died last year, but Mylee leaves son Richard and daughter Anna, and four grandchildren.
Her funeral takes place at Mountsett Crematorium, Stanley, at 11.45am on Wednesday.