List Of Pubs And Clubs - Bedlington District

[Symptoms]

I reckon Inspector 'Canny Lass' Clouseau may have uncovered a dastardly Victorian plot, namely, there could have been two Institutes.  The one next to the Sun Inn 'explored' by Sym in the 60s and the Miners' one discovered by Canny wielding her magnifying glass.  I have to agree with her that the extension plan I posted earlier does indeed look like the building beside Bedlington A pit.

We need to find some old fella who might have supped in the Institute next to the Sun Inn to give us a clue to when it shut as a drinking establishment.  Remember, my internal examination of the place in the 60s suggests it was in use unti maybe a short time before I got in there. 

More digging required!  

Edited August 26, 2020 by Symptoms

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

4 hours ago, Canny lass said:

I think we might be discussing the wrong Mechanics Institute in relation to the extension plans. I’ve had difficulty locating the Mechanics Institute, as depicted in the drawing, anywhere on the map of Bedlington. The Block Plan shown in the bottom right corner of the drawing doesn’t remotely resemble the area around the old Court House. If so were the case then "Front Row Cottages" would be in the main street and the "lime shed" would be the Sun Inn.

Initially, I thought the plan for the extension may have been intended for the Mechanics Institute in the Market Place but this would have meant that the MI was in Muggers Neuk, rather than the Market Place for any extension to the west to be possible.

Intrigued by the “footpath to station” in the Block Plan, I started looking at Bedlington Colliery A pit rather tha Bedlington Colliery Dr.Pit. The drawing makes no specification as to which Bedlington Colliery it refers. OS maps of the time always refer to both simply as "Bedlington Colliery.

Bedlington Colliery A pit also had an Institute at that time. On this map from 1897 the institute is situated at the end and rear of Front Row (later South Row). It is found behind the gardens and outside toilets of those houses and there is an adjoining building at the rear of the institute - possibly the lime shed. The layout of all these five elements: houses (yellow), toilets (green) and gardens (red), institute (blue) and lime shed (pink) correspond to the block plan in the drawing. It’s also just a short walk to the station. The institute is still there on maps from 1924.

It would appear, comparing the drawing of 1895 and the map of 1897 (revised from 1896) to the block Plan shown on the drawing, that the reading room has been added as two porches are clearly evident on both.

 

I was confused by the  - 'footpath to the Station' but really it should have clicked in my memory but I'm afraid it didn't happen.

I never knew the 'Tute' at the 'A' pit as the Mechanics Institute, to me, from The Oval, who's mates were from the Station (quite a few from South Row) the Tute was just the place we went for a game of snooker or billiards when the six tables in Mascadinii's Billiard Hall were fully booked.

Normally the only reason to go to the Tute was when you didn't have enough money for a five packet of Woodbines. At the Tute they would sell you single fags, think it was either 2d or 3d a fag back in the early 1960's.

There was a path/track from the front of the Tute, going past the East end of South Row, past the B.U.D.C hut, bringing you out onto Station Road,  then turn left to get to the Station railway gates about 40 - 50 yards away.

With what Canny Lass 7 Symptoms have said it reminded me of a photo, can't remember who posted it on-line, of three men outside the Bedlington Colliery Institute. This is going back quite a few years and I recall that when I posted it back on one of the Bedlington groups nobody believed it could be the 'A' pits Tute and that it had to be from the Doctor Pit.

This is the photo, showing the year 1896 above the door, + how I posted it believing it could be the 'A' pit; but as I said above everyone said it wasn't the 'A'  pit and I just filed it away on the PC.

 

Then there is this image (looks like newspaper cutting) of the 'A' pit 

Edited August 26, 2020 by Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)

[Andy Millne]

On 24/08/2020 at 14:32, Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) said:

Can you update the settings so any member could use the Add Images option?

I've updated the album so anyone can add images.

[Canny lass]

19 hours ago, Symptoms said:

I reckon Inspector 'Canny Lass' Clouseau may have uncovered a dastardly Victorian plot, namely, there could have been two Institutes.  The one next to the Sun Inn 'explored' by Sym in the 60s and the Miners' one discovered by Canny wielding her magnifying glass.  I have to agree with her that the extension plan I posted earlier does indeed look like the building beside Bedlington A pit.

We need to find some old fella who might have supped in the Institute next to the Sun Inn to give us a clue to when it shut as a drinking establishment.  Remember, my internal examination of the place in the 60s suggests it was in use unti maybe a short time before I got in there. 

More digging required!  

From one researcher to another, it’s always worth looking a second time at the nine tenths of the one percent of what has previously appeared to be absopletely nothing to do with the subject being researched.  Getting someone else to take a second look is pure genius!

Good luck with the research. Keep us informed! The Victorian times in Bedlington are soooooooooo very interesting, judging by the census books.

On the question of Mechanics Institute vs. Institute,  it would appear that many MI:s became simply institutes. I have no facts as such but I’ve wondered if it might reflect:

a)      a widening of the availability of knowledge to other than ‘mechanics’, so to speak.

b)      A linguistic phenomenon of shortening. Language is lazy! It doesn’t want to jump hurdles to get out of the mouth so Mechanics Institute is shortened to Institute. In Netherton, that shortening process went one step further. We simply called it the ‘tute’.

On a more serious note, were the Mechanics Institutes always licensed premises or did that come later?

[Symptoms]

I've become a 'dog with a bone' over this Mechanics Institute business ... I've just spent four hours (FOUR HOURS!!!) looking at old issues of the Morpeth Herald reading about it and still more to absorb but as yet nowt concrete.  However, to muddy the waters even further there's a reference to Bedlington Station Mechanics Institute, mind that could be just some lazy/confused junior Victorian journo getting his facts wrong.

More to follow no doubt ....

Perhaps we need a separate thread for this topic?  Maybe it's too important to get mixed-up with pubs and inns.

Edited August 27, 2020 by Symptoms

[Canny lass]

3 hours ago, Symptoms said:

Perhaps we need a separate thread for this topic?  Maybe it's too important to get mixed-up with pubs and inns.

I agree. I've never considered the primary purpose of the Mechanics-, or any other, institute as purveyors of alcoholic beverages (though clearly, this has occurred at some time. For me, it's an educational- rather than a drinking establishment. It's obviously been an important feature of Bedlington life for many years and worth finding out about. Start a topic. There,s loads of questions I could ask.

Edited August 27, 2020 by Canny lass

[Canny lass]

3 hours ago, Symptoms said:

I've become a 'dog with a bone' over this Mechanics Institute business .

I know the feeling! I'm the same about Hollymount. It's killing me not being able to get to a decent library because of the travel restrictions for 'people of a certain age'.

[Miner Granddaughter]

On 04/03/2014 at 09:23, James said:

 

In one of Evan Martin's books he records the pubs that were in Bedlington in 1886  -

 

Beerhouses

Alma Inn, Glebe Row, Wm Barnes.

Barrington Arms, Vulcan Place, William Herron.

Cross Tavern Market Place, John Phillips.

Fountain Inn, Glebe Row, John Simm.

Gardener's Arms Front Street, Margaret Birkley.

Traveller's Rest, Front Street, Henry Kidd.

Wharton Arms Inn, West End, G Anderson.

Wheat Sheaf Inn, East End, Andrew Hay.

 

Hotels, Inns and Taverns

Black Bull, Front St, Henry Ternent.

Blue Bell, West End, Thos Mole.

Bridge Inn, East End, Robed Leslie.

Dun Cow, East End, Wm Green.

Howard Arms, Market Place Mark Bowman.

King's Arms, Market Place Hutton Glover.

Mason's Arms, West End, Thomas Hay.

Northumberland Arms, Northumberland St, James Archer.

Oddfellows Arms, East End, T R Simm.

Percy Arms, Bedlington Station, Wonders & Son.

Puddlers Arms, Bank Top, Joseph Wm Craggs.

Red Lion, Thos Robson.

Sun Inn, Front St, Wm Scott.

Tankerville Arms, Glebe Row, Joseph Cowans.

Traveller's Rest, Scotland Gate, T Morrow.

Turk's Head, Market Place, Mrs Hudspith.

 

I've no idea what the difference is between a Beerhouse, an Inn and a Tavern but according to this list there were 24 of them!

At the bottom end of the town, on the site where a "Jonnie Johnson†retirement home, "Wansbeck Court†has been built there used to be a block of flats. The block of flats was at some stage The Wheat Sheaf Inn as the name of the pub could be seen painted on the front of the building right up to the time the building was pulled down. It was demolished sometime in the 1950's. I have attached a photo of the inn.

On the attached map of Bedlington in 1897, PH means public house and most of the pubs listed above can be picked up on the map. The one marked in yellow is the position of The Wheat Sheaf Inn.

 

Hello All,

I've just joined this forum as I have family roots around the Bedlington area. Both my grandfather and great grandfather were born in the town, and other relatives have lived there, or nearby, so I'm looking forward to finding out more about them, and hopefully making some contributions to the site too 😀. 

They were mainly miners, hence my username, but I've resurrected this post to start with, because it mentions the Bridge Inn, which my 2x great grandfather ran in the 1860s or 1870s.

I knew it was on Front Street East, and I remember walking down the street about 20 years ago to see if I could see it, to no avail, as it had been demolished some time ago.

At the time, I remember seeing in a local directory that he ran it as a beerhouse, rather than an tavern or inn, which is interesting. It closed in 1939, I think.  Perhaps that was when it was demolished, I don't know. 

I also recall seeing a photo or print but it seemed to be under a bridge, next to the river. Don't think that makes sense with the Front Street East address, but locals may be able to clarify further. I've looked through the album you have on here, but cannot see anything there.

Sorry this is a bit vague, I need to access the records again when I can get the time.

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

@Miner Granddaughter - welcome to the group.

I don't research via census records etc. but I have looked at a few books on Bedlingon and the Bridge Inn has been mentioned but I can't remeber an exact location having been identified. A Bridge Inn is also in a list of pubs that was posted by @Reedy - the list was one made by his dad who lived on the Bebside side of the river Blyth in the 1930's near the Furnace Bridge  and all the familie's in that area were rehoused on the new council housing estates that were built after WWII. A Bridge Inn on Front Street East is listed in the Bennett's Business directory of 1905. I don't have that directory but I have extracts from it on Bedlington :-
I know a few members have looked on various old maps and as far as I can remember any Public House , marked 'PH' on the old maps have been identified. 

In the Gallery section of this group under the Historic Bedlington section is an album 'Bedlington drinking establishments - Then & Now' that was created with any old images of pubs that we could find. The last entry in the album there is posting for the Jollyanglers Inn next to Hartford Bridge and Hartford Bridge is at the bottom of the Bedlington Bank that is reached when you go past Bedlington Front Street East.  I can't remember where the map extract was found but it shows 'The Hartford Bridge Inn' :-

 

This is a list of drinking establishments that Evan Martin published in one of his books on Bedlingtonshire :-

Can't think of any other info that has been posted but I will have a search and let you know if anything fond.

 

[Miner Granddaughter]

Thank you for your help. It could well be the Hartford Bridge Inn. I did look through the albums before posting, but didn't make the connection with the name Hartford as a prefix. It looks to be in the right area, though. 

Edited September 19 by Miner Granddaughter

[Canny lass]

Hi @Miner Granddaughter and welcome to the forum. Bridge Inn, East End, Bedlington has nothing to do with Hartford Bridge Inn.

Bridge Inn, East End was located on the main street  (Front Street)

in Bedlington’s East End on the corner of Walker Terrace. The following map, dated 1859, is not particularly clear but Bridge Inn is in fact named.

It can be seen somewhat better, though not named, on the map from 1860.

The best map I can find is 1897 which shows the Bridge Inn (marked red) and the Wheatsheaf, its close neighbour, marked blue, on the corner of Chapel Row.

In the extract from Evan Martin’s book, which Alan posted above, Robert Leslie is named as the innkeeper of Bridge Inn, East End. I found him in the 1881 census in the building marked red on the above maps - on the corner of Front Street and Walker Terrace.

 

Edited September 20 by Canny lass

[Miner Granddaughter]

Thank you, at least I will know where it was situated when I next visit.