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Billy Mcglen was my Grandad. I often (on what would have been his birthday) Google his name. This year I came across your post. It's nice to think he is so well remembered.

Historical Factoids 24. The Bedlington Terriers. We have to go back a few years to start this tale which involves the Bedlington Terriers and even though it’s not in my ward area I felt it’s so integral to the Town it couldn’t be ignored! I was contacted by the guy running the place to ask if I could point him in the right direction for some funding. There were problems with the roof and doors on the clubhouse. I did and they were successful in getting the funding needed to sort those problems out. Next I was asked to help them again this time with their lease because, I was told, a very large grant they had been promised was relying on them having a new lease agreement. That was above my pay grade so the best I could do was facilitate a meeting between the Deputy Leader and regeneration head of NCC and the club. That took place and by all accounts seemed pretty successful judging by the positive comments coming from the club at that time. Jumping ahead a year or two later we then saw the latest reincarnation of the Terriers, as a public body, struck off by Companies House for failing to file accounts. (This has ultimately led to the Terriers dissolving as an entity and NCC stepping in as landowner to salvage the site in case there was a legal challenge.) I was as enraged as other NCC councillors were and demanded a meeting with the Leader of NCC and all officers involved, where we were given the unsavoury legal facts. Back in the 1960’s when Bedlington Urban District Council moved the Bedlington Mechanics off their town centre site to the present one, because they wanted the site for development, they assigned the lease to two charities, the Charity Commission and CISWO, (Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation). The land is governed by a charitable trust originally established for the mining community. When the club tried to move forward with the improvements they were after, it became clear that the lease they were operating under was legally invalid. (Northumberland County Council even suggested giving the Terriers another bit of suitable land if it could be found, to resolve the legal issues raised by the Charity Commission.) CISWO (Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation), refused to agree a new lease, citing concerns about preserving the site’s heritage and the community’s free, open and unfettered access. This was now a legal stalemate. It now transpires that this huge grant was actually a loan and anyone who has borrowed a large sum of money for any reason be it a mortgage or car or any number of other things what they actually borrow against is the value of an asset you hold. I believe that’s why a new lease was needed so this money could be leveraged against the lease on the ground. That was never going to happen because the charitable groups would never countenance it. If I thought NCC were in anyway culpable for the demise of the Terriers I would be shouting louder than anyone, however in this case I think NCC acted with the best interests of the community in mind but were stifled by legal issues as can plainly be seen! I think the lack of other councillors of any political hue coming out and criticising NCC as some sort of instigator in this mess is testament to the above sentence! What I do think though is that if the Terriers management had just done the job right they would still be flying under the radar and we would still have a senior Bedlington Terriers club. Who is to blame, if it’s the blame game you are after, make your own mind up but the fact is once more we see a Bedlington Institution lost and a little more Bedlington history consigned to a footnote in our Town’s timeline! Still fighting to keep the Terriers name alive, even if its only through the Juniors at the moment!

Historical factoids 23. Plessey Woods Country Park. When I was first elected as NCC Councillor, 9 years ago, I went down to Plessey Woods and spoke to the staff working there to see how it could be improved. It was about the only major ‘leisure’ asset I had in my ward. Back then it was mostly used by a few dog walkers and the staff said they had seen a steady decline in the numbers of people using the park. No wonder, it looked run down and starved of any investment! First job do something about the play offer there. There were only two ‘springers’ in the kids play park and I thought that was derisory! I lobbied the park management and the portfolio holder saying they were saying they were investing in NCC parks and while I could see investment going into others I think they forgot about one! I argued they have a sea side park at Druridge Bay and a lake park at Bolam and both were getting substantial investments. I said I think you have forgotten about your woodland park at Plessey! So that started to turn the tables a bit and I was offered some funding to put a new play park in and do some repairs to the walkways around the inside of the park. That, on the proviso I managed to increase visitor numbers. I agreed to the challenge but insisted all the monies taken in the parking machine to be used for further upgrades at Plessey Woods! So we saw the two springers ripped out and a new range of play equipment installed. I insisted some of the equipment was suitable for disabled children and I bought two all-terrain wheelchairs so everyone can enjoy the park. Once I had something there I put on some events to get people down and see what we had to offer. Visitor numbers started to increase so I asked for upgrades to the café saying it was going to be too small soon! This time I got a flat no! Covid hit and when we could go outside into the fresh air people descended on Plessey Woods en mass. So much so I had to sort out double yellow lines for the indiscriminate parking which residents down there were up in arms about and which was going on outside the park because the car park and the overspill car parks were full! I argued for a new extension to the car park and used the visitor numbers to justify it. That was agreed in about 6 months which is lightning fast for a council! I also suggested some ‘Hobbit Huts’ which could be hired on a daily basis and possibly some sort of crazy golf, but again all I got back was ‘negative wave’s man’! Just before Covid hit I worked on a scheme to install a national climbing boulder course in the park arguing this would bring in a whole new visitor demographic. I took it to the ‘gaffers’ again and blow me down with a feather they liked it! More on this later but in the course of around 5-6 years which seems the normal procrastination period for councils the prices jumped up to such a height that the 10 boulders I had specified was reduced to 3! I’ve since fought back to get the original one I wanted next to the play area for kiddies, so 4 boulders going in. I’m not about to bite the hand that feeds so……….. I also won the case for an upgrade to the café and like the boulders I’ve put my MLIS money into it to make it happen! Thankfully it was agreed to upgrade the toilet facilities there too. The only bits I’m not too happy about is the size of the kitchen, which is basally the same, and the glass atrium for the café which is basically facing the car park instead of the play area. Apart from those small niggles it’s all good stuff! So after many years of neglect (and I’ve been on several times about the broken play equipment which is now getting sorted) we will soon have a much improved and exciting park to visit on our doorstep. What I would like to see now is an enlarged and committed ‘Friends of Plessey Woods’ group formed so we can drive further improvements in this woodland park. If anyone would like to join please drop me a line. (Still think the Hobbit Huts is a good idea!)

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:

A woman's work is never done - not even when she's Mother Christmas! Just look at all that washing, it'll never dry in this weather! Merry Christmas everybody and all the very best for 2026.

I hope Christmas has brought you all happiness . Very best wishes for 2026. World peace would be great .

Merry Christmas to everyone, and Happy New Year.

Malcolm Robinson Bedlington West Ward. I’ve been told I need to expand and better explain my post about the proposed project at West Lea. (Well that makes a change from people saying I’m too verbose!) The project I’m promoting, and have been for some years now, is to see a multifunctional facility at West Lea, next to the cemetery. We need a community centre and we need some sporting facilities so why not get them both in one hit, because in all likelihood we will only get one chance at this. That’s why there are questions in the survey about both sports usage and community usage. I’m also keen to see some SEND provision so that’s why that is in too! Also outside I want the full sized pitch restored to level and with drainage, which will help with, or give access for, some drainage for the path. Beyond that two junior pitches installed. With new changing rooms etc. in the new building this will be the best pitch in Bedlington and have decent facilities for our youngsters coming through. I’ve identified a funding route and have a small group of people who are willing to manage it, namely the Bedlingtonshire Development Trust. They have even agreed to do the training necessary so NCC will consider them suitable. Big thanks to each and every one of them for their commitment! I asked a month or two ago for some ‘likes’ to a post I put out about this in an effort to gauge some public support. What came back was about double what NCC get to their consultations and that enabled me to silence the NCC doubters and press through onto the next level. This time it’s a full feasibility study because we have to prove it’s needed, wanted and sustainable. That will be based off the replies to the survey and that’s why I need as many people as possible to fill it in! This isn’t just about the West End of Town or the Top End its for the whole of Bedlington so please fill it in if you would support it wherever you live. Let’s get behind something positive for a change and let’s start to address the lack of facilities investment into the Bedlington for the past few decades! Click the link and fill the survey in......about 2-3 mins! https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx...

You might have to explain that to our nursery age school children who are being offered gender realignment services! The world is going mad!!!!!!!

Just to keep everyone updated.......here is my 'application' for County Councillor. So we have a full list of candidates for the NCC Bedlington West Ward seat and it looks like an election has had its starter gate opened with claims, counter claims, spin and misdirection already! As I have said the only promise I give is to continue to do my best for the ward, so more of the same if you like! Like any job applicant a CV would seem an obvious starting option. So here are the main points in mine: As a resident I wasn’t happy with the way our Town’s needs had been ignored for decades so as a private individual I decided to try and do something about that. You don’t really need a position but you do need a commitment and some level of understanding as to how the system works. Set up the Bedlingtonshire Development Trust. Worked with NCC to get the sports pavilion at Gallagher Park. Ran a Fields in Trust campaign after getting Gallagher Park qualified as a QE11 Park and won a national award! Did the training in counselling skills so I could interact confidentially with people on a one to one basis. Completed training in procurement, project management, VCS development, planning training and others which I thought would be beneficial. Got the funding for and ran a Heritage themed event with Leading Link, which we had to go to Manchester and receive a commendation for. I had to go to Blyth Sports Centre and push in to argue with the Olympic Torch Committee for Bedlington to be included in their processional route so our kids could see it pass too. This after NCC said no! With Richard from Salvation Army and Lyn from Leading Link we had over 5000 people lining a very wet Front Street that day! Bedlington Terrier seats……..my design and my project with the money made paying for Xmas lunches for our seniors and support for our food banks. In May 2013 I was elected as a Town Councillor. The chevron parking on Glebe Road, my idea to stop the double parking there so others could pass. My project through the Town Council. New footpath down to Attlee Park, to stop the need for pedestrians having to step out on the main road. Again my project through the Town Council. After lacklustre and aimless two years under Labour control, which was more about claiming the council to be a Labour one instead of actually doing things, I was elected to the chair of the Town Council. What happened in the next two years was more than had happened at any time before! New Bus shelters throughout. Street furniture painted gold and green. Two new play parks at West Lea and Meadowdale. New Town Gateway features, which I designed and oversaw the project. Started on the discussions with a local resident who made sun dials internationally, but who couldn’t get one in their home town. Now in the Market Place! We bought the two new commemorative seats which now sit behind the War Memorial after I did the research and costing. Restarted the Town Fair and held it on the street. First to put on a show for the Xmas Lights switch on. Put in the original three defibrillators onto the street after the existing NCC Councillors refused to back them. Brought in a REDUCTION to the Town Council tax charge, the only one to ever manage that and do everything (plus) listed above. No wonder we got phone calls from all over asking how on earth we had done it. Then in 2017 I was elected to County Council. I said “I’m drawing a line in the sand…….we don’t go backwards from here!” First job get a light controlled crossing next to the COOP because it was gravely needed! All main roads into my ward area resurfaced. I recorded every pot hole in the ward and sent in the lists. I also had to stand up to what had happened at Arch and Active Northumberland to try and bring some resolution after unbelievably bad independent audits. Covid hit and while everyone else hid under the blankets I was running around dropping food parcels off because the government essentially locked up elderly people for 12 weeks! I made sure the ones I knew in my ward had something at least once a week. I got the 100’s of food parcels from the Salvation Army so I raised money for our food banks to make sure I wasn’t taking out more than I put it! West Lea Cemetery needs a special mention: First try and sort out the flooding issues which saw flooding on the children’s graves. Cleaned out the main culvert pipe which runs alongside the western side of the cemetery. Next the road inside the Cemetery needed resurfacing. Helped set up the Friends of West Lea Cemetery group. Did the D Day commemorative plaque at the side of the entrance. Renovated the old derelict hut which stands in there for a base for the Friends of West Lea Cemetery. Flooding reoccurred so I had to fight for new field drains fitted at the lowest bit on the South side. Did the Covid plaque at the other side of the entrance. Garden of Remembrance needed sorting out. The path between the cemetery and St Bennies needed sorting out too so QE11 Memorial Path, again after Bedlington not planned to get one. Now we have the best! New railings along the Front. Worked with Cemeteries management to turn the look of this cemetery around. It’s a popular place to visit these days and the Garden of Remembrance is now filled with flowers on tended plots. Plessey Woods needs a mention too. Went down 8 years ago and spoke to the staff there and saw it was only been used by a few dog walkers. Lobbied for the money to get the new playground done as well as path repairs etc. I got the funding on the proviso that I increased visitor numbers Put on events (children’s and adults) to get people there so they could see what was on offer. Argued for the extra parking area because it was proving that popular now. Had to get double yellow lines outside to stop the indiscriminate parking along Shields Road. Set up a Friends of Plessy Woods group. Continually argued for café and toilets upgrades which are now planned for end of this summer. Came up with the idea of Climbing Boulders as a way of attracting more people down there. Worked on the design, costs and siting with manufacturers and park managers. Should see them soon! More events in the pipeline for this park! Road speeds are an issue in several places, first one to tackle, Hazelmere. The internal roads have now gone to 20 MPH. Also the B1331 as it passes four school entrances……now 20 MPH after being told it wasn’t going to happen! New path opposite Hartford Hall, again after being told it wouldn’t happen. Had to fight to get Bedlington into the mix for a PlayZone but we were eventually. Then loads of fences and hoops to jump to get it actually built. Now being built at West Lea. The first new build leisure facility in Bedlington I can remember! I’ve also had to tackle house builders on behalf of residents and we have residents meetings with them (I’d like to say regularly but………) so problems can be worked out and residents made aware of what’s going to happen. Sensible communications is very often the key! I have documented just about every aspect to this ‘job’ over the last 8 years even to the point of being referred to solicitors when it doesn’t suit one party’s narrative! I’ve told everyone what’s going on, what’s about to happen and the reasons behind the way I’ve voted on most issues. I can’t think of any resident who has been in touch and who I’ve not responded to. We might not get the answer we wanted but all concerns have been forwarded to the right place. In short this is the sort of stuff I’ve been doing for the last 8 years, a lot of which aren’t really the remit of a councillor but hey it’s Bedlington, someone has to do something! This isn’t an exhaustive list by any means, and for more examples in much greater detail take a look at the Historical Factoids I posted on my Facebook page: “Malcolm Robinson Bedlington West Ward.” If you vote for me it’s not difficult to work out what you will get! Trying to inject some common sense into the county council instead of the political spin and gyrations of the Political Party’s! ‘Residents First’ because I don’t have a political party to promote and gain benefit for, so the only people who tell me what to say and do are my residents. We don’t go backwards and we don’t leave anyone behind! It’s that simple really!

Welcome back! You are right when you say that there were lodging houses at the entrance to Mugger’s Neuk in 1861. There were in fact two, but in 1851 these were one larger lodging house. As I mentioned earlier, housing was scarce for the increasing workforce so as well as the lodging house which housed 17 lodgers (and the family of three who ran it), there were a further 60 people lodging in the market place within the homes of various families. However, I don’t think your relatives were lodgers of either sort. In 1851 there were no Dixons living in the lodging house or lodging with private families in the area where the lodging house was ie. the market place. If your relative is who I think he is, Charles Dixon with father of the same name and a mother named Dorothy, then he did live in the Market Place just to the left of the Howard Arms when facing that building. Why do I think this? The enumerator’s route, 1n 1851, went from “the first house in the corner below the Cross to the last house at the east end of the town on the same side”. He then crossed the road and enumerated “the south side of the town from the first house in the Mill Yard at the east end to the last house in the Half Closes on the same side”. There was a general lack of postal addresses in the 1851 census as the postal system hadn’t really developed at that time. However, there were schedule numbers for each household in the census documents and certain locations were identifiable by the occupation of the residents – such as “innkeepers” and “grocers” who usually lived on the premises. Looking at the 1851 census for Bedlington, district 2a (which includes the market place), and following the enumerators route, as he himself describes it above, the first house below the cross has schedule number 1. Successive sch. nrs. are given in sequence to the various households along the route. NB. The sch. nr. applies to a household, NOT a building. There may be several households in one building. Continuing eastwards in the enumerator’s footsteps from Muggers corner towards Leadgate House (on the corner opposite the Northumberland Arms) you will find at sch. nr 29 an innkeeper with the unusual surname Petrie. Unfortunately, there is no name to the inn. However, if we look up Petrie in the following 1861 census, we can see that he is in the same position and that his business is the Howard Arms. That sorted out we leave sch. Nr 29, the Howard Arms, and get back onto the enumerator’s route. We don’t have to go far to find Charles and Dorothy Dixon together with 5-year-old Charles Dixon and his siblings because he is at sch. nr 31, almost next door to the tavern. At sch. nrs. 30, 31 and 32 are three small households which probably, but not certainly, occupy the small row of buildings which I’ve arrowed blue in the map below. What I can say with certainty is that Charles Dixon lived in one of the buildings - or the buildings in the yards behind them -which I’ve marked in red.

Its getting pretty acrimonious this election period. First rebuttal, "It seems the Labour canvassers going around today are saying the schemes and projects I’ve listed in my ‘CV’ post are only what I’m claiming to have been part of or done, in other words a figment of my imagination? Well the lists are there if you want to challenge them, Im quite happy to justify each and every one! In fact if you want some more………. Ill just say this in response, we had a Labour councillor for the four years before I got in and he picked up the nickname……..”The Invisible Man!” Lets not go back to those dark days! We have lost trust in the national government in record time, God forbid the same happens to our county!" Second one, "Just by way of a post script to my last ‘political’ post another claim by the Labour canvassers was that I always vote with the Conservatives. Doesn’t take too much effort to show that’s not true either! As part of the last NCC pre Budget presentations all councillors were given a large number of papers to read through. As I said at the time the financials alone were 467 pages. It would seem I was the only one to pick up on the Advance proposals they contained. You might think with tens of millions of pounds at stake it would be a stand alone item but I could only find three quite curtailed references to it. As usual I asked about it because I didn’t understand completely what was intended. Once I had the explanations my words were……….”That’s a deal breaker for me, if I went along with it I couldn’t look my residents in the eyes ever again!” Now I’ve put that in inverted commas because that’s exactly what I said at the time in the faces of the main political and professional players at County Hall and that why I voted against the conservative proposed budget. Fast forward to the recent vote on the restructure of Advance, only a month or so ago, and we see the whole Labour group vote with the conservatives on this issue with only Independents voting against. These days I only believe half of what I see and nothing of what I hear, that might be good advice for residents in what is fast becoming a pretty acrimonious election period. I’m trying to remain positive and not descend to levels others are crawling around in, but it’s hard!"

61 years, 4 months and 27 days later… Bedlington Station will re-open. This Sunday, the first train will stop at 08:28 Platform 2 on its way to Ashington. It will then turn around and depart for Newcastle stopping at Platform 1 at 8.43am, arriving in the city around half an hour later. Timetables, live times and rail only booking information can be found here: https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/stations/bedlington

We had another all member briefing yesterday about the production of a new Local Plan. This time about a third of the members turned up. This Plan is important because it will shape our villages, towns and even the whole county over the next few years. What makes this really urgent is the Governments proposed changes to our planning system as they chase their 1.5 million new homes promise. Northumberland has been ‘given’ our own quota in relation to that target and it’s huge! I’ve talked about this before and how important it will be to take part in the public consultations which will be coming out soon. Do we want to see new Towns created, existing settlements expanded, new industrial sites, new commercial spaces, all questions which people can have their say in answering. The most important aspect is that we need to engage to have at least some say in what happens otherwise the Government will just impose! That is something I spoke about at the last Town Council meeting when I suggested they might want to re-examine the neighbourhood plan they have almost finished. Because of the changes which could well come in, not havening local planning committees, presumption in favour of house building etc. the importance of neighbourhood plans is that at least local people have their say and it could well be the only time we do within a planning application. So deciding where we might want to see new housing, shops and offices, industrial estates etc. It might not have the absolute power to stop an application but at least we will register a public opinion because neighbourhood plans have to go to local referendums before they are ‘made’, in other words adopted as part of the planning criteria. Yesterday I spoke about rewriting settlement boundaries and how we have seen that happen in Bedlington about 5 years ago to meet the last housing figures we were delegated to achieve. This time it won’t be a blip on the side of the settlement boundary it will be a huge inflation right around because of the sheer numbers we have been told to achieve. We might even see new Towns created although I remember the last time that was a proposal in the county! Whatever happens having to find the sites for 34,500 new homes here, and that’s not including industrial, commercial and social infrastructure fill, will be challenging and quite obviously change the topography of our county forever. For more info here is the latest version………. https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/planning-and-building/planning-policy/northumberland-local-plan-2016-2036

Historical Factoids 25: Borderlands. Seems from what I’ve heard and seen quite a few people aren’t aware of this initiative. The Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal was signed in March 2021 bringing up to £452 million of fresh investment to the Borderlands area. This funding was made up of £350M from Government and £100M from local match funding. Around £200M for the English side. The Accountable Bodies are Dumfries and Galloway Council with regards to both the Scottish Government funding for the Growth Deal and that part of the UK Government funding which relates to Growth Deal Projects physically located in Scotland. Northumberland County Council has the role of accountable body as regards that part of the UK Government funding which relates to Growth Deal. As soon as I was aware I asked for a meeting with the lead officer at NCC for this fund. I did manage to convince her that Bedlington should be included and that we had a range of needs which could be addressed as part of this deal. She agreed and not only were we included but we should have been one of the first to benefit. https://www.youtube.com/live/Q4zZGP1LXjI... We are in the Place Programme which is a £50m initiative focusing on smaller market and coastal towns across the region. Our allocation is around £3M and we hear this mentioned time and time again by the political gentry (along with the Cycle track and train station) when they explain just how well Bedlington is doing in terms of funding! The Place Programme includes Alnwick, Bedlington, Bellingham, Dalton in Furness, Egremont, Eyemouth, Galashiels, Gretna, Haltwhistle, Hawick, Jedburgh, Kirkconnel & Kelloholm, Longtown, Newbiggin, Penrith, Prudhoe, Rothbury, Stranraer, Ulverston, Whithorn, Wigton and Wigtown. Fair enough it wasn’t a lot but better than the usual zero investments! How it ran out is something which I think should be used to demonstrate how not to do this sort of stuff!!!!!!! A local Board was formed to bring forward ideas for inclusion and in the first full year of meetings it achieved an introductory paragraph of about a dozen lines for our Place Programme. I think that could have been done in about 12 minutes not 12 months! A call for projects was made public and most of us sitting on this local Board put our own ideas in. About 35 projects were suggested and a year later at a meeting with the Leader of NCC, the Deputy Leader and head of regeneration at NCC I was told none had been forthcoming? My response was that I knew 35 had been submitted and I knew for definite 6 had been submitted because I had submitted them! Seems I was wrong? Pressing further about this and I was told there may have been half a dozen submitted. Nope still not accepting that and the total went up to 21? I knew other people who had submitted projects and again “Nope”! Finally yes 36 projects had been submitted but with no business plans. I said we didn’t ask for business plans we went out with a ‘Call for projects’ and anyway who on earth was going to write or pay to get written business plans before they knew if their projects had any legs? We are now more than half way through this initiative and what’s been delivered……….err nowt as yet! Plenty of meetings, plenty of excuses, plenty of waffle but not one spade in the ground. At one point I suggested putting it all into Keith Fitzsimons project for the Town Centre because that would give us a USP and get people into the Town centre. Can’t really understand why he wasn’t taken more seriously but then again this is Bedlington we are talking about. We now see extra funding being allocated, as was supposed to happen originally, which frees up the strict criteria governing the fund and means other projects which don’t actually strictly qualify for this fund can now be considered. So we now have the proposed café/restaurant on the platform at the station, upgrading the roads, pavements and streets and my pet sports project at West Lea in the mix. We have seen people walk away from this Board because they just lost the will to live, people changed within the membership and some people trying like hell to get it to work. 5 Years and counting………………………..

https://www.northumberlandline.uk/post/information-event-for-bedlington?fbclid=IwY2xjawQX3CFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeGq31wYOlmvitH7fTrbXez0vl5Uw8Gnd9Fa7S0joveuHVsgwxNpGqGof-3M4_aem_2J7qcihtnFF1wahH6hdxDw

@Nicola RileyHi Nicola, welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear about your mam's death. If I'm thinking of the right person then I went to school with Joyce - Westridge Secondary Modern 1959 - 1962. A very nice girl. She wasn't in my class but in the same class as my best friend so we hung about together during our breaks. You'll find a couple of school photos of that Joyce in the Gallery, Westridge album. Might be worth a look. I think you may have found the topic related to Fountain Yard where your nanna's brothers are mentioned. I don't think Fountain Yard comes up in any other topics. Dr Pit is up for discussion frequently. Type "Dr Pit" (inverted commas are important) in the search box, top right and you'll get a list of where it appears.

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.

@Canny lass from the info you have posted above I think you could be right🤞 My clouded memory does recall that the white house used to be where a fella had a horse & cart and sold veg in the area but I hve no proof. I will put a post on the FB group Bygone Bedlington with the Google street view photo and a summary of your info and see if anyone comes up with any info thhat migth help

@Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) @Justine MatchettLooking at those two photos, Alan, I think they show exactly the same buildings with Milburn House first on the left. I've had another think about the location and today I've compared OS maps with the enumerators route on the 1901 1911 and 1921 census returns and also the 1939 register. I'm now inclined to think that Garden House maybe still exists and could be the white house (albeit renovated or even rebuilt) immediately behind the bungalow adjacent to Milburn House. Looking at maps I can see that there has been a building on that spot, immediately behind the Railway Tavern (formerly Railway Hotel then Railway Inn) since the 1860s. Here's a map from 1898. I've arrowed the building in red: The map below is from 1924 (simply because it has the best detail). The Railway Inn I've arrowed green. What I believe to be garden House I've arrowed red, and I've arrowed an L-shaped building to its rear, on the same plot of land, which I'll come back to. Note that the present day bungalow isn't there. That corner where it stands appears to be land belonging to the house. The Railway Tavern is now demolished to make way for the new car park but the side street behind it, leading from the main road and giving access to the two buildings is still there. I had a little wander down that side street (with the help of Google) and I could clearly see that the L-shaped building is still there and seems to be very old. If William Graham, Benjamin's father, ran a carting business and later a market gardening business (at his home address, according to the 1921 census) then that would be the ideal place - maybe stables for horses when he was carting. The name Garden House, from 1911 when William was a carter, may well be a topographic name - referring to the fact that it was the only building there with a garden which faced the main street. making it easily identifiable. Look at the old maps and you'll see that all other buildings had a back yard and/or an allotment garden along the length of what is now Melrose Villas and Melrose Terrace. All in all, the census returns show that the Graham family have lived on the same spot between the Railway Tavern and, after its construction, Milburn House. From 1911 it had the address Garden House. On early maps this is the only house adjacent to the Railway Tavern. What do you think? Could this be Garden House? Anybody living in the area today who fancies knocking on the door and asking? I'd love to know.

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 ?

Knowledge is never a heavy burden to bear!! Just think how all this new found information can be used to impress friends and relatives!

That kept you busy Alan? Thank you Canny lass, I look forward to the annual brain check.

1. Brazil 2. Italy 3. 4. 5. Russia 6. Columbia 7. Monday 16/02/26 - Fire Horse 8. Phillipined 9. 10. Haiti 11. You can't get married between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur because this period, known as the Days of Awe, is a solemn time for intense spiritual introspection, repentance, and seeking forgiveness, culminating in the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) when God seals one's fate for the year, making it inappropriate for the joy and new beginnings associated with weddings1 12. 13. 14. Italians, Spaniards, and the Chinese share the common goal of warding off bad luck for the New Year, using symbolic acts like clearing out the old, eating specific foods (grapes in Spain/Italy, lentils in Italy), and wearing auspicious colors (red in Italy/China) to welcome fortune, focusing on renewal and positive energy for the year ahead 15. 16. To find L'Home dels Nassos (the Man of Noses) and get a wish, you need to be in Catalonia, Spain, especially Barcelona, on December 31st, searching the streets and public squares for a man with only one nose left (as he loses one daily), often appearing at midday in places like Pla de Palau. 17. 18. 19. 20. I bet you didn't know = I didn't. I had to Google all 20

Whoopee, Wilf is here so it's officially Christmas. Let the festivities begin!!!

Merry Christmas to everyone in this group from Bygone Bedlington:-

Can Bedlington have its own museum. . . .? Having been involved with Beamish in the 1960s and then Woodhorn museum later on and the Northumberland Fusiliers museum at Alnwick Castle I wonder why the hell Bedlington hasn’t got its own museum. Grants and donations can be obtained I would love to be involved in such a project. My contribution would be financial and advice. Come on we deserve a museum.

Maybe Bedlington history society and you could join forces. BEDLINGTON needs its own museum. Maybe John Hall originally from North seats ,but went to Bedlington grammar school would donate the opportunities are there. It needs a team of volunteers to organise it. I was at school with Claire Mitchell ner mam wasEllen Mitchell. I am sure that her family would be involved. There are just so many people who would support this. Also I have an extensive collection of disaster glasses some that are unknown linked with Bedlington and guidepost, Anyway it’s just a thought

https://www.northumberlandnetzero.uk/apply/free-trees?fbclid=IwY2xjawNjKoNleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHj814jY3EBkXVoM2c5XDd4SrHhRdyQstEzAeWn0m7q4PkGw5mcgR034zoqIT_aem_H4mkvU-6_T04lv-44awVbQ

Hi @loopylou Your turn to make a cuppa! Have you ever heard the saying ‘Cherchez l femme’ (literally, ‘look for the woman,) commonly used in detective fiction when solving mysteries? I have my own version ‘cherchez la pub’ (literally, ‘look for the public house’) which I use in detective reality to solve the mysteries of family-whereabouts. While streets and roads often change their names public houses very rarely do and when it does happen, it’s often to a spin-off from the old name. If your relative is John Storey (wife A, children: S A, E and J I) then it’s possible not only to find the street but possibly even the house. Just follow the enumerator on his route until you find both your relative and the nearest pub. Often the pub is still in existence today. Using my ‘cherchez la pub’ method, I followed the route of the enumerator, Mr George Thornton, in the 1871 census: Parliamentary Borough of Morpeth – Parish of Bedlington – Ecclesiastical district of Choppington, Enumeration district 10. George Thornton, describes his enumeration district as “Guide Post East, West, North & South. Choppington, Choppington New Colliery, Bothal Haugh, Sheepwash Bank, Sheepwash & Cleesewell Hill, Stakeford Gate & Cottage in the wood”. Following the census on the 3rd of April 1871 he starts his rounds at the Angler’s Arms (schedule nr 1) at the bottom of Sheepwash Bank and continues up the bank along what is today the A1068 to schedule numbers 2 – 5. These 4 dwellings, simply have the address “Sheepwash Bank” which is located in the “Hamlet of Sheepwash Bank”. From there he proceeds straight ahead to the “Village of Guide Post” where the 7 families resident at schedule numbers 6 - 12 simply have the address “Guide Post”. Still in the “Village of Guide Post” he continues along “Sheepwash West Street” and visits the 16 families living there (schedule nrs. 16 – 28). Moving on, he enters “Sheepwash - East Row” (schedule nrs. 29 – 57) and its 29 families. At schedule nr. 36 I find Thomas Marsden – hopefully the same person you mentioned in your previous post. At schedule nr 45 I find, what I believe to be your relatives, John Storey and family, and low and behold at schedule nr. 54 I find the first public house on George’s round. It’s called The Shakespeare– and here it is on a map from 1866! You’ll see that The Shakespeare is marked BH. This is because it was originally (1850s) a Beer House (marked BH on OS maps rather than PH, Public House). At that time, according to the North East Heritage Library, it was the most northern building in the Village of Guide Post. Being a beer house meant that it was only allowed to sell ale whereas a public house could sell anything. Because of this restriction it was much cheaper to obtain a licence for a beer house. Here is the ‘Shakespeare’ today. If you live in the area you’ll probably recognize it as being on Front Street in Guide Post though this is not the original building. So, where did John Storey live? Between John Storeys residence and The Shakespeare there were only 8 dwellings so my guess is that “Sheepwash West Street’ and “Sheepwash East Row,” both in the village of Guide Post” are the following - in which case John lived towards the northern end of “Sheepwash East Row” (possible West Street arrowed green, possible East Row arrowed blue) just a stone’s throw from the beer house. However, there is another option. East Row probably changed its name and if the above blue-arrowed row is East Row, then it was built out between 1866 and the 1890s filling the gap between the northern end of “Sheepwash East Row” and The Shakespeare. You can see this development in this compilation of 2 maps from the 1890s on the left and the 1920s on the right (The Shakespeare marked in red on the 1890s side and now a PH). If this development occurred between 1866 and 1871 when the census was completed, he would have lived in the new development. What about Thomas Marsden? A possible explanation for Guide Post vs. Scotland Gate may be a district boundary change. Just a thought! I hope this was of use to you and that you yourself might find a use for my ‘cherchez la pub’ method. If you want any of the documentation I've researched give me a shout.

I apologise for my late reply. I got volunteered to tile our daughter-in-law's kitchen, which took a little while. Once again, I am extremely grateful for the trouble you went to and the information you have provided. Thank you.

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

I was almost unable to speak today at full council and this time it was passion not being forbidden to speak! I’m used to having a fight with the Administration to get anything for Bedlington, I hope today is the last time I have to have a go at the new bunch of councillors! The motion they put forward was badly constructed but there was one bit which I couldn’t contain myself about. If it had gone through then about 6 years of my time and efforts would be wasted with Bedlington losing millions of pound of funding. I couldn’t let that happen and so I had to say something: https://www.youtube.com/live/xi5sxPcTWWI?si=rWWEKF9yA76ksl0j&t=6171

@Susan J-D Have you considered that Home Farm and Coney Garth may be one and the same thing? The name “Home Farm” is traditionally used to refer to any farm that is part of the manor house’s demesne – often the farm lying closest to the manor house. These were often farmed by a farm manager, hired by the lord of the manor, to cater for the needs of his household while other land was rented out to tenant farmers. Looking at this map from 1859 you can see that Coney Garth (centre), located between Ashington and Pegswood, is a considerable size and just a stone’s throw from Bothal Castle (bottom left) and also part of the Bothal Demesne. Of course, your relative may not have worked for the lord of the manor. Much depends upon when your relatives lived there. The name Home Farm can live on for centuries after being used as such.

My latest offering........... Been told off several residents today they have received their postal voting papers today and they have filled them in, ticking my name, and reposted straightaway. Thanks very much I really do appreciate the trust you have shown! I have tried to steer well clear of the shenanigans going on at the minute with political posts in Bedlington, preferring to illustrate lessons from recent Bedlington history we should all be aware of. Failure to learn from the past is a recipe for continued failure and I think we have had enough of that! As all the main political parties played roles in what I see as snubbing the needs of this Town I cannot understand how anyone can trust them again. Time and time again we have seen decisions based purely on political party benefit and that’s why I think the political parties are part of the problem not the solution! It’s also one of the main reasons I get reprimanded so much by chairs in meetings because I call it out every time I encounter it. There are excellent Independent choices at these elections, people with real experience and knowledge, people who have leant how the system works and where the failures are, so they know what to look out for and how to get around them. That takes years to learn, not 5 minutes! I said at the very beginning of this election this is about trust, I don’t think we can trust any of the political parties given how they have screwed us over every time they have been in power. Even at national level we can see how much political manifestos are worth and if they can get away with it what chance do we have at this level of government? In the last 8 years of being a county Councillor I’d like to think I have never broken the trust and faith people gave me when they elected me, from day one! It’s your choice, please use it wisely.

I think this is how Craggs Buildings may have been numbered. It seems it was named this due to the former license holder of the Puddlers Arms being a J. W. Craggs. He had the pub in 1887 before dying in 1889, aged 43. No. 1 started where the Bank Top is now, and continued down to No. 13/14 next to River View. No. 1 - 4 are the cottages that separated the Puddlers from Bank Top Hotel. The 1881 census lists an address “Clark’s Cottages” inbetween “Liddle’s Cottages” (Liddle’s Yard) and “Puddler’s Arms”. I think it’s likely Clark’s Cottages referred to No. 1-4. A former landlord of the Puddlers was Henry Clark. No. 5 - 8, an auction piece on 22 Oct 1864 (Newcastle Daily Chronicle) lists the Puddler’s Arms as having “eight large rooms”. Possibly that the Puddler’s was split into four two-room flats. No. 9 - 14, the same auction piece lists the Puddlers Arms as having “three houses, with four rooms each, adjoining the above.” I believe these were split into the six two-room apartments of No. 9 - 14, as a later auction piece on 27 Feb 1869 (Newcastle Daily Journal) now describes the attached property to Puddler’s Arms as “six double cottages”. Photo with the door numbers included.

@Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) I think the bungalow you reference as River View in the older picture is actually the second one in, number 2? Maps has a no 1 River View which nearly lines up with a corner house in Tomlea Avenue . But the current end house (2) is a bit further down. I assume a few got demolished over the years.

Not that my memory is brilliant these days but I do recall Joe Rooney mentioning the fire when he posted a comment about his older broter :-

I don’t know if there are photos of Cragg’s Buildings out there, but there were some in the papers in 1943 after it was on fire. (No. 5, 6, 7 and 8).

Topic: Mary (molly) Rooney 1926-2008 It was the same Joe Rooney that posted the above topic in ‘Public Notices & Announcements’, December 8 2008, that I was referring to. He died in 2010. April 2010 @sissinghurst posted 2 topics: 'Joe Rooney poorly' followed by 'Joe Rooney’s Passing'. @loopylou the topic 'Mary (molly) Rooney 1926-2008' posted in ‘Public Notices & Announcements’ might be of interest to you as Molly was born at 6 Craggs Buildings, Bank top which you mentioned in an earlier post.

Sorry about that! I started to doubt myself but now I can say that my posts were correct. You have got it right Eggy. Doctors Row in the first photo and Old Gate Row in the second photo. The building which "looks as if it is being demolished" is in fact the old gate house from which the street above got its name. There used to be five families living in that at one time.

Here it is, arrowed in red.

Happy to have been able to help! Pubs, in particular are good markers. The landlords were often there for years so you can go to a later census where more addresses are available and get a better location. Another tip is to always read the enumerator's description of his area.

Hi Alan, I’ve checked that too. I’m trying to find my granda, he got my grandma pregnant and her dad, a Home Guard threatened to shoot him if he came back haha. However the name we have doesn’t seem to fit the DNA ancestry profiles. thank you though

The church did a list of burials / I believe It has been opened for cremated remains . John Grundy did an article on the church yard and graves . I think it was covered in the forum Good luck

I haven't heard of either identity discs or first aid kits for children. However, I do recognise the name Lifebuoy - a soap in common use during my childhood, When the pit-baths opened at Netherton Colliery my father refused to use it. He thought it smelled like 'women's scent'. If I'm totally honest, the words he used were "like a whores handbag". I thought it smelled like carbolic myself. He stuck to the hard, green, Fairy Household soap that was grated (on the cheese grater) to put into the washing machine/poss-tub.

Thank you so much for the information Netherton isn’t far from Bedlington perhaps the families knew each other. I believe my grandmother had bedding in the drawers, but China in the top. Now the China it’s still there and the drawers are full of family documents and correspondence from 1906 until 1960 . I am trying to upload it onto my iPad. It is taking me ages as I get so caught up reading stuff that it my progress is dead slow stop. I have all the furniture that belonged to my grandparents apart from their beds. I just love it. And I am sure that your family press was just as beautiful.

That is a PRESS - and a very beautiful one if I may say so. There was one in my childhood home as well, though not quite as elegant as yours. Do you know that they were originally intended to store linen, bed clothes, curtains and such. My mother told me that it was one of her 'jobs' as a youngster (and many other young girls too) to make small pleats in the tapes on pillow cases (used to close them) using the edge of a knife. All of these pillow cases would be placed on the shelves with the pleated tapes hanging outwards. When the family had guests they wanted to impress the doors of the press would be left open. I don't know if this was just something done in Netherton Colliery or if it was a general thing in the north east or even England as a whole.

My uncle Bill of 34 Shiney Row Bedlington was a school child during the First World War and each child at his school was given a first aid kit in case another zeppelin was dropped on Bedlington