Please Help

[Airlie Bird]

I am trying to find out as much about my grandads family as I can. His name was Thomas Rickatson and he was born in a place called Telephone Row. Can anyone tell me please is it still standing, or if not, what the area is closed now. Grandad is second left at the back and front and centre is my great grandma 

 

 

[webtrekker]

Hi. Telephone Row is no longer standing, along with all the other rows of colliery houses housing workers from the Dr. Pit colliery, also now long gone. 

It has been replaced by (I think) woodland along the course of Hassop Way, on the Beaufront Park housing estate. 

If you check the larger map at the end of this post by Eggy you will see exactly where Telephone Row was located... 

https://www.bedlington.co.uk/forums/topic/2684-double-row-bedlington/?do=findComment&comment=67005

Hope this helps a bit. 

[Airlie Bird]

Thank you so much, that’s a great help 👍👍

[webtrekker]

You're welcome. Others may have more in-depth knowledge than myself should you need further assistance. 

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

@Airlie Bird - The maps that I look at online,  National Library of Scotland,  have all the areas divided into segments and the only one that shows all the old pit rows plus the Doctor Pit is the 1896 map.

There are a couple of photos, that have been posted on the Bedlington Facebook sites, of Telephone Row residents but they only show the subject outside their own door - never seen a full street view of the row.

There are photos, from @John Fox (foxy) that show Doctor Terrace standing in 1989 and a couple of the demolition of Doctor Terrace at a later date - I don't know the year it was demolished and I have always assumed that Telephone Row - Cross Row & New South Row were demolished years before Doctor Terrace & Shiney Row but I have no proof. 

A 2017 Google aerial shot of the area with 'APPROX' outline for where the pit & rows used to be

 

 

Edited March 31, 2018 by Eggy1948

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

Sods law - but good in this case, I think. There is a photo taken from the Dr Pit Head Gear, possibly posted by @Rigger on the Facebook sixtownships site,  and it is commented that it is Telephone Row  in the photo :- 

[Airlie Bird]

You are a star Sir. I just wanna find out and what made grandad who he was. I can feel a visit to Bedlington coming off in the near future, thank you very much, I love the photo.

[Airlie Bird]

@webtrekker @Eggy1948 and everyone one of you kind folks that have helped, thank you so much for everything, it really is appreciated so much. I am planning to visit very soon, work permitting to see if I can find out some more about the area and grandads family if any of them are still in the area. The photo I posted on here was taken 71 or 72 when I was five or six.  All I can remember are the blonde lady at the front next to my great grandma is grandads sister Gladys, one of the gentlemen was called Jackie and one called Michael I think. I remember going to a wedding when I was there and visiting Blythe and Whitley Bay. Once again guys, thank you very much

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

@Airlie Bird - I posted the photo your photo on the Bedlington Facebook groups to see if any of the 'more mature' members could identify the street and estate it was taken on. The response was good, but often just pure guess work!

Of the council estates and street mentioned = The Oval - Roslin Terrace, Kelso Gardens, Tomlea Avenue, Waverley Avenue, Fontburn, Wood Lane, Poplar Grove, Dene View, Grange Park,The Hartlands, Westlea, Bishops Meadow, North Ridge, Link Avenue & Meadowdale (to name a few) - the area that seemed most likely, but not proven, was the streets off Netherton Lane = Link Avenue & Measowdale. These two streets were the closest fit (but naturally altered over the past 50 years)  where we could find council houses with a shared chimney stack; two sets of bedroom windows on the front, the brown metal poles supporting the front door canopy and drainpipes down the front of the house.

If any of the above names jogs your memory then please let me know and I will update the Bedlington groups and keep the pensioners happy 

[Canny lass]

Definitely not West Lea. Wrong type of window.

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

4 hours ago, Canny lass said:

Definitely not West Lea. Wrong type of window.

As it was chucking it doon yesterday I Google street view loads of estates, looking for semis with 1) a shared chimney stack 2) canaopies over the front door where there might have been metal supporting poles, painted brown, in an earlier life 3) drain pipes on the front of each semi 4) two sets of Bedroom windows  and lastly 5) a similar roof to the house in the top of Airlie's photo.

 My best guess is Link Avenue, just off Netherton Lane but can't find anyone on the Bedlington Facebook groups to confirm it.

Google street view of Link Avenue with a bit of Airlies ,in the corner , to compare :-

 

And these are some of the houses off the Bedlingon council estates that I had a look at :- 

Edited April 3, 2018 by Eggy1948

[Canny lass]

Fantastic job you've done there, Eggy. I think the area could be right but I don't think it's the house you point out. It's more likely to be one of the smaller houses in the area - like the one just showing at the right edge of the photo. In the original photo the upstairs windows show a 3-pane wide and a two pane wide window - typical for a front double bedroom and a boxroom över the stair well. The house you point out has two doubles and judging by the size, it always has had. Also the porch over the door is very near to the corner of the house leaving no room for a hall window downstairs. That's exactly what you see in the house to the right. 

[Airlie Bird]

I’ve done some investigating guys while researching my grandad. He was born and raised on Telephone Row in Bedlington but when he was 11, his mum and dad split up and he moved around between Bedlington, Cramlington and Blyth, which is actually where the photograph was taken, before landing in Hull with his dad when he was eleven. I’m going to attach a pic of a newspaper cutting taken from a Blyth newspaper when grandad met his mum again after 32 years, and you’ll see the street in question is called Devonworth Place. I’m so sorry for the confusion, I should have done my research before I troubled you fine folks and you did all that work. But it does prove one thing, grandad was right about you folks from Bedlington, fantastic people, will sooner do you a good turn than a bad one and will take you in as one of their own, even an outsider like me, and I’m starting to realise why grandad was like he was. I’m still planning to see where grandad was born and raised, even more so now.

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

12 minutes ago, Canny lass said:

 In the original photo the upstairs windows show a 3-pane wide and a two pane wide window - typical for a front double bedroom and a boxroom över the stair well. The house you point out has two doubles and judging by the size, it always has had. Also the porch over the door is very near to the corner of the house leaving no room for a hall window downstairs. That's exactly what you see in the house to the right. 

I'll have to fill up me Google Street View vehicle and do some more driving 

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

We were posting at the same time @Airlie Bird . I will put the Google Street View vehicle in the garage for now. 

I enjoyed the searching around my home town and rediscovered some memories. Hope you enjoy your trip up north.  

[Canny lass]

7 minutes ago, Airlie Bird said:

the street in question is called Devonworth Place.

Have you tried www.rootschat.com ?

It's fantastic for everything to do with the Blyth Area.

[webtrekker]

20 minutes ago, Eggy1948 said:

I'll have to fill up me Google Street View vehicle and do some more driving 

 

Make sure you have an alarm fitted and locking wheel nuts if you're taking that Google car for a spin around Blyth Eggy! 

[Airlie Bird]

The car is fuelled, my starting blocks are out and I’ll be starting in Bedlington tomorrow, thank you so much guys 🙌🙌🙌

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

14 hours ago, Airlie Bird said:

The car is fuelled, my starting blocks are out and I’ll be starting in Bedlington tomorrow, thank you so much guys 🙌🙌🙌

Champion

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Hi Arlie! Aam sure ye will love Bedlington,Blyth,Cramlington,and aal thi surroondin areas....we have the loveliest County in the Country...best beaches....most castles....finest untouched countryside.....did you see Cragside at Rothbury t'other neet?

A forgot ti mention...the frendliest folk in the country!

Hope ye find the info you are searching for!

Cheers!