Railway History.

[Malcolm Robinson]

Seemed like a good idea to use these at the time.........

http://www.journalli...61634-32972214/

[Adam Hogg]

Wonder if there is any other items of historical interest in the area?

[Maggie/915]

Dig anywhere and you will find history!

How about the site behind the old shoe shop, loads of complaints of litter.

Investigate dig and discover.

Approval needed obviously, no upsetting anyone!

[johndawsonjune1955]

cracking bit of history.

Willoughby were the dismantlers and it wasnt just in the car park there. it was behing the pub.

now a good little story and piece of history for you all here.

Go along towards the old brickworks and the Choppington Station railway sign is to be seen where it was dumped.

its still on some of the stone it was fastened too. will take some work to get it out the ditch tho

Alittle further along in the ditch is a pit tub. Too heavy to get out, but in canny condition.

Again at the Willow Bridge to the right on the Barrington side is manking in history.

What about the first coal mine there by Thomas Mason ?

Go have a look and see if you can find some of the old mine building, im sure you will.

also the Unitarian Chapel was there and some of it dumped at the burn.

There is across the burn, a small stone coffin.

When i went to look at it, many years ago, a bloody rat jumped out of it and, well, i nearly did the unthinkable.

Yes there is a lot of history there.

Oh, got some good pics og Willoughbys cutting the engines up there too.

And the railway line where the brought the engines to be cut up ended right at the rear of the Swann.

Interesting aint it, and as Maggie says "Dig, and discover" Shes right.

There are a lot of interesting places to dig around our area, and i used to dig old tips and collect old bottles, jars, clay pipes, jam pots, jam pot lids and a lot more.

Found some interesting history on my digs and travels.

Never done it for many many years now, but plenty to find.

Get along the ditch if your in good health and recover some good historic bits.

[Adam Hogg]

Go along towards the old brickworks and the Choppington Station railway sign is to be seen where it was dumped.

its still on some of the stone it was fastened too. will take some work to get it out the ditch tho

Alittle further along in the ditch is a pit tub. Too heavy to get out, but in canny condition.

I will go down and have a look never knew about them.

[Adam Hogg]

Go along towards the old brickworks and the Choppington Station railway sign is to be seen where it was dumped.

its still on some of the stone it was fastened too. will take some work to get it out the ditch tho

Alittle further along in the ditch is a pit tub. Too heavy to get out, but in canny condition.

I went down there today could not see the sign or the Pit tub where are they/when did you last see them?

[johndawsonjune1955]

John Birkinshaw

John Birkinshaw (c1781-c1845) of the Bedlington Ironworks

c1781 Born

1809 October 10th. Married Ann Cass (1789- )the daughter of John and Ann Cass, at St John's, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

1811 November 11th. Birth of son John Cass Birkinshaw at Bedlington

c1817 Birth of son Henry Birkinshaw at Bedlington

c1820 Birth of son George Peter Birkenshaw at Bedlington

c1822 Birth of son William Birkinshaw at Bedlington

c1824 Birth of daughter Emma A. at Bedlington

c1826 Birth of son Edward Birkinshaw at Bedlington

c1829 Birth of son Richard

c1834 Birth of daughter Mary J. S. at Bedlington

John Birkinshaw was a 19th Century railway engineer from Bedlington Iron Works, County Durham noted for his invention of wrought iron rails in 1820.

Up till this point, rail systems had used either wooden rails, which were totally incapable of supporting steam engines, or cast iron rails typically only 3 feet in length. These cast iron rails, developed by William Jessop and others, only allowed very low speeds and broke easily and although steam locomotives had been tested as early as 1804 by Richard Trevithick, these experiments had not been economically successful.

John Birkinshaw's 1820 patent for rolling wrought-iron rails in 15ft lengths was a vital breakthrough for the infant railway system. Wrought iron was able to withstand the moving load of a locomotive and train unlike cast iron, used for rails up till now, which was brittle and fractured all too easily

Birkinshaw's wrought iron rails were taken up by George Stephenson in 1821 for the proposed Stockton and Darlington Railway, despite the fact that Stephenson already held the rights to the best cast iron product and it was this railway that effectively launched the rail era.

1841 Living at Lewisham, Kent (age 60), Independent. With his wife Ann (age 50) and their children Emma (age 17), Edward (age 15), Richard (age 12) and Mary (age 8).

[johndawsonjune1955]

Thomas Longridge (c.1751-1803), variously described as a merchant of Sunderland, an ironmaster of Newcastle, or of Gateshead

1751 Born

1770s Thomas Longridge formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, William Hawks, which became William Hawks (Snr) and Co. They acquired a plating forge at Beamish in 1779, additional smithing shops at Ouseburn in 1780, a forge at Lumley in the mid-80s, and slitting and rolling mills on the River Blyth in the 1790s [1].

1782 The brothers-in-law took over the Bedlington Ironworks on the River Blyth.

1792 Hawks and Longridge built a rolling mill at Bedlington

1801 Thomas Longridge, merchant, Westgate St, Newcastle-upon-Tyne [2]

1803 Thomas died

1805 Thomas's daughter, Anna, married John Gooch of Bedlington; their oldest son continued the Longridge name, Thomas Longridge Gooch; another son was Daniel Gooch (1816-1889).

1809 Hawks sold the Bedlington Works to Gordon and Biddulph from London, who appointed Thomas' nephew, Michael Longridge, to run it.

[johndawsonjune1955]

Some interesting history on the above posts.

The Thomas Longridge facts are so interesting with the daughter Anna and the marriage to John Gooche of Bedlington.

Its a good account for our heritage when we delve into families connected to Bedlington , the ironworks and the railways.

[johndawsonjune1955]

Rails built at bedlington ironworks.

These are at the Stockton and Darlington Railway museam.

[johndawsonjune1955]

M Longridge lived here, but still had a house he rented at Willow Bridge, Choppington.

[johndawsonjune1955]

A nice painting of the Ironworks.

[johndawsonjune1955]

If Longridge had taken his Knighthood in 1840 or 1845 when offered it, he may well have given Bedlington the history it deserved with the Ironworks.

I believe that Stephenson turned a knighthood down and Longridge did likewise. I may be wrong, but that is what i was to believe.

[johndawsonjune1955]

So when did the loco work finally end. Longridge died in 1856 ?

But the works were sold a good few years after, but did the new owners continue building ?

John Dixon and Mouncey ?

[johndawsonjune1955]

Edina, built at Bedlington by Longridge and Company for Stephenson.

[johndawsonjune1955]

I went down there today could not see the sign or the Pit tub where are they/when did you last see them?

Go along towards the old Choppington Brickworks there in the dykeside

[johndawsonjune1955]

Go along towards the old Choppington Brickworks there in the dykeside

If you have probs i will ask our Kevin to show you as he knows where they are too.

Have a look under the Willow Bridge, lots of history there just look carefully and you will find.

[Adam Hogg]

Go along towards the old Choppington Brickworks there in the dykeside

I will have another look around and see if i can find them.

[johndawsonjune1955]

I will have another look around and see if i can find them.

you should see them ok unless the undergrowth is up above them ?

[Adam Hogg]

you should see them ok unless the undergrowth is up above them ?

It may be but i will have a look and see if i can find them.

[Maggie/915]

History Society tomorrow night is about The Stephensons, I believe.

Coffin Chapel 7.30

[mercuryg]

If you have probs i will ask our Kevin to show you as he knows where they are too.

Have a look under the Willow Bridge, lots of history there just look carefully and you will find.

Hi John, which is the Willow Bridge? I'minterested in investigating!

[mercuryg]

Hi John, which is the Willow Bridge? I'minterested in investigating!

Erm scratch that request John, a quick Google shows me it's the bridge that is, embarrassingly, a few yards from my house......

[tonyg]

The timber viaduct over the Willow Burn held the line to Choppington A and B ;pits Built in 1858 it was pulled down 110 years later.