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Great work @Canny lass 😄 I agree that this is likely what the buildings were laid out as. A good thing that the enumerator was so detailed. Still such a mystery! A quick peek on the 1881 census brings up also detailed addresses of the area. After Liddle’s Cottages (Liddle’s Yard?) there is “Clark’s Cottages” followed by the Puddlers Arms, then “Millfield Cottages”. After “Millfield” follows Puddlers’ Row. I was wondering due to these two addresses surrounding the Puddlers’, the “Clark’s Cottages” may be a reference to BLUE in Craig’s Buildings, and then “Millfield Cottages” refer to the RED part of Craigs. These addresses aren’t brought up again.

Sorry, I forgot to include the source of the enumerators description of the buildings:

Make a cup of tea, there's no way of explaining this quickly! This may throw a little light on the mystery! The enumerator for Bedlington, District 9 in the 1911 census, was one J W Gaskin. He appears to have been a man who took his work very seriously. Going above and beyond the call of duty in meticulously recording the statutory requirements: name, age, birthplace etc. of each person he recorded even a brief description of the building in which the residents lived. From these descriptions I think its now possible to identify the buildings at Bank Top – at least in 1911. @loopylou Yesterday you described the census for 1911 in the following manner. (I’ve taken the liberty of colour coding your text so that I can compare them to census records, photos and maps. Unfortunately I can't use coloured text here). You said: “No. 1 Craggs (missing, a shop? Uninhabited?) BLUE No. 2 Craggs Buildings (Weightman) BLUE No. 3 Craggs Buildings (Elliott) BLUE No. 4 Craggs Buildings (Kinghorn) BLUE following these are Old Puddlers Arms (Mawson) GREEN Old Puddlers Arms (Thain) GREEN Old Puddlers Arms (Cole) GREEN Old Puddlers Arms (Burrell) GREEN All of these addresses ”Old Puddlers Arms” have two rooms each, which equates with the eight rooms described in the auction. then confusingly Craggs Buildings (no number) (McMullen) RED No. 2 Craggs Buildings (Thompson) RED No. 3 Craggs Buildings (Hutchinson) RED No. 4 Craggs Buildings (Campbell) RED No. 5 Craggs Buildings (Hadaway) RED Craggs Buildings (no number) (Parker) RED These also had two rooms each. Then after follows River View. It would appear that No. 2/3/4 are duplicated, but I do not think that these are the same properties, rather that the end six properties later become No. 9-14 of Craggs.” Let's ompare that with what the enumerator says. The enumerator describes the buildings these people lived in as follows: P 10: Sch nrs. 217 – 219 “Craigs Buildings, 1 block of 4 cottages” (1 unoccupied therefore only 3 sch. Nrs.) BLUE P 10: Sch nrs. 220 – 223 “Old Puddler’s Arms, 1 block 4 dwelling houses” GREEN P 11: Sch nrs. 224 – 229 “Craigs Buildings 2nd block in flats, 6 dwelling houses” RED There after follows River View starting with “a semi-detached villa, a villa, 6 more semi-detached villas and then 1 block 7 cottages”. If we transfer that information to a map (this one from 1924 as it’s the nearest I have) it looks like this: Following on from the red marking of Craigs Buildings, 2nd block, I’ve marked the enumerator’s description of River View: semi detached villa (pink), villa (yellow) and 7 semi-detached villas (purple), 1 block of 7 cottages (orange). If we then transfer that information to the 1930s photo it looks like this: There are a couple of questions that arise: The unmarked space between the blue marking and the green marking has no immediate explanation from the enumerator. I would suggest that it could be one of the 3 houses, each with four rooms, described in the 1864 advert as these are “adjoined” to the Puddler’s Arms. If this is the case then it should be marked BLUE. Much depends on the location of the outer wall of the Puddler’s Arms – to the right of or to the left of the unmarked space? In total, the three cottages have 12 rooms. The advert dated 1869 includes 6 double cottages of 2 rooms each. This also gives a total 12 rooms, so these could be the 3 roomed cottages mentioned in 1864. An alternative explanation for the space would be that it was occupied by the 2-roomed cottage offered for sale with the Puddler’s Arms in 1869 as part of the same lot for sale in 1869. If this is the case then it should be marked GREEN. To me it seems that, at least in 1911, the large building contained not only the public house (to the right) but also 6 flats (to the left). I’ve said before that housing was at a premium due to the need for a greatly increased workforce in Bedlington. Perhaps the Puddler’s Arms originally occupied the whole of the building but renting out accommodation may have given the opportunity to provide a better income – for infinitely less effort.

https://www.eastbedlingtonparishcouncil.gov.uk/garden...

It is certainly a mystery @Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)! Thank you for the info it is very helpful. Will have a look at those. I knew about Puddlers Row but was not aware that Glassey Terrace was formerly a Puddlers-related name too. 😄 One thing that confuses me is the way that Cragg’s Bdgs is labelled in the 1911 census. It makes it look like the Puddlers Arms is in the middle of the block and was later renamed to be part of Craggs. Rather than the Puddlers Arms being demolished and replaced with Bank Top Hotel. After Bank Top Hotel the addresses go as; No. 1 Craggs (missing, a shop? Uninhabited?) No. 2 Craggs Buildings (Weightman) No. 3 Craggs Buildings (Elliott) No. 4 Craggs Buildings (Kinghorn) following these are Old Puddlers Arms (Mawson) Old Puddlers Arms (Thain) Old Puddlers Arms (Cole) Old Puddlers Arms (Burrell) All of these addresses ”Old Puddlers Arms” have two rooms each, which equates with the eight rooms described in the auction. then confusingly Craggs Buildings (no number) (McMullen) No. 2 Craggs Buildings (Thompson) No. 3 Craggs Buildings (Hutchinson) No. 4 Craggs Buildings (Campbell) No. 5 Craggs Buildings (Hadaway) Craggs Buildings (no number) (Parker) These also had two rooms each. Then after follows River View. It would appear that No. 2/3/4 are duplicated, but I do not think that these are the same properties, rather that the end six properties later become No. 9-14 of Craggs.

@loopylou I would suggest 1st select the Discussion tab then 2nd enter the one word ie. Puddlers in the search facility. That will return you 3 pages = 65 entries for where Puddlers is mentioned on this site. There is nothing definite on this site about The Puddlers Arms and The Bank Top Hotel to suggest that the pub changed it's name but it does, because of the space available in the small strip of land, seem more likely to be what happened. I know @Canny lass has looked at the area and in the past she found that as well as the Puddlers houses next to River View there was also another row of houses on the opposite side of the pub called Puddlers that later became part of Glassey terrace with the name Puddlers. If you do search fot Puddlers then yoy will see what I have said above explained in more detail and the fact that Puddlers lives again = some old airey houses in Tosson Close were rebuilt as Puddlers Drive. There is a Facebook group Bygone bedlington (I am a member) and you will find similar info on that group but again nothing concrete and within that group I have never seen any member delve into census records etc and post info within the group. The admin of the group is a retired gemtelman John Kyyzanowski who may have info but I can't be sure. John used to work at the Northumberland Archives site at Woodhorn Colliery. His main passion is collecting old postcards of Bedlington. I will have a delve around (as long as I remember and get back to you. Don't think there is any info on the Puddlers from Ireland that were brought accross to work on the Bedlington Iron Works in the Furnace area. Puddlers Row is said to have beem built for those workers. I'll have a scan of the Evan Martin booklet :-

@Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) Thank you 😄 Cragg’s Bdgs comes up a lot in my family history. I’m surprised Puddlers Arms doesn’t have much information about it but I guess if it stopped being a pub in the 1890s it makes sense. I think there might be misconceptions that the Puddlers Arms was *on* the site that the Bank Top Hotel is, when it was a few doors down (I thought this at first 😁). But maps do have Puddlers Arms in one version and the Bank Top in nearly the same place next. So I can see how that would happen. (On another bit, I know there is a Bedlington Facebook group for things like this? Would this info be useful?)

My latest offering........... Been told off several residents today they have received their postal voting papers today and they have filled them in, ticking my name, and reposted straightaway. Thanks very much I really do appreciate the trust you have shown! I have tried to steer well clear of the shenanigans going on at the minute with political posts in Bedlington, preferring to illustrate lessons from recent Bedlington history we should all be aware of. Failure to learn from the past is a recipe for continued failure and I think we have had enough of that! As all the main political parties played roles in what I see as snubbing the needs of this Town I cannot understand how anyone can trust them again. Time and time again we have seen decisions based purely on political party benefit and that’s why I think the political parties are part of the problem not the solution! It’s also one of the main reasons I get reprimanded so much by chairs in meetings because I call it out every time I encounter it. There are excellent Independent choices at these elections, people with real experience and knowledge, people who have leant how the system works and where the failures are, so they know what to look out for and how to get around them. That takes years to learn, not 5 minutes! I said at the very beginning of this election this is about trust, I don’t think we can trust any of the political parties given how they have screwed us over every time they have been in power. Even at national level we can see how much political manifestos are worth and if they can get away with it what chance do we have at this level of government? In the last 8 years of being a county Councillor I’d like to think I have never broken the trust and faith people gave me when they elected me, from day one! It’s your choice, please use it wisely.

@loopylou I agree with you on the cottage numbers for River View👍. You have really put a lot of work into delving into your family's past

I think this is how Craggs Buildings may have been numbered. It seems it was named this due to the former license holder of the Puddlers Arms being a J. W. Craggs. He had the pub in 1887 before dying in 1889, aged 43. No. 1 started where the Bank Top is now, and continued down to No. 13/14 next to River View. No. 1 - 4 are the cottages that separated the Puddlers from Bank Top Hotel. The 1881 census lists an address “Clark’s Cottages” inbetween “Liddle’s Cottages” (Liddle’s Yard) and “Puddler’s Arms”. I think it’s likely Clark’s Cottages referred to No. 1-4. A former landlord of the Puddlers was Henry Clark. No. 5 - 8, an auction piece on 22 Oct 1864 (Newcastle Daily Chronicle) lists the Puddler’s Arms as having “eight large rooms”. Possibly that the Puddler’s was split into four two-room flats. No. 9 - 14, the same auction piece lists the Puddlers Arms as having “three houses, with four rooms each, adjoining the above.” I believe these were split into the six two-room apartments of No. 9 - 14, as a later auction piece on 27 Feb 1869 (Newcastle Daily Journal) now describes the attached property to Puddler’s Arms as “six double cottages”. Photo with the door numbers included.

Possibly this?

@Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) I think the bungalow you reference as River View in the older picture is actually the second one in, number 2? Maps has a no 1 River View which nearly lines up with a corner house in Tomlea Avenue . But the current end house (2) is a bit further down. I assume a few got demolished over the years.

Then and Now

@loopylou & @Canny lass the only old photo I have seen that includes Craggs Buildings is the 1930s one in one of Evan Martin's books on Bedlington :- And I think Craggs buildings are the ones I have marked with a red star in this copy :-

It looks like that between 44-49 (presumably 1944) that the middle block was demolished after the fire but the outer houses kept. Then at some point between 1949 and 1959 the lower houses also demolished, keeping the ones closest to Bank Top Hotel until River View Close was built.

Not that my memory is brilliant these days but I do recall Joe Rooney mentioning the fire when he posted a comment about his older broter :-

That's the first picture I've ever seen. Hadn't heard about the fire either. Thanks!

@Canny lass yes, no one ever seemed to stay in one place. 😄

I don’t know if there are photos of Cragg’s Buildings out there, but there were some in the papers in 1943 after it was on fire. (No. 5, 6, 7 and 8).

I see what you mean! They did move around a bit in those days. They sort of outgrew their living space and swapped with another family member with a smaller family.

@Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) thank you for the advice, very helpful. There’s a lot of stuff on here to look around at 😁

Sorry I don’t think I worded it right. Oh dear 😅. I did mean door numbers, not the schedule in censuses—I meant to infer that at some point in time the Rooneys seem to live at nearly every door number (3, 6, 8 etc) and the numbers are always changing because they switched houses that much. It is quite interesting to see how everyone in such a small space was connected, because there was quite a lot! In 1939, No. 9 (Tweddle) & 10 (Bell) families connected to the Rooneys as the Tweddle’s adopted a grandaughter of Ellen Rooney. I think the Tweddle’s had been at Cragg’s since about 1914 too.