Back Clayton Street, Bedlington Station

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

@Canny lass would you do me a favour and see what info the enumerator has in the 1911 census records for Back Clayton Street.

I had neve heard of that street until this old photo (no date given) of Clayton Street was posted a couple of days ago on the Facebook group Bygone Bedlingtom :-

 

and one member, Jan Appleby, made this comment :-

So I searched everywhere I normally search and only found one other comment that mentioned it and the was by @tullybrone in this group in 2013 :-

 

I then checked the old maps between 1896 and 1921 and no mention of Back Clayton Street. Only Cross Row and Phoenix Row behind Clayton Streeet.

Help

 

 

 

[Canny lass]

The photo shows Front Clayton Street with the spire of St Johns in the distance. Back Clayton Street was, in fact, the same row of back-to-back houses entered from the rear of the buildings.

 No need to check the census, Alan, I’ve ‘wandered’ up and down Clayton Street many times on maps and census returns as I’ve had relatives living in both Front Clayton Street and Back Clayton Street in 1911. In 1901 these streets were called First Street and Second Street. Both streets were comprised of 36 two-roomed dwellings that housed mostly miners. They appear to have been extremely overcrowded with many housing 9-10 people – of which a couple could be lodgers! Imagine the sleeping arrangements!!

The map below shows the houses on Clayton Street (green) built in two blocks of back-to-back houses. The first block with 40 dwellings, was located between Pheonix Street (blue) and the entrance to Cross Street (red). The second, with 32 dwellings, was located between the entrance to Cross Street and North View (Not shown on this map).

Here’s a zoomed view of the first block nrs. 1 - 20 Front Clayton Street (red) and 1 – 20 Back Clayton Street (blue). Nrs 1 and 2 Back Clayton Street was a “Bake House” and did not house a family in 1911. From the photo, it appears that nrs. 1 and 2 Front Clayton Street have also been some sort of business premises. You can clearly see the back-to-back style of building with entrances on both sides of the block.

I’ve often wondered how the toilet facilities worked. As you see, these are facing Back Clayton Street. However, there appears to be some sort of passage way connecting front and back every 8 – 12 dwellings. Must have been a nightmare for the residents of Front Clayton Street on cold winter’s morning.