Viaduct Over River Blyth

[Keith Scantlebury]

We have a stable on the allotments behind Wansbeck Tce. It's the closest one to the bridge, not far from where the 2nd pic was taken from. When I was down there this morning to see to the ponies I stood and had a good look and I'm pretty sure that, that is the right place.

Edited January 1, 2013 by keith

[Symptoms]

The tags on those photos are mid to late 1920s and clearly identify the River Blyth and the Cleveland Bridge Co. So those dates correspond to the construction period of the Bedlington Railway Bridge (The Black Bridge) which opened in 1930 - see: http://www.bridgeson...uk/bedrail.html

But, but, but, the North Seaton Railway Bridge (the Black Bridge) also fits and was opened a year or two earlier - see: http://www.bridgeson...k/nstnrail.html

There's nothing on the Cleveland Bridge Co website about them so I reckon a bit of time spent looking at an old OS map and trying to plot the position of that chimney may confirm matters.

Edited January 1, 2013 by Symptoms

[Symptoms]

I've just looked at some old OS here: http://www.ponies.me....15651250330744

for both locations and plotting orientation of bridge with that chimney doesn't really help as both bridges have mulitple colleries in the the crucial direction. But checking the map contour lines would suggest a less steep river valley, therefore the Wansbeck. The old OS map shows an island or bank below the North Seaton Bridge but I didn't see on in the photos but maybe it's there ... another job for 'our eyes on the ground'.

Tip: you can get rid of the faded 'overlay image' by using the slider below the map.

Edited January 1, 2013 by Symptoms

[Keith Scantlebury]

You need to remember, when looking at old maps that the Wansbeck will have changed because of the dam. There is an island a couple of hundred yards downstream from the bridge that mostly dissapears after heavy rainfall (we cant blame the high tide, like the t.v. reporters blamed for flooding Morpeth ) anymore as the river is no longer tidal above the dam.

[Keith Scantlebury]

I've just looked at some old OS here: http://www.ponies.me....15651250330744

for both locations and plotting orientation of bridge with that chimney doesn't really help as both bridges have mulitple colleries in the the crucial direction. But checking the map contour lines would suggest a less steep river valley, therefore the Wansbeck. The old OS map shows an island or bank below the North Seaton Bridge but I didn't see on in the photos but maybe it's there ... another job for 'our eyes on the ground'.

Tip: you can get rid of the faded 'overlay image' by using the slider below the map.

Looking at those maps I am even more convinced it is the Wansbeck. The Inn that is marked will be the Foresters, its right on the bend in West Sleekburn, you can see the island in the wider part of the river behind it . It can be still seen today as I mentioned in the previous post.

[mercuryg]

This reminds me of something: watching old footage of Attlee Park miners picnics at Woodhorn Museum, the camera pans around to look out over the bridge; there is a tall wooden-looking bridge in the background. Where it go to, come from, and when?

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

Wooden railway bridge over the river Blyth - William Ricalton, on the Sixtownships site posted this postcard with the comment :- "It was found in a house clearance here in Longhorsley, thought it might be of interest." Checked all the other photos of the old wooden bridge and this is the clearest photo of them all, showing more of the house on the Bedside side of the river.

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Sym...the Euclids were huge at the time,but were only  25 and 30-tonners![compared ti the 350-tonners we have noo!]

Kieth....Barmoor was only a wee tiny landsale pit,where they sold the coal,stone,AND the water!!

The water was rich in Barium and went for Barium extraction to supply Hospitals for Barium meals for X-rays

The pit was set in a dip,the Manager of Choppington High Pit,was also Manager of Barmoor.

Sometimes we at High pit were short of timber or Arched girders due to roads and railways being closed with heavy snow and ice,and our lads had to go up and bring stuff like that down from Barmoor to keep our pit going....![one tetty-pit tekkin' off anotha tetty-pit!!]

The black bridge up the Choppington fields would be a good contender for the pic puzzle.seeing as the Dr pit chimney was about 180 feet high,and you can see all the terraces,right to thi gable ends,and thi high ground to thi right looks like the top-end of Bedlington.

The River Blyth Bailey bridge AND the Bedlington Bank one also,were built around 1954,-ish [give or take a few years!]

When I was aboot ten or eleven years old,me and my school friends used to gaan doon ti watch aal thi activity as they were buiding them from the concrete foondations up-owa.

Often we watched as greet lang lengths of Greenheart timber were HAND-SAWN by four men,using a long straight double-handled saw.

There were two men at each end holding the saw,and it used to take an age to cut through the timber which was aboot two-foot square,and so dense that pieces  that were sawn off,like aboot 18 inches lang,say,just sank ti thi bottom of thi river!

When we tried ti lift bits of off-cuts,just messing aboot,as yi dae when ya a kid,we cudn't mark them!!

It was exciting for us watching under floodlights,at night,[dark at 4-0-clock in thi winter neets,],as we used ti creep ever closer ti watch them.

Costain paid for the road from the Acorn Bank opencast mine,over these bridges,across the fields,to Bebside pit,to be handled there.

One afternoon,we heard a rumble,as we were walking doon Bedlington Bank,on our way ti the woods,and when we looked over to the new stretch of road which had been completed,up to the road bridge,we watched a bulldozer coming down the new road,tumbling two anti-tank concrete blocks

in front of him,like tumbling two smaal dice!!...we weren't half amazed to see this display of raw power!!

The 42-ton Coal-haulers used make the river bridge bounce up and down crazily,as they went over every 15 minutes!

Noo!,when we were kids,it appeared as if there were a fleet of coal-haulers,as there was Euclids!

But an excellent short DVD which Six-Townships put out,[which was rescued from a discarded old VHS  tape in a skip!!],showed there were only four

tractors,and eight hoppers,which were being loaded every 15 minutes.

Four hoppers were in transit at any one time,whilst the other four were being loaded.This meant that a hauler was passing over the bridge every 15 mins,albeit in different directions.

We used ti cadge rides in thi Euclids  from the road bridge area,reet owa ti thi Bebside pit and back!,it was exciting,seeing as we never experienced anything other than a bus-ride sitting aside wa mutha's!

We were amused ti see the four supporting pillars of thi road bridge being constructed by stacking huge concrete drain sections,[aboot four feet wide]

on top of each other,then filling them with concrete and re-inforcing rods....[the term "RE-BAR" wasn't coined in them days!].

It was quick,and efficient,but we thought they would crack open like nuts when heavy trucks went owa them!![THAT'S hoo aa went doon thi pit!!]

Thi ONE thing that dismayed aal us kids,[hard-up kids!],was that they created the cut for thi new road straight through the best blackberry plantation in thi Coonty!!... That's where we got a bit pocket money,pickin' blackies,and sellin' them aroond thi doors.

Vic,ask thi boss if she remembers us daeing that,cos almost aal the neighbours used ti clamour for thim....it was a case of filling two big Ostermilk tins,away up Bedltn Bank,roond thi doors,Sowld,away back doon thi bank,repeat thi process till wa fingers ached!![thruppence a pund in aad munney!!]

Sorry....I digressed in a most un-protocollitically way......!

[Steve]

I got curious about this, and though I thought it was 'possibly' Blyth - I even had a location in mind...

 

I them came across this: http://dre.durham.gov.uk/pgDre.aspx?&SEARCH=By+Keyword&TERM=Building+workers&ID=DRE6029&PIC=Y

 

I found that after other research pointed me in the same direction - the dates of construction are correct 1925: http://www.bridgesonthetyne.co.uk/nstnrail.html

 

Not saying it's definite, but the interweb seems to point that way!

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Brilliant bit o' research Steve! Seems ti put that one ti bed fo gud!!