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Thank you for getting in touch, I remember you well, and my sister Ann was madly in love with you! sadly, you were not interested in her and the tears flowed. You all moved to a council house near the Bedlington Terrier pub. We used to play all sorts of games in Stead Lane opposite the Pudlers Row houses. All different now. How I miss all the days spent at Granma’s in the summer. The Fenwick family as far as I remember was Norman, Danny, Arthur and David. Often I would call round the back to sit in your settee and read all the comics. We didn’t get comics. Your mum used to chat to me and I remember she was a very good cook so I hung about in case there was something on offer. Ann I’m sorry to say died 13 years ago but she did marry another David who celebrates his 90th birthday in August, so there is only me, my sister Susan who sadly has dementia, Jenny my cousin has also died. Me, I keep going with arthritis etc. and am now 85 years old and I live near Maidstone in Kent. Thanks for keeping in touch as at my age I live with my memories and it was lovely to get a blast from the past.. KathyX

I remember the shop in market place very well. Jimmy Milne's. As mentioned you had so much choice. I used to visit the cafe on the right hand side and have tea and soup. The young lass I went out with at the time worked in the office there. Really nice lass and She eventually went and joined the police force. I imagine She would have done very well as an intelligent lass and could write in short hand which would have been helpful. It is rather sad all these places closed but it is the same all over. Time stands still for no one. Thanks for the memories. Regards. Jim

My Gt Grandmother and Gt Grandfather had a building business. His name was James Johnson Mole and he married Catherine Easton. I often wondered if the cottages were any connection to her.. They lived in Gibson house in I think Rothesay Terrace. Their son Robert who was my Grandfather built a lot of houses in Stead Lane and you will still find manhole covers saying JJMole on the pavement in Bedlington. I was born at 9 Stead Lane, which my grandfather built and the house Pearmans next door as well and I remember very clearly the shop which I was sent to get messages for my Grandmother Alice Mole nee Green. In 1944 my Dad came home from the war and being a cockney we had to come doon sooth which broke my heart as I loved Bedlington. Alas, there is nobody I know now, either they moved away or died but my heart is still a Geordie and I can still speak the language fluently. We played with David and Arthur Fenwick, Olive Tipple, Tony Savilly who was called by us Tony is a billy because we could pronounce his surname, his Mum married an Italian and lived in the house right next to the shop. We played lots of games on Stead Lane, no traffic then, went to pledge doon the river Blyth, a children’s paradise The memories come flooding back. KATHLEEN NOTT - Maidstone Kent

Coach Road is shown in blue on the attached 1897 map of Bedlington East End. The road is still there leading to Spring view and the last houses were demolished in the early 1950’s. The East End Church of England school was only about 250 yards from Coach Road so is fair to assume that this is the school in the photo. The school (shown in yellow on the map) was closed in the early 1900’s and the site is now part of Hollymount Square.

Kings Coronation 2023

@Nicola Riley So pleased that you found her! A little correction: The photo doesn't show a PE class. Miss McLean (Later Mrs McDonald) was a PE teacher but this is a class photo for which Nancy (Miss McLean) was the form mistress. All classes had a form teacher. The class would go to her directly after assembly in the morning and she would fill in the attendance register before the pupils went to their first lesson. As Miss McLean was the only teacher of PE for girls then Joyce would certainly have gone to her PE classes.

April 2025

16th March 2025

You aren't too far off the mark, as both building's roofs could well have been constructed by the same contractor (maybe Bill Scott Engineering?), and they are pretty close to one another. It's the Millne Bike Factory behind the former Turk's Head Hotel in the Market Place (later to become Coop - Millne House, before recent demolition). Looks like the snow collapsed the roof. Date some winter in the 1930s I'd guess, but it could be the early 1940s as they were still making bikes for the Army, as well as Bailey Bridge parts up until around 1945. The roof would have been demolished by the Coop when they rebuilt the rear of the Millne department store. After WWII, the building became The Terrier Plate Works, thought there was still some remaining evidence of bike manufacture there in the early 1950s.

Hi Canny Lass!..many thanks for your kind reassurance and good advice..it is much appreciated!..aye,my Sister is ten years younger than me,and she has had Glaucoma since she was a lot younger..and has had Cataracts removed,and she is still enjoying reasonably good vision,but she has never driven..with me ,and others like me,having to stop driving is like cutting my legs off!!..but I'll get by!! The medical team at the RVI are magnificent!..aye,aam on two sets of eyedrops morning and night..have to see the team in eight weeks time..I do 't drink coffee,and not much tea ....and I aam a teetotaller ,so hopefully things will stay stable!! I thought my laptop screen was fading,cos my pit pics are ,or appear ti be,fading..but's it's me gaan bliind ye bugga!!.. Cheers folks,luvly ti hear from ye's again!! Bill.xx

@HIGH PIT WILMA Glaucoma is a serious illness, HPW, but it doesn’t necessarily have to lead to complete sight loss. You’ll probably need eye drops for the rest of your life and while they can’t cure the Glaucoma or restore what sight you’ve already lost they can prevent further loss of vision so keep using your drops and doing what the doctor tells you! We also have glaucoma in the family and were recommended to avoid caffeine which can increase the pressure in the eye. Avoid, or at least decrease, your intake of: coffee, tea and chocolate. (Tea has only half the amount of caffeine compared to coffee). Take real good care of yourself!

Laura Fawcett, my grandma, the small girl in the front row, was born at the house in April 1900. She would be approx 3-1/2 yrs old in this photo. "... altho' my mother said Laura was born at the waterworks house, it doesn't match with the census (1901 census has them at Pioneer Terrace and Thompson still working at the Bedlington pit as a Colliery Engineerman)"

My great grandpa, Bedlington native, Thompson Fawcett (1873-1953) was the Engineer at Humford Mill for many years. He always wore a trilby and had a bushy white moustache (he may the suited gentleman on the right in the photo above). They lived at the mill in the house on the left with the bay window (the 1911 census lists Thompson, his wife Margaret and daughter Laura. Thompson is listed as Stationary Engineerman). Earlier (1901 census) he worked at the pit until he was injured in a pit incident. By 1904 he was working at the Waterworks as he hosted the wedding reception for Sam Mortimer and Isabella Swann at the house at the waterworks 26 Sept, 1904. (I will post a picture if I can find it.) When the waterworks shut (or possibly earlier) he and his wife moved to Hepscott where he tended some pit ponds.

Don't panic! Keep on clarting!

Unfortunately CL I am at the stage where I don't want to start learning, and paying a monthly charge for, some new 'photshop' software . I enjoy the world moving forward and advancements in all fields progressing and making the working day easier for the professionals but I'm in my little world using the Microsoft Digital Image Pro 10 (MDI) software that I clarted with for many months finding out what I could achieve. When I first bought a new Desktop with Windows 7 I did export the MDI software from the vista PC and import it on the Windows 7 PC but the software wouldn't load so I have kept the old PC going for the last 5 years. I have, three weeks ago, replaced my Windows 11 Desktop PC (that one daughter said wasn't 'fit for purpose' ) for a new PC with i5 16GB processor and if I was into gaming I would have gone for the i7 with 32GB RAM but I am not into gaming, just clarting

It's a man thing. Trust me, I'm a woman!

Thanks for that little gem, @James! I thought that I'd researched my old school (Nedderton village) well but I never knew that it was once a church school.

I have just joined your page, after being directed here, by a kind soul on FB Ancestry page. My Father was baptised in the Netherton Church Mission, in 1919, according to his baptism certificate. I have just ordered his birth certificate, so hoping it contains an address. His Father was a miner at the time. The family name was Harrod. I am going to be in Blyth in June and am hoping to visit some of the places I have come across, whilst researching my ancestors. This page is great!

This gathering was more likely to have been for those officers based in the wider 'local area' attending a centralised training session at the Grammar School. Most of the villages/towns in the area of south Northumberland (and Nationwide) would have had Home Guard troupes under the command of an officer so I reckon they could be from Morpeth, Ashington, Blyth, and assorted villages.

It has been converted into a house now.

Number 6 is Bill Moore. My brother!

Thats Clifton Row in the picture .brings back memories of young harry saddler sitting on the fence between their house and ours telling me he was eating worms when it was spaghetti i lived in no26 i was only 4 or 5 at the time

Wahey! Exactly as a remembered it! Costain Mining laid this temporary road and built the two bailey bridges, this one and the river crossing one, to take coal from the opencast mine at Acorn Bank, overland to Bebside Colliery, after public complaints about coal laden lorries speeding down Bedlington, otherwise quiet, main street, one of which knocked my faithful little dog down and killed him, having nearly hit me as we crossed the road. Tulip owned the fleet of old banger lorries, and they used ti belch out black smoke screens all the way up the road, after having climbed Bedlington Bank, empty, on the way back to the Opencast site, where the Golf Course is now, but this was around 1956. The 30-ton Euclids trucks, and also 42-ton Coal Haulers, used to make the bridges bounce e up and down as if they were made of elastic! Thanks for posting Alan! Made me happy ti see it again! Cheers Bill.

"Mr Todd!" He was deputy head of house (Hadrian)miss Ramshaw was head they were quite a good team I left in 1977 anyway a funny story about Mr Todd. I remember standing at the wall he came up to me I was wearing red & White Dr Martens, he looked me up & down & said are you a clown 🤡 boy basically he sent me home to change my shoes. Looking back on it now he was 100% right super photo that's made me smile with affection 👍🏻

If this is 1948 then nr. 5 (Maud Bower) would be about 14 and that would be about right (born 1934). However, the closure of Netherton Colliery school couldn't have been the reason for the move to West End Council School. It was open long after 1948. I was a pupil there myself for a large part of the fifties.

George Campbell is No 33 on this photo. Recently, I sent George, who now lives in Scotland, a copy of this photo. Needless to say he was very happy to get a copy after all these years. George responded with some comments about the photo. George comments that most of the boys in the photo would be aged 13/14 years old and are still wearing short trousers. George provided following information: # 26 is Sylvia Golding (Maureen Curry was a year younger) # 34 is Herbert Nicholson The following pupils are missing from the photo for some reason: Mary Snaith (Netherton) Ella McLean Mary Wilton (may have gone to musical college) Peter Leithard (Netherton) The pupils which came from Netherton Colliery School when it closed are numbers 5, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 34, 29, 30 in the photo.

Definitely bot Netherton. The only windows in Netherton were the four-paned sash type.

@Canny lass- some of Alan Dickson's paintings that he posts on the Bygone Bedlington, Cambois and Barrington groups. This photo I would say was 50+ years ago - could be Netherton Colliery - see text. Alan did join this group in 2014 but was only active for just under 5 months. Alan often posts a poem abut each of his paintings. This is a typical Alan Dickson poem :- Mind I had a funny dream , I was tossing and turning, Guess I had too much to dream, Just couldn't fall properly asleep, I remember I was aboot halfway counting the sheep. The cortins kinda fluttered and an old wummin came in from oot of the mist,came forward and sat on the side of the bed and gave me a kiss, I knaa I noticed the silver strands in her auburn hair, And the sparkly things dancing aboot in her eyes, Bugger this old lad was very surprised, To see his Mother putting a hand forward and stroking his head,, I reckon she must have thowt I was worried aboot this or that, But to tell the truth I didn't know what, She just spoke the once!! Son am nivvor very far away, I watch you every day!! I know your getting old, and the hairs whiter than grey, So your Mother thought she'd better call in and tell you, In her eyes, your still her little lad at the end of the day, She gave a little smile and drifted back oot in the mist, Now I wasn't sure if I had been dreaming or not. But I felt my hand ganning up to touch the spot where I thowt she had kissed, I must have fell back into deep sleep, Cos I couldn't see any more sheep.

Here's one the right way up, but I still don't know who it is?

8 Alex Swan (Best Man at my wedding) 3 David Fenwick (Me) 4 David Veitch 10 Bernard Foster ??

@Damian Robson further update as I missed the No8,9 10 that I had added at the top left of the photo and added them along the bottom. It's just me getting dafter as I get older. I haven't attempted to remove any of the duplicated text.

Thanks 😊 they work quick on there!

Early 1950s I think

My half brother Colin Jordan. Who died suddenly at home earlier this year. He'd often nip up and drive around the areas he grew up in; North Ridge, Netherton colliery, Steadlands Square, Clement Avenue etc.

A bit late,but just catched up heor..the year luks a bit mair accurate..but the number and some name still dinna add up!!

No, only Coach Road leading to Bells Place, Hi Carly! I don't think this is St Cuthberts (the village school). I agree that the brickwork is similar but windows are very different. St Cuthberts had windows with 16 panes of glass - 2 rows of 4 in the upper half and the same in the lower half. Your photo shows only what I think are windows with 4 large panes - 2 up, 2 down. I think there are two other possible schools: Whitley Memorial School in Vulcan Place. It was there from at least 1856 and only a couple of hundred yards from Coach Lane. WM had some 4 pane windows as you can see in this photo of the football team taken in 1920 and the brickwork bears a striking resemblance: This type of window was very common in East End of Bedlington in the earlier dwellings and you can see them above in the photo of Bell's Place. The other possibility is the private (Presbyterian) School that Eggy mentions above. Unfortunately, we have no phototos of that school.

@carly I'll see if i can find Coach Row on any of the old maps and if I can find it it should give us a clue to what school they went to.

They didn't leave a name. The message originated from Guildford if that's any help.

Thanks @Stephen Durrell - unfortunately it was 2018 when Carole who posted the photo last visited this site but I am sure she would be please with your update

Hi Sheila, welcome to the forum! I'm afraid Netherton Colliery is long gone, but I can point out the 'mission' where your father was baptised. It was still active during my early childhood but later became a garage/workshop for a small haulage business. It was located next door to the school and labelled 'Mission Room' on this 1921 map. It can also be seen in this aerial view (though now in use as a haulage yard). It's the light coloured building at right angles to the houses with the school on its left.

The rest of the names from Graeme Ogle's dad :-

Heh heh! Alan,wud be a queer sight seeing unmentionables fleeing through the air,and landing on sumbody's windscreen gaan at sivinty mile an oor!! Hope ye are keeping areet,Cath not grand at aal..me like ye,lossing me legs and struggling ti keep vertical! Cheers Alan,it's Bait-time! Bill.

Billy Swann my great uncle is the one on the left Joseph Swann ( my grandfather) in the middle and Tommy Swann my great uncle on the end . My grandad was a winder at netherton pit , not sure what my great uncles did . Im not sure of the year but i know my grandad died in 1964 age 72 . Sorry i cant give you any more information. The picture is now at woodhorn museum with other items from when my father died in 2013

@Jennifer Ann AtkinsonI assume your family has this photo. If you could give me any info eg. the year - who the two guys are on the left as you look at the photo etc. I will add the info to the photo. With the info we have so far :-

@HIGH PIT WILMA - and the other Bailey bridge that went across the river Blyth.

The Heron Family were a lovely set of neighbours to have,young Frankie,and Jackie,pictured her,were two fine lads,Frankie always had his camera oot in the street recording family and Community life as it was in the late 940's and through the 1950's.We have him to thank,as well as recently deceased Billy Wright,our next door neighbour,for our family photographs as well as all our young friends playing together on warm summer nights in Hollymount Square! A wudn't mind betting either Billy Wright took this pic,or Frankie gave his camera to somebody else to take it with him on it!

So sorry @Canny lass the gentleman is Alan Dickson, a local hero, artist and sage. When @Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)needs Barrington Barnton Remembered information @Alan dickson is the go-to man! I believe Alan Dickson is the Eggy equivalent for Barrington. Sorry about the upside down pic, it was right way up till I posted it. The gals are Josephine MiBestie and the dishevelled selfie’s author myself RoseanneRainbow 😁x

Back in 1960 Ken Russell made a remarkable film about mining in Northumberland called The Bedlington Miners' Picnic. John Gibson was a Bedlington miner in the 1960's working down the pit and making a decent living. He was also the real life star of a Ken Russell documentary film - The Bedlington Miners' Picnic in 1960. One of the photos taken was of John Gibson, of Bedlington, going work, at Pegswood Colliery, on his bike along Shiney Row. With one photo Ken Russell posted he added some info saying the miner was - 'on his way back home from his shift' but my view is that the miner is cycling out of Shiney Row, onto the main raid, to make his way to Pegswood Colliery. This is the photo, with the Dr Pit in the background, with some of the info that went with the photo :-

@Rigger - names updated. @Canny lass - differences in Riggers list to your list = CL Rigger 16. Lorraine Armstrong Margaret Coppin Lorraine Armstrong - No 34 24 Barbara (Stephenson?) Barbara Smith ? 31 Patricia French ? Kathleen Brown

With help from one of the girls from the photo 15. Dorren Anderson, 16. Margaret Coppin, 17. Margaret Morton, 18. Jacqueline Armstrong, 19. Pat French, 20. Pat May?, 24. Barbara Smith?, 25. Anne Tyler, 26. Janice Hindhaugh, 27. Lesley Bainbridge, 31. Kathleen Brown, 32. Eileen Brown, 33. Joyce Butcher, 34. Lorraine Armstrong, 35. ?, 36. Yvonne Williamson, 37. ?, 38. Ann Chapplehow, 39. Ann McClellan, 40. Janice Rowsett, 41. Anna Thain, 42. Margaret Humble?, 43. Lorna Hudson