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According to Stephen Martin's booklet about Bedlington, the first Post Office was in the Baptist Yard.

Canny Lass that was brilliant. It was so well laid out I was easily able to follow the story. I cannot imagine how much time you spend putting it all together. Absolutely 10 out of 10.

On the Facebook group Bygone Bedlington a member, Ian Foster, posted this clip from the BBC archives when the BBC was looking for the 'Market Place' Post office and you will need the volume turned up to listen to this :- https://bbcrewind.co.uk/asset/611257809e2c440020e8f292?selectedLatLng=55.13239860534668%2C-1.5979957580566406&zoom=11 So I checked the journey of the Post Office When it was in the Market Place :- Then it moved to 40 front Street East and was still called the Market Place Post Office :- Where it is now - Google Street View 2024 - 20 Front Street

@Canny lass this dosen't prove anything but I see in John Dawson's Bedlington Timeline he has an entry :- '1858 Bedlington's first post office had a telegraph system installed. It was situated in the Baptist Yard' - but no reference to where the info came from. i don't know if John still runs the Facebook group - Past Times History group - as he kicked me out of the group a couple of years ago because he thought I was an admin, and I wasn't and never had been, on the Ashington group and had deleted his post about selling his books/CDs on the local area.

I doubt if the Sleekurn edition would cover Front Street, West End, Alan. I don't have any of Stephen B Martin's books but I have several by Evan Martin - including the one above, posted by Vic. Evan Martin uses the same photo of 'Baptists Yard' accompanied by almost the same text. Unfortunately he doesn't disclose the source of the photo or the information in the text. He does say that the "The Baptist Yard" contained " Bedlington's first Post Office and in 1858 the telegraph system was installed there." (page 99). I find it somewhat strange that just 2 years after such an investment, the Post Office would move to new premises nearer the Market Place as shown on the 1860 map. It's also worth remembering that maps aren't created overnight. They take several years of survey work before being published, so the location of the PO shown on that map may well have been surveyed prior to 1860. I have to admit that I have wondered if that really is Baptist Yard and if the PO was ever located there.

Mild Cognitive Impairment? Never heard of it! I call that sort of thing ”having a senior moment” - mind you, I’ve been having them frequently since I was 30!

Thank you! Nice to know you enjoyed it. They were an important family in Bedlington's history so I thought they were worth a bit of effort. My own family history research is at a bit of a standstill so I have some time over from that and I might as well put it to good use.

The 6 inch maps show only the 'footprint' of the building. If you want more detail it's always worth having a look at the 25 inch. Size really does matter!! PS Sorry, that should say 1881 NOT 1901.

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.

Uk doesn’t have free speech unless it depends on what side of the fence you sit on I’m afraid politically correct ok not politically correct no chance