The Puddlers return

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

Puddlers reincarnates itself! Driving through Bedlington today and decided to have a quick look at Coquetdale Place & Steadlands Square expecting all the new builds of where the aerie houses where to be complete. When I turned in at SteadlandsSquare/Wood Lane and then turned right expecting to pass Tosson Close was a street sign for PUDDLERS DRIVE.

As I don't posses a mobile device, for taking photos, I didn't get a picture.

Checked on the NCC web site and found :-

08/00413/FUL | Demolition of no 7 and 8 Tosson Close and the erection of 10no two storey dwellings and 2no three storey dwellings (amended plans received 02.02.2009) | Land On East Side Of Tosson Close U6550 Tosson Close/wood Lane Bedlington Northumberland
Full Address: 10 Puddlers Drive Bedlington Northumberland NE22 5GZ - Property Description: Puddlers Drive - Street: U6550 Coquetdale Place/tosson Close :-

https://publicaccess.northumberland.gov.uk/online-applications/propertyDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=L1ON3FQS03X0P

 

Edited February 8, 2016 by Eggy1948

[Maggie/915]

Good to know that our History is being noted .

Maybe a little note about why this name is being used would help.

Thanks Eggy.

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Heh heh! It's amazing whaat HPW can dae eh!!

Aav got a lot o' pull wi thi planning department ye knaa.........whaat AAA say...... gaans!!.....[ownly it shudda sed "Puddlaa's Raa" !!]

Thanks for daeing thi research,and posting thi info!

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

20 hours ago, Maggie/915 said:

Good to know that our History is being noted .

Maybe a little note about why this name is being used would help.

Thanks Eggy.

Maggie - I have never found a load of info on The Puddler's connected to the Iron Works. There again I haven't really looked that far, just via Google! 

Never found a photo of the type of puddling furnace that was used at the Bedlington Ironworks.

From the info that is around 'the puddlers' were a breed of their own, and imported into many steel & railway production areas in England. As the old maps show the name Puddlers was used for roads, houses and a pub.

Extracts from a couple of www sites and and a concocted photo to follow :- 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedlington_Ironworks

Bedlington Ironworks, in Blyth Dene, Northumberland, England, operated between 1736 and 1867. It is most remembered as the place where wrought iron rails were invented by John Birkinshaw in 1820, which triggered the railway age, with their first major use being in the Stockton and Darlington Railway opened in 1825, about 45 miles (72 km) to the south. Blyth Dene, near Bedlington, was an idyllic location next to the River Blyth which had all the right ingredients for an ironworks at the time: there were nodules of ironstone in the coal laden banks of the river, there was plenty of wood for the traditional approach of charcoal making, water for driving the hammers, and the port of Blyth was only two miles downriver for shipping of the products. At the time, a Shropshire man, Abraham Darby had started a revolution in ironmaking by using coke instead of charcoal. The Bedlington ironworks originally consisted of two elements – a mill in Bebside and a furnace at Bedlington Mill

The ancient corn mill at Bedlington was taken over in 1759 by Malings & Co of Sunderland, who built a blast furnace for foundry work. However they did not do well. Later there was a forge driven by a huge water wheel and a puddling furnace which needed the coal that was all around.

http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Bedlington_Ironworks

The dawn of the nineteenth century saw Hawks and Longridge still in command of the Bedlington Iron Works. The discoveries by Abraham Darby, the introduction of the puddling furnace and the rolling mills were all contemporary happenings of the early Bedlington iron workers. The "ironmen" of Bedlington undoubtedly established their trade well into the eighteenth century, by expanding business and spreading the name of the firm.

1855 The locomotive factory was closed down. The cost of transit was far too great, and competition was too much to contend with.

The Bedlington Coal Co purchased the iron works in 1865 and traded as Bedlington Iron Co. The intention was to manufacture iron mouldings for their own use and for outside sales. But little was made of it and the iron works were finally abandoned in 1867. Bedlington Coal Company did sell one possession of the Ironworks in 1867 and that was the famous wagon way, which went from Blyth to the Tyne Railway Company.

From Bedlington ‘time line’ http://www.sixtownships.org.uk/bedlington-time-line.html

1864 Dixon & Mounsey built twenty-one cottages named Puddlers Row

Rootsweb site  http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/NORTHUMBRIA/2005-06/1119510958 has one researcher giving this info :-

The terraced "cottages" that housed the "puddlers" from the Bedlington Iron Works were called Puddlers Lane, Row and Road.

Today they are Stead Lane and Jubilee Terrace. Today's "Bank Top Hotel" was once the Puddlers Arms.

To get "half" a view of the area, go to >communities.northumberland.gov.uk< choose "Bedlington", from left hand menu, click on "Ordnance Maps"

The 1st Edition 1860 6" map showing the town/village of Bedlington only shows a wee bit of Bedlington Station, and the Ironworks. See it at extreme right hand of map.

See Puddlers Row, running north from Furnace Bank to the Railway Station (Jubilee Terrace today.). The un-named road running west from Bank Top to Bedlington proper, was to become Stead Lane. Although the map does not make it clear, this lane was on the very edge of a gorge, running down to the River Blyth. At one time this was known as Puddlers Lane. Area is also to be seen on 2nd edition 6" map of 1897. Apity that map are focused on Bedlington, and not Bedlington Station.

And an extract from a newsletter on the http://www.eastbedlingtonpc.org.uk/ site by Councillor Allan Stewart :-

Councillor Allan Stewart, Chair of the Environment Working Group commented that “the Puddlers are now more accessible to parishioners with mobility problems allowing

them to enjoy the swathes of daffodils in the spring and the floral displays in summer”. He added “for those unfamiliar with the local name for the Stead Lane, a ‘Puddler’ was involved in the process of puddling which turned pig into wrought iron and has an  obvious connection with the former Iron Works nearby”.

 

And finally my image concoction - extracts from two old maps and although they do not join perfectly most of the relevant info is still there + current google aerial view of the new houses - Coquetdale, Steadlands Square, Tosson Close & the location of the two PUDDLERS DRIVE street signs :- 

[Maggie/915]

There should be an award for research into local history.

Well done eggy.

Our town deserves National Recognition.

A healthy place to live with history and heritage .

I love the 'swathes of daffodils and floral displays'

Bedlington in Bloom.

Also good pictures of the here and now

[tonyg]

Should you hear an unusual noise when passing Bedlington churchyard. don't be unduly alarmed; it's only Michaee.l Longridge .turning in his grave.  Died October 1858.

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

On 2/11/2016 at 00:31, HIGH PIT WILMA said:

Heh heh! It's amazing whaat HPW can dae eh!!

Aav got a lot o' pull wi thi planning department ye knaa.........whaat AAA say...... gaans!!.....[ownly it shudda sed "Puddlaa's Raa" !!]

Thanks for daeing thi research,and posting thi info!

HPW - Don't know what the final outcome will be! Don't know if there is still to be blocks of flats called Puddlers Drive or is it just the strip of road, between the two Puddlers Drive sign posts that is named Puddlers Drive. I know the planning/building application says 'demolition of 7 & 8 Tosson Close to build .........." but Nos 7 & 8 (as well as 9-14) have been rebuilt and the piece of land that used to be Nos 1-6 Tosson Close is still just a strip, of grassed, land. The strip of land on the opposite side of the road to 1-6 Tosson Close, that used to be Nos 21 & 22 Coquetdale Place is where the photographed sign of Puddlers Drive above was taken.

I will try and remember to drive there next year and see what progress there is, and if the estate is Puddling!.

Edited February 12, 2016 by Eggy1948

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Heh heh! Thanks for aal thi info Eggy,this is aal interesting stuff,seeing as wor lass was born in Puddler's Raa..!

Thanks again for posting,and tekking thi time ti research stuff!

[Canny lass]

Thanks from me too Eggy! You do a great job! The research must take hours and every minute is appreciated by me.