I Think you are confusing dialect with county, Adam. You are a Northumbrian but so is a Geordie. You both come from Northumberland. Nowadays you both speak Geordie. There are very few, if any, who speak Northumbrian. It's an archaic dialect.
Not often you're wrong HPW but you're right again! The ranch was on the left as was the "set-pot" for boiling the pigs food. I Think I even remember a sign above the gate which sait "the ranch".
Only 7/10 for me! I'll have to get home more often! A question: Did you all get the Word "kets". I've never Heard this in the plural form. I've only ever Heard "ket" and then not only with the meaning sweets. My parents used the Word "ket" to describe anything that was rubbish. That could be anything from sweets to furniture to TV programmes.
I beleive the Francis pit shaft was bricked up and covered with girders/Railway lines in the early 50's after Granny Watson's son (20 third street) fell in and died there. We Always called it Choppington Lonnen, to distinguish it from the 'other' lonnen that went past the club and on towards Short's Farm and Hepscott. That was sometimes called the Black Lonnen but more often than not it was simply called the Lonnen.
I can certainly remember Writing letters to get information on industry, Maggie, but I never got any trips out to see any pop stars. However, I did get enough Fairy Household Soap to keep my mother happy for over a year.