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hi Alan, i have the Blyth and Newcastle info about when he signed and games he played it more the other clubs information I was looking for. I know he signed for Newcastle in 1923 and left in 1924 due to injury about the same time his father was killed in Woodhorn pit, but its almost 3 years later he turns up signing for blyth in 1927. claiming he been playing at choppington again

Just joined the site when I posted info about the shirt factory behind Front Street and also mentioned the Bedlington Glove Company which was started by Mr & Mrs Mautner - Rudi and Valli, and it was on the left past the turn for Bedlington Station heading towards Bebside. The Mautners sold up to the Manager Mr Sharman and retired to Cardiff but had a small chain of laundrettes down there. Before they retired they had outgrown the Bedlington building and moved to Barrington Lane, I think it was by the railway going from Barrington to Bedlington Station, the company may have changed names and made items other than gloves there, my father was no longer doing their electrical maintenance by that time following the Mautners retiring. Again it is an old thread but hope it helps.

From memory, Ackroyds shirt factory was through an arch where the Bedlington Urban District Council offices were. It was through the arch and down a bit on the left. As it was a long time ago and I haven't been near Bedlington for years, the arch in question (with offices above) was on the left going down the Front Street from the Red Lion towards the turning down to Bedlington Station. It was on the opposite side of the Front Street to the library which had Abbs milkman behind the library. I know it is an old thread but thought it may still be of interest. Further down past the turning for Bedlington Station, going towards Bebside on the left was the Bedlington Glove Company run by Mr and Mrs Mautner, I think the Manager was called Mr Sharman. They made gloves for Marks & Spencer among other companies.

@lee coates can't find anything that I have on any Bedlington teams that goes back to the 1920's. When you have been doing your research what team name have you been looking for? Back in the 1920's there two collieries in Bedlington - the Doctor Pit and the Sleekburn 'A' pit and the Sleekburn 'A' pit later changed it's name to the Bedlington 'A' pit.

@lee coates I checked of the Facebook 'Blyth Remembered & Memories' as I knew there was a lad on there who had recorded a load of info on the Spartans team and crated a web site :- https://blythspirit.wordpress.com/2023/10/18/blyth-spartans-team-photograph-archive/ and I see you have already been in contact with him :-

Welcome to the group @lee coates. My initial thoughts are that we don't have any info for any teams, other than Bedlington, from the 1920s. In the Gallery section. Under the Gallery>Sports section there are two Albums = Local Football & Local Football 2 that contain team photos but there are only two that are believed to be c1920s and one is an unknow team and the other is a Bedlington Primative Methodist team from the 1929-30 season. I did a search of this group for the name - coates - and the only coates (other than yours) that gets a mention is for a Vicar and his sons from Bedlington in the 18th & 19th centuary. I'll have a Google for Newcastle United AFC teams but no doubt you have already done that. I'll get back to you, and your sister @Juliejule with anything I find.

Hi Vic His Name was William Coates

Welcome to Bedlington.UK Lee, What was your grandfather's name?

One graph says why: It's really about the current craze to invest in AI.

Hi there been doing some research regarding my grandfather who played as a Goalkeeper for a few teams from 1920's to 1930's looking for any info or photo that might be floating around he played for: Choppington United 1922/23 and 1925/1927 NUFC 1923/1924 Blyth Spartans 1927/1928 Bedlington Colliery 1928/1929 Morpeth Church Institute 1929 I hope someone might be able to help or point me in the right direction

https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/politics/blackstone-completes-purchase-of-britishvolt-site-in-northumberland-for-ps10bn-data-centre-project-4613166?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR0ya8d4tRxxamma5ImsnoyZ1H6KT_qxijqdBqn6M-fARwjmQU7-A1470Wo_aem_AeYLWyaO5b51Yrao1ZrkYS_7yL0WUjrfVqEon4mYV9d9EszXApeOxRp7yxp-YT3NHc-wBweraBxzy7Q6DssxyLxH#d90wphi9cyd

The Gibson's were an interesting family well worthy of a it of research. Here's the start of a few posts that may help you get acquainted with them and their business. August 28 1753 a wedding, which will eventually lead to a blue plaque being placed on the house currently known as 34 and 36 Front Street East, Bedlington, takes place at St Cuthbert’s Church in the town. The house is the former home of the Gibson family – the last of the Bedlington nailers. The groom is 23 year old Humphrey Gibson, and his 21 year old bride is a Bedlington girl, Ann Stephenson. In March the following year, 1754, the couple’s are once again in St Cuthbert’s Church, this time to celebrate the baptism of their firstborn – twins William and Henry Gibson. Very little else is known of Humphrey and Ann, though it’s possible to assume that Ann dies young as Humphrey remarries in 1766 when the twins are just 12 years old. His bride on this occasion is Isabel Moss. Of the twin William I can find no information but Henry is raised in Bedlington. He later meets his wife, Stannington-born Hannah Jameson and they also marry at St Cuthbert’s in November 1784 when both are 30 years old. Together the couple have five known children: William born 1785, Philip born 1788, Henry born 1790, Ann born 1792 and Hannah born 1794. November 19th 1808 their oldest son William, then aged 23 years, is lost on a passage from Corunna, Spain, where he is a mate on board the Providence, an army transport returning from the Peninsular War – part of the wider Napoleonic wars. Almost home, the ship and all hands are lost in a storm at Bolt Head near Salcombe, Devon and the master, Robert Denton, is the only survivor. (Source: McDonald, K., 1992, The Bolt-Whole, 84 (Article in Serial). SDV147889). William’s body is recovered but is not returned to Bedlington for burial. Instead, he is interred at Malborough, Devon. He is, however, remembered on his father’s gravestone in St Cuthbert’s churchyard. It is left to Henry and Hannah’s second son, Philip, to carry the Gibson name forward and in doing so he leaves a lasting footprint on Bedlington. In 1812 at the age of about 24 years, Philip marries 20 year-old Ann Rutherford in her parish church at Stannington and just two years later, in 1814, he lays the foundations for a company that will become the last chain and nail manufacturer in Bedlington. Fourteen years after the company’s founding Pigot and Co, in their county directory of 1828, describe Bedlington in the following manner: ”With the exception of the iron works here, which are supposed to be the largest in the north of England, this place contains nothing worthy of notice either to the inquisitive tourist or the man of business.” This ”nothing of interest” included Philip Gibson who’s name is listed in two categories of traders: ”nail makers” and ”shopkeepers & dealers in sundries”. Philip, along with 5 further shopkeepers, 1 further nail maker, 4 blacksmiths, 5 boot & shoe-makers, 4 butchers, 3 cartwrights & joiners, 2 coal owners & merchants, 2 corn millers, 2 dressmakers, 5 grocers & drapers, 9 inn-, tavern- & public house keepers, 1 iron founder, 1 joiner, 6 stone masons, 2 tailors, 1 baker, 1 veterinary surgeon, 1 saddler and 1 ’clogger’, is part of Bedlington’s ’business sector’ at that time. Of Pigot’s description to judge, none of them appear to have made any noteworthy impression during his inspection in 1828 yet the company founded by Philip Gibson had already survived into it's fourteenth year and would become a household name in Bedlingtonshire for well over a hundred years. The Gibson’s appear to have been a family with a head for business and subsequent generations of Gibson’s would play an important role in developing and diversifying the business from the house on Front Street East. Over the next few weeks I’ll try to relate what my research has discovered. Have patience though, the gardening season is in full swing here and I have to make outdoor use of any fine day that comes my way.

@stustep Yes, it certainly is but there is a connection between Dunn's the Drapers and the Gibson family. Mary Ellen Gibson, born 1852 to Henry Gibson (credited with being the founder of the chain & nail business) and his wife Mary, married draper Lewis Dunn in 1877 and left the family home (Bank House) to join her husband above the shop further up the street. She and Lewis had four children. Unfortunately, Lewis died aged about 40 years in 1885 leaving Mary a widow at the age of 33 with four children - the youngest only months old. She continued to run the drapery business until at least 1891 and possibly longer. In 1901 she and 3 of her children were once again living in Bank House together with her brother and their now frail and infirm father Henry, Be careful! It can get quite addictive!

I was a bit confused as well Vic. The place I'm talking about is shown above running from the gable-end on the left and covering the first three upstairs windows. Downstairs there's one window on the left of the entrance door followed by the windows of the bank (formerly part of the Gibson home) and the blocked entrance to the bank.This house had originally only 8 rooms and a kitchen. The ground floor plan from the 1970s includes even the adjoining building.

@stustep the photo you have posted in the above comment shows Dunn's Outfitters and they were 88 Front Street East.

Sorry folks red herring the outfitters is further up the street

I'm not too familiar with the building but are we all talking about the same place?

This is a plan of the buildings ground floor in 1970’s when it was City Vending

This is a plan of the building in 2003 just prior to the major works that were done into convert the whole property in to two dwellings … the door for number 36 is bricked up and the 38 door is now 36. It’s interesting what you’ve found about the bank as when we first looked at the house I’d heard that it was once a bank … I actually wanted to call the house The Old Bank or Conal House in time (not sure my wife agrees) but I wanted to hark back to the history of the property and remember it for what it was … in old pics of the street do we think that the building was part of Dunns outfitters at one point?… the building looks in the right place and the buildings around match? The whole shopfront went along the front of the building …. I can’t quite 100% say if it’s the same building as 36 though. im quite enjoying this historian thing!! 😄

Hoping to update The Last of the Nailers by the end of the week.

@stustep Good work Stustep! That’s saved me a great deal of research. At great risk of revealing my age I can say that I remember City Vending early 70s – or possibly even late 60s – though I thought it was a bit further down the street but could be wrong. When you talk about 34 – 38 Front Street are you referring to ’dwellings’ all in the same building, ie the building that housed the bank? I’ve come as far as 1939 and at that point the building may already have been three dwellings. Certainly, there are no Gibson’s living there in 1939. As you can see 36 now has an additional 4. This may later have become number 34. Number 38 hasn’t been there on previous documents where Bank House was the last house on the corner. However, it’s not impossible that the bank was stiil there as well. There was certainly a bank manager living there in 1936 but he was ’indisposed’ (for want of a better word) in 1939, However he was still referred to as a bank manager. More about that later. Somewhat confusing is that it’s called ”Old” Bank House – suggesting that it’s no longer a bank. However, they did have a sub-branch at Bedlington Station.

Hi everyone So I’ve been having a good old rummage through planning and t’internet the Gibson did own 34-38 front street for many years it would seem (still it got lots of history on that yet but I’m waiting for the last of the nailers article … sometime in the 70-80’s the building was taken over by City Vending and they applied for planning permission to convert the building into the commercial units offices and a new flat in about 1978… it’s unclear if this work was carried out but it remained in their hands till the early 2000’s I think during this time the whole building was called Conal House … at that point in around 2002 a builder called Mackay bought all 3 properties and made 2 homes to the front and 2 newer homes to the back 38 front street disappeared at this point from the address and the shop fronts were redeveloped and doors bricked up creating 34 and 36 front street.