johndawsonjune1955

Lets get another topic going for you all. This should bring memories flooding back. I will get it started and see the response for not only the older generation, but the younger. This photograph shows a young girl filling water into a bucket at the communal tap. Do you remember doing this ? For the youngsters of today, "yes†this was village life. Do you know where it is ? Its in Bedlingtonshire if it helps. How times have changed. Now it's modern living. A lot of villagers never even had a cooker. Look how heating is now, after a lifetime of shovelling coals onto an open fire, we now have gas, and central heating. No central heating in those days. Do you have any stories to share, especially with the the younger generation ?.what was it like in those days. What about the communal tap ? There was plenty of gossip whilst villagers waited their turn.

contact me on the groups phone: 07850465009. Its our contact phone asnd is visible on our websites, so don't worry about it on here. Can discuss it with you it should be no problem at all to convert to DVD.

Hi m8. A good programme and its what i use is Ulead Photoimpact version 12. You simply upload your pics to your computer and open one up at a time. Click in edit and resize, and click to reduce the size. Simple. I will look see if i still got my old version as it did the same and if i have you can have it.

Malcolm have a look on our website at http://www.sixtownships.org.uk Go to our archives and Our Colliery Villages from 1873 and choose Bedlington and see what was said about the Market Cross then and Bedlington as a whole. We are now beginning to put all our archives online for everyone and all free. It'll be a huge collection too and take the best part of this year and maybe longer. The Forum is up and running too. Just register and get instant access Malcolm.

Our new look website is up and running. We have began putting our archives up, but itll take a good part of this year, maybe longer as our archive material is huge. If anyone would like to see how its going have a look at http://www.sixtownships.org.uk Have a look in our archives and see Our Colliery Villages series from 1873. Pick the Barrington section or others and see how the villages were once. Theres a good few on what we uploaded today and many more to come in that topic of Our Colliery Villages. We aim to bring all our visitors the biggest local archives collection anywhere for free. We also have our new Forum up and running too. Have a look and register and get instant access. Add our website to your favourites, tell your friends and research your interests at our site. We hope we can help. if not the Forum is there for you too.

There was also the Unitarian Chapel there too, who remembers that. it was demolished in 1981. In the 1970s i remember the Lord Clyde very well. How many of you remember the man George, who would stand outside having a ciggy with his white apron on ? Was that George Maddison. I think there were two brothers and they lived at Scotland Gate, none of them married to my knowledge. The Railway Tavern pub was a good place for a pint too. They say that John Wade was a very tall fella and had many antique oil lamps on display. It was originally called the Railway Hotel and built in 1860. the houses and shops that were on either side of the Willow Bridge were built over a ten year period that began in 1860.

I grew leeks on two occasions. At Widdrington Club i came 9th out of 38 and was really chuffed. That was in 1982 and i retired from leeg growing I decided to come out of retirement in 2008 and entered at Guide Post Club. I was hoping to do really well and it never happened for me i was second last Never mind tho on a happier note i win the biggest and best two onions. Everyone was asking for onions off me with that result. Never mind i will never enter another it took a lot of time up, but good luck to those who still do it, they keep our tradition alive.

Our websites are revamped fully. We will be getting our archives online over the coming year and hope that they will be of interest to all of you. We will be putting a huge number of photographs online too along with archive clips of our area. Our new forum is also up and running on http://www.sixtownships.org.uk Our other sites are http://www.sixtmedia.org.uk and at http://history.sixtownships.org.uk Have a look as we are to begin putting a few archives up on monday and try our new forum. You get instance access to it and hopefully we can get some good topics going. I of course will still be using this forum and as always look forward to the topics as they are so interesting.

Muters were drink manufacturers and Wade were farmers.

It is said that the main breeders in 1822 were Ned and John Coates sons of the vicar. Many a tradesman in the town too took an active part in it at the same time including Ned Stoker, Joe Aynsley was said to be extremely devoted to the breed.D Did you know badger baiting and !*!@# fighting were principle hobbies in this area until it was made illegal ?

yes he was a character Dr Ivory and he thought the world of the coal miners. I would go in for a sick note and he would say "How long do you want John??" Brilliant. Other times was "I havent had a rabbit pie for ages" i would say "No problem Doctor, i will drop you a couple off" Then a day or two late after being out for rabbits, call into the surgery and leave them wrapped in a bag at reception for him. Next time you saw him "Thanks for the rabbits John" Brilliant doctor and a big miss. I remember Danny Swann who told a group of us in the club that he was out for a walk and Dr Ivory saw him. It was a wednesday, and he said to Danny "You going to MOrpeth for !*!@# & Hen Day Danny" No Doctor i can't afford it this week. "Can't have that Danny, heres a fiver, just give me it back when you can afford too." Danny got to Morpeth that day thanks to Dr Ivory. What a man he was.

Thanks for that info. A very interesting point with camping out at the shops.

yes, remember me dad having that prob. I an pleased its more humane these days tho.

thanks for your comment. hope you enjoy it as much as i do too. Great stuff coming soon. "Our Colliery Villages" Its all about a representative that got a job in 1901 to go around the colliery villages of Northumberland & Durham. It will give you all an insight into what it was actually like in those days over 110 years ago. Just thinking now, how times have certainly changed.

Anyone want to include pics on our auto home page slideshow please email them to us and view at sixtownships.weebly.com have a look the sites coming on well. Its your memories and Your heritage.

Yes they were in a good job wern't they and you had to keep them happy.

What a terrific story and a good WW2 fact on the limit of pigs and other animals. Was it true that it was only certain times of the year they killed the pigs ? i think i remember nov or dec at the late part of the year on pig killing day. i think the pig was also starved for about 1 or 2 days prior to this killing. Pigs were regarded as an important food supply too. The hams and larger sides of bacon were an essential part of the diet for the coming months.

I was just pondering about pig killing day. Who remembers those days ? it was very common up here in the north and a good day was had by all. The bladder was used by kids for a football, do you remember ? My dad kept pigs at Choppington, where the allotments are today. He had a bit land there at one time. I know when he killed his, as you could in those days, he had a mallet with a point on the end and hit the pig between the centre of its eyes to kill it. You couldnt do that these days. However getting back to the pigs eyes. Just between the eyes was that the pigs skull lacked a complete boney bar behind the eye. When the pig fell it would land on a bed of straw that was prepared before hand, to stop the meat from bruising. After this i remember the next job was to bleed it and scald the carcass to remove the hair. Then chop off the head and remove the internal organs. The people up here were very skilled at pig breeding and killing them. Every part was eaten, except the squeek. Now WW2 you were restricted how many pigs you could keep. Now the government took so many from you and you kept some as they were bred. Maybe someone can put me right on that ? Mind you, never mind your food coupons, if you knew the right person you got what you wanted. Any memories on that passed on from your parents ?

Morpeth began its settlement at the top of the hill near to the castle beide High Church. The settlement then moved north of the River Wansbeck and that is where Morpeth town centre is today. if my memory is right i believe Mitford was an even older settlement than Morpeth and its only about 2 to 3 miles away. Newbiggin is not mentioned until King Ceolwulph who was the 22nd King of Northumbria he reigned from 731 to 737.

Morpeth was, Newbiggin was not . i will hunt some info out and post it for you.

Hi all. Our new website is now online. http://www.sixtmedia.org.uk We are publishing all our archive material over the coming year. It covers all of Bedlingtonshire and includes Bedlington, Barrington, West Sleekburn, East Sleekburn, Netherton, Cambois, Choppington, Blyth, Morpeth, and Tyneside and more. Hopefully it will help those interested in the area. Com oning soon is "Our Colliery Villages" from 1901. What was your colliery village like in that year. Have a look and keep looking back as we expand the website with our archives. It will keep you intrested for many years as we get it all online. Keep your memories and heritage alive and Email us them for to publish online. Its Your Memories and Your Heritage. Also just going online is our sister site http://www.sixtownships.org.uk Finally our other sister site is under major construction at http://sixtownships.weebly.com We anticipate that over the coming year visitors and members will have a huge archive collection online for them to aid in their research. Please be patient as we update our websites and hopefully we can help all who are interested in their heritage. We also have an online shop at http://www.shop/sixtmedia.org.uk

Dr Ivory was a ww2 pilot. he won bravery awards. I believe he moved to Guide Post at a later date and died sometime about 2005 ? maybe just before. cracking dr he was. Im sure it was John his first name, nicknamed "Paddy"

what is known about the Barrington Toll Gate. Lets se if we can build a complete picture on this together. Were your relatives, family or friends involved in it ? why did it begin ? come on lets see if we can get a complete picture of it. i will post some info, i think, off the top of my head, the Fletcher family. they took the toll. i may be wrong, i may be right, i will check my archives over the weekend and post. but lets get this going for interest. did you like my map and info on barrington village ? and, i hope it was helpfull. do you want more pics uploaded ? just let me know, only too pleased to share with you all. Oh, Barrington had a famous inventor for the coal mines too. any info ? more to talk about and interesting it is. Do you remember the clay pit ? I do well, and tremble when i think of the collectables in the tip i shot at with my slug gun and damaged. i should have taken them and i could have been worth i few more bob today. mind you the rats was good fun with the air rifle tho. shot many. did you swim in the clay pit ? lets get the stories flowing.

yes, i know about that terrible incident Ralpie. It was the same in those days all over the county with the severe winters they had in those days. Many a life lost. there was a few at sheepwash too. But to think a glass was cut to memorial glasses ? did the proceeds go to the family to help them ? You know Ralphie in all my time in local history this is actually the first time i have ever come across this and this is through your knowledge. just shows you we are never too old to learn more and its part of our journey in our long heritage and i thank you for this very interesting piece of history. many thanks Ralphie.

At Guide Post we had Joe Pearson "Newsagent" in the 60s, at Guide Post. He would sell you 2 or 3 and you got them in a white sweet bag.