norman

Hi Bill, My grandma lived at No 42 her name was Mary Turner,she was well known in the town,used to collect for the Provident. My brother Bill used to deliver the milk in Haigh Rd for Ted Abbs with the well known horse "Silver" back in the 1950's

Hi Denzel, I don,t believe you are a true Bedlington Terrier, if you were you would know the correct spelling is Raas not Raz. Norman

Hi alanc! The big building was the original pump house, in my day it had a small shop where you could buy pop and crisps and get a cup of tea. It was also used as a meeting place for the lads and lasses. Did you ever try what we used to do diving off the lasses cubicles into the shallow end, it realy used to get Wilf hopping mad. When I was at Westridge School my form master was George Marley, his father had the butchers shop near Hayes the chemist.

I have run through the the black bridge on the two planks, and that was when the trains were running. We also had a swing from the bridge and as you say it was a bloody long drop, some thig else you might try which we did on numerous occasions was gaining access to the bridge by climing up the steel super structure, there again we didn't have tele or computers.

Hi again from Norman Let me first inform the uninitiated what a penker is, a penker also sometimes called a steelie, was a much prized steel marble, normaly a ball bearing from a coal truck wheel, if you or a relation were in with the fitters. The song; Aa was playin wiv me penker, playing wiv me penker, playing wiv me penker, doon the Shiny Raa, When it rolled intiv the cundy, rolled intiv the cundy, rolled intiv the cundy doon the Shiny Raa, An aa cudn't reach me penker, cudn't reach me penker, cudn't reach me penker doon the Shiny Raa. So aa went an fetched the claes-prop, went an fetched the claes-prop, went an fetched the claes-prop, doon the Shiny Raa, Still aa cudn't reach me penker, cudn't reach me penker, cudn't reach me penker doon the Shiny Raa. So aa went an fetched me marra, went an fetched me marra went and fetched me marra, doon the Shiny Raa. But we cudn't reach me penker, cudn't reach me penker, cudn't reach me penker doon the Shiny Raa. So aa went an got sum pooder, went an got sum pooder, went and got some pooder, doon the Shiny Raa. An wi stuffed doon the cundy, stuffed doon the cundy, stuffed it doon the cundy, doon the Shiny Raa Then wi set lite tae the pooder, set lite tae the pooder, set lite tae the pooder doon the Shiny Raa Noo thers nowt left o thge cundy, nowt left o the cundy, nowt left o the cundy, doon the Shiny Raa

Shiny Row, was in the song "Playing wi me penker", which I learned from my uncle Ralph who spent all his working life down the Dr Pit.

I remember the baths with fond memories, many happy summers spent there, I also remember we used to go with the school, no transport so we walked from the Whitley Mem. Wilf Marley was the man in charge, he was married to Joan Reed, who was a great friend of my sister Joan, My sister used to often tell us of her and Joanie swimming at the baths during the war and refusing to get out of the water when the sirens sounded. I also remember the annual swimming gala which was a great family day out. Admision to the baths was 3 pence, old money, and the baths were open from 8 am to 8 pm.