Canny lass

Definitely Bedlington east end, just a few doors along from Millne. Feasters were the first outlet for Westridge School uniforms. I'm afraid I can't confirm Bonzo's origins.

There seems to be an awful lot of gable ends and I can't work out where they could be seen from.

I don't know of any other and I never had to pay for any tiles.

Not Mr. Hemming. That's Mr Abrahart - history teacher.

That's a lovely photo! Reminds me of my childhood, hanging on the gate, waiting for the 'tankie' so we could wave to the driver.

Thanks James! I have a clear picture now.

That's a really informative extract. Thanks Eggy! First paragraph confirms that the Old Colliery Row at the east end of Bedlington was 'controlled' by the Doctor Pit. It doesn't specifically say that it was owned by them so maybe it was hired by them for workers in much the same way as the Old Iron Works.

This might seem like a daft question but, why did a coal mine need a chimney? What was being burned?

I've always wondered how it got its name! Now I know! Would Doctor terrace have the same origins?

The onion sellers bring back memories! They came to Netherton during my childhood days, 1950s. I believed them to be Frenchmen. They didn't have carts but had baikes with onions hanging in strings from every available space.

I came across Dr Trotter recently in the 1911 census records. He was then living at the Old Brewery House on Front Street west with his wife of 9 years and their two children - Margaret Martin Trotter and Robert Martin Trotter aged 8 and 6 yo. They had one resident servant - Alice Herron - one of my relatives.

Well done!

Now, there's an idea. Could it have been even higher upp at the school?

Thanks Eggy! I don't recall either the club or the garage as beig that high but it must be right. I was thinking the tower of St Cuthberts but the angle is all wrong.

Does anybody have any idea where the photographer would have been standing to get this view of the pit?

Old Colliery Row is named  on the 1897 OS County Series for Northumberland. 

On 22/09/2020 at 13:53, Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) said:

The Market Cross. Some call it The Nail. Said to have been moved to it's current site in 1782 but there is o entry in the Bedlington 'Timeline'.

Info on the Megalithic Portal :-

No entry in the 'Historical Timeline of Bedlington' on this site :-

Info from @johndawsonjune1955

The Megalithic Portal doesn't make any sense to me. How can "Jim Swanns early 18th century diaries" possibly suggest that the cross was built in the late  18th century "1792". He must have written his diary BEFORE the cross was built!

YMCA ownership seems likely and thinking about the size of the field a bowling green would be about right.

On 08/09/2020 at 20:54, Jammy said:

 Behind the later YMCA building there is a flat field with something going on. Does anyone know what is happening on the field? My guess is it's a sports day. I didn't know that field existed. There appears to be footpath access from both ends.

While I was wandering around the 'station' in my research on Puddlers Row/Glassey terrace I noticed this:

Could it have belonged to the public house ? The Percy Arms

Somebody must have cut the grass on the area in question. any idea who?

Another question about that photo:

Off centre, left, top of photo: a footpath that divides into two - each going to a fairly large circle in the grass. What are those circles.

I've seen it used occasionally for a 'kick-about' with a football, not a proper match,  by some of the male YMCA members, early 60's. I have some recollection of being told that the area once belonged to the old YMCA (later, boot factory).

2 hours ago, Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) said:

It was Pitch & Toss

That's right! I can't pretend to be au fait with the intricacies of the game but I remember my mother letting off steam to my father about it!

Last part of the institute building, to the far right, must be what's noted as "policeman's dwelling" on the drawing. Would I be right in thinking that this policeman was the 'collry poliss' rather than a member of the constabulary. I know that the colliery policeman at Netherton (Geordie Collis) was employed by the Howard Pit and he had a colliery house but he wasn't a 'real' policeman. We used to sing a song about him:

I wish I was a poliss, a big fat poliss

Wi feet like Geordie Collis, the big fat poliss.

Kids can be cruel!

Good photo, Jammy!

There's no doubt in my mind that the space you ask about is the site of the toilet block, Eggy. That curved wall to the left formed one wall of the passage way to the Ladies entrance. The toilet building formed the other. I only ever used those toilets once and never again! Not because of any fault with the toilet facilities themselves but because of the huge amount of the biggest black slugs i've ever seen that invaded that passageway. The wall was covered in them of an evening. It was always dark and damp in there so they probably thrived. I didn't even like standing at the bus-stop if I had to stand too near the entrance.

I think I just make out the curve of the wall in Jammy's photo.

Could that be the beginnings of the public toilets that were behind the market place bus-stop?

On 14/05/2020 at 21:17, Alan Edgar (Eggy1948) said:

@Canny lass - a lad, Alan Brady, on the Facebook group Bygone Bedlington reckons this will be Netherton Colliery Infants school, not Nedderton Junior School. What do you think.

 

I must have missed this. An easy way to distinguish Netherton Infants School at Netherton Colliery from Nedderton Junior School at Nedderton Village is their different building materials. The colliery school was brick built while the village school was stone built (the older part facing the road) with a more modern annexe in green-painted corrugated iron at the rear.

This is brick built but the window is not one I recognise - especially with a door to the right . Compare it to other photos in the gallery and they all show windows with four pains of glass in width. They also seem rather higher than I remember if that's an adult on the far left top row. On other photos the window sill is at chest height.