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Everything posted by Canny lass

  1. Canny lass
    ...it was very handy for doing the odd vasectomy a few years ago.
  2. Canny lass
    What! and leave us women with a shortage of men to nag at!
  3. Canny lass
    Welcome to the forum jaxe45 and welcome to Bedlington. I'm sure you'll enjoy great friendship in both.
  4. Canny lass
    Lovely photos Foxy! Nice to see people enjoying their town. The planters are looking good, as usual. All credit to the volunnteers who look after them.
  5. Canny lass
    in an ideal world - when I am Primeminister - that will be taken care of!
  6. Canny lass
    Thanks Eggy, It's always nice when someone takes the time to answer another member's questions! You can add my name to that list as well. I love them!
  7. Canny lass
    I didn’t think house prices in Bedlington were so very different to Blyth, Ashington or Cramlington so I had a quick look at Zoopla this morning. In the past year prices have risen in Bedlington by 3.96%. That’s a good bit better than Ashington prices which have shot up by 5.53%. On the other hand, prices in Cramlington and Blyth have gone downmarginally by 0.48% and 0,63%. That still leaves actual house prices with only marginal differences. The average prices paid during the past year for houses are: Bedlington – £134,942 Cramlington - £140,291 Blyth - £129,558 Ashington - £115,231 Of course, they are not all new-builds. But first time house buyers, if they have any sense, usually cut their coat according to their cloth and work their way up from an anorak to a mink. Looking only at properties on sale in Bedlington this year I can see several that are well below market value: Queens Road - £62,000 Stirling Drive £47,500 Millbank Crescent £50,000 Stead Lane £90,000 Roslin Park £82.500 And for those with a higher income: The Wynding £148,000 Octavia Close £150,000 Bonchester Close £127,000
  8. Canny lass
    Potential customers, Moe, potential customers.
  9. Canny lass
    You don't need to go as far as Japan, Merc. That system was in force in both Netherton Infants- and Nedderton Junior schools during the fifties!
  10. Canny lass
    I just knew there would be words of wisdom from a man who likes books and red wine!
  11. Canny lass
    It certainly is, Vic! The latest here is clothing shops ( the major chain stores) where you 'try on' clothing and then order it on-line, in the store, to be delivered to your home! The banks have gone one better. They don't handle cash at all unless you order it three days in advance! It works well and saves so much time. Goods and services are payed for by direct transfer from customer to bank. Of course, those who like to cheat the taxman don't like it.
  12. Canny lass
    Correct me if I'm wrong, Moe but wasn't it you who said that "apart from St Cuthberts church it (Bedlington) has really nowt else worth looking at"? Surely you recognize the cross of St Cuthbert?
  13. Canny lass
    I think we may be talking at cross purposes Moe. I thought you were talking only about gentlemen's outfitters, as you mentioned shoes, shirts and trousers. I don't believe the larger, brand named chain stores would have any success in that field in Bedlington. Other shops - maybe. The Keel Row did wonders for Blyth.
  14. Canny lass
    You know 3g, sometimes you can be really nice. Knowledge shared is a wonderful thing. Thank you.
  15. Canny lass
    I noted with interest, Moe, that you were unaware of the NCC having replaced Wansbeck DC. Maybe it has also escaped your attention that Bedlington is not a “village”. Bedlington is a town. A village cannot and does not have a mayor or local government because a village is part of a town. A town, on the other hand, has fixed boundaries and a local government A village has a population of a few hundred to a few thousand. A town has a population of one thousand to twenty thousand.
  16. Canny lass
    How many people in Bedlington would prefer to buy their shoes, shirts and trousers in Bedlington? I’m not denying that there are some who would and some for whom it is necessary, but for every one such person you can show me, I’ll wager that at least twenty would prefer a day out in ‘the toon’ or even Blyth or Ashington. Why? There’s a better selection of brands and shops in a town larger than Bedlington and the goods are often cheaper. That it’s a bit of a day out, and away from the kitchen sink with somebody else preparing and cooking your lunch is another good reason – at least for women – to prefer Blyth, Ashington or Newcastle. There are reasons for that which I’m sure that you Moe – being a businessman – will understand. Businesses, retail businesses in particular, have a tendency to place their outlets where there are potential customers, so choosing a place like Newcastle rather than Bedlington makes more economic sense. The potential market is greater. This, in turn, helps determine the cost of your shoes, shirts and trousers. Buying in bulk from the manufacturer gives a better price per article. For a business to buy in twenty shirts will cost a great deal more – per shirt – than buying 1 000shirts. Naturally, the cost is passed on to the customer. But of course you know all that, being a businessman. I may be wrong, but I believe the demise of the market in Bedlington may have had something to do with this. Bedlington people are not “a bunch of tight wads”, as webtrekker puts it. I know many Bedlingtonians who preferred to visit the market in Blyth simply because it was ‘a day out’ and it was a bigger market with a better selection of goods. Large chain stores in Bedlington are not really a viable proposition. I don’t think it’s ever going to happen, unless the population at least doubles, and there’s not a great chance of that happening as it seems that many people are opposed to more housing being built. Which brings me to the question ‘Where do we go from here? It seems to me that if we don’t want more people living in Bedlington then we should be investing in getting people to visit Bedlington. Shops – brand names and chain stores – don’t appear to be the answer. There isn’t a big enough market among the population and who’s going to travel to Bedlington from Ashington or Blyth for shops? They’ve got shops of their own! I think we may have to accept that Bedlington is what it is – a dormitory town, and a very nice one at that! As Mercury says, Bedlington has a great deal of potential just waiting to be cashed in on. Its history is just one part of that but it needs people in order to come alive. Those people don’t have to be’ tourists’. Plain, ordinary, everyday ‘visitors’ will do just as well so thank heavens that Bedlington seems to have a bunch of people (a majority, I believe) who are dedicated to trying to make that happen by helping to make the town attractive. Yes, Bedlington has its black spots. Yes, Bedlington has taken a back seat when it comes to getting money for improvements and yes, it is time to turn things round. That won’t happen as long as negative thinking prevails – even among the few.
  17. Canny lass
    31968205 named.jpg
    8 Confirm Joe Potts 11 Don’t think this is Norman Carr 16 Anne Amos 17 Ann Moore 20 Margaret Morton 21 Christine Ainsley 24 Confirm Edith Mullen 30 Denise Goves 31 Ann Bower 32 Margaret Coppin 33 Lorna Naisby/Nesbitt ?
  18. Canny lass
    Thanks Andy! That's Christmas saved!
  19. Canny lass
    Your welcome!
  20. Canny lass
    Hi Marie and welcome to the forum! Two things that I’ve found useful are census records and old maps. Both can help you paint a picture of how the town was. You may need to approach the census in a different way and Instead of looking for a specific person look at the whole area. Follow in the footsteps of the enumerator by starting at the beginning of the district you are interested in working your way through to the end. Depending on which year you are looking at you can see such things as: Housing conditions: How many rooms? How many occupants? Were they overcrowded? Did the tenant sublet? Many had a boarder (Noted under ‘relationship to head of household’) to supplement their own income. Size of the family: How many children have been born in a marriage and, more important, how many are still living? This often reflects the health and sanitation status of the era. Occupation: you can get a good idea of what the area had to offer in the way of work. Having only Shanks’ pony for transport meant that people worked locally. Bedlington has had many and diverse industries over the years. Particularly interesting are the ‘occupations’ given for women who are heads of household. No benefits meant ingenious ways of earning a living. Age: look at the age which children were put to work and the type of work they did. Look at the age at which female heads of household became widows. Place of birth: gives an insight into what type of workers were attracted to Bedlington and even why. If the wife was a Bedlington lass and the head of household from elsewhere then matters of the heart may be the answer. If the whole family was born elsewhere it often reflects hard times there and better times in Bedlington. You’ll be surprised just how far people have moved. Relationship to head of household: even that can reveal things like illegitimacy levels. Given a head of household named XXXX with a wife, daughter and grandson also named XXXX then there’s a good chance that the grandchild was born out of wedlock. It seems to have been more common during some periods. Old maps can reveal a lot about the development of the area. Not only can you see the actual growth of the town but you can also see the decay. When you see that new housing has appeared and another area of housing disappears then it’s safe to draw the conclusion that the latter was probably in an appalling condition. If you’ve had relatives living there then they haven’t had it easy! Many things are marked out on old maps which can give you an idea of religious practices and persuasions at the time. New churches of differing denominations as well as mission rooms appear and disappear. Compare the number of such establishments with the number of inhabitants and do the same for schools, hospitals and public houses. It’s a painstaking job, Marie, but if you’re interested it’s really fascinating to see how people have lived.
  21. Canny lass
    Feel no pressure guys! But if this thing's not sorted out before the Christmas tree goes up there'll be big trouble!
  22. Canny lass
    I honestly thought that the guy in the photo might be Tony. The eyebrows bear a striking resemblance.
  23. Canny lass
    Nothing here either Vic.
  24. Canny lass
    Photo from Carole's 2007 posting.jpg
    A thought just occured to me that we can see the actual census form for 1911, not just the enumeration book, so I looked up the resdents of Red House Dairy and Red House Farm. The occupants of the dairy give their adress as 'Netherton Lane, Bedlington and the farm adress is simply given as Bedlington. So, clearly in 1911 they belonged to Bedlington. Another puzzle bit in place.
  25. Canny lass
    Photo from Carole's 2007 posting.jpg
    You may well be right as well, Andy. It depends on which period of time we are talking about and also which Netherton we are talking about – the communities of Netherton/Nedderton and the adjoining Netherton Colliery or the greater area of Netherton which stretched west as far as Stannington, south, over Netherton Moor, as far as Hartford Bridge and as far as Bedlington Red House in the east. Myself, I was referring to the community of Netherton Colliery. It may well be that the area you pointed out has, in an urban or parochial sense, at some time belonged to the greater area of Netherton. Map-making has never really been able to keep pace with actual development and this was never more true than in the mining areas, mid 19th century and onwards when development was at its peak. There seem to be new maps published at intervals of 8-9-10 years but in the ‘in-between years’ lots of things came and went. Whole villages disappeared (Netherton Colliery among them), some were renamed and many were forcibly ‘relocated’ due to the perimeters of urban- or parochial areas being redefined to accommodate the growing communities within– bit like the garter on the fat lady’s leg. The ‘garter syndrome’ may possibly have affected the Red House farm area and Netherton. However, in my lifetime, the Red House area has always been referred to as belonging to Bedlington. What could ‘rightfully’ be called Netherton seemed to have an eastern boundary at the site of the former Raisbecks Bus garage/Red House. Once you’d taken that first right-hand turn on Netherton Lane then you were in West Lea and that didn’t belong to Netherton. I’m talking early fifties here. Housing developments in the area: West Lea, North Ridge, Red House Farm and Meadowdale have all been given the postal address Bedlington – as was Netherton Social Club when it was built. This may well reflect the expansion of Bedlington as opposed to the demise of Netherton. A map from 1860 shows an area of Bedlingtonshire comprising the two greater areas: Netherton to the north of and Bedlington to the south of Netherton Lane. It seems therefore reasonable to assume that the dividing boundary may have been Netherton Lane at that time. The Netherton area includes Netherton Colliery and Nedderton Village (here it’s still called Netherton). Centre right of the map and skirted on the southern perimeter by Netherton Lane is the area which you pointed out as netherton. Just to the south of Netherton Lane, at the bend in the road, you can see Bedlington Red House and Bedlington Cemetery. These would both appear to be on the Bedlington side while Netherton Colliery would appear to be situated to the north of Netherton Lane. Sixty years later, the 1920 map (not a terribly good one) shows the same area. However, here you can see that Bedlington Red House now occupies a site to the north of Netherton Lane. However, it has retained the name ‘Bedlington’ Red House. This has always lead me to believe that Red House belonged to Bedlington, rather than Netherton but of course I don’t know where the real boundary was or if it was ever moved. The map from 1947, when I was born, still shows “Bedlington Red House” to the north of Netherton Lane but I’ve never heard the area referred to as anything other than Bedlington. Having said that, the 1911 census, Bedlington District 02, places Red House Farm in the Netherton Area, which covers the colliery houses, social club, store and pit buildings before cutting across to Burnt House farm, Nedderton Moor farm and heading towards Hartford bridge then doubling back to Stannington Station, Netherton Lane, Red House Farm, back to Nedderton Village on the other side of the road and finally ending at Netherton Hall. Unless there were two Red House farms, this puts the area in question in the Netherton district of Bedlington. It's an interesting conundrum. If anybody else has any ideas then I'm all ears!
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