Ridge Farm Up To Let

[tomtom]

Another nail in the coffin for one of our drinking places or not? Who in their right mind would take on the lease in the current financial,abyss - I suppose that the building could end up as a Rest Home!

[Cyril]

Another nail in the coffin for one of our drinking places or not? Who in their right mind would take on the lease in the current financial,abyss - I suppose that the building could end up as a Rest Home!

Well it in my opinion was only mediocre with regards to food, I personally think Witherspoons will be kicking themselves as theres a good chance another one of the BIG players in the pub business of the same ilk will take it on.

[Merlin]

Another nail in the coffin for one of our drinking places or not? Who in their right mind would take on the lease in the current financial,abyss - I suppose that the building could end up as a Rest Home!

Thought it already was what with all the dodderers I see going in there!

Edited April 21, 2012 by Merlin

[Merlin]

Well it in my opinion was only mediocre with regards to food, I personally think Witherspoons will be kicking themselves as theres a good chance another one of the BIG players in the pub business of the same ilk will take it on.

Yeah! I can just see the Multi Nationals breaking their necks to set up in The Ghost Town that is Bedlington!

[Cyril]

Yeah! I can just see the Multi Nationals breaking their necks to set up in The Ghost Town that is Bedlington!

Well Witherspoons are doing very well as are Tesco,s and Morrisons car park is invariably busy there,s building work going on all over the town, the town,s getting a well overdue makeover, the independant traders are still here ..... yes I,m fully aware of the history of Bedlington I have lived here all my life and yes we have for decades played second fiddle to Ashington, bliddy hell even Newbiggins had more investment than we have but that is down to the councilors in charge or not as in our case, I have even reffered to us as being a dormatory town, however I do believe things are looking up.

We are all entitled to an opinion, things in the world are tough and Bedlington is no exception.

The location of the Ridge Farm is a good one it has a good carpark the infrastructure is good, but its not a drinkers pub, it used to be a very good food establishment but its gone down hill over the years, I,m not fully converse with how it has been run but the reccomendations about the quality of food/service I have heard were not very good consequentally I took my business/hardearned elsewhere.

So yes we have in the past been the "Ghost Town" you reffer to but as I said I do think things are on the "up" its not an informed opinion just an observative one.

[Brian Cross]

I have to say every time i return to Bedlington for a holiday my wife and i including our Bedlington family visit the Ridge farm for a meal, we were never disappointed with the food, the bar on the other hand was disgusting.... warm drinks no ice at times and bad service i am sorry it has closed its doors.

[Adam Hogg]

I have heard the ridge farm will not close because someone is already set up to go in, they will most likely be just saying its to let because they may get a better deal off someone else. It is a shame though i have been served many times by the bloke who ran it seams a nice guy, shame he's leaving, hope none of the other staff do they are all nice as well.

[Malcolm Robinson]

Well it in my opinion was only mediocre with regards to food, I personally think Witherspoons will be kicking themselves as theres a good chance another one of the BIG players in the pub business of the same ilk will take it on.

I thought the Ridge was part of a large pub group? It certainly used to be.

It must have one of the best pitches in Bedlington, easily accessible, own car park and now surrounded by housing. If that is true what it must be lacking is individuality and a USP.

[John Fox (foxy)]

L.ooks like it could do with a Makeover!!

[Adam Hogg]

L.ooks like it could do with a Makeover!!

It did have a makeover foxy it was knocked down and the Current Ridge Farm was built, don't know if you have a picture of it being pulled down?

[John Fox (foxy)]

It did have a makeover foxy it was knocked down and the Current Ridge Farm was built, don't know if you have a picture of it being pulled down?

Sorry I hav'nt Adam but here's a one of the Market Place Netties being pulled down instead. :dribble:

[dolomite1958]

I have lived in Bedlington for nearly 2 years and I have to agree with some of the comments that have been placed here. Firstly I have to say that in my opinion, Ridge Farm had the best sunday carvery for miles. It couldnt be faulted or bettered and getting a table was very difficult indeed. But one day doesn't make up for the rest of the week.

We found the food wasn't up to much during the week, the bar facilities was ok, but the bar itself was below standard. Someone said here that it wasn't a drinkers pub. I agree and if you wanted a better and cheaper drink, you only had to go to the club next door

I, for one is sorry to see it closed. The Head Chef is a great guy and I hope he moves on to better things. There isn't much in Bedlington I agree, but for me that is part of its charm. I wouldn't want it to become Blyth Mark 2, because it may bring more to Bedlington, but with it it brings more problems. Believe me I know. I have seen it all before

[tomtom]

Just a little perplexed at the comments raised by dolomite1958 relating to the Ridge Farm and its probable demise. What do you mean by a Blyth Mark 2 and what are the likely problems foreseen? I do however agree that the Sunday roast was good value but the whole place was like something out of the 60's. No doubt some property developer will make a move and the next thing we know we'll have another old folk's home on our doorstep - Bedlington could well become the retirement town for South East Northumberland!

[Adam Hogg]

Just a little perplexed at the comments raised by dolomite1958 relating to the Ridge Farm and its probable demise. What do you mean by a Blyth Mark 2 and what are the likely problems foreseen? I do however agree that the Sunday roast was good value but the whole place was like something out of the 60's. No doubt some property developer will make a move and the next thing we know we'll have another old folk's home on our doorstep - Bedlington could well become the retirement town for South East Northumberland!

Well if that happens i will be straight on with a petition to NCC with the following: We the signed Below want NCC not to allow the building of anymore Old folk's homes in Bedlington.

But I hope someone will come along and take on the Ridge Farm.

[Vic Patterson]

JUST ASKING! What is the problem with Old folks homes? sounds like a growing industry.

On my trips home I looked forward to a Sunday visit to the "Ridge Farm†with family. (we looked forward to all pub meals!)

[Brett]

Well they have just built an eyesore of a two storey building on Choppington Road, just down from Glebe Road which appears to have the ability to house half of Northumberlands elderly and the plans to build more residential care homes on Elliotts garage site.

I can't see there being much more demand for elderly housing for a while.

[Malcolm Robinson]

Like Vic says its a growing industry. The demographies all show the population of Northumberland is getting more elderly, probably as more of our youngest and brightest leave to get some sort of career! This area in particular shows a higher than average rate of increasing elderly population and that's before these new care homes are built!

The problem I have with the likes of the Elliott's one is that it is taking up prime retail space, or what should be prime retail space. Every-time that happens it impacts onto the commercial viability of our Town. At least the Ridge is not in the Town centre.

[John Fox (foxy)]

And it also frees up more homes which just happens to fit in with the governments plans to make accommodation available to immigrants, Legal or otherwise in unlimited numbers.

[tonyg]

youre right foxy . paid nothing into the system and get everything out of it

[Vic Patterson]

Slightly off topic!

That brings up two interesting news items I have read in the English newspapers this week, A North Shields lady has to pay an extra 100 pounds tax to keep a bedroom empty while her sons join the military, ( I presume its a three bedroom council house, and the sons have left home!) the second is that 630,000 "white Brits†(their description, not mine!) have left London in the past ten years making white Brits only 45% of the local population! Was it Enoch Powell who said this was going to happen!

What is the status of cooncil hooses? are they still building them? and selling them? After the riots last year I read they were thinking of reducing welfare payments from per person to per household, did that ever happen?

[Symptoms]

Oh, dear! Not the immigration card being dealt yet again. Northumberland is 'terribly white', Bedders is 'terribly white', most of Blighty is 'terribly white'. Yep, some parts of the country have higher concentrations of various ethnic groups but why not? Maybe it a safety in numbers thing ... maybe they feel threatened by the indigenous population with their vile hateful media - the repulsive Daily Mail spouting scare stories daily.

Here's a thought ... the NHS wouldn't function without the effort of countless thousands of workers originally from overseas. Where would you get that pint of milk or packet of fags at 2 in the morning ... the corner shop run by a hardworking family from the Indian sub-continent?

Oh, the list is endless.

[mercuryg]

Some interesting topics raised above:

"the NHS wouldn't function without the effort of countless thousands of workers originally from overseas."

The NHS has a finite number of employment positions available; i'd wager there are more native people out of work than that number.

"Where would you get that pint of milk or packet of fags at 2 in the morning ... the corner shop run by a hardworking family from the Indian sub-continent?"

Maybe the shop run by a hard working local man, such as my Uncle John in Blyth, who was finally priced out of the market by the hard workin asian family down the road?

I'm no racist, by the way, just pointing out some things.

[Symptoms]

merc wrote: "The NHS has a finite number of employment positions available; i'd wager there are more native people out of work than that number." Yep, absolutely correct merc but how many of them have to correct skills set to work in the NHS? What's stopping them from applying for all those NHS jobs that don't require formal qualifications?

merc, I'm sure your Uncle John worked his nuts off but hey, he was trading in a competitive market. Surely you're not suggesting that there should have been a form of apartheid operational in Blyth the aim of which was to protect 'white' businesses?

I accept your assertion that "I'm no racist, by the way ... " but my giblets always quiver when hearing phrases like: "some of my best friends are black", or "I'm no racist but ... "; even that smarmy Bullingdon cretin Camaroonie mentions "my black man in Plymouth". To paraphrase Sammy Johnson, "Patriotism excusing or denying racism is the last refuge of a scoundrel". Phrases of denial will always undermine serious and honest comment and in my opinion should always be omitted.

[Maggie/915]

Our Genes all go back to Africa, watch Eddie Izzard tonight tracing his roots back.

We are all equal, people who live in Bedlington for any number of years become extra special, regardless of colour or creed.

[John Fox (foxy)]

Well spoken Maggie Tait!