On Bedlington.uk Now...

61 years, 4 months and 27 days later… Bedlington Station will re-open. This Sunday, the first train will stop at 08:28 Platform 2 on its way to Ashington. It will then turn around and depart for Newcastle stopping at Platform 1 at 8.43am, arriving in the city around half an hour later. Timetables, live times and rail only booking information can be found here: https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/stations/bedlington

We had another all member briefing yesterday about the production of a new Local Plan. This time about a third of the members turned up. This Plan is important because it will shape our villages, towns and even the whole county over the next few years. What makes this really urgent is the Governments proposed changes to our planning system as they chase their 1.5 million new homes promise. Northumberland has been ‘given’ our own quota in relation to that target and it’s huge! I’ve talked about this before and how important it will be to take part in the public consultations which will be coming out soon. Do we want to see new Towns created, existing settlements expanded, new industrial sites, new commercial spaces, all questions which people can have their say in answering. The most important aspect is that we need to engage to have at least some say in what happens otherwise the Government will just impose! That is something I spoke about at the last Town Council meeting when I suggested they might want to re-examine the neighbourhood plan they have almost finished. Because of the changes which could well come in, not havening local planning committees, presumption in favour of house building etc. the importance of neighbourhood plans is that at least local people have their say and it could well be the only time we do within a planning application. So deciding where we might want to see new housing, shops and offices, industrial estates etc. It might not have the absolute power to stop an application but at least we will register a public opinion because neighbourhood plans have to go to local referendums before they are ‘made’, in other words adopted as part of the planning criteria. Yesterday I spoke about rewriting settlement boundaries and how we have seen that happen in Bedlington about 5 years ago to meet the last housing figures we were delegated to achieve. This time it won’t be a blip on the side of the settlement boundary it will be a huge inflation right around because of the sheer numbers we have been told to achieve. We might even see new Towns created although I remember the last time that was a proposal in the county! Whatever happens having to find the sites for 34,500 new homes here, and that’s not including industrial, commercial and social infrastructure fill, will be challenging and quite obviously change the topography of our county forever. For more info here is the latest version………. https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/planning-and-building/planning-policy/northumberland-local-plan-2016-2036

@Nicola Riley in your opening comment you mention Fountains Yard. Fountains Yard was asked about on the Facebook group Bygone Bedlington and as i had never of that yard I posted a comment in the Discussion/History Hollow section of this group and @Canny lass identified where it had been. The entry in - Discussion/History Hollow - is titled :- Fountain(s) Yard - Glebe Row/Road/Bank and was posted in 2019. It's under Page 5 of the History Hollow section.

Kathleen, my tree is " N Riley/Butcher/Collingwood/Hall". It is public so you can access it. Nicola

Hi nicola thanks for replying pleased your dad, uncle Ron is still with us I wish him well, ok I will try to look up your ancestry tree although I'm not what you call a wizard with technology but il have a go thanks x Kathleen

Hi Kathleen, Yes, Dad is still very much with us albeit house and bedbound now. Mam's passing was expected but still a shock. The last of her siblings. Mam did manage to speak to Auntie Muriel a few months before she (Muriel) passed away. Trevor has been keeping our ties to Northumberland open , now that we live down south-ish, actually in East Anglia. If you want to k ow more information, and you're on Ancestry, you could look up my family tree. It's quite extensive and quite a lot of information about the Butcher/Collingwood side there too. Nicola

Hi Nicola your mam Joyce was my aunty Joyce my mam was your mams sister muriel I'm so sorry to hear of aunty Joyces passing the only connection to your mam was through my mam who is no longer with us I was looking up names to find out information about my family history and don't ask me how but this post came up I also like to look up family history but as my mam and dad split up when I was only 7 years old and mam never really liked speaking about her past its hard to find out things. I do hope my uncle Ronny is still with us and hope you are all well x

@Appleby - there is another album under the Gallery/Historic Bedlington section - Netherton/Nedderton old photos 2 - and there a number of school photos for Netherton Colliery & Nedderton Village and the name Appleby has been added on a few of the photos. This is a direct link to that album :-

Welcome to the forum @Appleby I was born in Howard Row, which was next to Clifton Row. Howard Row was demolished shortly after my birth in 1947 but Clifton Row remained throughout my childhood and I played there often with classmates in the 50s. There were Applebys in Clifton Row then but I'm afraid I can't remember anything about them. I attended the colliery school which had 2 classes. There was a boy named Appleby there but not in my class, so he would be a year or so older/younger than me. I think his name was James. Alan recommended that you look in the gallery among the photos in the album Netherton/Nedderton old photos. I'm going to suggest that you also look in another album " Netherton/Nedderton old photos 2. There you'll find quite a few class photos for both the Netherton school (infants) and the Nedderton school (juniors) where all colliery kids were educated. With a bit of luck your friend might be able to recognise some family facial feature that could help to identify an Appleby. In that album you'll also find 2 of my favourite photos: Clifton Row, back (facing the outside 'netties' )and the more presentable Clifton Row, front facing the gardens.

Welcome to the site @Appleby There are a few postings where the rows and families of netherton Colliery get a mention and the best way to view them is by using the - Search - facility at the top right hand of the 'Discussion' screen. If you enter the word Appleby in the box and enter that youu will get a ling to any comment that has used that word. If you wanted to search for a phrase like Clifton Row then add quotation marks either side of the phrase - "Clifton Row" There have been a few members who were raised in netherton Colliery but I think theren is only one member from the area that still regularily visits and helps the members of this site and that is @Canny lass. In the gallery section there are albums on various subjects and there are some on Netherton & Nedderton. When you select the gallery section from the menu at the top of the page you scroll down to the Historic bedlington section, select that then there are 4 pages of albums. When you select an album you can click on any photo/image within the album and you will see any comments that have been made in respect of image. This is a direct link to one of the albums :-

Hello, Does anyone remember the Appleby family who worked at Netherton Colliery in 1930’s. Doing this for my friend as her grandfather worked there, John Robert Appleby. Married twice,first Mary Elizabeth Stephenson, she died, then a widow Sarah Elizabeth Pearson, a widow. They were at 31, Clifton Row. Love hear of anyone whose family knew of them. many thanks. jane