Lairds House Front Garden

Elaine Firth?

On 12/06/2021 at 22:58, Andy Millne said:

Elaine Firth?

Yes, I think that's Elaine. But this isn't actually Laird's House front garden. It's the house to the East of Laird's House, the large front room of which was originally the Laird's House (40 Front Street East) kitchen.

Elaine's father worked for the BUDC and was I think the first tenant on 40A after it was separated from Laird's House sometime in the late 1950s.  The numbering system became a little confused there due to the dividing (and subdividing) of the properties over the years. I think fractions were involved somewhere as well as letters - I used to be able to explain this in detail!  

The plaque on the wall (above the pram hood) is probably that of Ian Henderson: the dentist who came to Bedlington around that time. That building later became the Post Office.  At some far earlier point, this building was given the name Longstone.

If you look beyond the hedge, you can see that at this point the two shopfronts hadn't been fitted to the single story building there. The nearest one of those became Rediffusion after it was a dress shop.  Beyond that, you can see Todd's wet fish shop (the first taller building), where Mrs Todd still had an open window displaying her fish.  Next one down on the other side of the arch was Allsop's (sp?) the barbers.  I think you can even spy the windows of the BUDC offices where the Miner's Picknick brass band contest judges used to sit, and onward...!