Canny lass

My sentiments exactly, Mercuryg! As with so many other things, there's no Point in wallowing in what it was or might have been. Concentrate on what it can be instead. There's plenty of go-ahead people with good ideas in Bedlington - not least here on this site!

Tragic for the workers but at least the site will not tied up anymore. Maybe something can be done with the Place now.

I don't hear anybody - male or female - complaining about all the male nudity that surrounds us. What's the difference between a bare breasted P3 girl and a bare breasted hunk of male with bulging 'muscles', the type of man that adorns advertising spaces the World over, the type of man that adorns public Buildings the World over, the type of man that adorns parks and gardens the World over, the type of man thet adorns glossy Magazines the World over? ´No I don't hear anybody complaining about them - well, not unless you Count the popes who've put fig leaves on all the dangly bits throughout the Vatican City. (Well Worth a visit never the less girls). I'll have to stop here. I'm getting all hot and bothered!!!

Hope you enjoy our Company, Seamus.

Good Picture threegee. Redhouse farm estate is to the left and the old miner's cottages are on the other side of the then main road opposite Redhouse farm estate. If you stand in the middle of the green looking out towards the estate entrance (disappearing top right in your Picture), these tree semi's, numbers 80-85, do look as though they are in a straight row.

Apologies! I made a mistake with my house numbers. The semi on Foxy's photo are numbers 84 and 85. That's the house to the right on Christopher's view. I was counting in the wrong direction.

Eggy, that photo is taken at the other end of the green, showing the entrance to the cul-de-sac. The houses in the cul-de-sac are parallel to each other. Maybe I was a bit misleading when I mentioned parallel.previously. Christopher's Picture is spot on. These houses face the green and behind them. facing the main Bedlington/Netherton road road is Another row of houses. They aren't really parallel except for the first two which are back to back with adjoining gardens. I used to play in that garden as a Child.

I'm pretty sure it's West Lea..These are the houses numbered somewhere between 60 and 70. There are houses that run parallel to and behind them - the houses that face the main road. These are two-bedroomed houses and there is no window above the door. That area is the stairwell above which is a built in cupboard/wardrobe accessible from the front bedroom. Some people have made it into a shower. The original windows on some of the houses were slightly bowed giving a large window sill in the sitting area. These were all removed and replaced though I can't for the Life of me put a date on it. The workmen sold the old metal frames complete with glazing for a few quid to those who wanted them. I'm not sure just how legal that was! My brother had a couple of greenhouses made from these windowframes. A very large one on the allotments behind Rothsay Terrace and a smaller one in the back garden at West Lea. I Think the man on the left holding a Child by the hand could be one of the Lumsdens.

If I'm right then those windows built a Lovely greenhouse in my brother's allotment!

I also Think this could be West Lea. Paul Mann would know.

I Heard that as well, Pilgrim. "It was never about dismantling the coal industry, that was only a bi-Product, it was about dismantling the Power of the NUM. And as far as Scargill is concerned, it was never about miners jobs, it was about beating Thatcher". Well said, Willy.J. There you have it in a nut-Shell!

I can see where your coming from but it's more likely to be Celtic.

If my memory serves me well it wasn't only a piece of coal that was carried over the threshold by the first-foot. In Netherton it was coal, salt and a silver coin, representing Health wealth and happiness. These were often left outside the door by the home owner for the first-foot to pick up on the way in. I also remember the feverish activity of getting the first-foot arranged a few Days Before they were needed. Some were more popular than others and booked up well in advance. On no account could it be a woman. As Paul said, it should ideally be a bloke and preferably one who was tall dark and handsome. On that note, does anybody know when the tradition of first-footing started? I ask because I recently had occasion to research the Word 'handsome' and found that one of it's meanings, now obsolete, was 'easily handled'. Tall, dark and easily handled - now there's something to Think about!

I just haven't had time to get around to this thread Maggie. What with Christmas and poorly in-laws I've had my hands full (and not Always with a glass). Hope you're not thinking of invoking any of the above 'laws'. In Place names 'law' usually means 'hill', from the Anglo Saxon Word hlaw meaning a hill with a burial ground on top. Don't want you invoking any of those! I promise I'll get round to looking at Ad Gefrin as soon as I can. First guess is Celtic or Brittonic. Definitely not Latin.

Welcome on board Pilgrim.

It's hard to stay away, isn't it! Welcome home.

Welcome NormanD! I also remember Glanton, thanks to the Red Cross and Miss Wilkinson. Hope you enjoy your stay with us.

Thank you for your good wishes. I have to admit it could have been better. We have been without Telephone and electricity since Sunday morning. Fortunately the bar relies on neither ( we have plenty of ice outside). Telephone back on now and electricity promised tomorrow.

Chaos with Internet here as well. One Company in particular being 'attacked' - as it's described on the news. Someone, somewhere is bombarding the Company with data and the system cannot cope. All sorts of strange things happening - and not just because of the sherry!! Don't worry about the upside down images. Just be thankful you're not getting underlinings, crossings out and capital letters floating about all over the Place.

These two are the right way up, Maggie. Somebody must be putting water in the sherry!

Because - either Maggie is posting these pics upside down OR I'm seeing them upside down. I'd like to know which.

Maggie, One of us has to get off the sherry!

Good luck with your search and welcome to the forum.

Maggie, Have you been at the sherry already?

He did some fantastic covers! Truly an all time GREAT!