Concrete things in fields

[Canny lass]

It may well be that after passing Willow Bridge it continues towards Sleek Burn. I'll have a look.

It does indeed flow into the Sleek Burn as can be seen on this 1806 OS First Series map (Sheet 105 NW)

 

Edited May 26, 2021 by Canny lass

[lilbill15]

Good evening @Canny lass, so, Netherton colliery esp. Francis Pit, is much nearer to West Bedlington than I realised. Also GLetch does veer Westish before heading to Choppington area. Looking at your latest map I can narrow down the area of “concrete things “, to somewhere the green and Netherton Letches meet to the east of the area in question. Do you have the legend for this map? I’m not sure what the various lines/dotted lines stand for-?footpaths/field boundaries etc. I’ll try to indicate on the map you sent me what I am looking at, thank you thank you xx

[Canny lass]

19 minutes ago, Canny lass said:

t does indeed flow into the Sleek Burn as can be seen on this 1806 OS First Series map (Sheet 105 NW)

I posted the wrong map and I was too late to edit. This is the 1806 map I meant to post. Here you can follow the whole course from Ewart Hill to Sleek Burn.

 

 

Edited May 26, 2021 by Canny lass

[lilbill15]

32 minutes ago, Canny lass said:

.... and here's a map from 1947 showing the origin of the Green Letch just north of Ewart Hill. It's the blue line starting just to the west of B in Bedlington.

 

Yes, lovely, fits perfectly x. I’m (irritatingly) wondering what it’s source is? Where does the water come from? That’s bye the way.

On your previous map between the E &D of the upper Bedlington inscribed on the map there’s something marked on the vertical line between Netherton Letch and the railway line. I can’t make out what it says....

[Canny lass]

I tried to reconstruct your walk from Willow Bridge and I think you may be somewhere here.

 

[lilbill15]

Someday soon, when the weather is right, Me’nMax are going to follow that little line from close to Ewart Hill to the Sleekburn junction, taking a picnic and iPhone to record the events and send you some pics xx

[Canny lass]

27 minutes ago, lilbill15 said:

Netherton colliery esp. Francis Pit, is much nearer to West Bedlington than I realised.

Just a very short walk, even for my 8 year old legs, across the fields.

[Canny lass]

1 minute ago, lilbill15 said:

Me’nMax are going to follow that little line from close to Ewart Hill to the Sleekburn junction, taking a picnic and iPhone to record the events and send you some pics

I'll look forward to seeing them! It must be at least 40 years since I was anywhere near.

[lilbill15]

5 minutes ago, Canny lass said:

I'll look forward to seeing them! It must be at least 40 years since I was anywhere near.

I was born 57, you? x

I’m going to have to rest my eyes a while, that last map looked spot on but I’m struggling to read the small print so I’ll take a breather, BEST regards, Roseanne x

[Canny lass]

19 hours ago, lilbill15 said:

Do you have the legend for this map? I’m not sure what the various lines/dotted lines stand for-?footpaths/field boundaries etc

No, I don't have a legend for any maps.I haven't needed one for a long time. When I've been stuck I've simply typed 'ordnace survey symbols' or 'maps conventional signs and symbols' into the search box and choose from the many sites returned. There are some good quick guides which are compact enough to have on an A4 paper when you are out and about. I've usually found them too small when viewing on my mobile.

[Canny lass]

19 hours ago, lilbill15 said:

I was born 57, you?

47

[Canny lass]

19 hours ago, lilbill15 said:

On your previous map between the E &D of the upper Bedlington inscribed on the map there’s something marked on the vertical line between Netherton Letch and the railway line. I can’t make out what it says....

If you mean the text which I've marked in red, it says "Brick works" as do the other two which I've marked blue. The whole of that area was brick works so It doesn't surprise me that you find bricks. I think the kids of Netherton helped to spread them all over the place.

[Canny lass]

If like me, you are 'optically challenged' it can be a good idea to save the map from here to your own PC then you can zoom in and out as much as you like.

[lilbill15]

Hello there @Canny lass, I know exactly what you mean about the small script on the phone, struggling to see yesterday’s map gave me a headache. I’ve just read your reply but I don’t have a PC, I vowed after retirement never to go near one again 😂x. I had a fresh look this morning and I’m sure you’ve got the right position for my Willow Bridge approach. Have been able to expand enough to see that it’s just numbers beside what are probably field edges. There’s no sign or suggestion of any buildings in the area where I’ve seen the earth/brick piles but there’s nothing to say the old brickyard wasn’t spread wide over the area when it was demolished? Also currently no reason to think maybe it is being prepared for some construction? I’ll just wait to see. If this weather holds Me’nMax are going to follow the GLETCH from North Ridge to it’s junction with the Netherton Letch and back around to Blue House, seeing it with different eyes and looking for markers of previous communities, esp Francis Pit. Photos to follow 🤞🏼X

[lilbill15]

Just an afterthought- you mentioned a “scary bridge “? Whereabouts is/was it, please? Regards Roseanne x

[Canny lass]

It wasn't so much the bridge, though it was quite rickety, it was more the steep incline leading down to it that scared me. It was often muddy and slippery. The footpath from the bridge to Northumberland Ave, is marked out on the map. I've outlined it in red. It skirted the farmer's fields. If you are looking about the area of Francis pit be very, very careful! I don't know how the shaft is today. When I was a child there was an old stone tower, presumably for the winding gear, though I never saw the gear. The tower was removed early fifties and left a gaping shaft. A neighbour's boy fell to his death there. This prompted the sealing of the shaft with old railway tracks (the metal rails only) crossing the shaft and embedded in cement on either side. It didn't stop us playing there - daring each other to run across the rails. It was a wonder no-one else was killed. We were so skinny then we could have easily fallen between the rails. I've no idea how it is today but you can see the shaft marked on the map to the south of the earthworks and path over the bridge. Do take care!

 

[lilbill15]

Lovely! Thank you for this, I’ll take a careful look tomorrow if it doesn’t rain. I’m a bit dubious how much I’ll find as I suspect a lot of the history is under the new houses. I’ll track the Letch, make note of where the houses stop and what remains of the wagon way (?Lonnen). Now you’ve described the approach to the “scary bridge “, I think I know where you mean- from the SE corner of the concrete things field there is a very steep and muddy when wet, slippery slope down to water I’ve heard below. I’ve tried a couple of times and chickened out plus once tried to get down when Josephine was with me but we both agreed it probably wasn’t worth the risk. However I’ll be approaching from the opposite direction tomorrow so it might look different from a different angle? I’ll definitely keep my eyes open for old shafts etc and if it looks dodgy I’ll just go home instead. 
Looks like your path to Westmorland|Northumberland Aves is still there snaking through the new houses-that’s another day out for Me’nMax xx

[lilbill15]

On 27/05/2021 at 17:33, lilbill15 said:

Lovely! Thank you for this, I’ll take a careful look tomorrow if it doesn’t rain. I’m a bit dubious how much I’ll find as I suspect a lot of the history is under the new houses. I’ll track the Letch, make note of where the houses stop and what remains of the wagon way (?Lonnen). Now you’ve described the approach to the “scary bridge “, I think I know where you mean- from the SE corner of the concrete things field there is a very steep and muddy when wet, slippery slope down to water I’ve heard below. I’ve tried a couple of times and chickened out plus once tried to get down when Josephine was with me but we both agreed it probably wasn’t worth the risk. However I’ll be approaching from the opposite direction tomorrow so it might look different from a different angle? I’ll definitely keep my eyes open for old shafts etc and if it looks dodgy I’ll just go home instead. 
Looks like your path to Westmorland|Northumberland Aves is still there snaking through the new houses-that’s another day out for Me’nMax xx

Evening @Canny lass, back from my travels, glorious day!  I took pics along the way, most of which need editing so I’ll just share a couple now and the others when they’re tidied up. Didn’t find any remnants of Francis or Howard pits, there’s a lot of trees and quite dense undergrowth along the GLetch, or cultivated fields in the areas suggested by the map making it impossible for me to see anything notable. I took pics of the 2 bridges I crossed, both in deep gullies, the wooden one certainly en route for the Nland Ave path you marked on the map. Anyway, my bath is calling, speak soon Rx

[Canny lass]

Thank you @lilbill15! It looks like a nice walk and the dog (Max?) seems to be enjoying it. I'm trying to get my bearings and I'm wondering about the houses in the last photo. Any adea what the street is called? Is it in Choppington or Bedlington? Is that an old farmhouse next to it?

[lilbill15]

20 minutes ago, Canny lass said:

Thank you @lilbill15! It looks like a nice walk and the dog (Max?) seems to be enjoying it. I'm trying to get my bearings and I'm wondering about the houses in the last photo. Any adea what the street is called? Is it in Choppington or y

20 minutes ago, Canny lass said:

Thank you @lilbill15! It looks like a nice walk and the dog (Max?) seems to be enjoying it. I'm trying to get my bearings and I'm wondering about the houses in the last photo. Any adea what the street is called? Is it in Choppington or Bedlington? Is that an old farmhouse next to it?

Evening @Canny lass the last photo is horses in the foreground and Sunnyside in the background, looking at Choppington road, Glebe farm off to the right (north).  The‘concrete things’ field is definitely the landfill on top of the clay pit that Akan Dickson described. Yes, Max =dog, 3rd anniversary of rescue today, spent the day at Brown’s farm with Josephine and Poppy. My birthday treat has been to download OS maps online, now can record and check where I’ve been, then compare to old maps. Also bought paper map so I can plot what was against what is.

Got lots more pics along the way, will post them for you xx

[lilbill15]

4 minutes ago, lilbill15 said:

Last pic? Ewart Hill viewed from blue house farm Lane end/Nedderton road junction. 

[Canny lass]

This pic is the one I was referring to;

[lilbill15]

Yup, looking east, back of Sunnyside and adjacent buildings Choppington road, 

[lilbill15]

4 minutes ago, lilbill15 said:

Yup, looking east, back of Sunnyside and adjacent buildings Choppington road, Dr pit heap visible in the background x

[lilbill15]

On 16/05/2021 at 11:19, lilbill15 said:

Many thanks for this Mr Dickson, but I think the things I’m asking about are in the next field- they are concrete about 18” high and approx 5 feet in diameter, there’s a dark green door on top looks big enough for a man to get in. The green cabinets beside it is about 4 feet high and ?8-12 inches deep. I must remember to take my phone with me next time to take a pic. Regards, R

Hello Mr Dickson, sir, I am now absolutely sure you’re correct, of course, about this field. Thank you very much for the information, I have learned about another layer of history . Older and wiser, indeed. Thanks again xx