Garton House, Bedlington Station

[Justine Matchett]

I am hoping that someone can help me find Garton House, or at least where it used to be as I think it may have been demolished. It was occupied by Benjamin Graham in the 1940’s and his housekeeper (Minnie Pipe) was my grandma. Any info on the house or Minnie would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading.

Edited yesterday at 02:45 by Andy Millne
Email redacted

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

@Justine Matchett - can't remember the name Garton House, or the house owner Benjamin Graham, ever been mentioned before. Did a search on this group and  the local FB geoup, Bygone Bedlington, but no results returned. No doubt you have Googled/online searche for Garton House and nothing returned for Bedlington.

Doubt if the house name would get mentioned on the old maps but i will have a look.   

Would  it be Ok if I download your newspaper article and post it on the Bygone Bedlington group to see if any member has heard of garton House?

Edited yesterday at 09:50 by Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)

[Canny lass]

21 hours ago, Justine Matchett said:

I am hoping that someone can help me find Garton House, or at least where it used to be

Hi Justine, welcome to the forum. I'm pretty certain that I can help you with that. Benjamin Graham never lived at Garton House. That is a spelling mistake or a printing error in the newspaper article. Benjamin lived at GARDEN House in Bedlington Station (often referred to as West Sleekburn). I don't know if you know the area  but I'll try to explain its location. The site may well be occupied by a bungalow today but the remainder of the neighbouring houses are certainly still there. 

Benjamin's father moved into Garden House when it was newly built around 1910-12 and the family were still living there in 1939. Benjamins father, originally a carting contractor, branched out into market gardening and possibly the house got its name from that. The house was situated between the Railway Tavern (which was located on the site of the new car park) and Milburn House which is now  number 2 Melrose Villas.

Here is a map of the area Railway Tavern marked with black + and the 9 houses of Melrose Villas, marked in red.

 

previously had the address 'Melrose Terrace, plus house name only (no number). These names were (in order from the Railway Tavern to Bank Top): Garden House, Milburn House, Wesley House, Prior House, Rothley Shield, Bernicia, Thurston Villa, Gladstone House and Cresswell House. Milburn House, Bernicia and Cresswell House have retained their names.

Milburn House is arrowed in black and Cresswell House is arrowed in yellow. The adjoining terraced row, Melrose Terrace is marked in Green.

Here are some pictures. I think Garden House may have been replaced by the bungalow. I myself have no recollection of a bungalow there but perhaps someone else can throw a bit of light on when it was built. However, the other houses, all built within a couple of years can give you an idea of how Garden House was.

 

Melrose Villas looking towards Bank Top. The first of the 2 storey, semi-detached houses is Milburn House:

If you zoom in you can see the name above the door.

The last of those 2 storey houses is Cresswell House and the name is still above the door:

 

Edited 17 hours ago by Canny lass

[Canny lass]

PS If you want any of the documentation to prove the Graham family residence was 'Garden' House let me know and I'll send them to you.

[Justine Matchett]

This is tremendous, thanks so much. Anything you can send me would be greatly appreciated.

[Canny lass]

Just to be sure that Minnie was a housekeeper at this address I looked up her probate records, where you can always find the address at which the deceased lived. There an be no doubt that this was the correct person.

 

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

@Justine Matchett after @Canny lass posted her comment walong with the map I had a look (as CL has done) on Google street view and I zoomed in and took a screen shot of  three of the houses in Melrose Villas that have the old names displayrd on the glass pannels above the front doors :- 

No 1 Milburn House

N0 4 Rothley Shield

No 8 Creswell House

I can'r remember the bungalows from when I was 12 years old in October1960, but that's nothing unusual for me not to remember. 

I do rememer seeing an old photo (probably in a book by local man Evan Martin, showing Melrose Villars when they were fairly new. I will have a search through my stuff and see what house are in the photo. 

[Canny lass]

Thanks Alan! I hadn't seen Rothley Shield. Bernicia is also still there but now has a wall plaque to the right of the door.

[Canny lass]

Hi again Justine, for the Graham family I have census records 1911, 1921 and 1939 (the pre-war register). For Minnie, I have census records 1921 and , I believe, 1939. I also have a birth index for Minnie which would enable you to obtain a copy of her birth certificate. I'll send them to your inbox (the envelope top right of screen).

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

31 minutes ago, Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) said:

I do rememer seeing an old photo (probably in a book by local man Evan Martin, showing Melrose Villars when they were fairly new. I will have a search through my stuff and see what house are in the photo. 

Can't find the old photo that I mentioned online so I will have to wait until I can access the Evan Martin books and look throuth them.

What I did find on the FB group Bygone Bedlington was 'now & then' image that @John Fox (foxy) had posted, in 2016, showing Melrose Villas before the bungalows that are now there were buit. Foxy dosen't have a date of the old photo just his scribble on the photo (cos people kept downloading his old photos, having them printed and sold on ebay) :-

So is the first house on the left of Foxy's photo Garden House ?